Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important indicator of stream water quality and ecosystem health. We investigated the environmental linkages and scaling of stream DO with a systematic data analytics approach and empirical modeling. The underlying hypothesis is that stream DO represents an emergent scaling relationship with the environmental drivers. Observed data of stream water quality and potential drivers were gathered for 86 stream monitoring stations across the contiguous U.S. The physical and the biogeochemical process components represented the dominant controls of the monthly to quarterly scale stream DO, whereas the hydro-atmospheric exchange component appeared to have a weak control. The data analytics results were leveraged to develop an emergent scaling law to robustly predict stream DO based on the dominant drivers (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency = 0.74). Our findings provide insights for the water quality managers to achieve and sustain healthy stream ecosystems across the contiguous U.S. and beyond.

Emergent Scaling of Stream Dissolved Oxygen across the Contiguous U.S.

Created in 1999, the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) is the recognized leader within ASCE for the integration of technical expertise and public policy in the planning, design, construction, and operation of environmentally sound and sustainable infrastructure impacting air, land and water resources.

[Paper Proceedings](https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483466)

Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.26226/m.6329c39b68fb0e00131f77d2