Lake Wingra has had the highest levels of chloride out of the Yahara chain. Change must be done to reduce these salt inputs from stakeholders, corporations and residents alike. I'm aiming to create a chloride reduction plan for Lake Wingra through science communication and advocacy.
Through compiling and analyzing monitoring data from the Lake Wingra watershed, I hope to answer the following questions: 1. Can we explain the variability in chloride concentrations at a sub-annual scale based on climate drivers? 2. Can we link watershed variability to lake concentrations? 3. Can we link management practices in the watershed to chloride trends?
UNDERGRAD RESEARCH (2020-2022)
Boone Run is a forested mountain stream managed by the Virginia Department of Forestry. We tested this stream by using environmental information systems (sensor nodes, handheld meters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and geographic information systems) to evaluate potential areas for targeting restoration efforts.
The project aims for this research included: 1. Characterizing the current stream health of Boone Run 2. Continuing the restoration project 3. Implementing remote water sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles to access data