1. Home
  2. Items
  3. Plankton populations and some effects of mine drainage on primary...
PDF

Plankton populations and some effects of mine drainage on primary productivity of the Coeur d'Alene River, delta, and lake. Techncial completion report, OWRR project no. a-030-IDA Item Info

Variations in primary production and physiochemical measurements in the Coeur d'Alene River and Lake contaminated by mine and industrial wastes were examined from May, 1969, to November, 1970. Metal concentrations Md, Cd, Mg, Ca, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Na and K; water quality and phytoplankton composition-density were determined for thirty-five dates during this period. Additional sampling included unpolluted portions of Coeur d'Alene Lake from December, 1969, to November, 1970, and the unaffected St. Joe River during the summers of 1969-70. Primary production ranged from 17.6 to 1337.9 mg C/m /day in the Coeur d'Alene River and 69.3 to 1714.5 mg C/m2/day in the Coeur d'Alene Lake. Concentrations of zinc (0.1 to 11.2 mg Zn/1) and copper (0.0 to0.6 mg Cu/1) in the Coeur d'Alene River indicated that heavy metals could be toxic to algae. Diatoms dominated phytoplankton in the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake, and St. Joe River. Primary production in the southern portion of Coeur d'Alene Lake appeared controlled by discharges from the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers. Low concentrations of inorganic carbon and moderately high concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake and St. Joe River suggest the importance of carbon in regulating production. The effect of wind on eplimnetic production and poorly developed stratification in the south end of the lake appeared related to decreased depths. Wind action may control eutrophication by suppressing hypolimnetic oxygen depletion and anaerobic regeneration. Nannoplankton from Coeur d'Alene Lake were exposed to known concentrations of Cu2+, Cd 2+, Zn 2+ and dilutions of Coeur d'Alene River water under controlled light and temperature. Inhibitory effects of separate and interacting metals on carbon-14 uptake by algae were assessed with factorial designed bioassays and response surfaces. Copper, cadmium, and zinc were acutely and synergistically toxic to carbon uptake by phytoplankton. Concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 0.75 mg Cu/1, 0.1 to 0.3 mg Cd/1, and 0.1 to 1.5 mg Zn/1. Copper caused an overriding effect on two- and three-way interactions of Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Zn 2+ . Dilutions of Coeur d'Alene River water decreased Cu and Zn toxicity. Variable algal community structure, major cations, softwater (<60 mg/1 as Caco3), and water quality appeared to affect metal toxicity.

View on Timeline View on Map Download PDF
Title:
Plankton populations and some effects of mine drainage on primary productivity of the Coeur d'Alene River, delta, and lake. Techncial completion report, OWRR project no. a-030-IDA
Authors:
Rabe, F. W.; Minter, R. F.; Wissmar, R. C.
Date Created (ISO Standard):
1973-01
Description:
Variations in primary production and physiochemical measurements in the Coeur d'Alene River and Lake contaminated by mine and industrial wastes were examined from May, 1969, to November, 1970. Metal concentrations Md, Cd, Mg, Ca, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Na and K; water quality and phytoplankton composition-density were determined for thirty-five dates during this period. Additional sampling included unpolluted portions of Coeur d'Alene Lake from December, 1969, to November, 1970, and the unaffected St. Joe River during the summers of 1969-70. Primary production ranged from 17.6 to 1337.9 mg C/m /day in the Coeur d'Alene River and 69.3 to 1714.5 mg C/m2/day in the Coeur d'Alene Lake. Concentrations of zinc (0.1 to 11.2 mg Zn/1) and copper (0.0 to0.6 mg Cu/1) in the Coeur d'Alene River indicated that heavy metals could be toxic to algae. Diatoms dominated phytoplankton in the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake, and St. Joe River. Primary production in the southern portion of Coeur d'Alene Lake appeared controlled by discharges from the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers. Low concentrations of inorganic carbon and moderately high concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake and St. Joe River suggest the importance of carbon in regulating production. The effect of wind on eplimnetic production and poorly developed stratification in the south end of the lake appeared related to decreased depths. Wind action may control eutrophication by suppressing hypolimnetic oxygen depletion and anaerobic regeneration. Nannoplankton from Coeur d'Alene Lake were exposed to known concentrations of Cu2+, Cd 2+, Zn 2+ and dilutions of Coeur d'Alene River water under controlled light and temperature. Inhibitory effects of separate and interacting metals on carbon-14 uptake by algae were assessed with factorial designed bioassays and response surfaces. Copper, cadmium, and zinc were acutely and synergistically toxic to carbon uptake by phytoplankton. Concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 0.75 mg Cu/1, 0.1 to 0.3 mg Cd/1, and 0.1 to 1.5 mg Zn/1. Copper caused an overriding effect on two- and three-way interactions of Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Zn 2+ . Dilutions of Coeur d'Alene River water decreased Cu and Zn toxicity. Variable algal community structure, major cations, softwater (<60 mg/1 as Caco3), and water quality appeared to affect metal toxicity.
Subjects:
Mine wastes water quality water pollution photosynthesis phytoplankton
Location:
Lake Coeur d'Alene
Latitude:
47.65
Longitude:
-116.77
Collection:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
IWRRI number:
197338
Rights:
In copyright, educational use permitted. Educational use includes non-commercial reproduction of text and images in materials for teaching and research purposes. For other contexts beyond fair use, including digital reproduction, please contact the University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department at libspec@uidaho.edu. The University of Idaho Library is not liable for any violations of the law by users.
Publisher:
University of Idaho
Contributing Institution:
University of Idaho
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Cataloger:
wbv
Date Digitized:
2012

Contact us about this record

Source
Preferred Citation:
"Plankton populations and some effects of mine drainage on primary productivity of the Coeur d'Alene River, delta, and lake. Techncial completion report, OWRR project no. a-030-IDA", Idaho Waters Digital Library, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iwdl/items/iwdl-cda_rabe_1973.html
Rights
Rights:
In copyright, educational use permitted. Educational use includes non-commercial reproduction of text and images in materials for teaching and research purposes. For other contexts beyond fair use, including digital reproduction, please contact the University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department at libspec@uidaho.edu. The University of Idaho Library is not liable for any violations of the law by users.
Standardized Rights:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
« Previous Back to Browse Next »