2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/26/2021 | 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | HETEROGENEITY IN A HOMOGENEOUS WATERSHED: FINE-SCALE SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF WATER CHEMISTRY IN A HEADWATER AGRICULTURAL STREAM | Virtual Platform

HETEROGENEITY IN A HOMOGENEOUS WATERSHED: FINE-SCALE SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF WATER CHEMISTRY IN A HEADWATER AGRICULTURAL STREAM

Where industrial agriculture is prominent in the Midwest, USA, the landscape, and the human activity upon it, is generally homogeneous. For example, corn or soybeans are present for six months, bare soil is often present during the non-growing season, and high amounts of fertilizer are applied in discrete pulses. Is water quality in headwater streams draining these watersheds similarly homogeneous? We are deploying an unmanned surface vehicle (the ‘AquaBOT’) outfitted with a nitrate sensor and multiparameter sonde to map and analyze spatial patterns of water quality along a 2-km reach of Alleman Creek (Iowa) in 60-second intervals. Though some initial results are intuitive (e.g., daytime increase in water temperature), other parameters show a high degree of heterogeneity. For example, nitrate-N concentrations varied 10 to 12.5 mg/L along the stream reach in one early-summer run. The concentrations were often highest directly downstream of tile drain inputs, but we observed sporadic spikes in nitrate with no nearby tiles. The fine-scale data mapping from the AquaBOT can pinpoint chronic or acute nutrient inputs, which, in turn, can inform directed management efforts to reduce non-point source pollution and improve water quality.

Monitoring
Land use
Nutrients

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Presenters/Authors

Peter S. Levi (), Drake University, peter.levi@drake.edu;