|
Bob Coats, holding a reversing
thermometer used to measure deep water temperatures in Lake Tahoe. One
of the UC Davis instrument buoys is in the background. |
Limnology and Lake Management
The Effects of Climate Change on Lake Tahoe, and
Implications for Design of Best Management Practices. For the USDA
Forest Service, with funding from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management
Act., 2008-2010. Through UC Davis, Coats was Co-Principle Investigator on a
project to use the output of two climate models as input to both a
distributed hydrologic model for the Tahoe Basin, and a lake clarity model.
Output from the hydrology model was also used as input the lake model. A
separate model was used to evaluate how climate change will affect the
design requirements for water quality BMPs in the Basin. See list of publications
The
Warming of Lake Tahoe. For the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of
California at Davis, 2002-2004. In a study on the impacts of climate change on
Lake Tahoe, Hydroikos analyzed a 33-yr record of water temperature, and related
changes in lake temperature to climatic variables using Principal Components
Analysis. A co-author on the project at UC Davis then applied a lake
hydrodynamic model to show that the observed changes in air temperature and
downward long-wave radiation can reasonably explain the upward trend in lake
temperature and thermal stability. See list of publications
Analysis of the impacts of pond expansion on elevation and salinity of Great Salt Lake. For Huffman-Broadway, San Rafael, 2008-present. This work has included: 1) Analyzing the flood frequency of a playa proposed for pond development, using an empirical relationship between precipitation and flooding; 2) determining the elevation-frequency-duration relationships for elevation of the GSL; 3) estimating the elevation of Ordinary High Water (given a current water level) using an autoregressive running average (ARMA) statistical model for lake level; 4) reviewing numerous documents and reports relating to potential impacts of pond expansion on lake level and salinity, and writing memoranda reporting findings.
Water Management Study for Shoreline Sailing
Lake. For the City of Mountain View, 2001. The City of Mountain View
operates a 57 ac recreational lake at Shoreline, which is provided with water
from Charleston Slough. Hydroikos analyzed the water quality problems and
water supply issues for the City. The project includeds measuring suspended
sediment concentrations and tide heights using sensors and data loggers,
hydrodynamic modeling of circulation and sedimentation in both Charleston
Slough and the Sailing Lake, a lake nitrogen budget and other water quality
studies, assessment of the biota of the lake, analysis of operational
alternatives for the water supply system, and report presentation.
Thermal Structure and Water Quality at Jenkinson Lake. For the El
Dorado Irrigation District, 2004-2005. Jenkinson Lake, near Sly Park in El
Dorado County, is an important water supply lake that provides drinking water
for Placerville and other nearby communities. It is also an important
recreational asset during summer months for foothill and valley residents. To
allow continued body contact recreation, the California Department of Health
Services required a showing that there is no risk to public health from
bacteria and protozoans that could be released by swimmers. Hydroikos sampled
the lake and inflowing streams for Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Enterococcus and
Coliform bacteria, and measured changes in the lake's thermal structure during
a year-long study. The results have been used in models run by the firm
Hydrologic Systems and by an investigator at UC Riverside, and have helped to
show that swimming may continue at the lake without risk to public health.
Water Management Plan for Aquatic Park. For the City of
Berkeley, 2002-2003. Aquatic Park is a partially-tidal lagoon connected to San
Francisco Bay by a series of culverts and tide gates. The City is planning to
upgrade the Park and improve water quality by enhancing tidal exchange and
internal circulation. Hydroikos measured and modeled the existing tidal regime
and modeled the effects of enhancement alternatives on tidal exchange with the
bay. |