Ponds and Streams: Hydrological, Biogeochemical and Water Quality Function

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

Ponds and Streams: Hydrological, Biogeochemical and Water Quality Function This project will develop and expand a stoichiometric Process Vector visualization and quantification approach to identify (on the timescale of hours) biogeochemical processes in streams and to quantify fundamental biogeochemical reaction rates. By developing methods to identify/quantify controlling metabolic processes for CO2 production, nitrification, denitrification and redox release of PO4 from FePO4 via multi-parameter measures at high frequencies, the hydrologic community will be better enabled to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability (time step 10-75min) of the water quality controls in shallow aquatic systems. The project will develop and deploy new instrumentation to quantify the biogeochemical water quality function of a small pond and two low order streams by combining a pumped-profiler/YSI system (O2, CO2, temperature, pH turbidity, fluorescence and specific conductivity) and an Envirotech Microlab nutrient analyzer system for NO3+NO2, NH3, and PO4 and a METS methane sampler. A measurement interval of 10mins is anticipated with week long deployments in ponds and multi-day deployments in streams. This suite of measurements covers the anticipated dominant metabolic reaction pathways for most streams/ponds over a wide Eh/pH range. The new suite of instrumentation will be deployed in a small suburban pond that undergoes a range of rapidly changing biogeochemical conditions driven in part by physical processes; this data will enable a broad range of biogeochemical processes to be observed and compared to theory. The equipment will also be deployed in two low order streams that cover a range of environments. The analysis will enable an elucidation of hydrologic, meteorologic, stratification and destratification controls on the biogeochemical function of detention ponds (a hydrologic component growing at 4%/yr) and the biogeochemical function of low order streams that represent an important component of the hydrologic network.