"Probing the Depths of the Big Muddy," by Caroline Elliott

Download Transcript:
http://kcdv.tv/big-muddy-speakers-series/pdf/2017/caroline-elliott-2017-04-25-.pdf

“Film & Discussion of the film, "Exxpedition - Making the Unseen Seen," by
Caroline (Carrie) Elliott, geologist with U.S. Geological Survey – River Studies Branch

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017

Drawing/Illustrations for Titles & Credits:
"Tanning Sturgeon," by
Tom Abellera, Kansas City, Missouri

The Big Muddy is deep and mysterious. One can’t just look down
and see what is on the bottom the way you can in a clear Ozark
stream. Scientists from the US Geological Survey at the Columbia
Environmental Research Center have developed a variety of tools
to see through the murky river and watch what is happening on the
bottom. They use precise measurements to watch and measure the
migration of sand dunes and we can see details like rocky
outcrops and large trees on the bottom of the river. Through the
use of sonar they image fish like the pallid sturgeon as they
swim upstream and even spawn in fast deep areas near the bottom
of the river.

USGS Geologist Caroline Elliott reveals what she’s learned
about the hidden world of the bottom of the Missouri River, and
share images of this murky and shifting environment. Caroline’s
research is part of the Comprehensive Sturgeon Project. Her team
is measuring bedload transport rates and mapping out the parts of
the river that are moving and parts of the river channel that are
stable. The research questions for pallid sturgeon recruitment
and survival involve determining if the places where pallid
sturgeon are currently spawning in the Missouri River are stable
enough to support successful incubation of sturgeon embryos.
When pallid sturgeon spawn they release eggs that adhere to rocky
substrates in the river and scientists think these eggs require
stable substrates for four to eight days before they hatch. Other
questions related to bed and sand dune movement involve
understanding how sturgeon move upstream through the river during
their pre-spawning migrations and how drifting invertebrates many
bottom-dwelling fish feed on move along the bed of the river. The
USGS geomorphologists use sonar, specifically a multibeam
echosounder and survey-grade GPS to map the bottom of the river.
They use an acoustic Doppler current profiler to map velocity
flow fields in the river channel and several types of sonar and
underwater cameras to view fish and sediment in the river.
They’ve made measurements at the bottom of the river in many
places along the 811 miles of the Lower Missouri River downstream
from Gavins Point Dam and on the Yellowstone River, a Missouri
River tributary upstream in Montana and North Dakota.

Videography by Kansas City Digital Video.

Live broadcast of Big Muddy Speaker Series:
http://www.kcdv.tv

Index of the Big Muddy Speaker Series:
http://www.kcdv.tv/big-muddy-speakers-series

For information about upcoming presentations visit:
http://bigmuddyspeakers.org/kansascity/

Big Muddy Speakers Series (Kansas City) hosted by
Healthy Rivers Partnership (http://www.healthyriverspartnership.com/),
Lakeside Nature Center (http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org/), and
RiverRelief (http://www.riverrelief.org/)
at the Westport Coffeehouse Theater (http://www.westportcoffeehouse.com)

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