Kulacki, K., S.K. Hamilton, and M.J. Klug
Presented at the Campus Symposium (2001-04-19 )
At the Kellogg Biological Station, several streams in the area are monitored as part of the LTER program. By sampling streams of the Augusta Creek watershed through late winter/early spring, I determined the amounts of some nutrients transported through the watershed. Throughout my sampling, I focused on high water flow events, such as snowmelts and rainfalls. Water samples were obtained from six sites along the Augusta Creek watershed twice a week from the end of January 2001 through the end of March 2001. In the lab, concentrations of ammonium, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, and soluble reactive phosphorus were determined by colorimetric analysis. Nitrate, chloride, and sulfate concentrations were determined by ion chromatography. Variations in nutrient levels were seen both among the different sites, as well as through the sampling period. Through these two months, there were two high flow events (Figure 1). It was during these two events that major variations in nutrient flow were observed. These included increases in ammonium and phosphorous levels, and decreases in chloride and sulfate levels. The results indicate that late winter high flow events transport large amounts of nutrients through a watershed system, with the outflow from a local golf course consistently yielding the highest concentrations of ammonium and dissolved phosphorus. My results help to show short-term variation that is not well characterized by the less frequent LTER sampling that routinely is performed on these streams.
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