A survey of chemical and bacteriological water quality in the Grand Canyon was undertaken to assess possible health hazards to river travelers. The water quality of the main Colorado River channel is relatively stable with only slight increases in ionic concentration and bacteriological load with respect to distance from Lee Ferry and time over the summer season. The tributary streams show extreme temporal variability in chemical water quality and bacteriological contamination as a result of the summer rain and flood patterns in the tributary canyons. These side streams pose a definite health hazard to unwary river travelers. More extensive sampling is called for to determine the sources of this contamination and to protect the quality of the Grand Canyon experience.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:13:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carlos Henrique Orsi.pdf: 1050981 bytes, checksum: 04c595bd725a75ff4c7d08c180f10951 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-23 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The region of the lower Araguaia River is influenced by a flood pulse that causes changes in the environment. This study aimed to identify the spatial effects (main river and tributaries) on the assembly structure of fish. Samples were taken every two months between March and September 2009, at 14 sites (7 in the Araguaia River and 7 in tributaries), fishes were collected with gill nets exposed for 24 hours, for the analysis effort was standardized and indexed in catch per unit of effort in number and biomass, then the attributes of the assembly and the total abundance were set and spatial distribution patterns were identified through factorial analysis. The beta diversity was estimated as the rate of renewal of species. An ordination analysis indicated the formation of three axes and their scores were retained for a PerManova analysis. Analysis of the indicator species was performed to determine if there were local indicator species. Species richness and abundance of fish were higher in the channel of the Araguaia River during the dry season. The diversity in the channel of the Araguaia River in low water seasons and dry seasons differed from the tax on water and flood in relation to the abundance in number of individuals and beta diversity showed that the Araguaia River and tributaries have their assemblages in a non-random status. The evenness showed no significant differences between sites and seasons. The evaluation of indicator species identified a number of species that stick out among the others, mainly in the main channel in the dry season, these facts may be related to environmental changes between seasons, flooding its banks and several structures along the river, providing new habitats and causing some species seek more favorable environments to their needs during the different seasons. / A região do baixo rio Araguaia sofre a influência de um pulso de inundação que causa modificações no ambiente. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo identificar os efeitos espaciais (calha e tributários) na estrutura da assembleia da ictiofauna. As amostras foram realizadas bimestralmente entre março e setembro de 2009, em 14 locais (7 no rio Araguaia e 7 em tributários), os peixes foram coletados com redes de espera expostas por 24 horas, sendo que para as análises, o esforço foi padronizado e indexado em captura por unidade de esforço em número e biomassa, em seguida os atributos da assembleia e abundância total foram calculados e posteriormente os padrões de distribuição espacial foram identificados através de análises bifatoriais. A diversidade beta foi estimada como a taxa de renovação de espécies. Uma análise de ordenação indicou a formação de 3 eixos e seus escores foram retidos para análise de PerManova. A análise de espécies indicadoras foi realizada para determinar se existiam espécies indicadoras de locais. A riqueza de espécies e abundância de peixes foram maiores na calha do rio Araguaia durante a estação seca. A diversidade na calha do rio Araguaia nas estações vazante e seca divergiu dos tributários nas estações enchente e cheia em relação à abundância em número de indivíduos e a diversidade beta mostrou que o rio Araguaia e os tributários apresentam suas assembleias de forma não aleatórias. A equitabilidade não apresentou diferenças significativas entre os locais e as estações. A avaliação de espécies indicadoras permitiu identificar algumas espécies que sobressaem em relação às outras, principalmente na calha principal na estação seca, tais fatos podem estar relacionados às mudanças no ambiente entre as estações, alagando as margens e várias estruturas ao longo do rio, disponibilizando novos habitats e fazendo que algumas espécies procurem ambientes mais propícios as suas necessidades durante as diferentes estações do ano.

En Guinée, la disponibilité des ressources en eau est soumise à de graves problèmes de gestion avec des conséquences importantes pour les populations, notamment à Kankan où la plupart des puits tarissent pendant la saison sèche, et où la fourniture régulière de l’eau à partir de la rivière Milo n'est pas assurée dans tous les quartiers de la ville. Le Milo et son bassin versant représente donc un enjeu important pour les habitants de cette ville. Le Milo (480 km de long) qui draine un bassin versant 13 810 km2 est le plus important des affluents rive droite du Niger. Pour évaluer l’impact du bassin versant du Milo et de la ville de Kankan sur la qualité des eaux et des sédiments de ce cours d’eau, 30 échantillons de sédiments de fond ont été prélevés au cours d’une première campagne (juin-juillet 2013) sur l’ensemble des cours d’eau du bassin versant, tandis que durant une deuxième campagne (avril 2014-mai 2015), un suivi régulier a été mis en place sur le Milo en amont et en aval de Kankan. Au cours de cette dernière, 232 échantillons d’eau du Milo (dont 116 utilisés pour l’isotopie), et 26 échantillons de sédiments de fond ont été prélevés sur les stations de Bordo (amont de Kankan) et de Karifamoriah (aval de Kankan). Les concentrations en éléments majeurs et traces, terres rares, COP, COD, pH, alcalinité, l’azote organique, les isotopes de l’oxygène et de l’hydrogène, ainsi que la micro-granulométrie des sédiments ont été mesurés. Les résultats obtenus durant le cycle hydrologique 2014-2015 ont permis d’estimer le flux de matières exportées en solution par le Milo à Kankan à 47 863 t.an-1 et le flux de matières particulaires à 76 759 t.an-1. 92% de ce tonnage est exporté durant la période des hautes eaux. Ces flux permettent d’estimer des vitesses moyennes d’érosion physique (8 t.km-2.an-1) et d’altération chimique (5 t.km-2.an-1) du bassin relativement faibles. Le flux spécifique de CO2 consommé par l’altération chimique est lui aussi relativement faible (76.103 mole.km-2.an-1), mais il reste dans la moyenne des flux de CO2 mesurés sur les bassins couverts de sols latéritiques. Le degré de contamination des sédiments et sa variation spatio-temporelle ont été évalués grâce au calcul du facteur d’enrichissement (FE), en normalisant les concentrations en éléments traces par rapport à Al, Sc et Ti et en prenant le PAAS et l’UCC comme matériaux de référence. La quasi-totalité des éléments traces proviennent essentiellement des processus d’altération et sont d’origine naturelle. Toutefois, un enrichissement modéré à significatif (5 < FE < 20) a été mis en évidence pour Zr et Hf (enrichissements naturels) et As et Sb (impacts anthropiques). Finalement, l’apport anthropique en éléments traces, quand il existe, reste modéré. Les profils de concentrations en terres rares ont permis de montrer que la signature géochimique des sédiments de fond du Milo est homogène sur l’ensemble du bassin et caractéristique des sols latéritiques, non perturbée par la ville de Kankan et elle est proche des signatures du PAAS et de l’UCC. Pour l’ensemble des éléments traces et des terres rares la contribution anthropique reste faible et les fractions disponibles (phases labiles) sur les sédiments (extraction à l’EDTA) sont également faibles, confirmant ainsi que l’essentiel de ces éléments rentrent principalement dans la composition des phases résiduelles. / In Guinea, the availability of water resources is subjected to serious problems of management with important consequences for the populations, particularly in Kankan city where most of the wells dry up during the dry season and where the water supply from the Milo river is not assured for all the districts. Then the Milo river and its watershed represent an important issue for the inhabitants of Kankan. The Milo river (480 km in length) which drains an area of 13 810 km2 is the most important right-bank tributary of the Niger river. To evaluate the impact of the Milo watershed and of the Kankan city on the water and sediments of this river, 30 samples of bottom sediments have been collected during a first campaign (June-July 2013) on the main course from upstream to downstream and on the main tributaries, whereas during a second campaign (April 2014-May 2015) a regular monitoring was set up on the Milo river, upstream and downstream Kankan city. During this campaign, 232 river water samples (of which 116 for isotopic analyses) and 26 bottom sediment samples have been collected at Bordo (upstream) and Karifamoriah (downstream) stations. The concentrations of major and trace elements, rare earth elements, POC and PON, DOC, pH, alkalinity, the isotopic composition of O, H and the micro-granulometry of sediments have been measured. The results obtained during the hydrological cycle 2014-2015 allowed to estimate the fluxes of dissolved (47 863 t.y-1) and particulate (76 759 t.y-1) matters exported by the Milo river at Kankan. 92% of these fluxes are exported during the high flow period. These fluxes allowed us to estimate very low average rates of physical erosion (8 t.km-2.y-1) and chemical weathering (5 t.km-2.y-1) of the Milo catchment. The specific flux of CO2 consumed by chemical weathering (76.103 mole.km-2.y-1) is relatively low but within the range of CO2 fluxes measured in catchments draining lateritic soils. The degree of sediment contamination and its spatio-temporal variation have been assessed using the enrichment factor (EF), by normalizing the trace element concentrations with Al, Sc and Ti and by taking PAAS and UCC as the reference materials. Almost all the trace elements mainly originate from weathering processes and are of natural origin. Nevertheless, moderate to significant enrichments (5 < EF < 20) have been calculated for Zr and Hf (natural enrichments) and As and Sb (anthropogenic impacts). Finally, the anthropogenic contribution of trace elements, when it exists, remains moderate. The rare earth concentration patterns allowed to show the geochemical signature of river bottom sediments is homogeneous within the Milo catchment and characteristic of lateritic soils, non- perturbed by the city of Kankan and close to the PAAS and UCC patterns. For most of the trace and rare earth elements, the anthropogenic contribution remains low and the available fractions (labile phases) in the sediment (EDTA extraction) are also low, confirming that the main part of these elements are mainly in the residual phases.

Dans un contexte de changement climatique, la compréhension du régime thermique des cours d’eau est un enjeu important. En mesurant le rayonnement dans le spectre électromagnétique de l’infrarouge thermique (IRT : 0,4-14µm), la télédétection IRT offre la possibilité d’obtenir une cartographie de la température de surface à différentes échelles spatiales. L’approche multi-échelle est ainsi le fil directeur de ce travail.Dans le premier temps, nous utilisons des images satellites Landsat ETM+ pour caractériser les structures thermiques longitudinales et temporelles d’un grand continuum fluvial : le Rhône français (500 km). Une méthode automatique supprimant les pixels contaminés par les entités exondées, est développée, améliorant ainsi la précision des données. Les images nous permettent de comprendre les effets thermiques des affluents et des centrales nucléaires. L’Isère est la principale source d’eau froide, alors que les centrales nucléaires du Bugey, de Saint-Alban et de Tricastin réchauffent le fleuve. Nous mettons en évidence des anomalies thermiques au niveau des aménagements hydroélectriques. Par rapport aux canaux, les Rhône court-circuités (RCC) sont plus sensibles aux conditions extérieures du fait de leur géométrie et de leurs conditions hydrauliques.Dans un second temps, les travaux se focalisent sur un tronçon plus court (50 km) : l’Ain dans sa basse vallée où quatre campagnes IRT aéroportées sont réalisées. Nous développons une méthode statistique permettant de calculer l’incertitude de mesure associée à la construction des profils longitudinaux de température de l’eau. Les artefacts des vraies tendances longitudinales sont ainsi différenciés. Pour comprendre ces tendances, un modèle 1D (thermo-hydraulique) est mis en place sur 21 kilomètres. Il considère les flux de chaleur à l’interface eau-air et les propriétés géométriques ainsi qu’hydrauliques de la rivière. Les arrivées phréatiques associées aux bras morts et aux suintements latéraux sont identifiées sur les images thermiques et intégrées au modèle. Ces arrivées phréatiques peuvent refroidir l’Ain de 0,6°C en été lorsqu’elles représentent 15,7% du débit total.Une échelle plus fine est explorée enfin. Le travail porte cette fois sur neuf tronçons en tresses (1 km) pour lesquels des images IRT à très haute résolution spatiale sont acquises. En caractérisant les distributions spatiales de la température, nous identifions deux types de tronçons. Le premier montre une très faible variabilité thermique spatiale tout au long de la journée. Les cours d’eau de ce type ont bien souvent un régime hydrologique proglaciaire avec des débits estivaux élevés, ce qui tend à homogénéiser la température. Le second type présente une hétérogénéité thermique élevée. La température des chenaux courants varie avec la température de l'air. En revanche, la température des chenaux alimentés par des eaux souterraines est relativement constante au cours de la journée. Nous proposons une méthode ne nécessitant pas d’images IRT pour identifier les tronçons montrant une variabilité thermique élevée.À travers ce travail, nous montrons qu’il est nécessaire de coupler les approches spatiales et temporelles pour comprendre la température des cours d’eau. Longtemps, les mesures ont été effectuées avec des thermomètres. L’aspect spatial a ainsi souvent été ignoré. La télédétection IRT a permit de mieux appréhender les structures spatiales de température. Toutefois, pour comprendre ces dernières il est indispensable de considérer les changements temporels de température. Il est également nécessaire d’intégrer une approche plus physique permettant de simuler différentes situations pour évaluer l’importance des différents facteurs affectant la température. / In a context of global warming, understanding the thermal regime of rivers is a key issue. By measuring the radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum of thermal infrared (TIR: 0.4-14µm), TIR remote sensing offers the possibility of obtaining surface temperature maps at multiple scales. The multi-scale approach is thus the guiding principle of this work.First we use satellite thermal infrared images from Landsat ETM+ to investigate longitudinal and temporal variations in the thermal patterns of a large river continuum, the French Rhône (500 km). An automated water extraction technique is developed to remove pixels contaminated by terrestrial surfaces. This method improves the accuracy of our data. The images allow us to understand the thermal effects of tributaries and nuclear power plants: the Isère is the main source of cold water while the Bugey, Saint-Alban and Tricastin nuclear power plants warm the river. We show temperature differences within the largest hydroelectric bypass facilities between the bypass section and the canal. The factors responsible for these differences are the length and minimum flow of the bypass section as well as tributaries coming into this reach.Second, we focus on a shorter river (50 km): the lower Ain in France where four airborne TIR surveys are performed. Based on a statistical analysis of temperature differences between overlapping images we calculate the measurement uncertainty associated with TIR derived profiles. This uncertainty allows for the discrimination between artifacts and real longitudinal thermal trends. To understand these trends, we use a 1D determinist model which predicts water temperature at an hourly time step along a 21 km reach. The model considers heat fluxes at the water-air interface as well as the geometrical and hydraulic characteristics of the river. Based on TIR images, groundwater inputs associated with backwaters and lateral seepages are identified. They are inserted into the temperature model. These groundwater inputs can mitigate high water temperatures during the summer by cooling the river up to -0.6°C when they represent 15.7% of the total discharge.A finer scale is finally explored. The work focuses on nine braided reaches located in the French Alps (1 km) where very high spatial resolution TIR images are acquired. By characterizing the spatial distributions of water temperature, we identify two types of reaches. The first type shows a very low thermal spatial variability throughout the day. Rivers of this type often have a proglacial hydrological regime with high summer flows, which tends to homogenize the temperature. The second type exhibits a higher thermal variability with changes during the day. The temperature of flowing channels changes during the daytime according to the air temperature. In contrast, the temperature of groundwater-fed channels exhibits smaller changes which creates thermal variability over space and time. We propose a method which does not require TIR images in order to identify reaches showing high thermal variability.Through this work, we show that it is essential to combine both spatial and temporal approaches to understand river temperature. Thermometers have been used for many years. Thus, the spatial aspect has often been ignored. TIR remote sensing has allowed a better characterization of spatial thermal patterns. However, to understand these patters it is necessary to consider temporal changes of water temperature. It is also necessary to integrate a more physical approach in order to simulate different scenarios and to assess the importance of the different factors affecting water temperature.