LAKE ERIE SOURCE TRACKING OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
Douglas D. Kane1, [email protected],Joseph D. Conroy2,3, [email protected], Justin D. Chaffin4, [email protected],Thomas B. Bridgeman4, [email protected]
1Natural Science and Mathematics Division, Defiance College, Defiance, OH 43512. 2Inland Fisheries Research Unit, Division of Wildlife, Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, Hebron, OH 43025.3Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal
Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43212 4Department of Environmental Sciences and Lake Erie Center, University of
Toledo, Oregon, OH 43616.
Outline
• Problem• Approach• Methods• Results• Conclusions
Problem• Microcystis blooms have become more frequent
and larger in Lake Erie in the last 10-15 years
August 2003-OhioLink
Approach• Use contemporaneous sampling (within 1 week)
in the Maumee River, Maumee Bay, and Lake Erie to determine location/quantity of Microcystis
• T1T1= The Bend• T2T2 = Rt. 66 Bridge• T3T3 = Independence
Dam• T4 T4 = Mary Jane
Thurston State Park• T5T5= Farnsworth
Metropark
LEAST Sampling Sites
• T1T1= The Bend• T2T2 = Rt. 66 Bridge• T3T3 = Indendence Dam• T4 T4 = Mary Jane Thurston
State Park• T5T5= Farnsworth Metropark
T1T1 T2T2 T3T3
T4T4 T5T5
Methods
• Boats/ Wading• YSI Multiprobe and
PAR meter• Fluoroprobe• Water Samples
– Nutrients– Chlorophyll a– Phytoplankton
– Microcystis
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in the Maumee River
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Soluble Reactive Phosphorus
Site- p<0.001Month- p<0.001Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Chlorophyll a
Site- p<0.001Month- p<0.001Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in % Cyanobacteria (Fluoroprobe)
Site- p<0.001Month- p<0.001Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in % Microcystis (microscopic)
June August September
Month
% Microcystis
of T
otal
Phy
topl
ankt
on B
iom
ass
0
20
40
60
80
100
The BendRoute 66 BridgeIndependence DamMary Jane Thurston State ParkFarnsworth Metropark
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in the Maumee System
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Soluble Reactive Phosphorus
Month
June August September
SR
P ( g
/L)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
RiverBayLake
Location- p<0.001Month- p<0.001Location X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Chlorophyll a
Month
June August September
Chl
orop
hyll a
(g/
L)
0
20
40
60
80
RiverBayLake
Location- p=0.136Month- p=0.034Location X Month- p=0.272
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Secchi Depth
Month
June August September
Sec
chi D
epth
(cm
)
0
50
100
150
200
250
RiverBayLake
Location- p<0.001Month- p=0.130Location X Month- p= 0.041
Secchi Transparency vs. Chlorophyll a
F1,31 = 9.6
p = 0.004r2 = 0.24
Conclusions• High levels of SRP (>100 μg/L!), phytoplankton (>200 μg/L!), and
Microcystis (80% of total pp biomass!) in MR; variable through time and space
• Microscopical enumeration does not agree with Fluoroprobe data in MR
• SRP- June and August MR>MB>WLE; September MB>WLE>MR
• Chlorophyll a- August> June~=September
• Secchi depth- MR< MB< LE (MR <0.5 m)
• Microcystis found at all sites at all times sampled
Phytoplankton, Sediments, and Nutrients in Maumee System are HIGHLY variable in time and space
June 2003-OhioLink August 2003-OhioLink
Future Directions• Continued Monitoring of Sites in MR- GLISTEN
-Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship through Education Network
• Genetic Analysis of Microcystis
Thanks!• USEPA• Limnology Lab-
OSU• HU- NCWQR• Peter Bichier• Chris Bronish• Other UT staff
Top Related