Assessing Stream Health in the Chesapeake Basin Using the SHARP Model

Toby N. Carlson, Amy T. Haase, Cynthia N. Cudaback, Michael C. Anderson

Department of Meteorology, Penn State University, University Park, PA.
NOAA/NWS/MDL, Silver Spring, MD.
Ocean and You, Raleigh, NC.
Spatial Information Technologies, Inc., State College.

DOI: 10.4236/ojmh.2012.24009                

Abstract

An assessment of stream health within the Chesapeake Bay Basin can be made using the Stream Health and Runoff Potential (SHARP) model, which is based solely on the relationship between land cover and stream constituents: Total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and total suspended sediment (TSS). While not intended to compete with more complex models that utilize a range of specific input data, SHARP’s advantage is that it requires little input, is easily applied, and can show whether a stream or watershed is likely to be impacted (impaired). The model allows the user to define a watershed boundary on screen within which a stream health index (SHI), concentrations of TP, TN and TSS, percentages of five land cover types, a color-coded land cover snapshot, impervious surface area and fractional vegetation cover are output. The paper describes SHARP, its output and an overview of how it can be used.

Keywords

Stream Health; Water Quality; Chesapeake Bay Basin; Nutrient; Sediment Loads

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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