The YRP is a multi-year study of the water quality of the Yukon River and its tributaries. The program is run by and logistics financed by the US Geological Survey which maintains a project web site. The USGS has two motivations for this program: a) limited water quality data exist for the Yukon system and b) a baseline of information should be established so that possible effects of global warming-induced permafrost melting on this river system can be evaluated in the future. The USGS focus is on carbon cycling. There are two aspects of the USGS program: a) regular sampling of five fixed stations on the Yukon River and two of its major tributaries (the Porcupine and Tanana Rivers) and b) synoptic studies of major reaches of the Yukon. The synoptic studies involve "cruises" in small boats. In 2002 we did the section of the river from Eagle (at the Canadian border) to where the pipeline crosses the river, north of Fairbanks. In 2003 we did the section from the pipeline downstream to St. Mary's where there is tidal influence. In 2004 we did the Canadian section of the river with cooperation from Environment Canada. Some of the project investigators are involved in additional ancillary work in the Yukon River Basin including sampling of small tributaries and wetlands.
My role in the project is to determine dissolved trace elements in 0.45 μm and 0.02 μm filtered samples. My work has several objectives: a) to gain insight into weathering and trace element mobilization processes by comparing sub-systems in the Yukon Basin differing in important physiographic factors (e.g., extent of wetlands, glaciation and permafrost), b) to examine the dissolved trace element chemistry of the Yukon system over an extended period in order to determine concentration variability and the processes responsible for that variability, and c) to establish a baseline for future comparison should the Yukon Basin indeed experience climate warming.
The following pages show pictures from some of our sampling trips to Alaska (Note--each page contains about 0.5 Mbytes of pictures):
Small Tributary Sampling, Spring
Small Tributary Sampling, Fall
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Last updated: February 28, 2011