Environmental and Hydrologic Overview of the Yukon River Basin, Alaska and Canada
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Environmental and Hydrologic Overview of the Yukon River Basin, Alaska and Canada Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4204 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: Digital elevation model of the Yukon River Basin Environmental and Hydrologic Overview of the Yukon River Basin, Alaska and Canada By Timothy P. Brabets, Bronwen Wang, and Robert H. Meade ________________________________________________________________________________________________ U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4204 Anchorage, Alaska 2000 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES G. GROAT, Director CONTRIBUTING U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STAFF Editorial, Graphics, and Text Preparation E.F. Snyder, Technical Editor L-L. Harris, Cartographic Technician For additional information: Copies of this report may be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services 4230 University Drive, Suite 201 Box 25286 Anchorage, AK 99508-4664 Denver, CO 80225-0286 http://ak.water.usgs.gov CONTENTS FIGURES Abstract . 1 1. Map showing location of the Yukon River Basin in Canada Introduction. 1 and Alaska . 2 Purpose and Scope . 5 2. Map showing digital elevation model of the Yukon River Basin . 3 Acknowledgments . 5 3. Graph showing number of growing days for four ecoregions of the Description and History of the Yukon River Basin . 7 Yukon River Basin, 1991-99 . 4 The Yukon River and its Major Tributaries. 7 4. Map showing observed trends of Arctic annual mean Exploration of the Yukon River Basin . 11 temperatures from 1961-90 . 5 People and Land. 12 5. A. Map showing rivers, lakes, and glaciers of the Yukon Economic Activity . 14 Environmental Characteristics of the Yukon River Basin . 16 River Basin . 8 Physiography . 16 B. Map showing roads and towns in the Yukon River Basin . 9 Climate. 20 6. Cross sections of the Yukon River above Frank Creek, Yukon Geology . 22 Territory, to Pilot Station, Alaska . 10 Land Cover . 25 7-18. Maps showing: Soils . 28 7. Land ownership of the Yukon River Basin . 13 Permafrost . 32 8. Physiographic regions of the Yukon River Basin . 17 Ecoregions . 36 9. Precipitation regions of the Yukon River Basin . 21 Hydrologic Characteristics of the Yukon River Basin . 48 10. Geology of the Yukon River Basin . 23 Surface Water . 48 11. Land cover classes of the Yukon River Basin . 26 Snow and Ice. 50 12. Soils of the Yukon River Basin . 29 Streamflow . 50 13. Permafrost regions of the Yukon River Basin . 33 Floods . 60 Droughts . 62 14. Wetland areas of the Yukon River Basin . 34 Sediment . 64 15. Areas of forest fires in the Yukon River Basin . 35 Sources of Sediment . 65 16. Ecoregions of the Yukon River Basin . 37 Suspended-Sediment Concentrations . 66 17. Major drainage basins in the Yukon River Basin. 49 Relation Between Suspended-Sediment Concentration 18. Location of streamflow-gaging stations with 10 or more and Water Discharge. 68 years of record in the Yukon River Basin . 51 Suspended-Sediment Discharge . 72 19-22. Graphs showing: Storage of Sediment . 75 19. Flow statistics of three rivers near the headwaters of the Bedload. 77 Yukon River . 54 Water Quality. 78 20. Flow statistics of nine major rivers of the Yukon River Basin . 55 Yukon River Main Stem. 84 21. Average discharge of the Yukon River at eight locations . 57 Temporal Variations in Water Quality . 94 22. Percent contributions of area and flow of the major drainage Spatial Variations in Water Quality . 97 Anthropogenic Effects on Water Quality . 102 basins of the Yukon River Basin . 58 Summary . 103 23. Map showing percentage of major river outflows into marginal References Cited . 104 seas of the Arctic Ocean . 59 24-25. Graphs showing: TABLES 24. Flow statistics of the Salcha River near Salchaket, Alaska . 61 25. Departure from average discharge for several long-term 1. Comparison of salmon harvests for various time periods, Yukon streamflow-gaging stations in the Yukon River Basin . 63 River Basin, Alaska . 14 26. Boxplots of suspended-sediment concentration at 14 sites in 2. Watersheds where mining has occurred in the Yukon River the Yukon River Basin . 67 Basin. 15 27-34. Graphs showing: 3. Types and areas of land cover in the Yukon River Basin . 25 27. Water discharge and suspended-sediment concentrations for 4. Areas of ecoregions in the Yukon River Basin . 36 Chena River at Fairbanks, Alaska and Nenana River near 5. Major drainage basins in the Yukon River Basin . 48 Healy, Alaska for 1964-66 runoff seasons. 69 6. Streamflow-gaging stations in the Yukon River Basin with 28. Instantaneous discharge and suspended-sediment concen- 10 or more years of record . 52 trations for different particle sizes for Tanana River near 7. Flow contributions of major drainage basins to the Yukon River Tanacross, Alaska and Tanana River at Fairbanks, Alaska. 70 Basin. 56 29. Average daily water discharge and suspended-sediment 8. Suspended-sediment stations in the Yukon River Basin . 64 concentration for Tanana River near Tanacross, Alaska and 9. Mean grain-size composition of suspended sediment for stations Yukon River at Eagle, Alaska during 1963 runoff season . 71 in the Yukon River Basin. 68 30. Seasonal distribution of suspended-sediment discharge for 10. Estimated annual suspended-sediment loads for selected sites in three rivers in the Yukon River Basin . 72 the Yukon River Basin . 75 31. Differences in water discharge and suspended-sediment 11. Water-quality stations in the Yukon River Basin with 10 or load during water years 1964-66 for Nenana River near more years of record. 81 Healy, Alaska and Chena River at Fairbanks, Alaska . 73 12. Summary statistics for selected properties and constituents of 32. Changing proportions of suspended-sediment discharge surface-water samples from stations along the Yukon River. 85 during 1954 runoff season in Tanana River near 13. Summary statistics for selected properties and constituents of Tanacross, Alaska . 74 surface-water samples from tributaries of the Yukon River . 91 33. Annual suspended-sediment loads for 14 sites located in the 14. Comparison of samples taken during open water and under Yukon River Basin. 76 ice cover, Yukon River at Pilot Station . 96 34. Suspended-sediment and bedload discharge measured in the 15.Summary statistics for selected properties and constituents of Tanana River at Fairbanks, Alaska, 1977-82. 77 surface-water samples by ecoregion 35. Map showing location of water-quality sampling stations where one or more samples have been collected in the Yukon River Basin. 79 36. Map showing location of water-quality sampling stations where 10 or more samples have been collected in the Yukon River Basin . 80 37. Boxplots of specific conductance from samples taken during open water and under ice cover on the Yukon River . 95 CONVERSION FACTORS, ABBREVIATED UNITS, AND VERTICAL DATUM Multiply by To obtain inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter foot (ft) 0.3048 meter mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer square foot (ft2) 0.09290 square meter square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer foot per second (ft/s) 0.3048 meter per second cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second inch per year (in/yr) 25.4 millimeter per year ton 0.9072 megagram ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 megagram per day ton per year (ton/d) 0.9072 megagram per year foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer In this report, temperature is reported in degrees Fahrenheit (°F), which can be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) by the following equation: °C = (°F-32)/1.8 OTHER ABBREVIATED UNITS mg/L, milligram per liter µg/L, microgram per liter µS/cm, microsiemen per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius mm, millimeter VERTICAL DATUM Sea level: In this report, “sea level” refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929—A geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of.