Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2013-03-20 A Trophic State Analysis of Lakes in Yellowstone National Park Anthony Alexander Melcher Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Melcher, Anthony Alexander, "A Trophic State Analysis of Lakes in Yellowstone National Park" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 3522. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3522 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A Trophic State Analysis of Lakes in Yellowstone National Park Anthony Alexander Melcher A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science A. Woodruff Miller, Chair Gustavious P. Williams M. Brett Borup Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Brigham Young University March 2013 Copyright © 2013 Anthony Alexander Melcher All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT A Trophic State Analysis of Lakes in Yellowstone National Park Tony Melcher Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYU Master of Science Eutrophication is of interest in the field of water quality. Eutrophic lakes, when used as sources for drinking water, can cause problems during the treatment process, for example algae blooms can clog filters, requiring more water and energy to be used during the cleaning and backwashing of the filters. Excess nutrient loading and eutrophication can also harm fish and aquatic life habitats. Certain species of algae and cyanobacteria can be toxic to humans as well. Since 1998, Dr. A. Woodruff Miller has collected water samples from 46 lakes and ponds in Yellowstone National Park. The Carlson Trophic State Index, the Vollenweider Model, the Larsen Mercier Model, the Burns Trophic Level Index, and the Naumann Trophic Scale were then used to assign each lake or pond to a trophic state classification (Oligotrophic, Mesotrophic, Eutrophic, and Hyper-Eutrophic). Of the 46 total lakes and ponds that have been tested over the past 14 years, five lakes are classified as slightly oligotrophic, implying that the waters are relatively clear and free from nutrient pollution. Of the 46 lakes, 19 are classified as slightly mesotrophic, mesotrophic, or strongly mesotrophic. These classifications imply that the waters are moderately clear and contain some nutrient pollution. Of the 46 lakes, 14 are classified as slightly eutrophic, eutrophic, or strongly eutrophic. This implies that the waters have high turbidity and nutrient content. Of the 46 lakes, 8 are classified as slightly hyper-eutrophic or hyper-eutrophic. These lakes are noticeable for their high algae content with very high nutrient content. These classifications are based on the most recent year sampled. Keywords: Yellowstone National Park, eutrophication, trophic state ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to start off by thanking my graduate committee, Dr. Gus P. Williams and M. Brett Borup, as well as my committee chair, Dr. A. Woodruff Miller. They all played a significant role in the successful completion of this thesis. Dr. Miller allowed me to bounce all my random ideas off of him with a fair amount of encouragement. I would also like to thank the US Bureau of Reclamation, Regional Laboratory in Boise, ID for the analysis and results for chlorophyll-a concentrations. Lastly I would like to thank my wonderful wife, Jamie, for allowing me to put in long nights at the school. I could not have done it without her. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... xiii 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Eutrophication ................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Trophic State Classifications .......................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 Carlson Trophic State Index ....................................................................................... 5 1.2.2 Vollenweider Model ................................................................................................... 6 1.2.3 Larsen Mercier Model ................................................................................................. 7 1.2.4 Burns Trophic Level Index ......................................................................................... 8 1.2.5 Naumann Trophic Scale .............................................................................................. 9 2 2011 results from Yellowstone National Park Sampling ................................................. 11 2.1 Beaver Lake .................................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Blacktail Pond ............................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Buck Lake ..................................................................................................................... 17 2.4 Cascade Lake ................................................................................................................ 22 2.5 Clear Lake ..................................................................................................................... 26 2.6 Druid Lake .................................................................................................................... 30 2.7 Duck Lake ..................................................................................................................... 33 2.8 Eleanor Lake ................................................................................................................. 36 2.9 Feather Lake ................................................................................................................. 38 2.10 Floating Island Lake ..................................................................................................... 41 2.11 Goose Lake ................................................................................................................... 44 2.12 Harlequin Lake ............................................................................................................. 48 v 2.13 Hazle Lake .................................................................................................................... 50 2.14 Hot Beach Pond ............................................................................................................ 55 2.15 Ice Lake ......................................................................................................................... 57 2.16 Indian Pond ................................................................................................................... 60 2.17 Isa Lake ......................................................................................................................... 64 2.18 Lewis Lake .................................................................................................................... 67 2.19 Lily Pad Lake ................................................................................................................ 69 2.20 Lost Lake ...................................................................................................................... 72 2.21 North Twin Lake ........................................................................................................... 76 2.22 Nymph Lake ................................................................................................................. 80 2.23 Scaup Lake .................................................................................................................... 84 2.24 Shrimp Lake .................................................................................................................. 87 2.25 South Twin Lake ........................................................................................................... 90 2.26 Swan Lake ..................................................................................................................... 92 2.27 Sylvan Lake .................................................................................................................. 95 2.28 Tanager Lake ................................................................................................................ 99 2.29 Terrace Springs ........................................................................................................... 102 2.30 Trout Lake ................................................................................................................... 105 2.31 Yellowstone Lake at Bridge Bay ................................................................................ 109 2.32 Yellowstone Lake at West Thumb .............................................................................. 112 3 Yellowstone Lakes Over Time ........................................................................................