Diatoms of North AmericaOngoing
aridification and consumptive water use in the U.S. Southwest is
leading to declining reservoir water levels and associated shifts in
downstream water quality. In 2022, declining water levels in Lake
Powell reservoir resulted in tailwater temperatures approximately 4° C
warmer than the highest recorded temperature over the prior 50 years.
In addition to temperature, reservoir water levels can affect tailwater
nutrient availability and the transport of plankton communities from
Lake Powell reservoir to the Lees Ferry tailwater. Long term monitoring
data collected in the Lees Ferry tailwater provides a unique opportunity
to study how autotrophic communities and their ecosystem metabolism
respond to rapid changes in water temperature and substantial temporal
variation in phosphorous loading (nearly an order of magnitude variation
in annual scale soluble reactive phosphorus loading since the year
2000). We have developed and applied a two-station model to a decade
record of continuous dissolved oxygen and associated water quality data
to produce estimates of tailwater ecosystem metabolism (gross primary
production and ecosystem respiration). In addition, there is a 30-year
record of reservoir and tailwater chlorophyll a and nutrient
concentrations, as well as phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and
biovolume/biomass. We seek a highly motivated post-doctoral scientist to
continue tailwater metabolism modeling efforts and to examine how
declining reservoir water levels are changing tailwater primary
production dynamics and food availability for higher trophic levels.
The post-doctoral researcher will work primarily with scientists at the
US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona, but will also interact with
stakeholders of the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program as well
as with an interagency group that conducts water quality and plankton
monitoring on Lake Powell and in the Glen Canyon tailwater.
The
successful candidate will have good interpersonal, organizational and
communication skills and experience in algal and macrophyte taxonomic
ID, stream or lake metabolism modeling, biogeochemical rate measurements
or related fields. Applicants that have experience working with large
datasets and/or as a part of an interdisciplinary team are preferred but
not required. Term of appointment will be for at least 18 months,
starting salary is highly competitive and review of applications will
begin on February 1, 2023.
Please send a cover letter, CV, and an
example of your writing to Bridget Deemer and Charles Yackulic.
