A paleolimnological investigation of historical environmental change in East Canyon Reservoir

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Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Geography
Author Higby Halseth, Deanna Renee
Title A paleolimnological investigation of historical environmental change in East Canyon Reservoir
Date 2011-05
Description East Canyon Reservoir is located 32 km east of Salt Lake City, Utah, and serves as a resource for irrigation, culinary water, and recreation. This research used paleolimnology and historical records to investigate the impacts of multiple stressors, including land clearance, dam construction and enlargement, and climate warming on East Canyon Reservoir. Recently, blue green algal blooms, typically indicative of eutrophication, have been increasing at East Canyon Reservoir despite reductions of nutrients from point sources, so part of the impetus for this study was to understand the forcing mechanisms of these blooms. A multiproxy analysis of three sediment cores retrieved from the reservoir determined changes in nutrient concentrations and sediment composition over time. Percent organics, magnetic susceptibility, and diatom analyses of 210Pb dated cores were compared to measurements of temperature and precipitation as well as records of historical land use, which were determined using remote sensing. Percent organics and magnetic susceptibility showed changes related to dam construction and increased development. Fossil diatom assemblages indicated that East Canyon Reservoir had been eutrophic since origination; however, principal components analyses of the diatom data indicated that the canyon became more P-enriched following dam construction and increased development. Recent increases in Cyclotella diatoms indicate changes related to warming temperatures, and we speculate that this warming is also what is causing blue-green algal blooms to increase.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject East Canyon Reservoir; Paleolimnology; Remote sensing; Reservoir; Utah; Water resources
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Deanna Renee Higby Halseth 2011
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 7,240,452 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,16227
Source original in Marriott Library Special Collections ; GB9.5 2011 .H35
ARK ark:/87278/s6t15jb9
Setname ir_etd
ID 194494
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6t15jb9
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