Limnological monitoring on the UMRS, 1993 1996: LTRMP Bellevue Field Station

Soballe, D. M., D. E. Gould, S. A. Gritters, R. D. Gent, and M. J. Steuck. 2002.
Limnological monitoring on the Upper Mississippi River System, 1993 1996: Long Term
Resource Monitoring Program Bellevue Field Station. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper
Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 2002. LTRMP
2002-P004. 16 pp. + Appendixes A-F (NTIS# PB2003-101579)

ABSTRACT

Since 1988, the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) staff have performed
basic limnological field measurements in the Upper Mississippi River System. The period
of this report (1993 96) includes a major revision of the LTRMP sampling design in 1993
that added randomization, broader spatial coverage, and increased monitoring of tributaries
and locations that allow monitoring of material transport. Several short-term trends were
noted during 1993 96. Total nitrogen, nitrate nitrite nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus,
total phosphorus, and turbidity generally decreased while ammonia increased in all study
pools (12, 13, and 14). Sediment and plant nutrient concentrations were higher in two
tributaries (the Maquoketa and Wapsipinicon Rivers, Iowa) than in the main channel of the
Mississippi River.

KEYWORDS

Annual report, limnology, LTRMP, Mississippi River, water quality