Sisseton Wahpeton College Student Internship – Learning About Water Quality Assessment, Geospatial Technologies, Landuse Classification and Statistical Analysis

摘要

Three student interns from Sisseton Wahpeton College and their advisor Karla Witt worked with researchers from South Dakota State University to explore the hypothesis that satellite imagery could be used as a tool to evaluate water quality in lakes on the Sisseton Wahpeton Reservation. Interns constructed their own Secchi disks and used them to measure transparency in lakes and mark the locations with a global positioning system (GPS) on days when satellite imagery was available. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to relate field measurements to satellite images. The students also conducted monthly water quality sampling on Pickerel, Enemy Swim and Clear Lakes to determine current trophic state. Existing land use maps for Pickerel Lake were updated, ground truthed and compared to satellite imagery. Satellite imagery was then used to classify land use for portions of the Clear Lake watershed. The students also learned data analysis and presentation techniques by working with satellite imagery, water quality measurements, and climate and hydrologic data. The students contributed to the knowledge base that will eventually allow researchers to relate land use to water quality in lakes on the Sisseton Wahpeton Reservation.