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Reconstructing Water Quality Histories in Western Reservoirs

Reconstructing Water Quality Histories in Western Reservoirs. Paul Gremillion, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering Department Northern Arizona University. Content. Sedimentation in Reservoirs Direct Indicators of Reservoir History

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Reconstructing Water Quality Histories in Western Reservoirs

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  1. Reconstructing Water Quality Histories in Western Reservoirs Paul Gremillion, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering Department Northern Arizona University

  2. Content • Sedimentation in Reservoirs • Direct Indicators of Reservoir History • Proxy Indicators of Environmental Conditions • Case Studies

  3. Sedimentation in Reservoirs Source: Reservoir Limnology, Thornton et al.

  4. http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1121DeltaProgradation.jpeg

  5. Direct Indicators of Reservoir History

  6. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona

  7. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona

  8. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona

  9. Direct Analysis of Sediments Can Reveal: Rate of loss in storage capacity.

  10. Direct Analysis of Sediments Can Reveal: Rate of loss in storage capacity. How the rate of capacity loss may change with climate change.

  11. Direct Analysis of Sediments Can Reveal: Rate of loss in storage capacity. How the rate of capacity loss may change with climate change. Erosion patterns associated with wildfire.

  12. Proxy Indicators

  13. Proxy Indicators

  14. Case Study: Mercury Deposition

  15. Case Study: Mercury Deposition

  16. Case Study: Watson Lake, Arizona Objective: Collect and analyze sediment cores from Watson Lake to detect historical changes in • Nutrient loading • Primary productivity / trophic state • Sources of nutrients

  17. Case Study: Watson Lake, Arizona Analytical Approach: • Changes in nutrient loading: TN, TKN, TP • Changes in source of nitrogen: Nitrogen-15 • Changes in source of organic matter: N/P, C/N, Carbon-13 • Changes in primary productivity / trophic state: Carbon-13, TP

  18. Conclusions Sediment records in western reservoirs tend to be high in information content: • Magnitude and effects of erosion events. • Changes in water quality. • Changes in watershed characteristics. • Patterns of atmospheric deposition to watersheds.

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