TECHNICAL TRIPS
The Planning Committee is organizing technical trips at the AWRA 2023 Annual Water Resources Conference which are now included with your full or day of conference registration rate - no extra charges! However, you MUST ADD the trip that you want to attend as a program item to your registration. Read below for more details.
Tuesday, November 7 | 1:30 - 5:00 PM
Cost: $0.00
Transportation Details: Coming Soon
Trip 1: Living History – The impacts of past land use activities on present-day stream morphology and water quality as observed in William B. Umstead State Park, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Description: This afternoon field trip to nearby William B. Umstead State Park highlights research into land use history and Anthropocene geomorphic evolution of Piedmont landscapes surrounding Raleigh, typical of much of the Atlantic Piedmont physiographic province. European-American settlement of the southeastern U.S. resulted in the extensive clearing of forest hillslopes for farming and daming streams for milling. These activities resulted in substantial upland soil erosion, rearrangement of first-order channel networks, and the wholesale burial of riparian corridors with millions of tons of legacy (anthropogenic) sediment. The morphology and quality of streams today continue to be impacted by these historic land-use activities.
The Trip will start with a short introduction into the geomorphic history of the area followed by a 5-minute bus ride from the meeting venue to the park. Participants will hike on and near the Loblolly Trail to observe classic examples of soil erosion and early attempts at erosion control, sediment aggradation behind historic mill dams, channel incision and bank erosion into these anthropogenic sediments, and the ongoing elongation of first-order channel networks as they reestablish their equilibrium slope-area positions following landscape reforestation. Participants should be able to walk several miles on uneven ground and enjoy hands-on learning.
Dr. Karl Wegmann will lead the trip and discussions. Karl is an Associate Professor of Geology & Geomorphology in the Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences Department at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.