Water quality patterns in a river-lake system from multiple drivers (Three Rivers, New York State)

Resolution and Analysis of Spatial Variations and Patterns in an Urban Lake with Rapid Profiling Instrumentation

“…Beyond the common variability in short‐term meteorological conditions, average tributary runoff for the two largest tributaries (Figure ) to the lake was lower in 2012 compared to 2006 over the March through April interval preceding spring turnover (4.7 and 5.9 m 3 /s, respectively). Under the essentially uniform Metro NO 3 − loading conditions that prevailed (Effler et al ., ), this lower runoff provided less dilution of that load and thereby resulted in higher lake NO 3 − levels in 2012, manifested particularly in the epilimnion (Figures a‐d vs . e‐h).…”

“…Such inflows are readily incorporated into well‐mixed epilimnia through wind‐driven turbulent mixing (Martin and McCutcheon, ). An overflow from the low SC waters of the Seneca River (Effler et al ., ) was clearly manifested at the northern end of the lake adjoining the outlet on September 4 (Figure c). The accompanying diluting signature extended nearly 2 km into the northern basin and downward into the upper metalimnion reflecting the effects of mixing with lake waters.…”

“…The lake's single outflow enters the Seneca River, which flows to Lake Ontario via the Oswego River. The integration of the lake into the river system (i.e., equal surface elevation) promotes an unusual stratified flow regime in the lake outlet, with less dense (e.g., lower salinity) (Effler et al ., ) river water irregularly approaching the lake in the upper layer (Effler, ). The lake was oligomesotrophic before European settlement in the late 1700s (Rowell, ).…”

Modeling the impact of Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on phytoplankton and nutrients in a lowland river

“…Although there are many cases of high oxygen depletion due to zebra mussels infestation in other waterbodies (Effler et al, 2010;Caraco et al, 2000;Young et al, 2011), dissolved oxygen levels are not a current concern in this section of the Lower Havel. The monitoring values show that most of the time dissolved oxygen levels are supersaturated or near saturation.…”

Coupling Suspect and Nontarget Screening with Mass Balance Modeling to Characterize Organic Micropollutants in the Onondaga LakeThree Rivers System

“…Water quality parameters for lake, tributary, and river water samples (i.e., temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, and fluorometric chlorophyll a) were measured in situ at each sampling site by the UFI sampling crew with a YSI 6600 multiparameter sonde. 1,2 Water quality parameters (i.e., temperature, specific conductance, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), DO, turbidity, and ammonianitrogen (NH3-N)) for wastewater effluent samples were monitored by the regional WWTP in compliance with the New York State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit.…”