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M. A. Lionberger

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. Lionberger.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2009

Quantifying fluxes and characterizing compositional changes of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems in situ using combined acoustic and optical measurements

Studying the dynamics and geochemical behavior of dissolved and particulate organic material is difficult because concentration and composition may rapidly change in response to aperiodic as well as periodic physical and biological forcing. Here we describe a method useful for quantifying fluxes and analyzing dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics. The method uses coupled optical and acoustic measurements that provide robust quantitative estimates of concentrations and constituent characteristics needed to investigate processes and calculate fluxes of DOM in tidal and other lotic environments. Data were collected several times per hour for 2 weeks or more, with the frequency and duration limited only by power consumption and data storage capacity. We assessed the capabilities and limitations of the method using data from a winter deployment in a natural tidal wetland of the San Francisco Bay estuary. We used statistical correlation of in situ optical data with traditional laboratory analyses of discrete water samples to calibrate optical properties suited as proxies for DOM concentrations and characterizations. Coupled with measurements of flow velocity, we calculated long-term residual horizontal fluxes of DOC into and out from a tidal wetland. Subsampling the dataset provides an estimate for the maximum sampling interval beyond which the error in flux estimate is significantly increased.?? 2009, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.

Limnology and Oceanography: Methods↗
USGS2008

Chapter 31 Sensitivity and spin-up times of cohesive sediment transport models used to simulate bathymetric change

Bathymetric change in tidal environments is modulated by watershed sediment yield, hydrodynamic processes, benthic composition, and anthropogenic activities. These multiple forcings combine to complicate simple prediction of bathymetric change; therefore, numerical models are necessary to simulate sediment transport. Errors arise from these simulations, due to inaccurate initial conditions and model parameters. We investigated the response of bathymetric change to initial conditions and model parameters with a simplified zero-dimensional cohesive sediment transport model, a two-dimensional hydrodynamic/sediment transport model, and a tidally averaged box model. The zero-dimensional model consists of a well-mixed control volume subjected to a semidiurnal tide, with a cohesive sediment bed. Typical cohesive sediment parameters were utilized for both the bed and suspended sediment. The model was run until equilibrium in terms of bathymetric change was reached, where equilibrium is defined as less than the rate of sea level rise in San Francisco Bay (2.17 mm/year). Using this state as the initial condition, model parameters were perturbed 10% to favor deposition, and the model was resumed. Perturbed parameters included, but were not limited to, maximum tidal current, erosion rate constant, and critical shear stress for erosion. Bathymetric change was most sensitive to maximum tidal current, with a 10% perturbation resulting in an additional 1.4 m of deposition over 10 years. Re-establishing equilibrium in this model required 14 years. The next most sensitive parameter was the critical shear stress for erosion; when increased 10%, an additional 0.56 m of sediment was deposited and 13 years were required to re-establish equilibrium. The two-dimensional hydrodynamic/sediment transport model was calibrated to suspended-sediment concentration, and despite robust solution of hydrodynamic conditions it was unable to accurately hindcast bathymetric change. The tidally averaged box model was calibrated to bathymetric change data and shows rapidly evolving bathymetry in the first 10-20 years, though sediment supply and hydrodynamic forcing did not vary greatly. This initial burst of bathymetric change is believed to be model adjustment to initial conditions, and suggests a spin-up time of greater than 10 years. These three diverse modeling approaches reinforce the sensitivity of cohesive sediment transport models to initial conditions and model parameters, and highlight the importance of appropriate calibration data. Adequate spin-up time of the order of years is required to initialize models, otherwise the solution will contain bathymetric change that is not due to environmental forcings, but rather improper specification of initial conditions and model parameters. Temporally intensive bathymetric change data can assist in determining initial conditions and parameters, provided they are available. Computational effort may be reduced by selectively updating hydrodynamics and bathymetry, thereby allowing time for spin-up periods. reserved.

Proceedings in Marine Science↗
USGS2006

A tool for assessing mercury loadings from restored tidal systems

Accurately quantifying net loads in tidal systems is difficult owing to the high variability in constituent concentrations over the vastly different time scales present in these systems. Perhaps most difficult is the measurement of fluxed over the tidal time scale. On this scale, the net export of the constituent is orders of magnitude less than the bulk exchange in either direction because of the vast quantities of water that are exchanged. Therefore, numerous measurements are required in a brief amount of time to accurately quantify constituent fluxes between a tidal wetland and its surrounding waters. These complications with sampling are exacerbated for mercury species because of the difficulties is to develop surrogates that may be measured in situ and which may be used for interpolating and extrapolating from discrete measurements over a number of tidal cycles and a range of conditions.

Conference Paper↗