Exploratory Analysis of the Winter Chemistry of Five Lakes on the North Slope of Alaska1

Abstract: Lakes are important water resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Freshwater is required for oilfield production as well as exploration, which occurs largely on ice roads and pads. Since most North Slope lakes are shallow, the quantity and quality of the water under ice at the end of winter are important environmental management issues. Currently, water‐use permits are a function of the presence of overwintering fish populations, and their sensitivity to low oxygen concentrations. Sampling of five North Slope lakes during the winter of 2004‐2005 shed some light on the winter chemistry of four lakes that were used as water supplies and one undisturbed lake. Field analysis was conducted for oxygen, conductivity, pH, and temperature throughout the lake depth, as well as ice thickness and water depth. Water samples were retrieved from the lakes and analyzed for Na, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, dissolved‐organic carbon, and alkalinity in the laboratory. Lake properties, rather than pumping, were the best predictors of oxygen depletion, with the highest dissolved‐oxygen levels maintained in the lake with the lowest concentration of constituents. Volume weighted mean dissolved‐oxygen concentrations ranged from 4 to 94% of saturation in March. Dissolved oxygen and specific conductance data suggested that the lakes began to refresh in May.     

DEFINING REGIONAL POPULATIONS OF LAKES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY1

ABSTRACT: Topographic maps are commonly used to define populations of lakes in regional surveys of surface water quality. To illustrate the effect of different maps on that process, we compared the lakes represented on the 1:250,000-scale maps used for the Northeast Region of the Eastern Lake Survey—Phase I (ELS-I) to the lakes on a sample of large-scale maps (1:24,000 or 1:62,500). Lake areas at or near the lower limit of representation delimited “smallest-lake” values for the compared 1:250,000-scale maps. The regional median for these values was 4.5 hectares (ha) and ranged from 0.6 to 24.8 ha. Lake representation is influenced by cartographic limitations such as map scale, age, and complexity as well as the inherent variability of waterbodies (e.g., water level fluctuations or the creation of reservoirs, beaver impoundments, and oxbows). The total number of lakes on large-scale maps increased markedly as lake area decreased. Approximately 15,700 of the estimated 29,000 lakes in the EPA's Northeast Region were 1 to 4 ha in area. Because maps affect the size distribution of lakes included in a regional survey and because lake areas are thought to modify lake chemistry, maps ultimately affect the estimates of regional surface water quality.     

Bottomfast Ice Mapping and the Measurement of Ice Thickness on Tundra Lakes Using C‐Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Remote Sensing1

Abstract: Industrial activity in Canada’s north is increasing, placing demands on the use of water from lakes to build ice roads. Winter water withdrawal from these lakes has the potential to impact overwintering fish. Removal of water from small lakes can decrease oxygen and habitat available to fish. To address this issue, a protocol has been developed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans outlining water withdrawal thresholds. Bathymetric surveys are the traditional method to determine lake depth, but are costly given the remoteness of northern lakes. This paper investigates the use of satellite C‐band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing technology as a potential alternative or complement to traditional survey methods. Previous research has shown that a SAR can detect the transition from grounded to floating ice on lakes, or if a lake is completely frozen. Grounded ice has a dark signature while floating ice appears very bright in contrast. Similar results were observed for the datasets acquired in the study area. This suggests that lakes that freeze completely to the bottom can be identified using SAR. Such water bodies would not be viable fish overwintering habitat and can therefore be used as water sources without thresholds necessary. However, attempts to accurately calculate the depth of the ice at the grounded‐floating ice boundary using bathymetric profiles acquired in the summer and lake ice thickness measurements from a reference lake near Inuvik proved to be unreliable.     

Integrating limnological characteristics of high mountain lakes into the landscape of a natural area

A general conceptual watershed-lake model of the complex interactions among climatic conditions, watershed location and characteristics, lake morphology, and fish predation was used to evaluate limnological characteristics of high mountain lakes. Our main hypothesis was that decreasing elevation in mountainous terrain corresponds to an increase in diversity of watershed size and lake area, depth, temperature, nutrient concentrations, and productivity. A second hypothesis was that watershed location and aspect relative to climatic gradients within mountainous terrain influences the limnological characteristics of the lakes. We evaluated these hypotheses by examining watershed location, aspect and size; lake morphology; water quality; and phytoplankton and zooplankton community characteristics among high mountain forest and subalpine lakes in Mount Rainier National Park. Although many of the comparisons between all forest and subalpine lakes were statistically insignificant, the results revealed trends that were consistent with our hypotheses. The forest lake group included more lakes with larger watersheds, larger surface areas, greater depths, higher concentrations of nutrients, and higher algal biovolumes than did the group of subalpine lakes. Deep lakes, which were mostly of the forest lake type, exhibited thermal stratification and relatively high values of some of the water-quality variables near the lake bottoms. However, the highest near-surface water temperatures and phytoplankton densities and the taxonomic structures of the phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages were more closely related to geographical location, which corresponded to a west-east climate gradient in the park, than to lake type. Some crustacean and rotifer taxa, however, were limited in distribution by lake type. Fish predation did not appear to play an important role in the structure of the crustacean zooplankton communities at the genus level with the exception of Mowich Lake, where crustacean taxa were absent from the zooplankton community. This was the only lake inhabited by a true zooplanktivourous species of fish.     

Lake management techniques in Florida,USA: Costs and water quality effects

Economic evaluations of restored or enhanced lakes in Florida indicated gravity drawdown was the least expensive action, whereas effluent diversion was 10,000 times more costly on a per hectare basis, with the other lake treatment costs occurring in the following order: gravity drawdown < grass carp introduction < mechanical drawdown < aeration < stormwater control = drawdown-dredging < effluent diversion. Within a particular treatment category, the costs spanned approximately one and one half orders of magnitude. Contrary to the abundant cost data, which permitted an economic analysis, inappropriate statistical design and lack of commitment toward sampling Florida's restored lakes undermines attempts to understand long-term water quality responses to various enhancement techniques. Using Lake Tohopekaliga as a case study, ordinary statistical tests produced contradictory and unreliable interpretations on the effectiveness of drawdown and phosphorus removal at sewage treatment plants in improving the trophic state index. This emphasizes the need for more robust statistical approaches and more detailed data collection in evaluating lake restoration activities It is unfortunate for Florida's lake restoration program that quantitative conclusions based on inferential statistics, replete with tests of assumptions, is limited to very few lakes     

SIDE EFFECTS OF 58 YEARS OF COPPER SULFATE TREATMENT OF THE FAIRMONT LAKES,MINNESOTA1

The shallow Fairmont Lakes in southern Minnesota have been treated with copper sulfate for 58 years to reduce excessive algal growth. Copper sulfate was applied to five lakes at cumulative rates upo to 1647 kg/ha (1470 1b/acre), totaling 1.5 million kilograms. Data collected since treatment of the Fairmont Lakes began in 1921 provide alarming insights into lake responses to sustained chemical treatment with copper sulfate. Short-term and long-term effects have occurred. Short-term effects include: a) the intended temporary killing of algae, b) dissolved oxygen depletion by decomposition of dead algae, c) accelerated phosphorus recycling from the lake bed and recovery of the algal population within 7 to 21 days, and d) occasional fish kills due to oxygen depletion or copper toxicity or both. Long-term effects are shown to include: a) copper accumulation in the sediments, b) tolerance adjustments of certain species of algae to higher copper sulfate dosages, c) shift of species from green to blue-green algae and from game fish to rough fish, d) disappearance of macrophytes, and e) reductions in benthic macroinvertebrates. The conclusion is that while copper sulfate treatments enjoy great popularity because they kill and remove algae almost instantaneously, other immediate or cumulative side effects can be harmful to many other aquatic organisms.     

Lake Water Levels and Associated Hydrologic Characteristics in the Conterminous U.S.

Establishing baseline hydrologic characteristics for lakes in the United States (U.S.) is critical to evaluate changes to lake hydrology. We used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Lakes Assessment 2007 and 2012 surveys to assess hydrologic characteristics of a population of ~45,000 lakes in the conterminous U.S. based on probability samples of ~1,000 lakes/yr distributed across nine ecoregions. Lake hydrologic study variables include water‐level drawdown (i.e., vertical decline and horizontal littoral exposure) and two water stable isotope‐derived parameters: evaporation‐to‐inflow (E:I) and water residence time. We present (1) national and regional distributions of the study variables for both natural and man‐made lakes and (2) differences in these characteristics between 2007 and 2012. In 2007, 59% of the population of U.S. lakes had Greater than normal or Excessive drawdown relative to water levels in ecoregional reference lakes with minimal human disturbances; whereas in 2012, only 20% of lakes were significantly drawn down beyond normal ranges. Water isotope‐derived variables did not differ significantly between survey years in contrast to drawdown. Median E:I was 20% indicating that flow‐through processes dominated lake water regimes. For 75% of U.S. lakes, water residence time was less than one year and was longer in natural vs. man‐made lakes. Our study provides baseline ranges to assess local and regional lake hydrologic status and inform management decisions in changing environmental conditions.     

Lake Temperature and Ice Cover Regimes in the Alaskan Subarctic and Arctic: Integrated Monitoring,Remote Sensing,and Modeling1

Arp, C.D., B.M. Jones, M. Whitman, A. Larsen, and F.E. Urban, 2010. Lake Temperature and Ice Cover Regimes in the Alaskan Subarctic and Arctic: Integrated Monitoring, Remote Sensing, and Modeling. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 777-791. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00451.x Abstract: Lake surface regimes are fundamental attributes of lake ecosystems and their interaction with the land and atmosphere. High latitudes may be particularly sensitive to climate change, however, adequate baselines for these lakes are often lacking. In this study, we couple monitoring, remote sensing, and modeling techniques to generate baseline datasets of lake surface temperature and ice cover in the Alaskan Subarctic and Arctic. No detectable trends were observed during this study period, but a number of interesting patterns were noted among lakes and between regions. The largest Arctic lake was relatively unresponsive to air temperature, while the largest Subarctic lake was very responsive likely because it is fed by glacial runoff. Mean late summer water temperatures were higher than air temperatures with differences ranging from 1.7 to 5.4°C in Subarctic lakes and from 2.4 to 3.2°C in Arctic lakes. The warmest mean summer water temperature in both regions was in 2004, with the exception of Subarctic glacially fed lake that was highest in 2005. Ice-out timing had high coherence within regions and years, typically occurring in late May in Subarctic and in early-July in Arctic lakes. Ice-on timing was more dependent on lake size and depth, often varying among lakes within a region. Such analyses provide an important baseline of lake surface regimes at a time when there is increasing interest in high-latitude water ecosystems and resources during an uncertain climate future.     

THE DILUTION/FLUSHING TECHNIQUE IN LAKE RESTORATION1

ABSTRACT: Dilution/flushing has been documented as an effective restoration technique to restore eutrophic Moses and Green Lakes in Washington State. The dilution water added to both lakes was low in nitrogen and phosphorus content relative to the lake or normal input water. Consequently, lake nutrient content dropped predictably. Dilution or flushing rates were about ten times normal during the spring-summer periods in Moses Lake and three times normal on an annual basis in Green Lake. Improvement in quality (nutrients, algae, and transparency) was on the order of 50 percent in Moses Lake and even greater in Green Lake. The facilities for supplying dilution water were largely in place for the cited lakes; thus, costs for water transport were minimal. Available facilities, and therefore, costs, for water transport would usually vary greatly, however. Achieving maximum benefit from the technique may be more limited by availability of low nutrient water rather than facilities costs. Quality improvement may occur from physical effects of algal cell washout and water column instability if only high nutrient water is available.     

大庆地区水体环境的水生生物调查结果与评价

结合区域工业污染源的构成特点，对分布在油田的13个湖库进行了浮游生物和底栖动物的调查，从生物学角度，科学地评价了各类水体的污染程度，为保护和合理开发利用地表水资源，污染源的优化管理，实现污染物的总量控制提供了科学依据。     

Use of Synthetic Aperture Radar for Selecting Alaskan Lakes for Winter Water Use1

Abstract: Water resources are limited in many areas of the North Slope, Alaska, particularly during winter. Water is used by the oil industry for ice road construction and maintenance, drilling and facility operations, and potable water supplies. The coastal plain between Teshekpuk Lake, in the National Petroleum Reserve‐Alaska (NPR‐A) and the Colville River has numerous shallow lakes, but further south in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, and east to the Canning River, lakes are fewer. While many oil and gas lease sales have been conducted, or are proposed, access to the leases may be limited because of the lack of available water for ice road construction. Ice roads are the main means by which exploration is conducted in the Arctic, putting a stress on freshwater bodies that do not freeze to the lakebed in winter. Lakes that do not freeze to the lakebed also serve as overwintering habitat for fish. The purpose of this paper is to report on the potential distribution of water bodies that may provide overwinter water in selected areas from Teshekpuk Lake to the Canning River. The project used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to search for the presence of water in lakes in March 2006. In the Kuparuk and Canning SAR images, 52 and 61% of lakes were frozen to their beds by March 2006, accounting for 49 and 57% of the lake area in these study regions. Conversely, only 2% of the lakes in the Teshekpuk region were frozen to the bottom by March 2006. Unfrozen water was more available because of deeper and more numerous lakes in the Teshekpuk Lake region (west) than in the Canning River area (east). While only specific SAR tiles were analyzed herein, the method will be a useful tool for land managers who seek to evaluate the potential for ice road construction across the Arctic.     

LAKE RESTORATION BY SEDIMENT REMOVAL1

ABSTRACT: Fresh water lake sediment removal is usually undertaken to deepen a lake and increase its volume to enhance fish production, to remove nutrient rich sediment, to remove toxic or hazardous material, or to reduce the abundance of rooted aquatic plants. Review of more than 60 projects and five case histories reveals that the first three objectives are usually met through sediment removal. Dredging to control aquatic plants has not been well documented. Disadvantages of dredging include cost, temporary phosphorus release from sediment, increased phytoplankton productivity, noise, lake drawdown, temporary reduction in benthic fish food organisms, the potential for toxic material release to the overlying water and potential for environmental degradation at the dredged material disposal site. The technique is recommended for deepening and for long range reduction of phosphorus release from sediment. Sediment removal to control toxic materials is possible with minimal environmental impact when proper equipment is used, but it may more than double the cost. Lack of definitive information about rooted plant regrowth rates in dredged areas prohibits explicit recommendations on sediment removal to control plant growth.     

VARIATION IN ADIRONDACK,NEW YORK,LAKEWATER CHEMISTRY AS FUNCTION OF SURFACE AREA1

ABSTRACT: Data from a recent survey conducted by the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation were used to evaluate the influence of lake surface area on the acid-base status of lakes in Adirondack State Park, New York. Acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in the small lakes (< 4 ha) occurred more frequently at extreme values (> 200, < 0 μeq L^?1), whereas larger lakes tended to be intermediate in ANC. Consequently, acidic (ANC ≤ 0) and low-pH lakes were typically small. The small lakes also exhibited lower Ca²⁺ concentration and higher dissolved organic carbon than did larger lakes. Lakes ≥ 4 ha were only half as likely to be acidic as were lakes ≥ 1 ha in area. These data illustrate the dependence of lake chemistry on lake surface area and the importance of the lower lake area limit for a statistical survey of lake water chemistry.     

EXPERIMENTAL DREDGING TO CONVERT LAKE BOTTOM FROM ABIOTIC MUCK TO PRODUCTIVE SAND1

ABSTRACT: Conversion of muck to sand bottom was tested to increase benthic production in two eutrophic Florida lakes, and preliminary results indicate that benthos will be increased in areas converted to sand. Muck removal with a specially designed dredge, or “Mudcat,” was tested in Trout Lake. The Mudcat removed 41,650 cu. yds. of muck and exposed 17 acres of sand bottom, but 10 of those acres developed thin layers of muck, which proved too soft to be picked up by the Mudcat. Consequently, only 7 acres were satisfactorily converted. Bottom redistribution with a suction-type dredge was tested in Lake Carlton, and 14 acres were converted from muck to sand. Sand covered with muck was pumped from midlake areas to more peripheral areas of the lake where water depths were 11 to 13 feet and muck layer about 1.5 feet deep. The bottom was built up to an elevation above the previous muck elevation. Several methods for depositing the sand were tested. Level areas of sand fill developed accumulations of muck from fallout following dredging activity. Piles or dunes provided the best cost-return ratio. The bottom in filled areas changed very little during a 1½ year period following filling.     

Long term changes in the eutrophication process in a shallow Mediterranean lake ecosystem of W. Greece: response after the reduction of external load

Lake Pamvotis is a shallow Mediterranean lake located in Western Greece near the city of Ioannina. The lake has been recognized as an internationally important conservation site under European Community legislation due to its rich biodiversity. However, during the last three decades the trophic status of the lake has changed as a result of anthropogenic activity (among others irrigation and domestic sewage discharge), resulting in serious problems. Here we present data about the long-term development in eutrophication of Lake Pamvotis. Water samples were collected and analyzed (water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll-a) during three monitoring periods: 1985-1989, 1998-1999, 2004-2005. The high nutrient concentrations in the lake water during the three monitoring periods, as well as its eutrophic to hypertrophic status reflect the degree of impact anthropogenic activity has had on the lake. Commencement of a restoration plan in 1995-1996, involving sewage diversion, led to a reduction in external nutrient load and consequently to lower in-lake nutrients and Chlorophyll-a concentrations. Orthophosphate concentration decreased by about 87%, nitrates fell below 1.20mg/l, whilst the total reduction of inorganic N compounds showed a weaker downward trend, fluctuating between 0.39 and 1.24mg N/l with an average value of 0.76mg N/l. However, after a short-term recovery the eutrophic status of the lake remains eight years later (2004-2005), suggesting the importance of the internal loading process and the absence of the top-down effect of fish. This study provides evidence for the need of greater restoration efforts utilized in Mediterranean shallow lakes.     

城市公园湖泊污染治理实践

城市公园湖泊水体保护和水污染治理越来越受到人们的重视。公园内水体往往补充水源不足，自净能力脆弱，当受到污染，湖水会变黑发臭，破坏公园美景。深圳市东湖公园人工湖污染治理过程中结合了水利防洪、环境保护、园林绿化等措施进行综合治理，通过截污、清淤、补充水、湖泊堤岸及拦水橡胶坝的恢复等措施，使湖泊水质得到彻底改善。合理的设计使人工湖具有滞洪防洪功能，还可对公园内地下水起到调节和补充作用，清澈的湖水又使人工湖成为公园内秀丽的景点。该项目为城市公园湖泊污染综合治理进行了一次探索和实践。     

EFFECTS OF PRO-NOXFISH® ON THE BENTHOS AND ZOOPLANKTON OF BUG LAKE,FOREST COUNTY,WISCONSIN1

ABSTRACT: A concentration of 2.5 mg/1 Pro-Noxfish® (0.063 mg/1 rotenone and 0.063 mg/1 sulfoxide) was applied to Bug Lake, Wisconsin, on November 17, 1975. There was an immediate toxicity to zooplankton and Chironomus. All taxa of benthic organisms and zooplankton that were present before toxicant application survived the treatment except for Pleuroxus denticulatus which was collected in only one sample before treatment. Comparable densities of benthic and zooplankton taxa were found on individual sampling dates before and after treatment; however, mean densities of trichopterans and dipterans were lower after treatment. The high variance in the samples along with the change in fish population after treatment are believed responsible for this indicated change in benthos density rather than the effects of the rotenone.     

A Tool for Modeling the Winter Oxygen Depletion Rate in Arctic Lakes1

Abstract: Many arctic lakes freeze completely in winter. The few that retain unfrozen water for the entire winter period serve as overwintering fish habitat. In addition to serving as fish habitat, water in arctic lakes is needed for industrial and domestic use. Permits for water extraction seek to maximize water use without impacting dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and endangering fish habitat. The relationship between lake volume, winter DO budget, and extraction of water through pumping has historically not been well understood. A management model that could estimate end‐of‐winter DO would improve our understanding of the potential impacts of different management strategies. Using under‐ice DO measurements (November to April) taken from two natural lakes and one flooded gravel mine on the North Slope of Alaska, a physically based model was developed to predict end‐of‐winter DO concentration, water‐column DO profiles, and winter oxygen depletion rate in arctic lakes during periods of ice cover. Comparisons between the measured and model‐predicted oxygen profiles in the three study lakes suggest that the depth‐based DO modeling tool presented herein can be used to adequately predict the amount of DO available in arctic lakes throughout winter.     

Explaining human settlement patterns in a recreational lake district: Vilas County,Wisconsin, USA

Lakeshore development in Vilas County, northern Wisconsin (USA) is heterogeneous, ranging from lakes that are surrounded by homes and commercial establishments to lakes that have no buildings on their shorelines. Development in this recreational area has increased, and since the 1960s over half of new homes have been built on the lakeshore. We examined building density around lakes in relationship to 11 variables, including in-lake, shoreline, and social characteristics. Buildings in many parts of northern Wisconsin tend to be concentrated around shorelines; in Vilas County 61% of all medium-sized buildings (our proxy for residential development) on private land were ≤100 m of a lake. The probability of development on a lake was largely related to lake surface area, with larger, more accessible lakes showing a higher probability of development. Building density along shorelines varied with travel cost, lake surface area, presence of wetlands, and extent of public land ownership. Building density was greater on larger, more accessible lakes that were surrounded by forest (as opposed to wetlands) and public lands. Gaining a more precise understanding of human settlement patterns can help direct planning and resource protection efforts to lakes most likely to experience future development.     

TOWARD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF RECREATIONAL BOATING IN THE ADIRONDACK LAKES REGION1

ABSTRACT: Results of a study to determine the relationship between physical characteristics of Adirondack lakes and variations in peak boat-use intensity indicated that 69 percent of the variation in peak use can be accounted for by the number of public and commercial boat-launching facilities per mile of lake shoreline. Other lake characteristics related to peak boat use were: the number of commercial overnight accommodations available, number of boat slips, lake size, and miles of lake shoreline. Lake characteristics not related to peak use were: accessibility, configuration, tent spaces available, surrounding landscape quality, volume of traffic and availability of other lakes. This information should provide recreation managers and planners with a better understanding of factors related to variation in peak boating-use periods.