Browsing by Subject "streams"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    2002 Water Quality Survey: Results and Technical Report.
    (Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2003) Minnesota Center for Survey Research
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    Characterization of streams and rivers in the Minnesota River Basin Critical Observatory: water chemistry and biological field collections, 2013-2016
    (2017-09-06) Dolph, Christine, L.; Hansen, Amy, T.; Kemmitt, Katie, L.; Janke, Ben; Rorer, Michelle; Winikoff, Sarah; Baker, Anna; Boardman, Evelyn; Finlay, Jacques, C.; dolph008@umn.edu; Dolph, Christine, L.
    This dataset was collected to inform the Water, Sustainability and Climate Minnesota River Basin Observatory, and was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1209402 Water, Sustainability and Climate (WSC) – Category 2, Collaborative: Climate and human dynamics as amplifiers of natural change: a framework for vulnerability assessment and mitigation planning. The dataset contains point locations, watershed areas and water quality information for 231 ditch, stream, river and wetland sites located in the Le Sueur River, Chippewa River, Cottonwood River, Cannon River, Wantonwan River and Blue Earth River basins of Minnesota. Study sites ranged in size from 1st order ditches and streams to an 8th order river. Each of these sites was sampled at least once between 2013-2016 (most sites were sampled multiple times) for one or more of the following parameters: 1) water chemistry (total dissolved nitrogen, nitrate-N, nitrite-N, ammonium-N, particulate nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, particulate phosphorus, total phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved inorganic carbon, particulate carbon, chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, delta-H-2 and delta-O-18 stable isotopes of site water, specific UV absorbance (SUVA) of site water, fluorescence index (FI) of site water); 2) stable isotopes (delta-C-13, delta-N-15, delta-H-2) of invertebrate consumers, particulate carbon and potential food sources; 3) denitrification rates and characteristics of benthic sediment in agricultural drainage ditches; and 4) stream discharge. This dataset also includes spatial data files containing study site locations and watershed areas delineated for each site.
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    Economic Impact and Social Benefits Study of Coldwater Angling in Minnesota
    (University of Minnesota Tourism Center, 2002) Fulton, David C.; Gartner, William C.; Love, Lisa L.; Erkkila, Daniel L.
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    Effects of environmental temperature on biology of cold-adapted Chironomidae (Diptera) from Minnesota and Iceland
    (2022-10) Nyquist, Corrie
    Chironomids are an abundant and speciose family of aquatic flies which dominate freshwater environments globally. Additionally, chironomids are important food sources for fish and can be used as bioindicators of water quality. This family includes species that are adapted to emerge as adults in winter and under cold conditions across the globe. Both air and water temperatures influence these insects since they grow in aquatic habitats and then emerge as terrestrial adults. However, little research has focused on the effects of thermal heterogeneity in shaping community structure along stream length, how stream temperatures may influence thermal acclimatization in adult chironomids, and the impacts of warm temperature exposure on biology of Arctic, winter-active chironomids. These questions become significant considering climate change since warming temperatures will threaten aquatic systems and cold-adapted organisms including cold-adapted chironomids. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate the influence of water temperature on winter emerging chironomid species composition and air temperature on adult Arctic chironomid lifespan and reproduction. Field work investigating thermal heterogeneity in streams was conducted in Minnesota. Collections of pupal exuviae along the length of thermally variable groundwater-fed streams revealed thermal portioning in taxa along stream length. Thermal partitioning in chironomids indicates that chironomids develop in and emerge from different thermal regimes, and, thus, may display developmental acclimatization to warm temperatures if they emerge from warm springs. Chironomids were collected from geothermally heated and cold springs in southwestern Iceland and placed into warm and cold incubation treatments. Results indicate that chironomids with long degree-day requirements emerging from warm springs have a maximized lifespan under both cold and warm air temperatures. Investigations of winter-active chironomids have been conducted in Europe and North America with little work focused on the Arctic. Iceland, a near Arctic country, faces increasing climate change threats and, thus, documenting warming effects on cold-adapted biota is essential. Winter-active chironomids were documented in Iceland for the first time and investigations of longevity and oviposition timing revealed susceptibility to warm air temperatures in winter emerging Icelandic chironomids. Chironomids comprise a large portion of aquatic food webs, and in Arctic regions, are the predominant aquatic insects. Investigating how environmental conditions control both community composition and population dynamics will further the conservation of cold-water systems by increasing the understanding of how climate change may impact cold-adapted biota.
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    Isotopic Signatures of Precipitation and Streams along the North Shore of Lake Superior
    (2019-06) Stoll, Kinzey
    Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes. Its size impacts precipitation along the North and South Shores, but the magnitude of its effects on the North Shore are unknown. Using stable isotopes of δ2H and δ18O to understand the source and transport of precipitation allows us to develop a deeper understanding of the hydrologic cycle in the region and the possible impact of the lake on precipitation. Samples were collected from five snow storms from November 2017 to March 2018, snowmelt from April 2018, and streamflow from May to August 2018. To further examine the hydrologic cycle along the North Shore, the Lester River watershed was studied for spatial and temporal variations from May to December 2018. This watershed, like many others along the North Shore, is a designated trout stream. Water samples collected from the stream and from precipitation were used to show seasonal trends and spatial variability across the watershed. This information highlights the timing of different processes in the watershed such as evaporation. Temperature data was also collected throughout the watershed to show conditions for trout and provide more information on hydrologic processes.
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    OFR14-02, Geologic controls on groundwater and surface water flow in southeastern Minnesota and its impact on nitrate concentrations in streams
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2014) Runkel, Anthony C.; Steenberg, Julia R.; Tipping, Robert G.; Retzler, Andrew J.
    This report summarizes the results of a Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) investigation conducted for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) designed to support watershed planning efforts in southeast Minnesota. Specifically it provides better understanding of the geologic controls on nitrate transport in the region, including nitrate in groundwater that is the source of baseflow to streams. Nitrate contamination of surface water and groundwater is a long- standing issue in southeastern Minnesota. We focused much of our investigation on an evaluation of nitrate (NO3 ion) transport in the Root River watershed because of the relatively advanced understanding of the karstic conditions in that area. However, the overall scope of the project includes the entire bedrock-dominated landscape of southeast Minnesota. Our results therefore support a broader MPCA watershed planning effort that directly pertains to the Root River, as well as to other watersheds within the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota.
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    RECOVERY OF SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS IN MORAINE, HEADWATER STREAMS OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA AFTER FOREST HARVEST
    (2010) Merten, Eric, C.; Hemstad, Nathaniel, A.; Kolka, Randall, K.; Newman, Raymond, M.; Verry, Elon, S.; Vondracek, Bruce
    We investigated the recovery of sediment characteristics in four moraine, headwater streams in north-central Minnesota after forest harvest. We examined changes in fine sediment levels from 1997 (preharvest) to 2007 (10 years postharvest) at study plots with upland clear felling and riparian thinning, using canopy cover, proportion of unstable banks, surficial fine substrates, residual pool depth, and streambed depth of refusal as response variables. Basin-scale year effects were significant (p < 0.001) for all responses when evaluated by repeated-measures ANOVAs. Throughout the study area, unstable banks increased for several years postharvest, coinciding with an increase in windthrow and fine sediment. Increased unstable banks may have been caused by forest harvest equipment, increased windthrow and exposure of rootwads, or increased discharge and bank scour. Fine sediment in the channels did not recover by summer 2007, even though canopy cover and unstable banks had returned to 1997 levels. After several storm events in fall 2007, 10 years after the initial sediment input, fine sediment was flushed from the channels and returned to 1997 levels. Although our study design did not discern the source of the initial sediment inputs (e.g., forest harvest, road crossings, other natural causes), we have shown that moraine, headwater streams can require an extended period (up to 10 years) and enabling event (e.g., high storm flows) to recover from large inputs of fine sediment.