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Study Design

Sample Site Qualification

Forty-three tributaries and 8 mainstem sites (in adition to the 5 fixed stations) were identified along the 2300-mile reach of the Yukon River from the headwaters at Atlin river, Yukon Territory, Canada to Pilot Station, Alaska (the last point on the river where discharge can be measured before tidal influence). These sites were identified independently by the USGS National Reseach Program and the USGS Alaska District with 100% agreement.

Many other sites (including mainstem) were considered for sampling but logistics and budget constraints precluded their inclusion. The 43 tributaries were chosen using the following criteria:

Safety

Safety is the first concern. The site must be navigable using river boats

Logistics

A well defined channel is preferred to accurately measure discharge

Basin characteristics

  • Size
  • Permafrost cover
  • Land use
  • Source area
  • Limited QW data
  • Vegetation classification
  • Physiography

Sampling at each of these sites included:

  • Discharge (Q) using Acoustic Doppler Continuous Profiler (ADCP)
  • Depth- and width- integrated sampling (EDI, Equal Discharge Increments)
  • Sample splits for suspended sediments, water chemistry, and particulate phase chemistry from a clean Teflon churn
  • Centroid "grab" samples from the boat for research projects with concerns about potential contamination from sampling processing (i.e. Hg, trace metals)
  • Sampling of gases (CO2, CH4) from the boat

A total of approximately 13 liters is required for all sample splits


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