Building towards a Hydrologic Observatory in the Great Salt Lake Basin

Presenter Information

David Tarboton

Location

ECC 307/309

Event Website

http://water.usu.edu/

Start Date

4-6-2007 10:30 AM

End Date

4-6-2007 10:50 AM

Description

The 55,000 km2 Great Salt Lake Basin is a microcosm for semi-arid western water issues where hydrologic processes are controlled by mountainous topography and high-altitude snowmelt. In the Great Salt Lake Basin the delicate balance between precipitation and evaporation that controls lake level fluctuations is a sensitive indicator of changes in hydrologic processes and amplifies the effects of structured low-frequency climate variability, thus providing a sensitive barometer of long term climate change. A number of existing projects build synergy towards an integrated observing infrastructure in the Great Salt Lake Basin for the study of integrated hydrologic and environmental processes. This presentation will describe the work we are doing to integrate these projects to establish a Hydrologic Observatory. This presentation will also describe the Little Bear River test bed project which is one of eleven test bed projects awarded by the National Science Foundation that comprise the WATer and Engineering Research System network (WATERS network). A test bed project is a pilot study that allows key questions and methods to be tested before larger scale application. The Little Bear River test bed project is installing a set of “smart” sensors, connected to a central database, that will frequently collect data on the easily measured characteristics of streamflow, turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The control system will then use that information to trigger the telemetry of instructions for the collection of water samples for later chemical analysis, timed to optimally reduce the uncertainty in phosphorous load estimates. This system will provide important information on how phosphorous loading to streams is related to land use and watershed management and how it impacts water quality. This study will also advance the observing technology for use in hydrologic observatories.

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Apr 6th, 10:30 AM Apr 6th, 10:50 AM

Building towards a Hydrologic Observatory in the Great Salt Lake Basin

ECC 307/309

The 55,000 km2 Great Salt Lake Basin is a microcosm for semi-arid western water issues where hydrologic processes are controlled by mountainous topography and high-altitude snowmelt. In the Great Salt Lake Basin the delicate balance between precipitation and evaporation that controls lake level fluctuations is a sensitive indicator of changes in hydrologic processes and amplifies the effects of structured low-frequency climate variability, thus providing a sensitive barometer of long term climate change. A number of existing projects build synergy towards an integrated observing infrastructure in the Great Salt Lake Basin for the study of integrated hydrologic and environmental processes. This presentation will describe the work we are doing to integrate these projects to establish a Hydrologic Observatory. This presentation will also describe the Little Bear River test bed project which is one of eleven test bed projects awarded by the National Science Foundation that comprise the WATer and Engineering Research System network (WATERS network). A test bed project is a pilot study that allows key questions and methods to be tested before larger scale application. The Little Bear River test bed project is installing a set of “smart” sensors, connected to a central database, that will frequently collect data on the easily measured characteristics of streamflow, turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The control system will then use that information to trigger the telemetry of instructions for the collection of water samples for later chemical analysis, timed to optimally reduce the uncertainty in phosphorous load estimates. This system will provide important information on how phosphorous loading to streams is related to land use and watershed management and how it impacts water quality. This study will also advance the observing technology for use in hydrologic observatories.

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2007/AllAbstracts/41