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<br />002288 <br /> <br />Temperature patterns lend information to warming processes, thermal content of the <br /> <br />reservoir, and density characteristics. Consistent temperature has been regularly colIected through <br /> <br /> <br />the reservoir since monitoring began in 1964 <br /> <br /> <br />Specific conductance is an indicator of a solution's ab.ility to conduct electricity, a function <br /> <br /> <br />of the.amount of total dissolved substances (TDS) in solution. It is much more readily determined <br /> <br /> <br />in the field than a laboratory analysis for TDS and is therefore used as an indirect measure of <br /> <br />salinity. As such, specific conductance measurements give an indication of the chemical makeup <br /> <br />of a parcel of water and can be used to identify its origin and density characteristics. Field <br /> <br />measurements of specific conductance were not taken during most of the 1970' s. Where absent, <br /> <br />they were replaced with lab-measured values. <br />Dissolved oxygen measurements can give an indication of biological and physical processes <br /> <br />at work in the reservoir, the amount of organic material carried by a water parcel, and its degree <br /> <br />of atmospheric exposure. Oxygen is produced as a byproduct of photosynthetic activity and is <br /> <br />consumed by respiratory and decomposition processes. High oxygen concentrations are therefore <br /> <br /> <br />seen near the surface in the early summer when photosynthetic activities are high. Oxygen <br /> <br /> <br />concentrations may be depressed at density gradient boundaries or in the deeper portions of the <br /> <br /> <br />reservoir due to buildup, at these locations, of autochthonous or allochthonous organic material <br /> <br />subject to bacterial decomposition. <br /> <br />b. Chemical Samples <br />The colIection and analysis of chemical samples is valuable for determining the chemical <br /> <br />composition of the major ionic constituents that comprise the dissolved substances in a body of <br /> <br />water. This information may be used to determine a fingerprint of the water to identify its source, <br /> <br />the degree of saturation of a particular mineral, or suitability for a given use, such as irrigation. <br /> <br />03/06/98 <br /> <br />DRAFT <br /> <br />Page 12 of62 <br />