Persistent Identifier
|
doi:10.7281/T1KW5CX5 |
Publication Date
|
2016-04-07 |
Title
| Data associated with Long-term seasonal trends of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment load from the non-tidal Susquehanna River Basin to Chesapeake Bay |
Author
| Zhang, Qian (Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA)
Ball, William P. (Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA) |
Point of Contact
|
Use email button above to contact.
For questions about the data, contact Dr. William Ball via bball@jhu.edu. (Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University)
For questions about access to the data contact Johns Hopkins University Data Services via dataservices@jhu.edu. (Johns Hopkins University Data Services) |
Description
| From the study abstract: Reduction of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment (SS) load has been a principal focus of Chesapeake Bay Watershed management for decades. To evaluate the progress of management actions in the Bay's largest tributary, the Susquehanna River, we analyzed the long-term seasonal trends of flow-normalized N, P, and SS load over the last two to three decades, both above and below the Lower Susquehanna River Reservoir System. Our results indicate that annual and decadal-scale trends of nutrient and sediment load generally followed similar patterns in all four seasons, implying that changes in watershed function and land use had similar impacts on nutrient and sediment load at all times of the year. Above the reservoir system, the combined loads from the Marietta and Conestoga Stations indicate general trends of N, P, and SS reduction in the Susquehanna River Basin, which can most likely be attributed to a suite of management actions on point, agricultural, and stormwater sources. In contrast, upward trends of SS and particulate-associated P and N were generally observed below the Conowingo Reservoir since the mid-1990s. Our analyses suggest that (1) the reservoirs' capacity to trap these materials has been diminishing over the past two to three decades, and especially so for SS and P since the mid-1990s, and that (2) the Conowingo Reservoir has already neared its sediment storage capacity. These changes in reservoir performance will pose significant new kinds of challenges to attainment of total maximum daily load goals for the Susquehanna River Basin, and particularly if also accompanied by increases in storm frequency and intensity due to climate change. Accordingly, the reservoir issue may need to be factored into the proper establishment of regulatory load requirements and the development of watershed implementation plans.
Note: This data archive for Zhang et al. (2013) [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.012] stores data that were obtained based on the WRTDS algorithms, version 4c. This archive also stores updated and unpublished estimates in the data folder 'B. Unpublished Data, Codes, and Output' that were obtained in 2014 using longer records (~ two additional years of data) and updated codes (i.e., EGRET version 2.2.0). The most important differences relate to the handling of edge effects. |
Subject
| Earth and Environmental Sciences |
Keyword
| WRTDS
Susquehanna River Basin
Chesapeake Bay
nutrient and sediment loadings
long-term seasonal trends
Conowingo Dam |
Related Publication
| Zhang, Q., D. C. Brady and W. P. Ball, 2013. Long-term seasonal trends of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment load from the non-tidal Susquehanna River Basin to Chesapeake Bay. Sci. Total Environ. 452-453:208-221. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.012 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.012 |
Language
| English |
Producer
| Ball, William P. (Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University) |
Production Date
| 2014-10 |
Production Location
| Johns Hopkins University |
Funding Information
| Maryland Sea Grant: NA10OAR4170072
Maryland Sea Grant: NA14OAR1470090
Water Environment Research Federation: U4R09
National Science Foundation: 0854329 |
Distributor
| Johns Hopkins University Data Services (JHUDS) https://dataservices.library.jhu.edu/ |
Distribution Date
| 2014-10 |
Depositor
| Zhang, Qian |
Deposit Date
| 2014-10 |
Data Type
| code |
Related Dataset
| The river monitoring data of streamflow discharge and nutrient/sediment concentration at the three lower Susquehanna River monitoring sites have been compiled from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission Sediment and Nutrient Assessment Program (SRBC SNAP, 2012) and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS, 2012). This work has adopted the USGS-developed WRTDS (Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season) method (Hirsch et al., 2010) for riverine flux estimation.
Hirsch, R. M., D. L. Moyer, and S. A. Archfield, 2010. Weighted regressions on time, discharge, and season (WRTDS), with an application to Chesapeake Bay river inputs, J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 46(5), 857-880, doi: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00482.x.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307614/ |