Properties and distribution of sediment in the Salton Sea,California: an assessment of predictive models |
| |
Authors: | M A Anderson L Whiteaker E Wakefield C Amrhein |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA;(2) Wildermuth Environmental, Inc, 23692 Birtcher Drive, Lake Forest, CA 92630, USA |
| |
Abstract: | The Salton Sea is the largest lake, on a surface area basis, in California (939 km2). Although saline (>44 g/l) and shallow (mean depth approximately 9.7 m), it provides valuable habitat for a number of endangered
species. The distribution of sediments and their properties within the Salton Sea are thought to have significant influence
on benthic ecology and water quality. Sediment properties and their distribution were quantified and compared with predicted
distributions using several sediment distribution models. Sediment samples (n = 90) were collected using a regular staggered-start sampling grid and analyzed for water content, organic carbon (C), calcium
carbonate, total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), organic phosphorus, and other properties. Water content, total N, and
total and organic P concentrations were all highly correlated with organic C content. The organic C concentration showed a
non-linear increase with depth, with low organic C contents (typically 1–2%) present in sediments found in depths up to 9 m,
followed by a strong increase in organic C at greater depths (to about 12% at 15 m depth). The models of Hakanson, Rowan et al.,
Blais and Kalff, and Carper and Bachmann yielded very different predicted critical depths for accumulation (10.5–22.8 m) and
areas of accumulation (0–49.5%). Hakanson’s dynamic ratio model more reasonably reproduced the observed zone of elevated organic
C concentrations in the Salton Sea than either exposure- or slope-based equations. Wave theory calculations suggest that strong
winds occurring less than 1% of the time are sufficient to minimize accumulation of organic matter in sediments that lie at
depths less than 9 m in this system.
Guest editor: S. H. Hurlbert
The Salton Sea Centennial Symposium. Proceedings of a Symposium Celebrating a Century of Symbiosis Among Agriculture, Wildlife
and People, 1905–2005, held in San Diego, California, USA, March 2005 |
| |
Keywords: | Sediment resuspension Distribution Dynamic ratio Wave theory Salton Sea |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|