EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021

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5/22/2018 | 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | USING EXPERIMENTAL STREAMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF BIOFILM COLONIZATION AND DISTURBANCE IN ESTIMATING REAERATION USING ARGON GAS AS A DIRECT TRACER AT ND-LEEF | 330 B

USING EXPERIMENTAL STREAMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF BIOFILM COLONIZATION AND DISTURBANCE IN ESTIMATING REAERATION USING ARGON GAS AS A DIRECT TRACER AT ND-LEEF

Estimating the exchange of gasses between the stream water and the atmosphere poses a methodological challenge for researchers, given the difficulties of making accurate gas measurements in flowing waters. Reaeration is an important driver influencing the estimation of biogeochemical budgets such as whole-stream metabolism. Common tracers have proven problematic either because they are non-conservative (e.g., propane may be consumed via microbial activity) or methodologically problematic (e.g., SF6 is a potent greenhouse gas). The use of argon gas as a conservative tracer has recently been suggested as an alternative, and has been used successfully in the field. We tested the role of potential reaeration drivers (e.g., flow variation, substrate) using short-term direct injections of argon gas in four experimental streams at the ND-LEEF. We repeated additions over a five-month biofilm colonization sequence and under experimental disturbance scenarios to determine the role of abiotic and biotic factors on reaeration in small streams. Preliminary results suggest that substrate type can influence reaeration, with highest rates occurring on sand, while high biofilm coverage homogenizes estimates. Flooding conditions did not impact gas transfer in larger substrate streams, while significantly increasing reaeration in sandy streams.

Disturbance
Hydrology
Flow

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Presenters/Authors

Martha M. Dee (), University of Notre Dame, mdee@nd.edu;