Relationships between nitrogen, phosphorus and diel dissolved oxygen cycles in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta before and after a century-scale flood
Date
2018-06-28
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Abstract
High nutrient loading to rivers increases aquatic plant and algal growth resulting in low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. The overall objective of this thesis was to examine the relationship of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in diel DO cycles induced by periphyton and macrophyte photosynthesis and respiration in the Bow River. I tested periphyton and macrophyte nutrient limitation status directly using fertilization experiments at multiple locations within Calgary’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent affected urban footprint. My results show that immediately after the 2013 flooding, primary production was limited by P (periphyton) or N+P (macrophytes). I investigated empirical relationships between periphyton, macrophytes and diel dissolved oxygen concentrations before and after a 1 in 100-year flooding event. The near complete removal of macrophytes was associated with only a transient decrease in the magnitude of diel DO oscillations at sites downstream of WWTPs.
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Keywords
nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, Bow River, flood
Citation
Singer, J. G. (2018). Relationships between nitrogen, phosphorus and diel dissolved oxygen cycles in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta before and after a century-scale flood (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32239