Dale M Robertson
Dale Robertson is a Research Hydrologist with the Upper Midwest Water Science Center.
Dale 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.
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
Education and Certifications
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, in Reservoir Modeling - Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia, Perth. 1989-1991.
Ph.D Oceanography and Limnology - University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dissertation: "The Use of Lake Water Temperature and Ice Cover as Climatic Indicators", 1984-1989.
M.S. Oceanography and Limnology-University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Thesis:"Interbasin Separation and Its Impact on the Annual Heat Budgets of the Individual Basins in Trout Lake, Wisconsin," 1981-1984.
B.S. Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics - St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin, 1976-1981.
Science and Products
Rehabilitation of Delavan Lake, Wisconsin
Estimating phosphorus concentrations following alum treatment using apparent settling velocity
Landscape planning for agricultural nonpoint source pollution reduction III: Assessing phosphorus and sediment reduction potential
Nutrient Concentrations and Their Relations to the Biotic Integrity of Nonwadeable Rivers in Wisconsin
Water quality, hydrology, and simulated response to changes in phosphorus loading of Butternut Lake, Price and Ashland Counties, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of internal phosphorus loading in a polymictic lake
Water-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2007
Long-term changes in the phosphorus loading to and trophic state of the Salton Sea, California
Response in the water quality of the Salton Sea, California, to changes in phosphorus loading: An empirical modeling approach
A linked hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Salton Sea
Effects of climate and land management change on streamflow in the driftless area of Wisconsin
Water-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2006
Linkages between nutrients and assemblages of macroinvertebrates and fish in wadeable streams: Implication to nutrient criteria development
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Rehabilitation of Delavan Lake, Wisconsin
A comprehensive rehabilitation plan was developed and implemented to shift Delavan Lake, Wisconsin, from a hypereutrophic to a mesotrophic condition. The plan was threefold: (1) reduce external phosphorus (P) loading by applying Best Management Practices in the watershed, enhance an existing wetland, and short-circuit the inflows through the lake, (2) reduce internal P loading by treating the sediAuthorsDale M. Robertson, Gerald L. Goddard, D.R. Helsel, Kevin L. MacKinnonEstimating phosphorus concentrations following alum treatment using apparent settling velocity
he apparent settling velocity (Vs) is a term used in empirical, steady-state, mass-balance lake models to represent the net phosphorus flux from the water column. The Vollenweider (1969) mixed-reactor lake model was rearranged and used to calculate Vs values for total phosphorus (TP) for three lakes treated with alum to reduce the internal flux of P to the water column (Delavan Lake, Wisconsin; LaAuthorsJohn Panuska, Dale M. RobertsonLandscape planning for agricultural nonpoint source pollution reduction III: Assessing phosphorus and sediment reduction potential
Riparian buffers have the potential to improve stream water quality in agricultural landscapes. This potential may vary in response to landscape characteristics such as soils, topography, land use, and human activities, including legacies of historical land management. We built a predictive model to estimate the sediment and phosphorus load reduction that should be achievable following the implemeAuthorsM.W. Diebel, J.T. Maxted, Dale M. Robertson, S. Han, M. J. Vander ZandenNutrient Concentrations and Their Relations to the Biotic Integrity of Nonwadeable Rivers in Wisconsin
Excessive nutrient [phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N)] input from point and nonpoint sources is frequently associated with degraded water quality in streams and rivers. Point-source discharges of nutrients are fairly constant and are controlled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. To reduce inputs from nonpoint sources, agricultural pAuthorsDale M. Robertson, Brian M. Weigel, David J. GraczykWater quality, hydrology, and simulated response to changes in phosphorus loading of Butternut Lake, Price and Ashland Counties, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of internal phosphorus loading in a polymictic lake
Butternut Lake is a 393-hectare, eutrophic to hypereutrophic lake in northcentral Wisconsin. After only minor improvements in water quality were observed following several actions taken to reduce the nutrient inputs to the lake, a detailed study was conducted from 2002 to 2007 by the U.S. Geological Survey to better understand how the lake functions. The goals of this study were to describe the waAuthorsDale M. Robertson, William J. RoseWater-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2007
The 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, the data are published annually in this report series. The locaAuthorsW. J. Wisconsin Water Science Center Lake-Studies Team: Rose, H.S. Garn, G. L. Goddard, S.B. Marsh, D.L. Olson, Dale M. RobertsonLong-term changes in the phosphorus loading to and trophic state of the Salton Sea, California
The Salton Sea (Sea) is a eutrophic to hypereutrophic lake characterized by high nutrient concentrations, low water clarity, and high biological productivity. Based on dissolved phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and N:P ratios, P is typically the limiting nutrient in the Sea and, therefore, should be the primary nutrient of concern when considering management efforts. Flows in the majAuthorsDale M. Robertson, S.G. Schladow, G.C. HoldrenResponse in the water quality of the Salton Sea, California, to changes in phosphorus loading: An empirical modeling approach
Salton Sea, California, like many other lakes, has become eutrophic because of excessive nutrient loading, primarily phosphorus (P). A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is being prepared for P to reduce the input of P to the Sea. In order to better understand how P-load reductions should affect the average annual water quality of this terminal saline lake, three different eutrophication programs (BAAuthorsDale M. Robertson, S.G. SchladowA linked hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Salton Sea
A linked hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed and applied to the Salton Sea. The hydrodynamic component is based on the one-dimensional numerical model, DLM. The water quality model is based on a new conceptual model for nutrient cycling in the Sea, and simulates temperature, total suspended sediment concentration, nutrient concentrations, including PO4-3, NO3-1 and NH4+1, DO concentAuthorsE.G. Chung, S.G. Schladow, J. Perez-Losada, Dale M. RobertsonEffects of climate and land management change on streamflow in the driftless area of Wisconsin
Baseflow and precipitation in the Kickapoo River Watershed, located in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, exhibit a step increase around 1970, similar to minimum and median flows in many other central and eastern USA streams. Potential effects on streamflow due to climatic and land management changes were evaluated by comparing volumetric changes in the hydrologic budget before and after 1970. IncreAuthorsP. F. Juckem, R. J. Hunt, M.P. Anderson, Dale M. RobertsonWater-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2006
The 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, the data are published annually in this report series. The locaAuthorsW. J. Rose, H.S. Garn, G. L. Goddard, S.B. Marsh, D.L. Olson, Dale M. RobertsonLinkages between nutrients and assemblages of macroinvertebrates and fish in wadeable streams: Implication to nutrient criteria development
We sampled 240 wadeable streams across Wisconsin for different forms of phosphorus and nitrogen, and assemblages of macroinvertebrates and fish to (1) examine how macroinvertebrate and fish measures correlated with the nutrients; (2) quantify relationships between key biological measures and nutrient forms to identify potential threshold levels of nutrients to support nutrient criteria developmentAuthorsL. Wang, Dale M. Robertson, P.J. Garrison - Web Tools
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