Watershed Processes and Aquatic Resources: A Literature Review

The ways that energy and materials are produced, stored, and move across the land are processes that occur naturally, and have been the primary drivers that have shaped the development of habitat. In turn, human development of the land can significantly alter the magnitude and timing of the processes themselves. It is also true that these alterations can cause changes in habitat formation and stability downstream and downslope from the original disturbance. Most commonly, this effect is mediated by hydraulically driven processes: the delivery and routing of water, sediment, large and small wood, nutrients and toxicants.