Physical Limnology

Cobble beach protecting from erosion on Flathead Lake

FLBS conducts research examining the physical characteristics and processes of freshwater ecosystems. Physical conditions are the template on which biological organisms and processes are overlain, and therefore they can significantly influence ecology. Since resources are not evenly distributed throughout lakes and rivers, physical drivers such as water currents are examined to determine how they deliver nutrients and other needed materials. FLBS scientists and students have examined water conditions (eg, temperature, depth) and water movement (eg, currents and waves); as well as sediment erosion, transport and deposition, and the creation of beaches to curb shoreline erosion. Investigations into the response of aquatic organisms to the sound of rivers has even spawned a collaborative performance with UM’s School of Theatre and Dance.

Publications
  • Lorang, M. S., J. A. Stanford, F. R. Hauer and J. H. Jourdonnais. 1993. Dissipative and reflective beaches in a large lake and the physical effects of lake level regulation. Ocean and Coastal Management 19(3):263–287.
  • Lorang, M. S. and J. A. Stanford. 1993. Variability of shoreline erosion and accretion within a beach compartment of Flathead Lake, Montana. Limnology and Oceanography 38(8):1783–1795.
  • Lorang, M. S. 2011. A wave-competence approach to distinguish between boulder and megaclast deposits due to storm waves versus tsunamis. Marine Geology 283:90–97.
  • Tonolla, D., M. S. Lorang, K. Heutschi, C. C. Gotschalk and K. Tockner. 2011. Characterization of spatial heterogeneity in underwater soundscapes at the river segment scale Limnology and Oceanography 56(6):2319–2333.
  • Lorang, M. S. and D. Tonolla. 2014. Combining active and passive hydroacoustic techniques during flood events for rapid spatial mapping of bedload transport patterns in gravel-bed rivers. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 184(3):231246.
  • Kirillin, G., M. S. Lorang, T. C. Lippmann, C. C. Gotschalk and S. Schimmelpfennig. 2014. Surface seiches in Flathead Lake. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11(12):13541–13570.
  • Nichols, C. and M. Lorang. 2014. Sound of Rivers: Stone Drum, Translating limnology into multimedia IN: Proceedings of Korean Electro-Acoustic Music Society's 2014 Annual Conference (KEAMSAC2014), Seoul Korea, 8–9 October 2014.