Water Quality of the Lower Flint River Basin
Our lab maintains a water chemistry record for sites across the Lower Flint River Basin, including on the mainstem, springs, and tributaries of the Flint River, geographically isolated wetlands on and near Ichauway, and Lake Seminole. The dataset dates back to the 1990s and collection has continued monthly since then. We analyze samples for a wide range of parameters, including nitrogen (NO3, NH4), phosphorus (PO4), carbon (DOC, DIC, TDC), pH, alkalinity, suspended AFDM, and, for specific projects, TN and TP.
Collaborators: Steve Golladay (Mussel Conservation Lab), Caitlin Sweeney (Mussel Conservation Lab), Carla Atkinson (Alabama), Matt Waters (Auburn)
Biogeochemistry of Geographically Isolated Wetlands
The Jones Center is home to ~100 geographically isolated wetlands (GIW) and support a diverse array of ecosystem services. Our lab studies the biogeochemistry of on-site and off-site wetlands, including N cycling, C storage and greenhouse gas emissions, and the role of GIWs as habitat for amphibian species of interest. Off-site, our efforts focus on the function of GIWs in agricultural settings in improving water quality through sediment storage and nutrient transformations. Collaboratively with the Ecohydrology Lab, we maintain long-term staff gauge records in 33 on-site GIWs and continuous data collection.
Collaborators: Frances O’Donnell (Auburn), Matt Waters (Auburn), Steven Brantley (Jones Center), Lora Smith (Jones Center), Perri Cooper (Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District), Mary Foltz (Oklahoma State)
Flint River Ecosystem Function
Our focus in the Flint River and its tributaries aims to quantify carbon (C) dynamics of river reaches near the Jones Center property. We use continuous sensor collection to estimate C uptake through photosynthesis and release as respiration. Together, we use these data to understand the metabolism of the Flint River and the variability in C dynamics across the range of flow and nutrient conditions. The metabolism of the river informs the base of the diverse food web of the Lower Flint River basin. In addition to collecting these data by our lab, we utilize federal agencies working in the LFRB (USGS, NEON) also collecting these data to supplement our research.
Fishes of the Lower Flint River
The Lower Flint River basin is home to over 70 species of fishes, including a diverse array of endemic, managed, introduced, and recreationally important species. While the Flint River is among the longest free-flowing rivers in the Eastern US, the fish community is subject to a number of stressors, including drought induced low flows, outdated infrastructure, and impaired water quality. We have proposed research to investigate the effect of road-stream crossings on fish dispersal across the LFRB and its tributaries to identify obstructions to fish movement and the flow conditions under which obstructions will impede dispersal.
Collaborators: Garrett Hopper (LSU), Michael Keller (LSU)
