Rich Miller

Developing the Online Atlas of Oregon Lakes

In 2012, a team of researchers at Portland State University published the online Atlas of Oregon Lakes. The team included limnologists, cartographers, GIS specialists, and web map developers. This article describes the process from the print Atlas of Oregon Lakes, published by Oregon State University Press in 1985, to web mapping and digital publication of the online atlas in 2012. It also discusses the library-like issues of cataloging lakes, keeping on track with standards for scientific water data, and cooperating with other organizations.

The New Spirit Lake: Changes to Hydrology, Nutrient Cycling, and Biological Productivity

Spirit Lake was changed biologically, chemically, and physically by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the concurrent landslide that essentially buried the old lake and created a new one in its place. Recent changes to the surrounding watershed, spurred by ever-increasing regrowth of terrestrial vegetation, continue to alter the biogeochemistry of Spirit Lake. Here the authors outline over a decade of work developing a hydrologic and nutrient model for the lake and discuss preliminary work to elucidate the ecological role of the floating logs in Spirit Lake.