Effects of season and waterbody on transparency tube estimates of suspended sediment in large rivers

Abstract

This paper reports the measurement (N>132) of the effect of river and season on transparency in cm and Total Suspended Solids in mg/L in a navigational pool of the Ohio River and one of its tributaries, the Muskingum River. Both river of origin and season affected water transparency. The transparency-TSS relationship was stronger in spring (R² = 0.894) than autumn (R² =0.710), with an overall correlation of R²=0.86 for N=93 observations in both water bodies and seasons. Regression equations for the transparency-TSS relationships for the two rivers under low (autumn) and high (spring) flow conditions were developed. Our study demonstrates that properly trained volunteers can assist with rapid assessment of water turbidity from suspended solids in large rivers, reservoirs and lakes, but seasonal calibration of these measures will improve accuracy of sediment monitoring and management.

Keywords: Transparency tube, turbidity, monitoring, sediment transport, citizen science, water quality