Hub Nexus
АвторАвтора пока нетВзять себе

Есть что улучшить? Предложите правку.

Поддержка

The Madison River flowing through grassy banks lined with pine forest under a clear sky

The Madison River near West Yellowstone, Montana. NPS.

The Madison River has high-quality water, shaped by local geology. Many of Yellowstone National Park's geyser basins drain into the Firehole River, which joins the Gibbon River to form the Madison. That geothermal water can push temperature, pH and arsenic above state water-quality criteria.

Sampling

In 2021 the river was sampled for water chemistry and core parameters — temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity — eight times from April to November (the tables below also include a December visit).

Nutrients and sediment

  • Ammonia (as nitrogen): below detection on every date (reporting limit 0.05 mg/L).
  • Nitrate + nitrite (as nitrogen): 0.02–0.05 mg/L when detected, otherwise below detection (limit 0.01 mg/L).
  • Total suspended solids: 2–23 mg/L, peaking at 23 on 2 May, near the year's peak runoff.

Arsenic

Total arsenic exceeded Montana's chronic aquatic life criterion (0.15 mg/L) at every sampling. Surface and ground water feeding the river inside the park are influenced by geothermal features, so the arsenic is likely natural.

Chart of 2021 daily river discharge with total arsenic samples, all above Montana's chronic aquatic life standard

Daily discharge at USGS gage 06037500 in 2021, with total arsenic in monthly samples (yellow) against Montana's chronic aquatic life standard of 0.15 mg/L (black line). NPS.

Temperature

The USGS monitors water temperature continuously at the Madison River near West Yellowstone gage (06037500).

  • Warmer and earlier: 2021's average daily temperatures ran higher, and warmed earlier, than the 2016–2020 average.
  • Hotter peaks: 2021's daily maximums topped those of 2016–2020, peaking at 26.4°C, against an average daily maximum of 24.3°C in 2016–2020.
  • Fishing limits: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks can close cold-water fishing when water tops 73.0°F (22.8°C) at any time of day for three consecutive days, or when flows drop below minimums (Montana Rule 12.5.507). In 2021 the river first passed 22.8°C on 2 June, and stayed above it at least three days running from 13 July through mid-August. (The source labels 13 July "day 164" of the year, which is the day number of 13 June.)
  • Why: geothermal water from the park's geyser basins warms the headwaters.

Chart of 2021 average daily water temperature running above the 2016–2020 average

Average daily water temperature, 2021 versus 2016–2020. NPS.

Chart of 2021 daily maximum water temperature above the previous five years, with the 22.8°C angling threshold marked

Daily maximum water temperature in 2021 (red) and 2016–2020 (gray), with the 73°F (22.8°C) angling-closure threshold (dashed). NPS.

Lab results, 2021 (mg/L)

Samples analyzed by Energy Laboratories, Billings, Montana. ND = not detected; "blank" = certified deionized water; "rep." = replicate.

ParameterReporting limit13 Apr2 May26 Jul26 Jul blank31 Aug21 Sep21 Sep rep.20 Oct10 Nov12 Dec12 Dec blank
Alkalinity (as CaCO₃)1211721ND212121221921ND
Ammonia (NH₃ as N)0.05NDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDND
Chloride1574254ND576764596363ND
Nitrate + nitrite (as N)0.010.020.030.020.14NDNDNDND0.010.05ND
Orthophosphate0.005–0.020.0280.0190.020<0.0100.0200.1100.100<0.0200.0100.012<0.001
Total phosphorus0.005–0.020.0260.0480.020<0.010<0.010<0.010<0.010<0.0100.0100.0110.002
Sulfate1161212ND131818151615ND
Total suspended solids17232ND222235ND
Dissolved arsenic0.0010.2630.1900.261ND0.2700.2580.2780.2630.2800.266ND
Total arsenic0.0010.2620.2090.267ND0.2590.2650.2950.2700.2860.275ND
Dissolved calcium1767ND777667ND
Total calcium1767ND777767ND
Magnesium (dissolved and total)1NDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDND
Dissolved potassium1978ND81010889ND
Total potassium1978ND9991089ND
Dissolved sodium1926688ND869797859191ND
Total sodium1876289ND929293999193ND

Field results, 2021

Parameter13 Apr2 May26 Jul31 Aug21 Sep20 Oct10 Nov12 Dec
Water temperature (°C)8.1813.1118.1514.8511.7711.277.082.22
Specific conductance (µS/m, as published)472.9350.0459.8466.5496.7475.5579.0481.3
Conductivity (µS/m, as published)320.9270.6399.7376.2371.2350.9381.0271.8
pH7.917.748.218.188.298.398.288.02
Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)9.998.338.239.1710.149.8210.8610.57
Dissolved oxygen (% saturation)84.8079.3387.3390.8093.7889.7589.8876.98
Turbidity (FNU)2.407.180.610.480.860.710.860.85
Total dissolved solids (mg/L)307.5227.5299.3303.3322.8309.3376.0313.3
Barometric pressure (mm Hg)600.7595.5603.3597.0609.2602.1601.2593.1

The tabular data can be downloaded from the NPS DataStore. Earlier data are on the Water Quality Portal (project YELLWQ01, site WQX-YELL_MDR).

Sources

Based on "Water Quality in the Madison River Near West Yellowstone, Montana," part of the series Water Resources Monitoring in the Madison River near West Yellowstone, Montana, 2021, National Park Service, citing Thompson (1979) and NPS (1994); a work of the United States government in the public domain. The three data tables, which the page loads separately, are restored from the NPS's own data files. Related: water flow and monitoring methods in the same series.

В изданияхYellowstone National Park

ЯзыкиEnglish

Лицензия: CC0 1.0 (общественное достояние) · По материалам www.nps.gov

1

0

0

0

Spinner Logo

Комментарии

Spinner Logo
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The runaway star that left the Tarantula Nebula
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The Blackwell School, where segregation had no law behind it
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The Eagle Nebula, seen in the infrared
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The house where the Equal Rights Amendment was written
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The Aleutians, the forgotten front of the Second World War
Версия: 2CC0 1.0 — public domain
The Cosmic Cliffs are not cliffs