MRI: Acquisition of an Ion Chromatograph and X-ray Diffractometer to Support Watershed Modeling, Seneca Lake, New York

Hobart And William Smith Colleges, Geneva NY

Investigators

Abstract

0116078 Halfman This grant, made through the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, provides full support to acquire an automated, dual column ion chromatograph (IC), and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) to investigate the geochemistry of the waters and sediments of Seneca Lake, the largest of upstate New York's Finger Lakes. These new instruments will complement existing instrumentation and Hobart and William Smith's 65-foot research vessel, the HWS EXPLORER, to establish at the Colleges the scientific resources needed for studying the interactions between the lake and its watershed. Specifically, the ion chromatograph will increase the accuracy, precision, and number of chemical analyses of both lake and tributary stream waters. The X-ray diffractometer will identify and characterize the mineralogy of fine-grained sediments, both in the lake and in tributary streams. Both instruments will support a continuing project to develop quantitative models of the movement of water, dissolved materials and sediment into and out of Seneca Lake. Such models have immediate applications to several current environmental concerns including the impact of exotic zebra mussels on the lake, rising concentrations of the herbicide atrazine and nitrates in the lake and its tributaries, and high concentrations of chloride in the lake. These models may also help to understand changes in climate that followed glaciation and that are recorded within the lake's sediments. Seneca Lake watershed models and the data upon which they rest will also serve as an important base line for detecting and evaluating future water quality changes in the lake. The impact of these instruments will extend beyond the data they produce and the geochemical models they will support. Much of the investigation of Seneca Lake's waters and sediments will be done by undergraduate students working collaboratively with geoscience faculty. The opportunity for these students to engage in hands-on scientific research with modern instrumentation is critical to their development as the next generation of geoscience researchers, environmental managers and environmental policy makers. ***