Research
Publication Date
2014
Abstract
Small streams have the unfortunate ability to be greatly impacted by human intervention. Civilizations for centuries have attempted to alter the natural state of their environment, and Amherst's own Tan Brook is a local example of the consequences of human alterations on a stream. The brook flows over and under what many local citizens call home, and where many UMass students go to learn. A healthier Tan Brook would be expected to provide for improvement of ecosystem services such as flood control and nutrient processing, resulting in a cleaner campus pond and a better connection between the stream and the local community. The purpose of this study is to examine and compare previously recorded biochemical characteristics with current conditions in the Tan Brook and campus pond to determine if the health of this system has changed. Additional parameters related to the geomorphology and biology of the Tan Brook will also be characterized. Community concern in concurrence with the fact that the majority of the stream is piped underground through culverts indicates that the Tan Brook is currently impacted. The data collected can provide clues about levels of ecological impairment in Tan Brook and the source of these impairments. With interpretation, the information gathered could eventually lead to the development of infrastructure to remediate the sources of impairment, consequently leading to a cleaner Tan Brook. This is an optimistic transformation that would aid both the town of Amherst and the University.