Comparison of the Propane-Area Tracer Method and Predictive Equations for Determination of Stream-Reaeration Coefficients on Two Small Streams in Wisconsin

摘要

This study was made to identify the best predictive equations for a stream's reaeration-rate coefficient. Reaeration-rate information is needed in dissolved-oxygen modeling work, but an actual tracer measurement is not always possible. The propane-area gas-tracer method and predictive equations were compared for determination of stream-reaeration coefficients (K2) for reaches of two small streams in Wisconsin. The study was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.