Impact of land uses, drought, flood, wildfire, and cascading events on water quality and microbial communities: A review and analysis

Abstract

The increase in dynamic interactions between climate and human activities threatens water security in terms of water quantity and quality. Most water security studies have focused on water quantity compared to water quality, while both are equally important and vital for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and human well-being. The first part of the paper provides a review of the potential impacts of climate-related extreme events (i.e., drought, flood, and wildfires) on different water quality indicators and the potential impact of cascading extreme events (e.g., drought-flood regimes) on dynamics of water quality behavior. In the second part of the paper, we demonstrate the cascading impact of severe drought and an extreme historical flood event (October 1–4, 2015) in South Carolina (USA) on water quality variables. The effect of drought on water quality in contrasting land-use settings is investigated. Finally, water quality data was collected over a period of time in three types of land-use settings to study the dynamics of multiple flood and drought events on microbial communities. Flooding conditions result in high levels of bacteria associated with fecal contamination, especially in the stream setting, where large differences between drought and flooding occur in the microbial communities. The results highlight the significant impact of cascading events on water quality and microbial communities. The effect of drought on water quality indicators in different land-use settings can be different, highlighting the dominant role of watershed characteristics. Overall, it is essential to develop quantitative frameworks in the context of sustainability science to quantify the interaction between climate, watershed, and anthropogenic variables that control stream water quality. This study highlights the importance of understanding the relationships between extreme events and water quality indicators as an important step to improve ecosystem health and sustainability. Finally, some remarks are made on the knowledge gaps which need to be addressed in future studies.