HR: 0800h
AN: H51D-1175    [Abstracts]
TI: Eco-hydrologic Modeling of Nutrients, Oxygen, and Temperature Across a Range of Michigan Streams
AU: * Welty, N R
EM: weltynic@msu.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115 United States
AU: Hyndman, D W
EM: hyndman@msu.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115 United States
AU: Panayotoff, L A
EM: panayot1@msu.edu
AF: Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, 203 Natural Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115 United States
AB: Ecological responses to human alterations of the landscape are not well understood. In Michigan, agricultural land use is a common alteration, but there are only limited methods of linking water quality changes caused by such alterations to ecological responses at different scales. Numerical models can be used to explore the dominant processes and process rates creating ecological stress. Such a model must consider the dynamic relationships between oxygen, nutrients, temperature, and resident organisms. Also, multiple spatial and temporal measurements are required to characterize a stream system due to dramatic seasonal and diurnal variability. Multiple streams in Michigan were chosen to model based on land use and data availability, including the regional Muskegon River and Grand Traverse Bay watersheds. Pre-dawn synoptic sampling was used to identify stream segments with low dissolved oxygen. In addition, temperature was recorded and chlorophyll and nutrient samples were collected to link oxygen stress to multiple parameters including, like nutrient conditions. The preliminary eco-hydrologic models used for analysis of this stream data were QUAL2E and AQUATOX. QUAL2E was used to simulate the water quality assuming well-mixed, dendritic streams. AQUATOX was used to simulate changing concentrations of nutrients, other solutes, and sediments in the water, as well as organism populations. Preliminary results for mid-July conditions compare favorably to with observed dissolved oxygen and temperature levels.
DE: 1806 Chemistry of fresh water
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting