NSF EPSCoR RII Track 1 HM Valett, RM Callaway, University of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS): a Montana collaborative effort for integrated research and application NSF EPSCoR RII Track 1

HM Valett, RM Callaway, University of Montana, Missoula RA Walker, S Ewing, Montana State Univeristy, Bozeman JP Downey, Montana Tech, Butte

From Molecules to Mainstreet: Consortium for Research* on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS) From Molecules to Mainstreet:

(*Österle and Otto, Business and Information Systems, 2 (2010) 283-292)

Österle and Otto 2010. ‘…activities that facilitate multilateral collaboration

• f researchers and practitioners during the research process.’

MT-CREWS…research organization

Energy Extraction: Powder River Basin Agriculture: Judith River Watershed Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Outcome Disciplinary Synthesis Mining: Upper Clark Fork River Systems Ecology & Earth Science (SEES) Environmental Signals, Synoptics & Sensors (ESSS) Molecular Environmental & Engineering Sciences (MEES) Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS) Natural Resource Social Science (NRSS) – Wicked Problem

Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR)

Goal: Address how nutrients and metals act as subsidies and stressors in the context of river productivity, algal blooms, and ecological integrity along a contaminated river, the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR). In 1908, a massive flood contaminated the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) with millions of tons of mine tailings laden with heavy metals and arsenic originating from historic mining activities in the river's headwaters. Threat: mining legacy (Cu, Pb, Cd, As, Zn) now compounded by nitrogen (N) enrichment and naturally high phosphorus (P) availability, resulting in striking geographic gradients in pollutants, ecological conditions, restoration activity, and social responses

https://www.bigskyfishing.com/rivers/southwest-montana/clark-fork

Upper Clark Fork River…a case study (Maury Valett, lead investigator)

Maury Valett UCFR lead

Libby Metcalf Ben Colman Bob Hall Rob Payn Mike DeGrandpre Jerry Downey Joe Shaw Wyatt Cross Janene Lichtenberg SKC Tony Berthelote SKC

tailwater downstream Pre-flood

CFMR System Flow Diagram

Specific goal: infer metabolic process from temporal variation in dissolved gas concentrations Inferential software based

• n

hydrometabolic models Metabolic data products Watershed, stream, and river ecosystem hypotheses State-of-the-art automated DO, DIC, NO3

• , and

DOC sensors Solute signal data products

(DeGrandpre, Payn, and Bob Hall (FLBS))

Environmental sensors, synoptics, and signals (ESSS)

MT-CREWS…What’s there & how much?

Specific goal: infer algal community structure and other optical properties from hyperspectral spatial variation in radiation returns. Inferential software based

• n pattern

recognition Spatial algal abundance data products Watershed, stream, and river ecosystem hypotheses Hyperspectral synoptic data products State-of-the-art airborne hyperspectral cameras

(Shaw)

Environmental sensors, synoptics, and signals (ESSS)

MT-CREWS…Persistence? Transport?

Nutrients: N, P Mine tailings: As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn Potential vectors Fe, Mn, Al, Si, Ti Dissolved: <1 nm Sub micron: 1-1000 nm Suspended particulate matter: >1000 nm Primary producers (Algae, plants) Benthic macroinvertebrates Metabolism Fishes

Day Night Day Night DO and pH

• 1. In which size fractions are different elements?
• 2. Effects on biological accumulation and trophic transfer?
• 3. Primary producer influence on size distribution?

Upper Clark Fork River…Impact of element availability on stream ecology?

Ben Colman Wyatt Cross

MT-CREWS…how does it fit into Montana’s science and societal goals?

CAMP – Montana Tech

UM IRSE

Acknowledgements

"This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351"