Activities & Accomplishments
Equipping a cargo trailer with water quality sensors to provide continuous, year-round water quality data at the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP)
The hydrology and water quality groups installed and instrumented a network of 34 shallow monitoring wells with continuous water level data-loggers and selected deployment of real-time nutrient and water quality analyzers
Constructed and tested a prototype of an autonomous in situ iron sensor
Conducted several campaign-style water quality studies in two
northern NM watersheds (VCNP and Rio Hondo)Conducted multiple tracer tests at VCNP with Hydrology team
Continuous measurement of stream primary production and respiration
Conducted studies of nutrient variations in response to spring snowmelt and diurnal variability: also pre- and post-fire response
Use data to investigate climate controls on water chemistry and the impacts on ecosystems and downstream water users
Data-based modeling of solute export across the range of conditions
Multi-year, real-time, autonomous water quality monitoring in selected NM watersheds fed by snowmelt
Synoptic sampling of surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) for sensor validation, longitudinal studies, and to quantify SW/GW exchanges
Impacts of Research
Developed interdisciplinary and multi-institution collaborative projects and training/outreach activities focused on the dynamics of stream water chemistry and hydrology
Provided long term field “lab” availability for interdisciplinary field campaigns
2 post docs, 3 doctoral, 5 MS,& numerous undergrads working at VCNP
