Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5106
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5106
Version 1.10, August 2007
Freshwater and Saline Loads of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen to Hood Canal
and Lynch Cove, Western Washington
Prepared in cooperation with the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program 
By Anthony J. Paulson, Christopher P. Konrad, Lonna M. Frans, Marlene Noble,
Carol Kendall, Edward G. Josberger, Raegan L. Huffman, and Theresa D. Olsen
Table of Contents
Conversion Factors, Datums, and Acronyms
Abstract
Introduction
Annual Freshwater and Saline Loads
of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen to Hood Canal, 1971–2002
Freshwater and Saline Loads of Dissolved
Inorganic Nitrogen to Lynch Cove, September and October 2004
Processes Affecting Dissolved Inorganic
Nitrogen in Lynch Cove
Future Studies
Summary and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References Cited
Appendix A. Water-Column Properties for all Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth
Profiles and the Quality Assurance Data, Lynch Cove, Western Washington,
July—October 2004 (PDF, 1.10 MB)
Figures
Figure 1. Locations of Hood Canal drainage
basin, Lynch Cove, and National Atmospheric Deposition Program sites, western
Washington.
Figure 2. Location of 26 rivers and
24 shoreline subbasins, Hood Canal and Lynch Cove, western Washington.
Figure 3. Power relations between mean
streamflow and drainage area for ungaged lowland subbasins based on hydroclimate
and for the selected gaged subbasins, Hood Canal drainage basin, western Washington,
1971–2002.
Figure 4. Generalized monthly streamflow
distributions for three hydroclimatic regions of Hood Canal drainage basin,
western Washington, 1971–2002.
Figure 5. Relation of dissolved inorganic
nitrogen concentrations to streamflow for nine rivers and streams that drain
into Hood Canal, western Washington.
Figure 6. Monthly loadings from four
sources of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to the surface waters of Hood Canal,
western Washington, 1971-2002
Figure 7. Study area and boundaries
of the area for which dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads were calculated in
Lynch Cove, Washington, September and October 2004.
Figure 8. Vertical distribution of
salinity and temperature at water-quality site L14 in Lynch Cove, western Washington,
August to October 2004.
Figure 9. Continuous measurements of
temperature and salinity in near-bottom waters at ADCP sites A and B in Lynch
Cove, western Washington, August to October 2004.
Figure 10. Sub-tidal along-shore currents
in the upper and lower layers of the water column at ADCP site A, Lynch Cove,
western Washington, August to October 2004.
Figure 11. Mean along-shore currents
with depth in the lower layer of the water column at ADCP site A in Lynch Cove,
western Washington, 2004.
Figure 12. Concentrations of nitrate
in the bottom waters at water-quality site L14 in Lynch Cove, western Washington,
July through October 2004.
Figure 13. Nitrate concentrations
in the water column at water-quality sites L13 and L14 in Lynch Cove, western
Washington, July through October 2004.
Figure 14.Relation of concentration
of particulate organic nitrogen with depth at four water-quality sampling sites
and nitrogen isotope data for each particulate organic nitrogen sample in Lynch
Cove, western Washington, September 2004.
Figure 15. Principal components analysis
of particulate organic matter in water samples from the Lynch Cove, western
Washington, September 2004.
Figure 16. Relation between the δ18O
of nitrate and the δ15N of nitrate in Lynch Cove, September
2004, (see equations 5 and 6) and mean δ15N (±1 standard deviation)
of upper-layer particulate organic matter and nitrate in Union River, western
Washington.
Figure 17. Relation between concentrations
of nitrate and dissolved oxygen in Lynch Cove, western Washington, September
2004.
Figure 18. Relation between concentrations
of phosphate and dissolved oxygen in Lynch Cove, western Washington, September
2004.
Figure 19. Relation between concentrations
of orthophosphate and nitrate in Lynch Cove, western Washington, September 2004.
Figure 20. Horizontal gradient of
nitrate concentrations between 10- and 20-m depth near Sisters Point, in The
Great Bend, and in Lynch Cove, western Washington, August 23–25, 2004.
Figure 21. Horizontal gradient of
dissolved-oxygen concentrations between 5- and 10-m depth near Sisters Point
in The Great Bend, and in Lynch Cove, western Washington, August 23–25, 2004.
Tables
Table 1. Mean annual wet deposition
of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and annual precipitation at four National Atmospheric
Deposition Program (NADP) sites, western Washington.
Table 2. Mean streamflow, ground-water
flow, and annual dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads derived for the river and
shoreline subbasins, Hood Canal drainage basin, western Washington, 1971–2002.
Table 3. Summary of dissolved inorganic
nitrogen concentrations and their relation to streamflow for nine rivers draining
into Hood Canal, western Washington.
Table 4. Mean annual freshwater flow
and dissolved inorganic nitrogen loading for river and shoreline subbasins,
Hood Canal drainage basin, western Washington, 1971–2002.
Table 5. Freshwater and saline loads
of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to upper and lower layers of Hood Canal, western
Washington.
Table 6. Mean monthly streamflow, nitrogen
concentrations, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads from surface and ground
water to Lynch Cove, western Washington, September and October 2004.
Table 7. Concentrations of salinity,
dissolved oxygen, and inorganic compounds in samples collected from the lower
layer of water-quality sites L13 and L14, western Washington, July through October
2004.
Table 8. Freshwater and saline loads
of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to upper and lower layers of Lynch Cove, western
Washington, September and October 2004.
Table 9. Concentrations of dissolved
and suspended constituents and isotopes collected in Lynch Cove, western Washington,
July through October 2004.
Table 10. Mean concentrations of particulate
organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen, and chlorophyll a and the chemical
composition particulate organic matter in groupings of water samples from Lynch
Cove, western Washington, September 2004.
Table 11. Drainage area and streamflow
data used to develop the regression for ungaged subbasins in the South Olympic,
South-Shore, and Kitsap lowlands, Hood Canal drainage basin, western Washington,
1971-2002.
Table 12. Monthly dissolved inorganic
nitrogen load from the 26 river and 24 shoreline basins, and total annual dissolved
inorganic nitrogen loads from streams and ground water, Hood Canal drainage
basin, western Washington., 1971-2002.
Table 13. Data from the 2000 Census
on population and housing units in Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason Counties, western
Washington.
Table 14. Concentrations of dissolved
constituents and suspended sediment for replicate and blank samples collected
from the marine waters of Lynch Cove, western Washington, September and October
2004.
Table 15. Eigenvectors from principal
component analysis of particulate organic matter from Lynch Cove, western Washington,
September 2004.
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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, A.J.
Paulson, (253) 428-3600 ext. 2681.
For more information about USGS activities in Washington, visit the USGS
Washington Water Science Center home page.
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Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological
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