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
Why study lakes? An overview of USGS lake studies in Wisconsin
Water quality and the effects of changes in phosphorus loading, Red Cedar Lakes, Barron and Washburn Counties, Wisconsin
Influence of different temporal sampling strategies on estimating total phosphorus and suspended sediment concentration and transport in small streams
Environmental water-quality zones for streams: A regional classification scheme
Hydrology and water quality of Geneva Lake, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Dynamics of the Lake Michigan food web, 1970-2000
Response of the St. Croix River pools, Wisconsin and Minnesota, to various phosphorus-loading scenarios
Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads and benthic-invertebrate data for tributaries to the St. Croix River, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 1997-99
An alternative regionalization scheme for defining nutrient criteria for rivers and streams
Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2001
Chemical composition of surficial sediment in Geneva Lake, Wisconsin
Comparison of water-quality samples collected by siphon samplers and automatic samplers in Wisconsin
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Why study lakes? An overview of USGS lake studies in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s 15,000 lakes are prominent features in its landscape and an important public resource. In the northern part of the State, the recent glaciation (ending about 10,000 years ago) created one of the densest clusters of lakes found anywhere in the world, containing lakes that occupy depressions in the glacial moraines and outwash deposits (fig. 1). This Northern Lakes and Forests EcoregionAuthorsHerbert S. Garn, J. F. Elder, Dale M. RobertsonWater quality and the effects of changes in phosphorus loading, Red Cedar Lakes, Barron and Washburn Counties, Wisconsin
The Red Cedar Lakes consist of three mainstem lakes (Balsam, Hemlock and Red Cedar) on the Red Cedar River in Barron and Washburn Counties, Wisconsin. These lakes are productive because of high phosphorus loading, and classified as mesotrophic to eutrophic. Because of concerns that the water quality of these lakes was degrading, three cooperative studies were conducted by the U.S. Geological SurveAuthorsDale M. Robertson, William J. Rose, Herbert S. GarnInfluence of different temporal sampling strategies on estimating total phosphorus and suspended sediment concentration and transport in small streams
Various temporal sampling strategies are used to monitor water quality in small streams. To determine how various strategies influence the estimated water quality, frequently collected water quality data from eight small streams (14 to 110 km2) in Wisconsin were systematically subsampled to simulate typically used strategies. These subsets of data were then used to estimate mean, median, and maximAuthorsDale M. RobertsonEnvironmental water-quality zones for streams: A regional classification scheme
Various approaches have been used to classify large geographical areas into smaller regions of similar water quality or extrapolate water-quality data from a few streams to other unmonitored streams. A combination of some of the strengths of existing techniques is used to develop a new approach for these purposes. In this new approach, referred to here as SPARTA (SPAtial Regression-Tree Analysis),AuthorsDale M. Robertson, D. A. SaadHydrology and water quality of Geneva Lake, Walworth County, Wisconsin
As part of continuing efforts to improve the water quality of Geneva Lake, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency was initiated in 1997 to document the present quality of the lake and its sediments, compute detailed hydrologic and nutrient (primarily phosphorus) budgets for the lake, estimatAuthorsDale M. Robertson, Gerald L. Goddard, Elizabeth A. Mergener, William J. Rose, Paul J. GarrisionDynamics of the Lake Michigan food web, 1970-2000
Herein, we document changes in the Lake Michigan food web between 1970 and 2000 and identify the factors responsible for these changes. Control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) populations in Lake Michigan, beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, had profound effects on the food web. Recoveries of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and burbot (Lota lota) populaAuthorsCharles P. Madenjian, Gary L. Fahnenstiel, Thomas H. Johengen, Thomas F. Nalepa, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Guy W. Fleischer, Philip J. Schneeberger, Darren M. Benjamin, Emily B. Smith, James R. Bence, Edward S. Rutherford, Dennis S. Lavis, Dale M. Robertson, David J. Jude, Mark P. EbenerResponse of the St. Croix River pools, Wisconsin and Minnesota, to various phosphorus-loading scenarios
The pools in the lower reach of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the adjoining Lake Mallalieu, are eutrophic because of high phosphorus loading. To determine how changes in phosphorus loading would affect the trophic status of these pools, the water-quality model, BATHTUB, was used to simulate existing (1999) water quality and simulate the water quality with varAuthorsDale M. Robertson, Bernard N. LenzNutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads and benthic-invertebrate data for tributaries to the St. Croix River, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 1997-99
Nutrient and suspended-sediment data were collected on major tributaries to the St. Croix River during 1997-99 as part of three studies. The first study, done in 1997 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey?s National Water-Quality Assessment Program Upper Mississippi Study Unit, was a widespread synoptic survey of nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations, loads, and yields during snowmelt. RuAuthorsBernard N. Lenz, Dale M. Robertson, James D. Fallon, Randy FerrinAn alternative regionalization scheme for defining nutrient criteria for rivers and streams
To protect and manage rivers and streams (hereafter, collectively referred to as streams) in the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is establishing regionally based nutrient criteria that reflect the natural variability in water quality. As a basic approach to establish these criteria, the USEPA has divided the country into nutrient ecoregions (delineated on the basisAuthorsDale M. Robertson, David A. Saad, Ann M. WiebenWater-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2001
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. lead by Rose, J. F. Elder, H.S. Garn, G. L. Goddard, E.A. Mergener, D.L. Olson, Dale M. RobertsonChemical composition of surficial sediment in Geneva Lake, Wisconsin
Intense recreational use of Geneva Lake and extensive residential and other development in its watershed (fig. 1) has created concern over a possible decline in water quality of the lake. Because of this concern, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Wiscon- sin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency was begun to document the prAuthorsJohn F. Elder, Dale M. Robertson, Paul J. GarrisonComparison of water-quality samples collected by siphon samplers and automatic samplers in Wisconsin
In small streams, flow and water-quality concentrations often change quickly in response to meteorological events. Hydrologists, field technicians, or locally hired stream ob- servers involved in water-data collection are often unable to reach streams quickly enough to observe or measure these rapid changes. Therefore, in hydrologic studies designed to describe changes in water quality, a combinatAuthorsDavid J. Graczyk, Dale M. Robertson, William J. Rose, Jeffrey J. Steur - Web Tools
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