Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5209
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5209
Water-Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002-04
Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service
By Tamara M. Wood, Gene R. Hoilman, and Mary K. Lindenberg
Table of Contents
Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations
and Symbols
Abstract
Introduction
Datasets and Methods
Physical Description of Upper Klamath
Lake
Water-Quality Observations
Factors Contributing to Low Dissolved
Oxygen Events
Historical Context of 2002-04 Data
Summary
Acknowledgments
References Cited
Appendix A. Quality-Assurance Data
for Water Samples
Figures
Figure 1. Upper Klamath Lake, with
locations of continuous water-quality monitors, acoustic Doppler current profilers,
and water sample-collection sites in (A) 2002 and (B) 2003–04, Klamath County,
Oregon.
Figure 2. Daily maximum range in temperature
over the water column, minimum range in temperature over the water column, maximum
temperature, and minimum temperature, from hourly values collected at 1 meter
off the bottom and 1 meter from the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL08 in Upper
Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002.
Figure 3. Daily maximum range in temperature
over the water column, minimum range in temperature over the water column, maximum
temperature, and minimum temperature, from hourly values collected at 1 meter
off the bottom and 1 meter from the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL13 in Upper
Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2003.
Figure 4. Daily maximum range in temperature
over the water column, minimum range in temperature over the water column, maximum
temperature, and minimum temperature, from hourly values collected at 1 meter
off the bottom and 1 meter from the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL16 in Upper
Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2004.
Figure 5. Depth of the photic zone
(the depth where light is 1 percent of surface value), as a function of chlorophyll
a concentration in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.
Figure 6. Half-hourly current speed
and direction recorded at sites ADCP4 and ADCP8, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon,
2003. Shaded time periods denote times of wind and current reversals. The current
direction data range from 100 to 460 degrees because 360 degrees have been added
to values of current direction less than 100 degrees to avoid the appearance
of a large shift when the wind direction varies to either side of north.
Figure 7. Half-hourly current speed
and direction recorded at sites ADCP1 and ADCP2 (before August 6) and at sites
ADCP3 and ADCP4 (after August 6), Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2004. Shaded time
periods denote times of wind and current reversals.
Figure 8. Circulation pattern in Upper
Klamath Lake in response to prevailing wind conditions.
Figure 9. Chlorophyll a concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 10. Total phosphorus concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 11. Orthophosphate-P concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 12. Ammonia-N concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 13. Un-ionized ammonia-N concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 14. Nitrate/nitrite-N concentrations
at sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 15. Statistical distributions
of chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and ammonia-N concentrations for the entire
field season at individual sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 16. Daily medians of (A) percent
saturation of dissolved oxygen, (B) dissolved oxygen concentration, (C) pH,
and (D) temperature for sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002-04.
Figure 17. Percentage of sites recording
at least one reading in the day of conditions potentially harmful to fish in
Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 18. Percentage of total site-hours
in the day having conditions potentially harmful to fish in Upper Klamath Lake,
Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 19. Geographic Information
System coverage of an interpolation of weekly median dissolved oxygen concentrations,
Julian weeks 31–34, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 20. Geographic Information
System coverage of an interpolation of weekly median pH, Julian week 27, Upper
Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 21. Geographic Information
System coverage of an interpolation of weekly median temperature, Julian week
31, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 22. Daily extremes in water-quality
conditions as a function of hour in the day, at representative shallow (UKL02)
and deep (UKL07) sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 23. Daily minimum and maximum
ranges in dissolved oxygen over the water column and minimum and maximum dissolved
oxygen from hourly values collected at 1 meter off the bottom and 1 meter from
the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL08 in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002.
Figure 24. Daily minimum and maximum
ranges in dissolved oxygen over the water column and minimum and maximum dissolved
oxygen from hourly values collected at 1 meter off the bottom and 1 meter from
the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL13 in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2003.
Figure 25. Daily minimum and maximum
ranges in dissolved oxygen over the water column and minimum and maximum dissolved
oxygen from hourly values collected at 1 meter off the bottom and 1 meter from
the surface at sites UKL07 and UKL16 in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2004.
Figure 26. Daily maximum range in
dissolved oxygen concentration over the water column, maximum range in temperature
over the water column, minimum water column dissolved oxygen concentration,
and 90th percentile of hourly wind values in Upper Klamath Lake,
Oregon, 2002–04.
Figure 27. Daily median dissolved
oxygen concentrations at sites UKL04, UKL07, UKL13, and UKL14 in Upper Klamath
Lake, Oregon, 2003.
Figure 28. Daily median dissolved
oxygen concentrations at sites UKL04, UKL07, UKL13, and UKL14 in Upper Klamath
Lake, Oregon, 2004.
Figure 29. Hourly dissolved oxygen
concentrations at sites UKL14 and UKL16 in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2004.
Figure 30. Hourly dissolved oxygen
concentrations at site UKL14 in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2003.
Figure 31. July–August distributions
of concentrations of chlorophyll a, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, and temperature,
and the difference between the water column maximum and minimum dissolved oxygen,
at three sites located in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.
Figure 32. Correlation between the
July–August averaged wind speed at the Klamath Falls Airport and the median
of the July–August distribution of ammonia, dissolved oxygen, and the difference
between water column maximum and minimum dissolved oxygen, Upper Klamath Lake,
Oregon.
Figure 33. Principal component scores
for data from Midnorth site, all July and August sample dates, Upper Klamath
Lake, Oregon, 1990–2004.
Figure 34. Principal component scores
for data from Eagle Ridge site, all July and August sample dates, Upper Klamath
Lake, Oregon, 1990–2004.
Tables
Table 1. Water column depths at the
beginning of the summer months at sites where profiling buoys were located,
Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Table 2. Start dates of Julian weeks,
2002–04.
Table 3. Spatial extent of extreme water-quality
conditions in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–04.
Table 4. Average number of hours per
day in Julian weeks 31 to 34 that dissolved oxygen concentrations less than
4 milligrams per liter were measured at shallow and deep sites in Upper Klamath
Lake, Oregon, 2002-04.
Table 5. Average number of hours per
day in Julian week 27 that pH greater than 9.7 was measured at shallow and deep
sites in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002-04.
Table 6. Dates of low dissolved oxygen
events in the northern part of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2002–03.
Table 7. Spearman’s rho correlation
coefficients between daily values derived from hourly data collected at site
UKL08 in 2002 and site UKL07 in 2003-04, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.
Table 8. Results of analysis of variance
(ANOVA) of air temperature at the Klamath Falls Airport, Oregon, July and August,
1990–2004.
Table 9. Results of analysis of variance
(ANOVA) of wind speed at the Klamath Falls Airport, Oregon, July and August,
1990–2004.
Table 10. Results of analysis of variance
(ANOVA) of the along-lake component of wind speed at the Klamath Falls Airport,
Oregon, July and August, 1990–2004.
Table 11. Results of analysis of variance
(ANOVA) of wind speed at the Klamath Falls Airport and at the Bureau of Reclamation
Agrimet site located at Agency Lake, Oregon, July and August, 1990–2004.
Table 12. Spearman’s rho correlation
coefficients between selected water-quality and climate variables in Upper Klamath
Lake Basin, Oregon, 1990–2004.
Table 13. Principal component scores
at sites Eagle Ridge and Midnorth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.
Table 14. Distribution statistics of
water column averages of chlorophyll a, ammonia-N, dissolved oxygen, and temperature
at Eagle Ridge site, based on July–August sampling dates, Upper Klamath Lake,
Oregon, 1990–2004.
Table 15. Distribution statistics of
water column averages of chlorophyll a, ammonia-N, dissolved oxygen, and temperature
at Midnorth site, based on July–August sampling dates, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon,
1990–2004.
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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, T.M.
Wood, (503) 251-3255.
For more information about USGS activities in Oregon, visit the USGS
Oregon Water Science Center home page.
U.S.
Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological
Survey
