Abstract
Riverscapes (river ecosystems) are composed of catchment basins embedded within regional landscapes across the continents. The basic attributes of riverscapes are (1) the river, (2) its floodplains and other spatially heterogeneous and interconnected structures or habitats, and (3) the exchange of water, chemicals, and biota among those habitats. Hydrologic and biological connectivities from headwaters to the ocean occur in three spatial dimensions (longitudinal—upstream to downstream; lateral—channel to floodplain; and vertical—groundwater to channel) and are dynamic (ever changing) over time, as influenced or driven by a wide variety of natural biophysical and human-mediated (cultural) processes. In this chapter, tools that can be used to assess riverscapes at different scales of resolution are described in general terms to set the stage for detailed methods given in subsequent chapters of this book.
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