scholarly journals Traveltime and dispersion of contaminants in the Yampa River from Steamboat Springs to the Green River, northwestern Colorado

2000 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Green River ◽  
Yampa River

scholarly journals Dam tailwaters compound the effects of reservoirs on the longitudinal transport of organic carbon in an arid river

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 6081-6114
Author(s):  
A. J. Ulseth ◽  
R. O. Hall Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Green River ◽  
Transport And Transformation ◽  
Stream Discharge ◽  
River Reservoir ◽  
Gorge Reservoir ◽  
Flaming Gorge ◽  
Early Snowmelt ◽  
Yampa River

Abstract. Reservoirs on rivers can disrupt organic carbon (OC) transport and transformation, but less is known how downstream river reaches directly below dams contribute to OC processing than reservoirs alone. We compared how reservoirs and their associated tailwaters affected OC quantity and quality by calculating particulate (P) OC and dissolved (D) OC fluxes, and measuring composition and bioavailability of DOC. We sampled the Yampa River near Maybell, Colorado, USA and the Green River above and below Fontenelle and Flaming Gorge reservoirs, and their respective tailwaters from early snowmelt to base flow hydrological conditions. In unregulated reaches (Yampa River, Green River above Fontenelle reservoir), DOC and POC concentrations increased with snowmelt discharge. POC and DOC concentrations also increased with stream discharge below Fontenelle reservoir, but there was no relationship between DOC and stream flow below Flaming Gorge reservoir. The annual load of POC was 3-fold lower below Fontenelle Reservoir and nearly 7-fold lower below Flaming Gorge reservoir, compared to their respective upstream sampling sites. DOC exported to downstream reaches from both reservoirs was less bioavailable, as measured with bioassays, than DOC upriver of the reservoirs. Lastly, tailwater reaches below the reservoirs generated OC, exporting 1.6–2.2 g C m−2 d−1 of OC to downstream ecosystems. Changes in total fluxes from upstream to downstream of reservoirs and their tailwaters do not represent the simultaneous transformation and production of OC, which may lead to the underestimation of the quantity of OC mineralized, transformed, or retained in coupled river-reservoir-tailwater ecosystems.

scholarly journals Dam tailwaters compound the effects of reservoirs on the longitudinal transport of organic carbon in an arid river

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 4345-4359 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Ulseth ◽  
R. O. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Green River ◽  
Transport And Transformation ◽  
Stream Discharge ◽  
Gorge Reservoir ◽  
Flaming Gorge ◽  
Early Snowmelt ◽  
Yampa River ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Reservoirs on rivers can disrupt organic carbon (OC) transport and transformation, but less is known how river reaches directly below dams contribute to OC processing. We compared how reservoirs and their associated tailwaters affected OC quantity and quality by calculating particulate OC (POC) and dissolved OC (DOC) fluxes, and measuring composition and bioavailability of DOC. We sampled the Yampa River near Maybell, Colorado, USA, and the Green River above and below Fontenelle and Flaming Gorge reservoirs as well as their respective tailwaters from early snowmelt to base flow hydrological conditions. In unregulated reaches (Yampa River, Green River above Fontenelle reservoir), DOC and POC concentrations increased with snowmelt discharge. POC and DOC concentrations also increased with stream discharge below Fontenelle reservoir, but there was no relationship between DOC and stream flow below Flaming Gorge reservoir. The annual load of POC was 3-fold lower below Fontenelle Reservoir and nearly 7-fold lower below Flaming Gorge reservoir, compared to their respective upstream sampling sites. DOC exported to downstream reaches from both reservoirs was less bioavailable, as measured with bioassays, than DOC upriver of the reservoirs. Lastly, tailwater reaches below the reservoirs generated OC, exporting potentially 1.6–2.2 g C m−2 d−1 of OC to downstream ecosystems. Therefore, the effect of impounding rivers on C fluxes is greater than the impact of the reservoirs alone given the additive effect of tailwater reaches below dams, which may produce and export comparable amounts of likely autochthonous carbon to downstream reaches.

Invasive exotic plant monitoring at Dinosaur National Monument: Results of the 2019 field season on the Green River, and the third completed monitoring rotation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Perkins
Keyword(s):  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Green River ◽  
The Third ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Dinosaur National Monument ◽  
Monitoring Protocols ◽  
Yampa River ◽  
Invasive Exotic

Invasive exotic plant (IEP) species are a significant threat to natural ecosystem integrity and biodiversity, and controlling them is a high priority for the National Park Service. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) selected the early detection of IEPs as one of 11 monitoring protocols to be implemented as part of its long-term monitoring program. We also calculated a patch management index (PMI) to quantify the extent and density of invasive patches into a single value that helps identify the scale of the problem. Park managers can use this tool to help prioritize IEP treatment. At Dinosaur National Monument, the NCPN monitors IEPs in the Green and Yampa river corridors. This report summarizes data from monitoring on the Green River in 2019, and monitoring on the Yampa River in 2017, to represent the completion of the third monitoring rotation of the entire river corridor (2002–2005, 2010–2011, 2017–2019). During surveys conducted from June 26 to July 2, 2019, NCPN staff detected 12 priority IEP species and two non-priority species in a 84.6-hectare (209-acre) area along 74.4 kilometers of the Green River above (“upper”) and below (“low-er”) its confluence with the Yampa. A total of 2,535 IEP patches were detected. Of those patches, 24.2% and 15.6% were smaller than 40 m2 on the upper and lower Green River reaches, respectively. The patch management index (PMI) was low or very low for 95.7% of patches on the upper Green River and 90.9% of patches on the lower Green River. Tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), broad-leaf pepperwort (Lepidium latifolium), and yellow sweetclover (Meli-lotus officinalis) were the most widespread species. For the first time, NCPN monitoring detected teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) on the upper Green River. Yellow sweetclover has increased on all three river reaches during the survey years. Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) was found at considerably lower levels than yellow sweetclover but has also increased on all three river reaches. Leafy spurge is increasing on the lower Green River and Yampa River. Cheatgrass was not monitored in the first rotation, but increased substantially in cover and percent frequency on all three river sections from 2010–2011 to 2017–2019. This increase may be due to a lack of recent high-flow scouring events. The highly regulated upper Green River generally has the highest number of IEPs, while the lower Green River has a moderate amount of IEPs. The largely unregulated flows of the Yampa River continue to result in a lower number of patches per kilometer, lower percent cover, and lower percent frequency than the upper or lower Green River. Network staff will return to the monument in 2022 to begin the fourth monitoring rotation.

scholarly journals The demographic response of bank-dwelling beavers to flow regulation: a comparison on the Green and Yampa rivers

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (11) ◽  
pp. 1957-1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart W Breck ◽  
Kenneth R Wilson ◽  
Douglas C Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Flow Regulation ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Green River ◽  
Detectable Difference ◽  
Demographic Response ◽  
Yampa River ◽  
Geomorphic Processes

We assessed the effects of flow regulation on the demography of beavers (Castor canadensis) by comparing the density, home-range size, and body size of bank-dwelling beavers on two sixth-order alluvial river systems, the flow-regulated Green River and the free-flowing Yampa River, from 1997 to 2000. Flow regulation on the Green River has altered fluvial geomorphic processes, influencing the availability of willow and cottonwood, which, in turn, has influenced the demography of beavers. Beaver density was higher on the Green River (0.5–0.6 colonies per kilometre of river) than on the Yampa River (0.35 colonies per kilometre of river). Adult and subadult beavers on the Green River were in better condition, as indicated by larger body mass and tail size. There was no detectable difference in home-range size, though there were areas on the Yampa River that no beavers used. We attribute the improved habitat quality on the Green River to a greater availability of willow. We suggest that the sandy flats and sandbars that form during base flows and the ice cover that forms over winter on the Yampa River increase the energy expended by the beavers to obtain food and increase predation risk and thus lowers the availability of woody forage.

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