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At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
USGS1999

Breeding bird responses to three silvicultural treatments in the Oregon Coast Range

Silvicultural alternatives to clear-cutting have been suggested to promote development, retention, or creation of late-successional features such as large trees, multilayered canopies, snags, and logs. We assessed bird response to three silvicultural alternatives to clear-cutting that retained structural features found in old Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) forests and that imitated natural disturbance regimes more closely than did traditional clear-cutting: (1) small-patch group selection treatment representing a low-intensity disturbance; (2) two-story treatment, representing a moderate to high-intensity disturbance; and (3) modified clear-cut treatment, representing a high-intensity disturbance. We counted diurnal breeding birds 1 yr prior to and 2 yr after harvest to estimate effects of the silvicultural treatments on bird communities compared with uncut controls. The small-patch group selection treatment was most similar in species composition to control stands. The two-story treatment was more similar to the modified clear-cut treatment. Ten bird species remained abundant following the small-patch group selection treatment. They declined in abundance in modified clearcuts and two-story stands. These species included four neotropical migratory species and five species with restricted geographic ranges and habitat associations. Nine species increased in response to moderate and/or high-intensity disturbances. This group included a larger proportion of species that were habitat generalists. Silvicultural treatments imitating low-intensity disturbances were most effective in retaining bird communities associated with mature forest; high-intensity disturbances such as the two-story and modified clear-cut treatments greatly altered bird community composition. Bird responses to the silvicultural treatments that we studied indicate that a variety of stand types is needed to meet needs of all species.

Oregon↗
USGS1999

Multiscale thermal refugia and stream habitat associations of chinook salmon in northwestern Oregon

We quantified distribution and behavior of adult spring chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) related to patterns of stream temperature and physical habitat at channel-unit, reach-, and section-level spatial scales in a wilderness stream and a disturbed stream in the John Day River basin in northeastern Oregon. We investigated the effectiveness of thermal remote sensing for analyzing spatial patterns of stream temperature and assessed habitat selection by spring chinook salmon, evaluating whether thermal refugia might be responsible for the persistence of these stocks in rivers where water temperatures frequently exceed their upper tolerance levels (25°C) during spawning migration. By presenting stream temperature and the ecology of chinook salmon in a historical context, we could evaluate how changes in riverine habitat and thermal spatial structure, which can be caused by land-use practices, may influence distributional patterns of chinook salmon. Thermal remote sensing provided spatially continuous maps of stream temperature for reaches used by chinook salmon in the upper subbasins of the Middle Fork and North Fork John Day River. Electivity analysis and logistic regression were used to test for associations between the longitudinal distribution of salmon and cool-water areas and stream habitat characteristics. Chinook salmon were distributed nonuniformly in reaches throughout each stream. Salmon distribution and cool water temperature patterns were most strongly related at reach-level spatial scales in the warm stream, the Middle Fork (maximum likelihood ratio: P < 0.01), and most weakly related in the cold stream, the North Fork ( P > 0.30). Pools were preferred by adult chinook salmon in both subbasins (Bonferroni confidence interval: P ≤ 0.05); however, riffles were used proportionately more frequently in the North Fork than in the Middle Fork. Our observations of thermal refugia and their use by chinook salmon at multiple spatial scales reveal that, although heterogeneity in the longitudinal stream temperature profile may be viewed as an ecological warning sign, thermal patchiness in streams also should be recognized for its biological potential to provide habitat for species existing at the margin of their environmental tolerances.

Oregon↗
USGS1999

Zooplankton variability and larval striped bass foraging: Evaluating potential match/mismatch regulation

We quantified temporal and spatial variability of zooplankton in three potential nursery sites (river, transition zone, lake) for larval striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ) in Lake Marion, South Carolina, during April and May 1993–1995. In two of three years, microzooplankton (rotifers and copepod nauplii) density was significantly greater in the lake site than in the river or transition zone. Macrozooplankton (>200 μm) composition varied among the three sites in all years with adult copepods and cladocerans dominant at the lake, and juvenile Corbicula fluminea dominant at the river and transition zone. Laboratory feeding experiments, simulating both among-site (site treatments) and within-site (density treatments) variability, were conducted in 1995 to quantify the effects of the observed zooplankton variability on foraging success of larval striped bass. A greater proportion of larvae fed in the lake than in the river or transition-zone treatments across all density treatments: mean (x), 10x and 100x. Larvae also ingested significantly more dry mass of prey in the lake treatment in both the mean and 10x density treatments. Field zooplankton and laboratory feeding data suggest that both spatial and temporal variability of zooplankton influence larval striped bass foraging. Prey density levels that supported successful foraging in our feeding experiments occurred in the lake during late April and May in 1994 and 1995 but were never observed in the river or transition zone. Because the rivers flowing into Lake Marion are regulated, it may be possible to devise flow management schemes that facilitate larval transport to the lake and thereby increase the proportion of larvae matched to suitable prey resources.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

Soil calcium status and the response of stream chemistry to changing acidic deposition rates

Despite a decreasing trend in acidic deposition rates over the past two to three decades, acidified surface waters in the northeastern United States have shown minimal changes. Depletion of soil Ca pools has been suggested as a cause, although changes in soil Ca pools have not been directly related to long-term records of stream chemistry. To investigate this problem, a comprehensive watershed study was conducted in the Neversink River Basin, in the Catskill Mountains of New York, during 1991–1996. Spatial variations of atmospheric deposition, soil chemistry, and stream chemistry were evaluated over an elevation range of 817–1234 m to determine whether these factors exhibited elevational patterns. An increase in atmospheric deposition of SO 4 with increasing elevation corresponded with upslope decreases of exchangeable soil base concentrations and acid-neutralizing capacity of stream water. Exchangeable base concentrations in homogeneous soil incubated within the soil profile for one year also decreased with increasing elevation. An elevational gradient in precipitation was not observed, and effects of a temperature gradient on soil properties were not detected. Laboratory leaching experiments with soils from this watershed showed that (1) concentrations of Ca in leachate increased as the concentrations of acid anions in added solution increased, and (2) the slope of this relationship was positively correlated with base saturation. Field and laboratory soil analyses are consistent with the interpretation that decreasing trends in acid-neutralizing capacity in stream water in the Neversink Basin, dating back to 1984, are the result of decreases in soil base saturation caused by acidic deposition.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

DNA repair and resistance to UV-B radiation in western spotted frogs

We assessed DNA repair and resistance to solar radiation in eggs of members of the western spotted frog complex ( Rana pretiosa and R. luteiventris ), species whose populations are suffering severe range reductions and declines. Specifically, we measured the activity of photoreactivating enzyme (photolyase) in oocytes of spotted frogs. In some species, photoreactivation is the most important mechanism for repair of UV-damaged DNA. Using field experiments, we also compared the hatching success of spotted frog embryos at natural oviposition sites at three elevations, where some embryos were subjected to ambient levels of UV-B radiation and others were shielded from UV-B radiation. Compared with other amphibians, photolyase activities in spotted frogs were relatively high. At all sites, hatching success was unaffected by UV-B. Our data support the interpretation that amphibian embryos with relatively high levels of photolyase are more resistant to UV-B radiation than those with lower levels of photolyase. At the embryonic stage, UV-B radiation does not presently seem to be contributing to the population declines of spotted frogs.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

Applied historical ecology: Using the past to manage for the future

Applied historical ecology is the use of historical knowledge in the management of ecosystems. Historical perspectives increase our understanding of the dynamic nature of landscapes and provide a frame of reference for assessing modern patterns and processes. Historical records, however, are often too brief or fragmentary to be useful, or they are not obtainable for the process or structure of interest. Even where long historical time series can be assembled, selection of appropriate reference conditions may be complicated by the past influence of humans and the many potential reference conditions encompassed by nonequilibrium dynamics. These complications, however, do not lessen the value of history; rather they underscore the need for multiple, comparative histories from many locations for evaluating both cultural and natural causes of variability, as well as for characterizing the overall dynamical properties of ecosystems. Historical knowledge may not simplify the task of setting management goals and making decisions, but 20th century trends, such as increasingly severe wildfires, suggest that disregarding history can be perilous. We describe examples from our research in the southwestern United States to illustrate some of the values and limitations of applied historical ecology. Paleoecological data from packrat middens and other natural archives have been useful for defining baseline conditions of vegetation communities, determining histories and rates of species range expansions and contractions, and discriminating between natural and cultural causes of environmental change. We describe a montane grassland restoration project in northern New Mexico that was justified and guided by an historical sequence of aerial photographs showing progressive tree invasion during the 20th century. Likewise, fire scar chronologies have been widely used to justify and guide fuel reduction and natural five reintroduction in forests. A southwestern network of fire histories illustrates the power of aggregating historical time series across spatial scales. Regional fire patterns evident in these aggregations point to the key role of interannual lags in responses of fuels and fire regimes to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (wet/dry cycles), with important implications for long-range fire hazard forecasting. These examples of applied historical ecology emphasize that detection and explanation of historical trends and variability are essential to informed management.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

Reference conditions for giant sequoia forest restoration: structure, process, and precision

National Park Service policy directs that more natural conditions be restored to giant sequoia groves, which have been altered by a century of fire exclusion. Efforts to find a reasonable and practical definition of “natural” have helped drive scientists and land managers to use past grove conditions as reference conditions for restoration. Extensive research aimed at determining reference conditions has demonstrated that past fire regimes can be characterized with greater precision than past grove structures. Difficulty and imprecision in determining past grove structure has helped fuel a debate between “structural restorationists,” who believe that forest structure should be restored mechanically before fire is reintroduced, and “process restorationists,” who believe that simple reintroduction of fire is appropriate. I evaluate old and new studies from sequoia groves to show that some of the arguments of both groups have been flawed. Importantly, it appears that restoration of fire without a preceding mechanical restoration may restore the pre-Euro-American structure of sequoia groves, at least within the bounds of our imprecise knowledge of past grove structure. However, the same may not be true for all forest types that have experienced lengthy fire exclusion. Our ability to draw robust generalizations about fire's role in forest restoration will depend heavily on a thorough understanding of past and present interactions among climate, fire, and forest structure. Use of reference conditions will be central to developing this understanding.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

Modeling the effects of land use and climate change on riverine smallmouth bass

Anthropogenic changes in temperature and stream flow, associated with watershed land use and climate change, are critical influences on the distribution and abundance of riverine fishes. To project the effects of changing land use and climate, we modeled a smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ) population in a midwestern USA, large river–floodplain ecosystem under historical (1915–1925), present (1977–1990), and future (2060, influenced by climate change) temperature and flow regimes. The age-structured model included parameters for temperature and river discharge during critical seasonal periods, fish population dynamics, and fishing harvest. Model relationships were developed from empirical field data collected over a 13-yr period. Sensitivity analyses indicated that discharge during the spawning/rearing period had a greater effect on adult density and fishing yield than did spawning/rearing temperature or winter discharge. Simulations for 100 years projected a 139% greater mean fish density under a historical flow regime (64.9 fish/ha) than that estimated for the present (27.1 fish/ha) with a sustainable fishing harvest under both flow regimes. Simulations under future climate-change-induced temperature and flow regimes with present land use projected a 69% decrease in mean fish density (8.5 fish/ha) from present and an unstable population that went extinct during 56% of the simulations. However, when simulated under a future climate-altered temperature and flow regime with historical land use, the population increased by 66% (45.0 fish/ha) from present and sustained a harvest. Our findings suggest that land-use changes may be a greater detriment to riverine fishes than projected climate change and that the combined effects of both factors may lead to local species extinction. However, the negative effects of increased temperature and precipitation associated with future global warming could be mitigated by river channel, floodplain, and watershed restoration.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS1999

Response

No abstract available.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS2000

Pond permanence and the effects of exotic vertebrates on anurans

In many permanent ponds throughout western North America, the introduction of a variety of exotic fish and bullfrogs ( Rana catesbeiana ) correlates with declines in native amphibians. Direct effects of exotics are suspected to be responsible for the rarity of some native amphibians and are one hypothesis to explain the prevalence of amphibian declines in western North America. However, the prediction that the permanent ponds occupied by exotics would be suitable for native amphibians if exotics were absent has not been tested. I used a series of enclosure experiments to test whether survival of northern red-legged frog ( Rana aurora aurora ) and Pacific treefrog ( Hyla regilla ) larvae is equal in permanent and temporary ponds in the Puget Lowlands, Washington State, USA. I also examined the direct effects of bullfrog larvae and sunfish. Survival of both species of native anuran larvae was generally lower in permanent ponds. Only one permanent pond out of six was an exception to this pattern and exhibited increased larval survival rates in the absence of direct effects by exotics. The presence of fish in enclosures reduced survival to near zero for both native species. An effect of bullfrog larvae on Pacific treefrog larval survival was not detected, but effects on red-legged frog larvae were mixed. A hypothesis that food limitation is responsible for the low survival of native larvae in some permanent ponds was not supported. My results confirm that direct negative effects of exotic vertebrates on native anurans occur but suggest that they may not be important to broad distribution patterns. Instead, habitat gradients or indirect effects of exotics appear to play major roles. I found support for the role of permanence as a structuring agent for pond communities in the Puget Lowlands, but neither permanence nor exotic vertebrates fully explained the observed variability in larval anuran survival.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS2000

Kelp forest fish populations in marine reserves and adjacent exploited areas of central California

Population structure (density and size distribution) of 10 species of epibenthic kelp forest fishes was compared between three marine reserves and adjacent exploited areas in central California. We also contrasted substrate relief, algal turf cover, and kelp population density among these areas. Densities of fishes were 12–35% greater within the reserves, but this difference was not statistically significant. Habitat features explained only 4% of the variation in fish density and did not vary consistently between reserves and nonreserves. The average length of rockfish (genus Sebastes ) was significantly greater in two of the three reserve sites, as was the proportion of larger fish. Population density and size differences combined to produce substantially greater biomass and, therefore, greater reproductive potential per unit of area within the reserves. The magnitude of these effects seems to be influenced by the reserve's age. Our findings demonstrate that current levels of fishing pressure influence kelp forest rockfish populations and suggest that this effect is widespread in central California. Existing marine reserves in central California kelp forests may help sustain exploited populations both through adult emigration and larval pool augmentation. The magnitude of these effects remains uncertain, however, because the spatial scale of both larval and adult dispersal relative to the size of existing reserves is unknown.

California↗
USGS2000

Relative species richness and community completeness: avian communities and urbanization in the mid-Atlantic states

The idea that local factors govern local richness has been dominant for years, but recent theoretical and empirical studies have stressed the influence of regional factors on local richness. Fewer species at a site could reflect not only the influence of local factors, but also a smaller regional pool. The possible dependency of local richness on the regional pool should be taken into account when addressing the influence of local factors on local richness. It is possible to account for this potential dependency by comparing relative species richness among sites, rather than species richness per se. We consider estimation of a metric permitting assessment of relative species richness in a typical situation in which not all species are detected during sampling sessions. In this situation, estimates of absolute or relative species richness need to account for variation in species detection probability if they are to be unbiased. We present a method to estimate relative species richness based on capture-recapture models. This approach involves definition of a species list from regional data, and estimation of the number of species in that list that are present at a site-year of interest. We use this approach to address the influence of urbanization on relative richness of avian communities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. There is a negative relationship between relative richness and landscape variables describing the level of urban development. We believe that this metric should prove very useful for conservation and management purposes because it is based on an estimator of species richness that both accounts for potential variation in species detection probability and allows flexibility in the specification of a 'reference community.' This metric can be used to assess ecological integrity, the richness of the community of interest relative to that of the 'original' community, or to assess change since some previous time in a community.

Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylv↗
USGS2000

Plant-herbivore-hydroperiod interactions: effects of native mammals on floodplain tree recruitment

Floodplain plant–herbivore–hydroperiod interactions have received little attention despite their potential as determinants of floodplain structure and functioning. We used five types of exclosures to differentially exclude small-, medium-, and large-sized mammals from accessing Fremont cottonwood ( Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. wizlizenii (Watson) Eckenwalder) seedlings and saplings growing naturally on four landform types at an alluvial reach on each of two rivers, the Green and Yampa, in Colorado and Utah. The two study reaches differed primarily as a result of flow regulation on the Green River, which began in 1962. Landforms were a rarely flooded portion of the alluvial plain, geomorphically active slow- and fast-water channel margin sites on the Yampa reach, and an aggrading side channel on the Green. Small-mammal live-trapping and observational data indicated that, with minor exceptions, the kinds of mammals eating cottonwood within each reach were identical. We monitored condition and fates of individual cottonwood plants from October 1993 through the 1997 growing season. Differences in survival and growth were noted both within and between reaches, and both due to, and independent of, mammalian herbivory. Comparisons of cottonwood growth and survivorship among exclosures and between exclosures and controls indicated that a small mammal, Microtus montanus, reduced seedling and sapling survivorship at the Green River reach, but to a lesser extent (seedlings) or not at all (saplings) on the Yampa reach. In contrast, reductions in sapling height increment attributable to medium- and large-sized herbivores were detected only at the Yampa site. We suggest that these differences are a result of (1) flow regulation allowing Microtus populations to escape the mortality normally accompanying the large, snowmelt-driven spring flood, as well as regulation promoting a herbaceous understory favorable to voles, and (2) greater browsing pressure from overwintering deer and elk at the Yampa reach, unrelated to flow regulation. Within areas used by foraging beaver, the probability of a sapling being cut by beaver was similar on the two reaches. This study suggests that changes in riparian plant–herbivore relationships due to shifts in river hydrology may be a common and important consequence of river regulation.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS2000

Fire frequency in the Interior Columbia River Basin: Building regional models from fire history data

Fire frequency affects vegetation composition and successional pathways; thus it is essential to understand fire regimes in order to manage natural resources at broad spatial scales. Fire history data are lacking for many regions for which fire management decisions are being made, so models are needed to estimate past fire frequency where local data are not yet available. We developed multiple regression models and tree-based (classification and regression tree, or CART) models to predict fire return intervals across the interior Columbia River basin at 1-km resolution, using georeferenced fire history, potential vegetation, cover type, and precipitation databases. The models combined semiqualitative methods and rigorous statistics. The fire history data are of uneven quality; some estimates are based on only one tree, and many are not cross-dated. Therefore, we weighted the models based on data quality and performed a sensitivity analysis of the effects on the models of estimation errors that are due to lack of cross-dating. The regression models predict fire return intervals from 1 to 375 yr for forested areas, whereas the tree-based models predict a range of 8 to 150 yr. Both types of models predict latitudinal and elevational gradients of increasing fire return intervals. Examination of regional-scale output suggests that, although the tree-based models explain more of the variation in the original data, the regression models are less likely to produce extrapolation errors. Thus, the models serve complementary purposes in elucidating the relationships among fire frequency, the predictor variables, and spatial scale. The models can provide local managers with quantitative information and provide data to initialize coarse-scale fire-effects models, although predictions for individual sites should be treated with caution because of the varying quality and uneven spatial coverage of the fire history database. The models also demonstrate the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods when requisite data for fully quantitative models are unavailable. They can be tested by comparing new, independent fire history reconstructions against their predictions and can be continually updated, as better fire history data become available.

California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, ↗
USGS2000

Landscape-based spatially explicit species index models for everglades restoration

As part of the effort to restore the ∼10 000-km 2 Everglades drainage in southern Florida, USA, we developed spatially explicit species index (SESI) models of a number of species and species groups. In this paper we describe the methodology and results of three such models: those for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow and the Snail Kite, and the species group model of long-legged wading birds. SESI models are designed to produce relative comparisons of one management alternative to a base scenario or to another alternative. The model outputs do not provide an exact quantitative prediction of future biotic group responses, but rather, when applying the same input data and different hydrologic plans, the models provide the best available means to compare the relative response of the biotic groups. We compared four alternative hydrologic management scenarios to a base scenario (i.e., predicted conditions assuming that current water management practices continue). We ranked the results of the comparisons for each set of models. No one scenario was beneficial to all species; however, they provide a uniform assessment, based on the best available observational information, of relative species responses to alternative water-management plans. As such, these models were used extensively in the restoration planning.

Florida↗
USGS2001

Flow and habitat effects on juvenile fish abundance in natural and altered flow regimes

Conserving biological resources native to large river systems increasingly depends on how flow-regulated segments of these rivers are managed. Improving management will require a better understanding of linkages between river biota and temporal variability of flow and instream habitat. However, few studies have quantified responses of native fish populations to multiyear (>2 yr) patterns of hydrologic or habitat variability in flow-regulated systems. To provide these data, we quantified young-of-year (YOY) fish abundance during four years in relation to hydrologic and habitat variability in two segments of the Tallapoosa River in the southeastern United States. One segment had an unregulated flow regime, whereas the other was flow-regulated by a peak-load generating hydropower dam. We sampled fishes annually and explored how continuously recorded flow data and physical habitat simulation models (PHABSIM) for spring (April-June) and summer (July-August) preceding each sample explained fish abundances. Patterns of YOY abundance in relation to habitat availability (median area) and habitat persistence (longest period with habitat area continuously above the long-term median area) differed between unregulated and flow-regulated sites. At the unregulated site, YOY abundances were most frequently correlated with availability of shallow-slow habitat in summer (10 species) and persistence of shallow-slow and shallow-fast habitat in spring (nine species). Additionally, abundances were negatively correlated with 1-h maximum flow in summer (five species). At the flow-regulated site, YOY abundances were more frequently correlated with persistence of shallow-water habitats (four species in spring; six species in summer) than with habitat availability or magnitude of flow extremes. The associations of YOY with habitat persistence at the flow-regulated site corresponded to the effects of flow regulation on habitat patterns. Flow regulation reduced median flows during spring and summer, which resulted in median availability of shallow-water habitats comparable to the unregulated site. However, habitat persistence was severely reduced by flow fluctuations resulting from pulsed water releases for peak-load power generation. Habitat persistence, comparable to levels in the unregulated site, only occurred during summer when low rainfall or other factors occasionally curtailed power generation. As a consequence, summer-spawning species numerically dominated the fish assemblage at the flow-regulated site; five of six spring-spawning species occurring at both study sites were significantly less abundant at the flow-regulated site. Persistence of native fishes in flow-regulated systems depends, in part, on the seasonal occurrence of stable habitat conditions that facilitate reproduction and YOY survival.

Alabama, Georgia↗
USGS2001

Declines of the California red-legged frog: Climate, UV-B, habitat, and pesticides hypotheses

The federally threatened California red-legged frog ( Rana aurora draytonii ) has disappeared from much of its range for unknown reasons. We mapped 237 historic locations for the species and determined their current population status. Using a geographic information system (GIS), we determined latitude, elevation, and land use attributes for all sites and analyzed the spatial pattern of declines. We then compared the observed patterns of decline to those predicted by the climate change, UV-B radiation, pesticides, and habitat alteration hypotheses for amphibian decline. Declines were not consistent with the climate change hypothesis but showed a strong positive association with elevation, percentage upwind agricultural land use, and local urbanization. These results apply to patterns of decline across the entire range of R. a. draytonii in California, as well as within geographic subregions. The elevational gradient in declines is consistent with the UV-B hypothesis, although the UV-B hypothesis also predicts a north-to-south gradient in declines, which we did not observe. The association of declines with the amount of upwind agricultural land use strongly suggests that wind-borne agrochemicals may be an important factor in declines. This association was most pronounced within the Central Valley–Sierra region, where other studies have documented both transport and deposition of pesticides to the Sierra Nevada and the presence of pesticide residues in the bodies of congeneric ( Rana muscosa ) and more distantly related ( Hyla regilla ) frog species.

California↗
USGS2001

Experimental flood effects on the limnology of Lake Powell Reservoir, southwestern USA

In the spring of 1996, a nine-day test flood from Glen Canyon Dam involved the deepest and largest hypolimnetic withdrawals from the penstocks and the river outlet works (ROW) since 1986, interacting with ongoing hydrodynamic and stratification patterns to enhance freshening of the hypolimnion of Lake Powell reservoir and its tailwaters. Prior to the test flood, a six-year drought had produced a pronounced meromictic hypolimnion that was weakening from high inflow events in 1993 and 1995. Hypoxia, however, had continued to increase in the deepest portions of the reservoir. Over the course of the test flood, 0.893 km 3 were released from the ports located at and below the hypolimnetic chemocline. The increased discharge and mixing resulting from the test flood diminished the volume of this hypoxic and meromictic hypolimnion as far as 100 km uplake. This effect was reinforced by seasonal upwelling of hypolimnetic water at the dam and seasonal hydrologic patterns uplake. The timing and magnitude of the discharge maximized the release of the highest salinity and lowest dissolved oxygen (DO) water that typically occurs near the release structures of the dam annually. Subsequent high inflows and discharges in 1997 continued to freshen the hypolimnion. During the flood, large aerated discharges in the tailwaters briefly increased DO to above saturation but dampened diel fluctuations in pH and DO. Downstream ion concentration levels were elevated during the test flood but resumed an enhanced freshening trend following the lower hydrograph. The results indicate that dam operations, timed with predictable limnological events, can be used to manipulate tailwater and reservoir water quality.

Arizona, Utah↗