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Water and Sediment Quality of the Yukon River and Its Tributaries, from Eagle to St

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Water and Sediment Quality of the Yukon River and Its Tributaries, from Eagle to St Water and Sediment Quality of the Yukon River and its Tributaries, from Eagle to St. Marys, Alaska, 2002–2003 Edited By Mark M. Dornblaser and Douglas R. Halm Open-File Report 2006–1228 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2006 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Suggested citation: Dornblaser, Mark M., and Halm, Douglas R., eds., 2006, Water and Sediment Quality of the Yukon River and its Tributaries, from Eagle to St. Marys, Alaska, 2002–2003, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1228, 202 p. Cover photo: Yukon River, between Eagle and Circle, by Mark Dornblaser, U.S. Geological Survey Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. ii Contents Conversion Factors ............................................................................................................................. x Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................x Abstract.................................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 2 Intensive Sampling .......................................................................................................................... 3 Purpose and Scope ......................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................................8 Chapter 2. Site Descriptions..............................................................................................................9 Yukon River Basin............................................................................................................................ 9 Yukon River at Eagle ..................................................................................................................... 11 Nation River .................................................................................................................................... 12 Kandik River....................................................................................................................................13 Charley River .................................................................................................................................. 15 Coal Creek.......................................................................................................................................16 Woodchopper Creek.....................................................................................................................17 Yukon River above Circle ............................................................................................................. 18 Sheenjek River ............................................................................................................................... 19 Black River......................................................................................................................................20 Porcupine River 9.5 miles upstream from mouth ..................................................................... 21 Christian River ................................................................................................................................ 22 Chandalar River.............................................................................................................................. 22 Upper and Lower Birch Creek..................................................................................................... 23 Beaver Creek..................................................................................................................................24 Hadweenzic River..........................................................................................................................25 Hodzana River ................................................................................................................................ 26 Yukon River at Joe Devlin Island ................................................................................................ 27 Yukon River at Timber Point......................................................................................................... 28 Dall River ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Yukon River near Stevens Village............................................................................................... 29 Ray River ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Hess Creek......................................................................................................................................30 Tozitna River ................................................................................................................................... 31 Nowitna River.................................................................................................................................32 Melozitna River .............................................................................................................................. 33 Yukon River at Ruby ...................................................................................................................... 34 Yuki River......................................................................................................................................... 34 Koyukuk River.................................................................................................................................35 Nulato River .................................................................................................................................... 36 Yukon River near Kaltag ............................................................................................................... 37 Anvik River ...................................................................................................................................... 37 Bonasila River ................................................................................................................................ 38 iii Innoko River....................................................................................................................................39 Atchuelinguk River ........................................................................................................................ 39 Yukon River at Pilot Station.......................................................................................................... 40 Andreafsky River............................................................................................................................ 41 Sites for Main-Stem Grab Samples............................................................................................ 41 Chapter 3. Yukon River Hydrology, 2002 and 2003.......................................................................42 Chapter 4. Methods........................................................................................................................... 48 Sample Collection and Processing ............................................................................................ 48 Laboratory Analyses ..................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 5. Water and Sediment Quality and Water Discharge ................................................ 50 Water Discharge and Field Water Quality ................................................................................ 50 Dissolved Organic Carbon ........................................................................................................... 55 Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ........................................................................................................ 60 Mercury...........................................................................................................................................65 Uranium ...........................................................................................................................................70 Nutrients..........................................................................................................................................75 Suspended Sediment Concentration ........................................................................................
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