The Limnology of Two Dissimilar Subarctic Streams and Implications of Resource Development Item Type Technical Report Authors LaPerriere, Jacqueline D.; Nyquist, David Publisher University of Alaska, Institute of Water Resources Download date 06/10/2021 09:19:54 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/1749 THE LIMNOLOGY OF TWO DISSIMILAR SUBARCTIC STREAMS AND IMPLICATIONS OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT by Jacqueline D. LaPerriere and David Nyquist Report No. IWR-33 March, 1973 THE LIMNOLOGY OF TWO DISSIMILAR SUBARCTIC STREAMS AND IMPLICATIONS OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT by Jacqueline D. LaPerriere Research Biologist and David Nyquist former Assistant Professor of Water Resources l'his proJ'ect was suppor>ted in par>t by funds (P1"OJ'. B-01?-ALAS) pr>o­ vided by the United States Depar>tment of the Intel"ior>, Office of Water> Resources Researeh, as authorized under> the fvater> Resources Aet of 1964, as amended. EquaL SllPPOr>t was provided by the State of ALaska as r>e­ sear>eh funds (University of ALaska 234-2503).' INSTITUTE OF WATER RESOURCES University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 Report No. IWR-33 March, 1973 ACKNo\-ILEDGE,lENTS Thanks are extended to the four research assistants, James Clay, Timothy Hudson, LaHrence Peterson, and Dennis h1ard for their assistance. Special thanks are extended to Hol£gang Hebel, Aquatic Biological Technician, for his help in the field and laboratory. The assistance of the Institute of Narine Science, University of Alaska, in providing analysis of certain of the cherTIical nutrients is gratefully acknowledged. ii CONTENTS Lis t of Figures_ iv List of Tables vi In-:W])UCTION 1 Description of Study Area 1 The Chatanika River . 3 Development on the Chatanika River 3 Goldstream Creek . 3 Development on Golds tream Creek. 7 m:THODS. ...•.. 10 Physical and Chemical 10 Biological•.... 10 I~similation Study. 11 RESULTS. _...._..... 12 Physical and Chemical Study 12 Biota of the Two Streams. 12 Ben thos Thesis Study. 42 Dri f t Thes is Study. 42 Ass Imila tion Thesis Study 50 SF~-1}!ARY. 55 REfERENCES 56 APPENDICES ..•..... .... 57 Appendix A. Spec.ies Diversity of Benthos and Drift Samples from the Chatanika River .. .... 58 Appendix B. Species Diversity of Benthos and Drift Samples from Golds tream Cree.k. ........ 61 Appe.ndix c. The Significance of Selected Physical and Chemical Variables in Benthic Macroinvert~brate Distribution in a S",a11 Subarctic Stream, a thesis 65 Title Page ...• 65 Abstract. .... 66 Table of Contents. 67 Bib"liography . 68 iii Fig. 1. Location of study area .. 2 Fig. 2. Chatanika River study area 4 Fig. 3. Goldstream Creek study area. 6 Fig. 4. Chemical 2nd physical variations from nine Chatanika ~ River stations 2 1970-1971. .•......•.. 13 Fig. 5. Chemical and physical variations from five Goldstream Creek stations, 1970-1971 ........•••.. 20 Fig. 6. Diurnal chemical and physical variations from the Chatanika River, Elliott Bridge Station, July 22, 23, 1971 .... 27 Fig. 7. Diurna 1 chemical and physical variations frrml Goldstream Creek, June 28, 29, 1971. .. 28 Fii:!. 8. Diurnal chemical and physh:al variations from Goldstream Creek, August 13, 14, 1971 .• 29 Fig. 9. Chemical and physical variations from sixteen Chatanika River Stations, July 1, 2, 1971. ..•........ 30 F.i.g. 10. Chemical and physical variations from fourteen Chatanika River Stations, September 10, 1971 .. .• ..•... 31 Fig. 11. Chemical and physical variations from eleven Goldstream Creek stations, Hay 6, 7) 1971 ......•.. > 32 Fig. 12. Chemical and physical variations from fourteen Gold- stream Creek stations. June 18, 1971 .... 33 Fig. 13. Chemical and physical variations from eight Goldstream Creek stations, July 19, 1971. ...•••.• . •. 34 Fig. 14. 'Chemical and physical variations from nine Goldstream Creek stations. August 19, 1971. • • ••.•.•.• 35 Fig. 15. Chemical and physical variations from eight Goldstream Creek stations, October 22, 1971 ....•.•.. 36 Fig. 16. Summer temperature variation and mayfly dis tribution in Goldstream Creek, 1971. 44 Fig. 17. The relationship betl-leen stream velocity and the number of Trichoptera (caddis £lies) col1ec ted; Sheep Crc:ek Bridge Station, Goldstream Creel( ......• 45 iv FIGURES, Continued Fig. 18. Numbers of Diptera ta,ken in five-minute drift samples; Goldstream Creek, June 14-15, 1971 .... 46 Fig. 19. Numbers of Diptera and Ephemercptera ta1.:en ir't five­ minute drift samples; Goldstream Creek, July 6-7, 1971 .. ...... 47 Fig. 20. Numbers of Diptera and Ephemeroptera taken in five­ minute drift samples; Golds tream Creek, July 29-30, 1971 . ... .. .. 48 F:i.g. 21. Numbers of Diptera and Ephemeroptct"a taken in five­ minute drift samples; Goldstream Creek, August 18-19, 1971 .............. .. " 49 v TABLES Table t. Sampling Sites on the Chatanika River. ....••. .• 5 Table 2. Sampling Sites on Golds cream Creek. .. .. 8 Table 3. The Algae of Colonization and Recolonization in the Chatanika River and Goldstream Creek•. 37 Table ll. Diatoms Identified as Epiphytic on Stones in Gold- stream Creek. •......•. 38 Table 5. Fauna Collected by Benthic and Drift Sampling (June, 1970 - October, 1971) ...... 39 Table 6. Total Number of Hayflies and Caddis Flies Collected at Goldstream Stations (Benthos Thesis Study) • 43 T.:;;b1e 7. Natural Dissolved Oxygen Levels: Chatanika River 51 T~~le 8. Natural Dissolved Oxygen Levels: Goldstream Creek. 52 T,,;::le 9. Results of Five-Day Biochemi<..:al Oxygen Demand Tes ts; lm:uba tion Temperature'" 20 C......••... 53 Table 10. Results of Five-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand Tests; Incubation Temperature = 4 c. ... .... 54 vi INTRODUCTION llCL"ause of the rela tiv~ly undeveloped condi tion of arctic and subarc­ tic Al.lska, 3n opportunity is presented to drmv up \.J'ater quality man2ge­ ment plans before extensive perturbation. These plans cannot, unfortun~ ately , be based upon those drawn up for more temperate regions "lhere much isknm\'n abou t na tural stream conditions, f or in thes e Alaskan areas, little is kno>m about the natural physical, chemical, and biological cycles of streams or about their ability to handle the stresses that will be exerted on them should development take place. The Chena River, in subarctic, interior Alaska, near the city of Fair­ banks, has been studied'to evaluate the impact of pending construction and operation of flood control structures (Frey, Hueller and Berry, 1970). This river hOI"ever has already been developed, especially along its 10l,er reaches where the city of Fairbanks is situated. The ",atersheds of the tHO streams chosen for this study roughly p2ral­ leI each other, although the Chatanika River \olatershed is about t1:-rice as long as that of Goldstream Creek. In addition to the dissimilarity in size, these two streams also differ in regard to terrain, at least along the respective stretches that Here studied. The Goldstrea::J Creek study area runs through a bog and extensive muskeg. The ChatanikaRiver, hm.;rever, was for the most part sampled in the area of mountainous ter­ rain. The intent of this study "as to obtain comprehensive physical and c.hemical data, to survey the resident invertebrates, and to evaluate the assimilative capabilities of both stre8rns. As an integral part of the main study, four research assist2nts de­ veloped thesis research topics. La,\·;rrence Peterson studied the seasonal, diurnal and dO~-:ilstrearn variations in selected physical and chemical parameters along both streams (Peterson, 1973) _ 11';0 students, Dennis \..,rard and James Clay, studied aspeets of the benthic macroinverteb rates of Goldstream Creek. Y.Jard's objective was lito determine lvhether temp2ra-'­ ture, velocity, dissolved oxygen, or pH operate singly, synergis tically, or addi tionally, to control or limit dis tribution of Ephemeroptera (may­ flies). Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera (caddis flies), in Gold­ strc:am Creek" (Ivard, 1972). Clay's objective ,vas to determine the effect of stream discharge, temperature, and light intensity on the drift of Ephemeroptera (mayflies) and Diptera (true flies) in Goldstream Creek (Clay, 1973). Timothy Hudson conducted a study of the potential assimilative capa­ city of the streams by investigating their oxygen cycles (Hudson, 1973). One thesis, by Dennis Ward, is complete and selections from it are appended to this report. The remaining three theses are expected to be completed during 1973. Description of Study Area The interior Alaskan location of the t~i;'O streams (Fig. 1) subjects tlt(:i1l to \vide varia tions in climatological parameters. Considering the c:limate of Fairbanks, Alaska (the closest location \.,ith a first order weather station) J one can see that the gro~.Jing season for these streal7!S is relatively short. The ice-free season begins approxindtely in 022rly Nay 3.nd ends in October. Altbough this area experiences an extensive. 1 \ _ \4- \ F·19 ure 1. L oca ti-nv of study area period (averaging 115 days) l~len the air temperature remains below zero and pluITli1'lets as Im.;r as -66 F, the ice cover affords the streains protec­ tion from this extreme cold. Hm.Jever, the air temperature bas been knm.;n to reach 99 F in the stumner and the temperature of the '-later may become quite high, especially in the sha11mvs. Preci~)itation is an annual average of 12 inches Hith snmdall averaging 66.6 inches (Johnson and Hartman, 1969). SnmoJmelt and summer rains provide, on the average, the main discharges of these streams. Incident solar radiation varies Hidely throughout the year Hith day lengths as long as about tHenty-one hours at the summer solstice and as short as three hours forty minutes at the t-linter solstice, Hhen the sun never rises more than a te'\.v degrees above the hcrizon. The Cha tanika River The study area along the Chatanika River began at the headHaters (the confluence of Faith and NcNanus Creeks at an elevation of 1,400 feet) and continued about 60 river miles down to the Elliot Bridge, at an ele­ vation of 550 feet; the last point on the river accessible by road (Fig.