Comparison of Sediment Loading and Non-Point Source Pollution in the Mission and Aransas RiversJena R. CampbellDepartment of Marine Sciences
November 29, 2007
Mission-Aransas NERR30 miles NE of Corpus Christi27th Reserve Designated May 3, 2006Only one in Western Gulf of MexicoArea for research in a natural settingUTMSI lead State AgencyMission RiverMission BayAransas RiverCopano Bay
http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/nerr/index.htm
Study Area Mission & Aransas Rivers
PurposeOriginal idea too ambitiousCompare between Mission and Aransas RiversLand CoverSediment LoadingNitrogenPhosphorusLeadZincPollution & Sediment accumulation downstream
Data SourcesExercise 5NHDPlusCatchmentsFlowlinesNational Land Cover Data SetHydroseek
Catchment & Flowline Relationships
High Intensity DevelopmentAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments
Row CropsAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments
Deciduous ForestsAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments
GrasslandAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments
PredictionsAransas RiverMore NitrogenMore SedimentReason land cover (agriculture, high intensity)Mission RiverLess PollutantsLess SedimentReason land cover (forests, grassland)
Hydroseek Measurements - Nitrogen
Hydroseek Measurements Unfiltered Residues
Future WorkAdd lead, zinc, and phosphorus measurements to the mapSediment and pollutant accumulation farthest downstreamMake concentration grid based on the run-off in each catchmentExercise from 2005Compare actual measurements to acceptable thresholds
**************