Over half a century record of limnology data from Lake Powell, desert southwest United States: From reservoir filling to present day (1964–2021)

Abstract

This 58-yr water quality dataset spans the filling of a large reservoir in an arid ecoregion. The data are contained in a series of 8 flat files and are research ready, containing 5208 unique site visits, with long-term quarterly to monthly scale data from nine sites. Data include spatially explicit profile measurements of standard limnological variables as well as discrete measurements of Secchi depth, total suspended solids, and major ion and nutrient concentrations. It also contains surface phytoplankton and depthintegrated zooplankton tow assemblage data that represent 194 and 68 unique genera, respectively. The dataset can be used to investigate site-specific long-term water quality trends and has considerable value for informing broader scale limnology studies.

Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river

“…Colorado River water temperatures (in degrees Celsius) were gathered from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gage 09380000 (https://www.gcmrc.gov/discharge_qw_sediment/station/GCDAMP/09380000); however, there were some instances where data from a nearby downstream gage (https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2007/251/) were used to model missing water temperatures in Lees Ferry. Total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) (both micrograms per liter) concentrations were measured from water samples that were collected at two locations (Glen Canyon Dam power plant draft tubes and ~20 km downstream from Glen Canyon Dam) on multiple dates in 1998 and 2022 (see Deemer et al, 2023, for detailed information). We specifically focused on phosphorus because previous work has indicated that the Lees Ferry tailwater ecosystem is strongly P‐limited (Deemer et al, 2023; Korman et al, 2021; Yard et al, 2023).…”

“…Total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) (both micrograms per liter) concentrations were measured from water samples that were collected at two locations (Glen Canyon Dam power plant draft tubes and ~20 km downstream from Glen Canyon Dam) on multiple dates in 1998 and 2022 (see Deemer et al, 2023, for detailed information). We specifically focused on phosphorus because previous work has indicated that the Lees Ferry tailwater ecosystem is strongly P‐limited (Deemer et al, 2023; Korman et al, 2021; Yard et al, 2023).…”