The Great Lakes Center has made a substantial commitment to study the impact of the contributing watersheds on the Great Lakes. We have continued the development of our model watershed in Point Peter Brook watershed in Cattaraugus County, where we have installed weirs with water level gauges and automated samplers along the trunk stream and several tributaries; piezometers; rain gauges, and a meteorological station. The initial goal for this project was to identify Variable Source Area (VSA) controls on the exports of nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during storm events. Recently, Dr. Sheila Christopher undertook a study of soil nitrogen processes and export during winter under snow cover. We have expanded our watershed monitoring program, with funding from the USACE, USEPA, and NYS DEC as part of an effort to identify critical sources of sediment and nutrients to the Cattaraugus Creek, a major contributing watershed to Lake Erie. Part of the goal of the Cattaraugus Creek project is to assess how land use and climate change will affect sediment and nutrient loading, via model predictions. The model can then be used 1) as input to a lake-wide model and 2) for managers and stakeholders to make informed decisions about nutrient management such as developing remediation plans to reduce future excessive loading.
Research projects: