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![ifyle program banner](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090510033406im_/http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/ifyle/images/lake_erie_ifyle.png)
IFYLE Program Objectives
Why Lake Erie?
The Lake Erie ecosystem now faces wide and varied threats to its health and integrity,
including harmful algal blooms (HABS) in the west basin, recurring low oxygen episodes
("dead zones") in the central basin, and invasive species. Each of these threats has the
potential to disrupt normal food web and ecosystem processes, and in turn, jeopardize
the ability of Lake Erie to provide valued ecosystem services (e.g., recreational and
commercial fish production, safe drinking water, and clean, bacteria-free beaches).
What is being done?
Clearly, these issues require a coordinated lake-wide multidisciplinary approach.
In response, NOAA GLERL is building upon previous planning efforts to bring U.S. and
Canadian Lake Erie agencies and researchers together to better understand each of
these threats and their impact on the Lake Erie ecosystem. The primary goal of this
research is to develop useful products, such as HAB and fish production
forecasting tools to help guide Lake Erie resource management and future planning.
"The development of ecological forecasting capabilities,
as well as deployment of a real-time observing system network across Lake Erie,
are right in step with NOAA's strategic goals, and we are eager to use such new
approaches and technology to gain valuable insight into the dynamics of the Lake
Erie ecosystem." -Dr. Stephen Brandt, Director, GLERL
What are IFYLE's key goals?
The science priorities are based upon years of planning by the Lake Erie
Millennium Network and by NOAA GLERL. The primary objectives of this research
are to (1) examine the causes and consequences of low-oxygen events, (2) evaluate
how lake physics and food webs affect fish productions, and (3) examine HABs. All
three objectives are connected through Lake Erie's food web. The ultimate application
of this research is to develop forecasts of anoxia, HABs and fish production that can
aid decision-making processes. Some more specific objectives are:
Develop models to characterize and understand the magnitude, timing, and extent
of the "dead zone", as well as HAB formations, in Lake Erie
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Build/refine ecosystem forecasting tools to describe/predict habitat fields (
e.g., temperature, oxygen, water clarity) that can influence fish production and HAB
formation.
Determine how hypoxia, exotic species, and HABS influence the distribution
and productivity of native species, fisheries production, and biodiversity.
How is IFYLE different from other research programs?
IFYLE is unique in several ways. First, it is believed to be the
largest, most comprehensive, multidisciplinary research effort ever
conducted on Lake Erie, involving numerous U.S. and Canadian scientists.
Second, IYFLE is focused not only on understanding the ecosystem, but ultimately
on applying the scientific understanding to develop tools and products useful
to resource managers. Third, the research explores both why a dead zone forms in
Lake Erie and how it influences the ecology and productivity of the
system (including fish). |
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