Sediment Transport and Primary Production

Our work develops simple tools to measure puroductivity in headwater streams and explores how distrbance shapes algal communities. We created an approach using dissolved oxygen saturation (DOsat) and light (PAR) to estimate gross primary productivity, validated in two Oregon streams and sensitive to storm events. We also examine how bed disturbance controls benthic chlorophyll a across Colorado and Oregon rivers. Even low flows can mobilize sediment, influencing algal biomass through both scour and recovery. Cold temperatures, low nutrients, and shear stress patterns all shape spatial and temporal variation, with low‑shear zones resisting disturbance but recovering slowly, and high‑shear zones showing rapid loss and faster regrowth. Together, these studies highlight how light, hydrology, sediment dynamics, and disturbance regimes interact to control stream productivity across diverse headwater settings.