The project includes the following elements: 1) fertilizer purchase and delivery; 2) fertilizing Lake Quinault with liquid nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers; 3) monitoring of a suite of physical, biological, and water chemistry variables relevant to lake nutrient enrichment effectiveness monitoring (Ashley & Stockner 2003); 4) sample collection and processing; 5) data entry, data QA/QC, and database management; 6) data analysis and reporting; and 7) equipment maintenance/repair and operating expenses. The nutrient prescription is intended to enhance production of edible phytoplankton and zooplankton, the food source of sockeye fry, while avoiding the occurrence of nuisance algae responses. The fertilizer prescription will be developed in February then applied weekly by boat to surface waters of Lake Quinault from April to October using a blend of liquid fertilizer consisting of urea ammonium nitrate (UN 32) and ammonium polyphosphate (10-34-0). The limnology monitor is designed to measure sentinel variables that enable scientists to identify changes in the production cycles of the lake (Stockner 1981 and 1987; Shortreed and Stockner 1985) and chronicle changes in biomass and densities of major plankton components. Shifts in abundance of species and/or assemblages will signal changes in production, carbon flow, and the food web. The monitor will also provide data to identify physical influences that affect lake productivity (e.g. turbidity influence on euphotic zone depth).
The overarching cost of work requires concurrent spending of two or more grants awards to complete project tasks for each project period (e.g., March 2023 - May 2024). In addition, annual PCSRF fiscal year funding cycles don’t match the project timeline so there is always overlap in use of funds from year to year. This also helps to maintain continuity of the project (by avoiding work stoppage due to lack of funds) over multiple years. This grant funding is expected to help maintain the project into 2025. Both fertilizer costs and operating costs are expected to increase each year due to inflation and market values of fertilizer. The fertilizer UN 32 (ammonium-nitrate) in particular, has increased 27.1% since 2019. This is due to the manufacturing process and the cost of base material which is natural gas. Unrest in the world, particularly the loss of natural gas exports from Russia due to sanctions, resulted in a significant increase in the cost of UN 32 in 2022. In summary, even though this year’s award is substantially larger than previous years, due to the way the project is funded and due to increased material costs metric reporting is the same as in prior years.
