Aquatic Stressors
Stressors are anything that is detrimental to a species’ health. Monitoring stations collect data on aquatic constituents such as temperature, salinity, pesticides, excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus), and suspended sediments. Tracking sediments is important because many contaminants (including pesticides, trace metals, and excess nutrients) occur in the system and are bound to sediments. Research by USGS assists with understanding the origin, transport, and fate of potential stressors to reduce impacts to species and inform habitat-restoration activities.