Environmental Observations of a Riparian Ecosystem During Flood Season

摘要

Dynamics of floodplain wetlands along the Kankakee River in Northeastern Illinois were studied during the Spring flood season of 1979. The study involved hydrology, water chemistry and sedimentation measurements. The wetlands study areas were dominated by silver maple (Acer saccharinum) with river birch (Betulanigra), pin oak (Quercus palustris), America elm (Ulmus americana) and swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) as subdominants. The floodplain forest study site was inundated for 62 to 80 days, depending on location during March - May 1979. Flooding was determined to occur at a river discharge of 4000 to 4500 cfs and the floodplain forest was determined to be under water 66 percent of the years for a least 10 days since 1917. Flooding has not occurred at all in only five years during that period. Groundwater showed increasing orthophosphates and decreasing nitrates after floodwater receded.