Dale M Robertson
Biography
Dale Robertson is a Research Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center in Middleton, Wisconsin. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Michigan Technological University, and University of Toledo, and a Honorary Fellow with the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His current research with the USGS deals with modeling eutrophication and mixing in lakes, estimating loads and concentrations of nutrients and sediment in streams over large geographic areas, such as the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins, developing nutrient criteria for streams and rivers, and examining the effects of climate change on the physical dynamics, ice cover, and productivity of lakes.
EDUCATION
B.S. in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics - St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin, 1976-1981.
M.S. in Oceanography and Limnology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin. Thesis: "Interbasin Separation and Its Impact on the Annual Heat Budgets of the Individual Basins in Trout Lake, Wisconsin," 1981-1984.
Ph.D. in Oceanography and Limnology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin. Dissertation: "The Use of Lake Water Temperature and Ice Cover as Climatic Indicators", 1984-1989.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, in Reservoir Modeling - Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia, Perth. 1989-1991.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Biogeochemistry - Hydrology/Limnology
- Eutrophication - Nutrient Transport and Fate
- Limnology
- Water-quality modeling in Lakes
- Watershed modeling (SPARROW)
- Influence of environmental factors, watershed management strategies, and in-lake management alternatives on the water quality of rivers and lakes
- Climate Change - Ice as climatic indicators
- Regional loading estimates
Science and Products
Lake monitoring and research
Studying lakes provides an improved understanding of lake ecosystem dynamics and valuable information that helps lead to sound lake-management policies. The USGS collects hydrologic data in lake settings, studies water and nutrient budget development, conducts source-loading analysis, explores groundwater interactions, and performs lake water-quality modeling.
SPARROW nutrient modeling: Estimation of nutrient and sediment transport
SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) models track the transport of nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus) from local inland watersheds to regional, coastal waters by explaining spatial patterns in stream water-quality conditions in relation to human activities and natural processes.
SPARROW nutrient modeling: Binational (US/Canada) models
SPARROW phosphorus and nitrogen models are being developed for the entire Great Lakes Basin and the Upper Midwest part of the U.S., and the Red and Assiniboine River Basin, as part of a Binational project between the USGS and the International Joint Commission (IJC) and National Research Council (NRC) of Canada.
SPARROW nutrient modeling: Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Red River Basins (MRB3)
SPARROW models for the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi and Red River Basins (MRB3) predict long-term average loads, concentrations, yields, and source contributions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Great Lakes.
SPARROW nutrient modeling: Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB)
SPARROW models for the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) predict long-term average loads, concentrations, yields, and source contributions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Gulf of Mexico.
Winnebago pool lakes: Hydrology, water quality, and response to simulated changes in phosphorus loading
The Winnebago Pool Lakes are shallow, productive drainage lakes that have accumulated nutrients from its mixed agricultural/forest watershed and from the Fox River. High phosphorus concentrations often result in severe blue-green algae blooms that can produce harmful toxins. The USGS is evaluating the water quality and phosphorus budget of each lake and modeling eutrophication responses.
Green Lake and its tributaries: Water quality and hydrology
Big Green Lake is the deepest natural lake in Wisconsin. Changes in agriculture and urban development have altered the nutrient loading from the watershed and affected the water quality of the lake. This project is quantifying the amount of phosphorus and sediment delivered to Green Lake, measuring its water quality, and providing information about how the lake responds to input changes.
Anvil Lake: Response of lake water quality to changes in nutrient loading, with special emphasis on the effects of changes in water level
Anvil Lake is a relatively shallow, high-quality lake whose water level has dropped dramatically in recent years, adversely affecting the recreational and aesthetic values of the lake. The USGS is developing detailed water and phosphorus budgets, determining groundwater contributions, modeling likely responses to changes in phosphorus loading, and assessing the effect of climate on water...
Delavan Lake: Hydrology, water quality, and biology
Eutrophication of Delavan Lake accelerated from the 1940s to 1980s, resulting in a hypereutrophic lake with severe blue-green algae blooms. Extensive rehabilitation efforts were implemented to improve water quality. The USGS measured nutrients, suspended sediment, water quality, and plankton populations to quantify the effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts and guide future management...
Geneva Lake: Water quality, hydrology, and biology
To reduce the impact of increasing urban development and recreational use on Geneva Lake, efforts are being made to decrease point- and nonpoint-source pollution inputs. To document Geneva Lake's water quality, the USGS collected water-quality data and developed empirical eutrophication models to demonstrate that reductions in phosphorus loading were related to water-quality improvements.
Water quality of the lower Fox River tributaries and Duck Creek watersheds
The USGS is evaluating the effectiveness of non-point pollution control measures in five watersheds in the Lower Fox River and Duck Creek watersheds and comparing daily phosphorus and suspended solids loads for each watershed.
Impact of phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations on the biological integrity of Wisconsin streams
The USGS and Wisconsin DNR collected water-quality and biological data from 240 wadeable streams and 40 nonwadeable rivers throughout Wisconsin to evaluate the potential environmental benefits of enforcing nutrient criteria and standards for streams and rivers if they better reflected regionally defined, scientifically defensible thresholds to biotic response.
Red–Assiniboine River Basin (RARB) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the RARB, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by country, state/province, HUC4, HUC8, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Red River Basins (MRB3) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the MRB3, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by major watershed, state, HUC8, tributary, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Great Lakes SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data specifically for U.S. tributaries to the Great Lakes. The results are based on the SPARROW models developed for the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Red River Basins (MRB3). Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
The mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the MARB, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by major watershed, state, HUC8, tributary, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Yellowstone River SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data specifically for the Yellowstone River. The results are based on the SPARROW models developed for the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Red–Assiniboine River Basin (RARB) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the RARB, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by country, state/province, HUC4, HUC8, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Red River Basins (MRB3) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the MRB3, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by major watershed, state, HUC8, tributary, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset...
Great Lakes SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data specifically for U.S. tributaries to the Great Lakes. The results are based on the SPARROW models developed for the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Red River Basins (MRB3). Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) SPARROW Mapper, 2002
The mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data and the importance of various nutrient sources for the MARB, given nutrient inputs similar to 2002. Rankings can be shown by major watershed, state, HUC8, tributary, and catchment. Nutrient data can be explored using maps and interactive graphs and tables. Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset...
Yellowstone River SPARROW Mapper, 2002
This mapper displays SPARROW nutrient load and yield data specifically for the Yellowstone River. The results are based on the SPARROW models developed for the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Modeling results can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet or a geospatial dataset.
SPARROW Decision Support System (discontinued)
The SPARROW Decision Support System displays model predictions of water-quality conditions and sources by stream reach and catchment, tracks the transport to downstream receiving waters, and can be used to evaluate management source-reduction scenarios. Models currently available include national nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment models...
Lakes and reservoirs—Guidelines for study design and sampling
The “National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (NFM) is an online report with separately published chapters that provides the protocols and guidelines by which U.S. Geological Survey personnel obtain the data used to assess the quality of the Nation’s surface-water and groundwater resources. Chapter A10 reviews limnological...
Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2014
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a database for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS,...
Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Robertson, Dale M.
Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water years 2012–2013
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS,...
Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Robertson, Dale M.
Shifting currents: Progress, setbacks, and shifts in policy and practice
The Wisconsin Academy’s initial Waters of Wisconsin project (WOW I) facilitated a statewide conversation between 2000 and 2003 around one main question: How can we ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems and clean, abundant water supplies for tomorrow’s Wisconsin? Robust participation in this conversation underscored the important role citizens have in...
Dunning, Charles; Robertson, Dale M. Nutrient delivery to Lake Winnipeg from the Red-Assiniboine River Basin – A binational application of the SPARROW model
Excessive phosphorus (TP) and nitrogen (TN) inputs from the Red–Assiniboine River Basin (RARB) have been linked to eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg; therefore, it is important for the management of water resources to understand where and from what sources these nutrients originate. The RARB straddles the Canada–United States border and...
Benoy, Glenn A.; Jenkinson, R. Wayne; Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A. Regional effects of agricultural conservation practices on nutrient transport in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation...
Garcia, Ana Maria.; Alexander, Richard B.; Arnold, Jeffrey G.; Norfleet, Lee; White, Michael J.; Robertson, Dale M.; Schwarz, Gregory E. Simulated impacts of climate change on phosphorus loading to Lake Michigan
Phosphorus (P) loading to the Great Lakes has caused various types of eutrophication problems. Future climatic changes may modify this loading because climatic models project changes in future meteorological conditions, especially for the key hydrologic driver — precipitation. Therefore, the goal of this study is to project how P loading may...
Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A.; Christiansen, Daniel E.; Lorenz, David J Long-term trends in a Dimictic Lake
The one-dimensional hydrodynamic ice model, DYRESM-WQ-I, was modified to simulate ice cover and thermal structure of dimictic Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, USA, over a continuous 104-year period (1911–2014). The model results were then used to examine the drivers of changes in ice cover and water temperature, focusing on the responses to...
Robertson, Dale M.; Hsieh, Yi-Fang; Lathrop, Richard C; Wu, Chin H; Magee, Madeline; Hamilton, David P. Informing Lake Erie agriculture nutrient management via scenario evaluation
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in extent and intensity in the western basin of Lake Erie. The cyanobacteria Microcystis produces toxins that pose serious threats to animal and human health, resulting in beach closures and impaired water supplies, and have even forced a “do not drink” advisory for the City of Toledo...
Scavia, Donald; Kalcic, Margaret; Muenich, Rebecca Logsdon; Aloysius, Noel; Arnold, Jeffrey; Boles, Chelsie; Confesor, Remegio; DePinto, Joseph; Gildow, Marie; Martin, Jay; Read, Jennifer; Redder, Todd; Robertson, Dale M.; Sowa, Scott P.; Wang, Yu-Chen; White, Michael; Yen, Haw Interannual and long-term changes in the trophic state of a multibasin lake: Effects of morphology, climate, winter aeration, and beaver activity
Little St. Germain Lake (LSG), a relatively pristine multibasin lake in Wisconsin, USA, was examined to determine how morphologic (internal), climatic (external), anthropogenic (winter aeration), and natural (beaver activity) factors affect the trophic state (phosphorus, P; chlorophyll, CHL; and Secchi depth, SD) of each of its basins. Basins...
Robertson, Dale M.; Rose, William; Reneau, Paul C. Estimation of river and stream temperature trends under haphazard sampling
Long-term temporal trends in water temperature in rivers and streams are typically estimated under the assumption of evenly-spaced space-time measurements. However, sampling times and dates associated with historical water temperature datasets and some sampling designs may be haphazard. As a result, trends in temperature may be confounded with...
Gray, Brian R.; Lyubchich, Vyacheslav; Gel, Yulia R.; Rogala, James T.; Robertson, Dale M.; Wei, Xiaoqiao Reducing fertilizer-nitrogen losses from rowcrop landscapes: Insights and implications from a spatially explicit watershed model
We present conceptual and quantitative models that predict changes in fertilizer-derived nitrogen delivery from rowcrop landscapes caused by agricultural conservation efforts implemented to reduce nutrient inputs and transport and increase nutrient retention in the landscape. To evaluate the relative importance of changes in the sources, transport...
McLellan, Eileen; Schilling, Keith; Robertson, Dale M.
Sources of Excessive Nutrients in the Transboundary Red-Assiniboine River Basin Identified by Binational Research Team