ASSEL, R. A. A Laurentian Great Lakes ice cover climatology. Proceedings
of the 61st Annual Meeting of the Eastern Snow Conference, Portland,
Maine, June 9-11, 2004. 2 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040027.pdf
Composite ice charts, a blend of observations from different data
sources (ship, shore, aircraft, and satellite) that cover the entire
area of the Great Lakes for a given date, and which may contain some
estimated ice cover data, were produced starting in the 1970s. Recently,
a 30-winter (1973-2002) set of composite ice charts was digitized, and
a multi-winter statistical analysis of the climatology of the ice cover
concentration was completed. The result of this analysis was published
as an electronic National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great
Lakes Ice Atlas, which is available for browsing on the Internet (Assel
2003a). A series of reports (Assel 2004, Assel 2003b, Assel 2003c, Assel
et al. 2003, Assel et a!. 2002, Assel and Norton 2001) document and
supplement data and products given in the electronic atlas. However,
because the atlas contains approximately 1.4-gigabytes of data, much
of which is in compressed files, it is not practical to download the
entire atlas from the Internet. Therefore, it is available on CD-ROM
and DVD formats. To request a copy of the atlas send an email to iceatlas@noaa.glerl.gov.
ASSEL, R. A. Computerized National Weather Service Great Lakes ice
reports for winter seasons 1899-1970. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-130,
NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI,
31 pp. (2004). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-130
Historical National Weather Service Great Lakes ice reports were digitized
to provide a data set of ice thickness and ancillary ice information
in the coastal zone of the Great Lakes for winter seasons from 1899
to 1970. These data are made available here for the first time in a
computer compatible format. Temporal and spatial distribution patterns
of ice report observations are discussed briefly.
ASSEL, R. A. Great Lakes weekly ice cover statistics. NOAA Technical
Memorandum GLERL-133. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory,
Ann Arbor, MI, 27 pp. (2005). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-133/
Data and methods used to calculate weekly ice cover statistics for
a 30-winter (1973-2002) base period are documented. Spatial distribution
patterns of the maximum, minimum, first quartile, median, and third
quartile ice cover statistics are presented and discussed within the
context of lake bathymetry ranges. Mild and severe winters are identified
for each Great Lake. These data are available free of charge on CD-ROM,
DVD, and are also on the Internet at: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/atlas/weekly_stats/weeklystats.html.
Anomaly ice charts and other data given here for the first time are
available in this report.
ASSEL, R. A. Conditional probability of December and January ice cover
at selected Great Lakes shore sites. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-134.
NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI,
31 pp. (2005). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-134/tm-134.pdf
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Cleveland, Ohio requested improved
information on ice cover for use in making outlooks of early winter
ice cover at eight locations in the shore region of the Great Lakes
(Fig. 1) (personal communication, Will Kubina). Bilello (1964) developed
an empirical water temperature decline model to simulate the date of
initial ice formation on bays and harbors. Greene (1983) applied the
Bilello model to several sites along the St. Marys River. Assel and
Norton (unpublished) applied the model to several additional Great Lakes
shore sites, modified it for operational use, and provided it to the
NWS in the mid-to-late 1980s. In this paper, empirical freezing degree-day
(FDD) conditional probability and linear regression models of spatial
average ice cover are described and discussed. These models are applied
to the eight sites of interest to the NWS to estimate early winter (December
and January) spatial average ice cover.
ASSEL, R. A. Great Lakes ice cover climatology update: Winters 2003,
2004, and 2005. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-135. NOAA, Great Lakes
Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 21 pp. (2005). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-135/tm-135.pdf
A 30-winter ice concentration climatology (Assel 2003a) is updated
for winters: 2003, 2004, and 2005. Original ice charts are from the
National Ice Center and the Canadian Ice Service. These data are quality
controlled for over-water grid cell location and ice concentration codes
to be consistent with Assel (2003a). Data are available in the form
of ASCII grids and graphic files. The 2003, 2004, and 2005 ice cycles
are described and discussed briefly within the context of dates of first
(last) ice, ice duration, daily lake-averages, and spatial and temporal
distribution patterns of ice cover and anomalies.
Bailey, S. A., K. Nandakumar, I. C. Duggan, C. D. A. Van Overdijk,
T. H. JOHENGEN, D. F. REID and H. J. MacIsaac. In situ hatching of invertebrate
diapausing eggs from ships' ballast sediment. Diversity and Distributions
11:453-460 (2005).
Ships that enter the Great Lakes laden with cargo carry only residual
ballast water and sediment in ballast tanks. These ships are designated
'no ballast on board' (NOBOB) and constitute > 90% of inbound traffic.
We conducted in situ experiments using emergence traps to assess the
viability and the introduction potential of invertebrate diapausing
stages present in ships ballast sediment. All trials commenced while
vessels operated on the lower lakes (Erie, Ontario) and were completed
6–11 days later at ports on the upper lakes (Michigan, Lake Superior).
Eight trials were conducted on four ships using five different ballast
sediments. Hatching was observed on every ship, although not from all
sediments on all ships. Overall hatch rates were very low (0.5 individuals
per 500 g sediment), typically involving activation of < 0.05% of
total eggs present. Five species of rotifers and copepod nauplii were
hatched from ballast sediments, although only one or two species typically
hatched from any one sediment. Results of this study indicate that hatching
of diapausing eggs contained in ballast sediment of NOBOB ships poses
a relatively low risk of invasion to the Great Lakes. However, as reproduction
may occur in tanks, and non-indigenous species may be involved in numerous
introduction events, the risk posed by this vector is small but potentially
important. While dormancy is a characteristic enabling enhanced survival
during transportation in ballast tanks, it becomes a hindrance for introduction.
BEETON, A. M. Book Review: The Lakes Handbook, Volume 2: Lake Restoration
and Rehabilitation. The Quarterly Review of Biology 80(3):371
(2005).
This volume contains 22 articles grouped into five parts: General
Issues; Regional Studies; Human Impact on Specific Lake Types; Lake
and Catchment Models; and Legal Frameworks. Information on more than
350 lakes (natural and reservoirs) in 40 countries in included. Specific
information is presented for 51 lakes. Only one lake in China is included
and none for Japan.
Crane, J. L., C. Richards, D. Breneman, S. J. LOZANO and J. A. Schuldt.
Evaluating methods for assessing sediment quality in a Great Lakes embayment.
Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 8(3):323-349 (2005).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050023.pdf
A probability-based, sediment quality assessment was conducted during
1995 in the lower St. Louis River Area of Concern, located in western
Lake Superior. A regional application of the intensified sampling grid
developed for the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Program was used to randomly select 90 sites
for measuring the following sediment quality indicators: sediment chemistry,
physical parameters, sediment toxicity, and benthic macroinvertebrate
community structure. Screening methods were used to assess sediment
chemistry and sediment toxicity at all sites, whereas more conventional
metrics were used at a subset of sites. In addition, sediment quality
data were collected from 20 a priori training sites, 10 in low impact
areas and 10 in high impact areas. Mean probable effect concentration
quotients were calculated for sediment chemistry variables at each site.
As the range of mean probable effect concentration quotients values
increased, the incidence of sediment toxicity increased. Benthic data
from the training sites were used to establish standard criteria for
developing two benthic integrity indices based on multimetric analysis
and discriminant function analysis. Based on the training site results,
the discriminant function analysis categorized the macroinvertebrate
community at all random sites as 45 percent low impact and 55 percent
high impact. A multimetric approach categorized 55 percent of the random
sites as low impact and 36 percent as high impact. Due to the overlap
of 95 percent confidence intervals, the multimetric approach also placed
9 percent of the random sites into an indeterminate category. The incidence
of high impact sites appears to be primarily due to physical habitat
characteristics. This finding was supported by the sediment quality
triad assessment of 52 random sites that indicated alteration of the
benthic community at 71 percent of sites was probably not due to chemical
contamination.
CROLEY, T. E. II, C. He and D. H. LEE. Distributed-parameter large
basin runoff model. II: Application. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
10(3):182-191 (2005).
Following the derivation of a distributed-parameter large basin runoff
model from a lumped-parameter version for the Great Lakes in the companion
paper, we here apply it to the Kalamazoo River watershed in southwest
Michigan. First we review relevant similar efforts and then describe
the digitization of the watershed into a network of cells through which
watershed internal flows are routed. We present the technology used
on the Kalamazoo River to create grids of topography, soils, land use,
and vegetation data. We describe the calibration of both lumped-parameter
and distributed-parameter runoff models on the Kalamazoo River and use
observed spatial data variations in our parameter determinations. We
investigate alternative evapotranspiration schemes, spatial parameter
patterns, solar insolation interpretations, and temporal scaling and
compare model results. We suggest model extensions for future work.
CROLEY, T. E. II. and C. He. Distributed-parameter large basin runoff
model. I: Model Development. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
10(3):173-181 (2005).
We present a case study of modifying an existing macroscale rainfall-runoff
model, the large basin runoff model (LBRM), developed at NOAAÕs Great
Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, to the microscale in a two-dimensional
representation. First, we review the LBRM and then describe changes
in several process submodels, which were originally designed specifically
for large areas. We also change the model structure so that we may use
the LBRM on an individual cell at the microscale within a watershed.
We then discuss spatial scaling of model parameters to enable an initial
application to the microscale with parameters available from the macroscale.
We then organize watershed cells and flow routing and conclude with
notes on computer implementation. In the accompanying companion paper,
we present details of the model calibration, application, and experimentation
on the Kalamazoo River watershed.
CROLEY, T. E. II. Recent Great Lakes evaporation model estimates. Proceedings
of the 2005 World Water and Environmental Resources Congress: Impacts
of Global Change, Anchorage, AK, May 15-19, 2005. American Society of
Civil Engineers, 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050015.pdf
NOAA's lumped-parameter Great Lakes continuous evaporation model solves
for each day's over-water and over-ice surface fluxes (which in turn
are functions of heat storage and ice and water surface temperatures).
They include incident short-wave radiation, reflection, evaporative
heat transfer (both latent and advected), sensible heat transfer, precipitation
heat advection, long-wave radiation exchange, and surface flow advection.
The model simultaneously finds daily heat storage and surface temperature
with a heat balance, a model of linear temperature rise (or loss) with
volume beneath the water surface, an empirical wind mixing model, and
a one-dimensional (vertical) superposition of past aged heat additions
or losses. The model couples ice formation and loss to lake thermodynamics
and heat storage by utilizing both heat and mass balances for the ice
pack and boundary conditions of ice-water existence. It simultaneously
finds ice temperatures, pack size, and heat transferred between ice
pack and both the atmosphere and the water. Since measured whole-lake
evaporation is unavailable, the model is calibrated to existing daily
water surface temperatures and ice cover, and compared with measured
temperature-depth profiles and independently estimated or measured water
surface thermodynamic fluxes. Two calibrations are used to apply the
model; the first minimizes error with observed water surface temperatures
to determine parameters for superposition heat storage, wind mixing,
and radiation exchange. The second minimizes error with observed ice
cover to determine ice cover parameters. The calibrations alternate
until changes in all parameters are insignificant. Presented calibrated
parameters result in 1.1–1.6¡C root mean square error with water
surface temperatures and verify well over a time period independent
of the calibration. Example results of the evaporation model include
estimated temperature-depth profiles over a year on Lake Michigan, and
both a year's worth of daily evaporation and five years' worth of monthly
evaporation on Lake Superior. Deep water evaporation characteristics
are readily seen and described. Turnovers occur as a fundamental behavior
of the model. Hysteresis between heat in storage and surface temperature,
observed during the heating and cooling cycles on the lakes, is preserved.
The model also correctly depicts lake-wide seasonal heating and cooling
cycles, vertical temperature distributions, and other mixed-layer developments.
CROLEY, T. E. II, and C. He. Great Lakes spatially distributed watershed
model of water and materials runoff. Proceedings, International Conference
on Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Environment. Advanced Workshop on
Watershed Modeling and Water Resources Management, Jiangxi Normal University,
Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China, June 27, 2005. 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050017.pdf
Prediction of various ecological system variables or consequences (such
as beach closings), as well as effective management of pollution at
the watershed scale, require estimation of both point and non-point
source material transport through a watershed by hydrological processes.
The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and Western Michigan
University are developing an integrated, spatially distributed, physically-based
water quality model to evaluate both agricultural non-point source loadings
from soil erosion, animal manure, and pesticides, and point source loadings
at the watershed level. We are augmenting an existing physically based
integrated surface/subsurface hydrology model. It is a two-dimensional,
spatially-distributed accounting of moisture in several layers (zones)
for every cell (1 square kilometer) of a watershed. We modified
the model to allow flow routing between adjacent cells surface zones,
upper soil zones, lower soil zones, and groundwater zones. We
are expanding it, by adding material transport capabilities to it, to
include movement of other materials besides water. We will gather information
on pollutants in Saginaw Bay watersheds and apply the model to simulate
the movement of various materials into the bay, producing estimates
useful to ecological system forecasters.
Dermott, R., M. Munawar, R. Bonnell, S. Caron, H. Niblock, T. F. NALEPA
and G. Messick. Preliminary investigations for causes of the disappearance
of Diporeia spp. from Lake Ontario. In Proceedings of a Workshop
on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod
Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr and T.F. Nalepa (eds.).
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report 66, Ann Arbor, MI,
203-232 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050008.pdf
The amphipod Diporeia spp. comprised 60-80% of the benthos in
offshore Lake Ontario and was an important food for fish. In eastern
Lake Ontario, Diporeia spp. began disappearing in 1993 just after
the arrival of dreissenid mussels. We compared survival of Diporeia
spp. and Hyalella azteca in sediments from areas where Diporeia
spp. populations had vanished with survival in sediments still inhabited.
Survival was also examined in the presence of zebra mussel (Dreissena
polymorpha) pseudofeces, filtered water from mussel cultures, and
added bacteria. The Microtox¨ test indicated that sediment pore water
was not toxic. Sediments from sites with large Dreissena spp. populations
(Lake Erie and western Lake Ontario) lowered Diporeia spp. survival.
Diporeia spp. and H. azteca responded differently to
test sediments and zebra mussel pseudofeces. Pseudofeces added to Lake
Superior sediment greatly reduced H. azteca survival but had
less effect on Diporeia spp. survival. Added bacteria had little
effect on the survival of either species. Sediments exposed to dying
Diporeia spp. caused significant mortality suggesting the presence
of a pathogen. Diporeia spp. remained common in two inland lakes
containing dreissenids indicating that the amphipod can co-exist with
the mussels.
Dobiesz, N. E., D. A. McLeish, R. L. Eschenroder, J. R. Bence, L. C.
Mohr, M. P. Ebener, T. F. NALEPA, A. P. Woldt, J. E. Johnson, R. L.
Argyle and J. C. Makarewicz. Ecology of the Lake Huron fish community,
1970-1999. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
62:1432-1451 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050012.pdf
We review the status of the Lake Huron fish community between 1970
and 1999 and explore the effects of key stressors. Offshore waters changed
little in terms of nutrient enrichment, while phosphorus levels declined
in inner Saginaw Bay. Introduced mussels (Dreissena spp.) proliferated
and may have caused a decline in Diporeia spp. This introduction
could have caused a decline in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
growth and condition, with serious repercussions for commercial fisheries.
Bythotrephes, an exotic predatory cladoceran, and other new exotics
may be influencing the fish community. Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus)
remained prevalent, but intensive control efforts on the St. MaryÕs
River may reduce their predation on salmonines. Overfishing was less
of a problem than in the past, although fishing continued to reduce
the amount of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) spawning biomass
resulting from hatchery-reared fish planted to rehabilitate this species.
Massive stocking programs have increased the abundance of top predators,
but lake trout were rehabilitated in only one area. Successful lake
trout rehabilitation may require lower densities of introduced pelagic
prey fish than were seen in the 1990s, along with continued stocking
of hatchery-reared lake trout and control of sea lamprey. Such reductions
in prey fish could limit Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) fisheries.
EADIE, B. J. and J. A. ROBBINS. Composition and accumulation of recent
sediments in Lake Michigan. In State of Lake Michigan (SOLM) - Ecology,
Health, and Management. T. Edsall and M. Munawar (eds.). Ecovision
World Monograph Series, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society,
89-111 (2005).
No abstract.
GOSSIAUX, D. C. and P. F. LANDRUM. Toxicokinetics and tissue distributions
of non-polar contaminants from aqueous and dietary exposures for the
crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 23 pp. (2005). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-132/tm-132.pdf
The crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, was exposed to dissolved
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCB) congeners in short-term static and flow-thru water-only exposures.
The uptake and elimination rate constants were determined for the total
body mass and internal organ tissues. The uptake rate coefficient (ku)
for whole crayfish (1–2 g) from static water-only exposures ranged
from 23.8 to 33.1 ml g-1 h-1 and was negatively
correlated with log Kow. Uptake rates varied between tissues
and compounds. For example, the ku from static aqueous exposures for
the gill tissue ranged from 37.7 to 63.8 ml g-1 h-1 and generally increased
with increasing log Kow, while ku from static aqueous exposures for
the hepatopancreas ranged from 357.1 to 37.8 ml g-1 h-1
and decreased with increasing log Kow. The elimination rate
constant (ke) for whole crayfish ranged from 0.001 to 0.013 h-1
and decreased with increasing log Kow. Similarly, the ke
values for other individual tissues decreased with increasing log Kow.
In addition to the aqueous exposures, crayfish were exposed via ingestion
to zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, tissue pre-exposed to radiolabeled
contaminants. The percent absorption efficiency (%AE) ranged from 91.2
to 96.5%, and the % AE increased with increasing log Kow.
Green, S. A. and B. J. EADIE. Introduction to special section: Transport
and transformation of biogeochemically important materials in coastal
waters. Journal of Geophysical Research 109(C10S01):2 pp. (2004).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040026.pdf
Two projects in the Laurentian Great Lakes were funded under the Coastal
Ocean Processes Program. In Lake Superior the Keweenaw Interdisciplinary
Transport Experiment in Superior (KITES) focused on a region dominated
by a strong coastal jet, and a sister project in Lake Michigan, Episodic
Events—Great Lakes Experiment (EEGLE), concentrated on the biogeochemical
effects of a major plume of resuspended sediment that occurs annually
in the southern portion of the lake.
Greenberg, M. S., G. A. Burton Jr., P. F. LANDRUM, M. T. Leppanen
and J. V. K. Kukkonen. Desorption kinetics of fluoranthene and trifluralin
from Lake Huron and Lake Erie, USA, sediments. Environmental Toxicology
and Chemistry 24(1):31-39 (2005).
Desorption kinetics were determined for fluoranthetie (FLU) and trifluralin
(TF) spiked onto Lake Erie and Lake Huron, USA, sediments at three concentrations
(10, 40, 100 mg/kg dry wt). Following four months of equilibration,
desorption was measured by extraction with Tenax¨ and the data were
fit to a first-order three-compartment kinetic model. The rate constants
of the rapidly (krap), slowly (kslow and very
slowly (kvs) desorbing fractions were on the order of lO-1/h,
10-2-3/h, and 10-4/h, respectively. The t99.9
(time required for 99.9% of the FLU and TF to desorb from each pool
value) for each compartment indicated that FLU and TF desorption from
rapid, slow, and very slow compartments were on the order of hours,
days, and years, respectively. Higher rates of desorption were observed
for FLU and TF from the Lake Huron sediments and this was not apparently
related to the total organic carbon (TOC), particle size distribution,
or polarity (carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) of the sediments. In general,
the total fraction of the initial contaminant amounts that desorbed
over the time course was directly related to concentration, which we
hypothesized was due to the combined effects of saturation of high-energy
(slow and very slow) binding sites in the organic carbon matrix and
hysteresis. In extrapolations to field conditions, FLU and TF were predicted
to persist in the sediments for years due to the very slow desorption
of an estimated 31 to 53% of the bulk concentrations. Based on the rapidly
desorbing fractions, the bioavailable amounts of the contaminants were
predicted to be between 31 to 55% of bulk sediment concentrations.
He, C. and T. E. CROLEY II. Development of a 2-D large basin operational
hydrologic model. Proceedings of the Workshop on Modeling and Control
for Participatory Planning and Managing Water Systems, Venice, Italy,
September 29 - October 1, 2004. International Federation for Automatic
Control, 12 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040034.pdf
This paper reviews recent developments in hydrologic modeling, and
through development of a 2-D large basin runoff model (2-D LBRM), discusses
five essential components in the development of operational hydrologic
models: model input, model structure, spatial variability, model calibration,
and GIS-model interface. Operational hydrologic models should utilize
multiple biophysical databases to develop model input parameters over
multiple temporal and spatial scales. They should be based on mass continuity
equations and include land surface, soil zones, and groundwater components.
Spatial heterogeneity of watersheds needs to be taken into consideration
using either a hydrological response unit or grid network approach.
Simulation results should be calibrated with respect to multiple-objectives
for better assessment of model and data errors. GIS-model interfaces
need to be developed to facilitate model implementation and applicability.
He, C. and T. E. CROLEY II. Estimating nonpoint source pollution loadings
in the Great Lakes watersheds. Proceedings of the International Conference
on Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Environment, Jiangxi Normal University,
Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China, June 27, 2005. 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050016.pdf
Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) from contaminated sediments, urban
runoff, storm sewers, and agriculture impairs Great Lakes shoreline
waters; accurate NPS accounting is essential to effective water quality
and ecosystem management. We are developing a physically based, spatially-distributed
hydrology model to simulate spatial and temporal NPS distributions in
the Saginaw Bay watersheds. Multiple databases of meteorology, land
use, satellite imagery, topography, hydrography, soils, and agricultural
statistics are used to estimate nonpoint source loading potential in
the study watershed. Soil erosion and sediment yield by both wind and
water are estimated based on the universal soil loss equation and vegetation
indices derived from the satellite imagery. Animal manure production
is computed from tabulations of animals by zip code area. Relative chemical
loadings for agricultural land use are calculated from county fertilizer
and pesticide estimates by crop. These estimates will be used as the
input to the water quality model for simulating pollutant transport
through surface and subsurface processes to the Great Lakes waters.
After verification with Saginaw Bay water quality data, these simulations
will help researchers better understand the dynamics of Great Lakes
aquatic systems and enable agencies to target critical areas for management.
Holcombe, T. L., L. A. Taylor, J. S. Warren, P. A. VINCENT, D. F. REID
and C. E. Herdendorf. Lake floor geomorphology of Lake Erie. World Data
Center A for Marine Geology and Geophysica Research Publication RP-3.
NOAA NESDIS National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO, 26 pp. (2005).
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/greatlakes/erie/RP3/rp3.html
Lake floor physiographic features of Lake Erie, many seen in detail
for the first time, are described with the aid of new bathymetry.
Geomorphology of these features is discussed utilizing the bathymetry,
existing data, and previous interpretations. The nearshore zone
surrounding the main basins of Lake Erie deepens to 5-15 m within the
first 1-3 km of the shore, exposing bedrock, glacial drift, and glaciolacustrine
clay. Glacial erosion interacting with bedrock of varying resistance
to erosion has accounted, directly or indirectly, for certain Lake Erie
escarpments and other features, such as those occurring within the islands
area and in the eastern Basin. Long Point Escarpment is apparently
the surface expression of a bedrock escarpment formed on the edges of
erosion-resistant southward-dipping strata. Clear Creek Ridge
resembles an offshore bar built from accumulations of sand moving along
the former shore at lower lake levels, though it may have a morainic
foundation. The Pelee-Lorain, Long Point-Erie, and Point Pelee
Ridges, are interpreted as morainic ridges on which sands were later
concentrated by longshore transport at lower than present lake levels.
Conneaut Bank, Fairport Ridge, and Point Pelee Fan are interpreted as
deltas formed at lower lake levels. Pennsylvania Ridge flanks
Pennsylvania Channel and resembles a natural levee extending westward
from the southern end of the Long-Point Erie Ridge. Strong westward
currents at depth through Pennsylvania Channel have apparently kept
the channel open.
HONDORP, D. W., S. A. POTHOVEN and S. B. BRANDT. Influence of Diporeia
density on diet composition, relative abundance, and energy density
of planktivorous fishes in southeast Lake Michigan. Transactions
of the American Fisheries Society 134:588-601 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050011.pdf
The benthic amphipod Diporeia spp. is an important prey for
many fish in offshore areas of the Great Lakes, but its abundance has
been rapidly decreasing. To assess the influence of Diporeia
availability on the food habits, relative abundance, and energetics
of planktivorous fish, the diet composition, catch per unit effort (CPUE),
and energy density of planktivorous fish in southeast Lake Michigan
during 2000-2001 were compared among locations with different Diporeia
densities. Diporeia densities at St. Joseph, Michigan, were near
0/m2 over much of the bottom but averaged more than 3,800/m2
at Muskegon and Little Sable Point, Michigan. Consistent with these
differences in Diporeia density, fish diet composition, CPUE,
and energy density varied spatially. For example, alternative prey types
comprised a larger fraction of the diets of bloater Coregonus hoyi,
large (>100 mm total length) alewife Alosa pseudoharengus,
and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus at St. Joseph than at Muskegon
and Little Sable Point. This pattern was seasonally dependent for alewives
and bloaters because Diporeia were eaten mainly in June. Food
biomass per stomach was not lower at St. Joseph than elsewhere, suggesting
that the spatial variation in diet composition was due to greater consumption
of alternative prey by fish at St. Joseph. Although slimy sculpin and
bloaters were able to feed on alternative prey, the CPUE of these species
at certain depths was considerably lower at St. Joseph than at Muskegon
or Little Sable Point, indicating that Diporeia availability
may also influence fish abundance and distribution. Finally, a link
between Diporeia density and fish energetics was suggested by
the comparatively low energy density of deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus
thompsonii and large alewives at St. Joseph, a result that may reflect
the low energy content of other prey relative to Diporeia.
Hook, T. O., E. S. Rutherford, S. J. Brines, C. A. Geddes, D. M. MASON,
D. J. SCHWAB and G. W. Fleischer. Landscape scale measures of steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) bioenergetic growth rate potential in Lake
Michigan and comparison with angler catch rates. Journal of Great
Lakes Research 30(4):545-556 (2004).
The relative quality of a habitat can influence fish consumption,
growth, mortality, and production. In order to quantify habitat quality,
several authors have combined bioenergetic and foraging models to generate
spatially explicit estimates of fish growth rate potential (GRP). However,
the capacity of GRP to reflect the spatial distributions of fishes over
large areas has not been fully evaluated. We generated landscape scale
estimates of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) GRP throughout Lake
Michigan for 1994-1996, and used these estimates to test the hypotheses
that GRP is a good predictor of spatial patterns of steelhead catch
rates. We used surface temperatures (measured with AVHRR satellite imagery)
and acoustically measured steelhead prey densities (alewife, Alosa
pseudoharengus) as inputs for the GRP model. Our analyses demonstrate
that potential steelhead growth rates in Lake Michigan are highly variable
in both space and time. Steelhead GRP tended to increase with latitude,
and mean GRP was much higher during September 1995, compared to 1994
and 1996. In addition, our study suggests that landscape scale measures
of GRP are not good predictors of steelhead catch rates throughout Lake
Michigan, but may provide an index of interannual variation in system-wide
habitat quality.
Janssen, J. J., M. B. Berg and S. J. LOZANO. Submerged terra incognita:
Lake Michigan's abundant but unknown rocky zones. In State of Lake
Michigan (SOLM) - Ecology, Health, and Management. T. Edsall and
M. Munawar (eds.). Ecovision World Monograph Series, Aquatic Ecosystem
Health and Management Society, 113-139 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050035.pdf
No abstract.
Johnson, T. B., M. H. Hoff, A. S. Trebitz, C. R. Bronte, W. P. Brown,
T. D. Corry, J. F. Kitchell, S. T. LOZANO, D. M. MASON, J. V. Scharold,
S. T. Schram and D. R. Schreiner. Spatial patterns in assemblage structures
of pelagic forage fish and zooplankton in western Lake Superior. Journal
of Great Lakes Research 30(Supplement 1):395-406 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040033.pdf
We assessed abundance, size, and species composition of forage fish
and zooplankton communities of western Lake Superior during August 1996
and July 1997. Data were analyzed for three ecoregions (Duluth-Superior,
Apostle Islands, and the open lake) differing in bathymetry and limnological
and biological patterns. Zooplankton abundance was three times higher
in the Duluth-Superior and Apostle Islands regions than in the open
lake due to the large numbers of rotifers. Copepods were far more abundant
than Cladocera in all ecoregions. Mean zooplankton size was larger in
the open lake due to dominance by large calanoid copepods although size
of individual taxa was similar among ecoregions. Forage fish abundance
and biomass was highest in the Apostle Islands region and lowest in
the open lake ecoregion. Lake herring (Coregonus artedi), rainbow
smelt (Osmerus mordax) and deepwater ciscoes (Coregonus spp.)
comprised over 90% of the abundance and biomass of fishes caught in
midwater trawls and recorded with hydroacoustics. Growth and condition
of fish was good, suggesting they were not resource limited. Fish and
zooplankton assemblages differed among the three ecoregions of western
Lake Superior, due to a combination of physical and limnological factors
related to bathymetry and landscape position.
Kerfoot, W. C., S. L. Harting, J. Jeong, J. A. ROBBINS and R. Rossmann.
Local, regional, and global implications of elemental mercury in metal
(copper, silver, gold, and zinc) ores: insights from Lake Superior sediments.
Journal of Great Lakes Research 30(Supplement 1):162-184 (2004).
Anthropogenic inventories for copper (229 ± 89 ug/cm2,
N = 30), and mercury (470 ± 307 ng/cm2, N = 25) in Lake Superior
sediments are much greater than inventories in remote lakes (Cu 50 ±
31 ug/cm2, Hg 64 ± 34 ng/cm2, N = 16) that receive inputs
largely from long-distance atmospheric sources. Whereas the absolute
concentration of mercury in Lake Superior sediments is not high (80–110
ng/g), enrichment ratios along coastal margins indicate industrial sources.
An example of previously unreported mining-related inputs comes from
native copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Around the peninsula,
sediment inventories for mercury, silver, and copper are highly correlated
and can be traced back to shoreline tailing piles, smelters, and parent
ores. Elemental mercury occurs as a natural amalgam or solid solution
substitution in native metal (copper, silver, gold) deposits and associated
gangue minerals (e.g., sphalerite, ZnS) at µg/g or higher concentrations.
Native copper stamp mills discharged more than 364 million metric tons
of Òstamp sandÓ tailings, whereas copper smelters refined five million
metric tons of copper, liberating together at least 42 metric tons of
mercury. Release of trace mercury from Lake Superior mining deserves
regional attention as preliminary estimates resemble EPA Region #9 patterns
and could help explain the 4–7 fold sediment inventory discrepancies.
We show that the Keweenaw situation is not unique geographically, as
mineral-bound trace mercury is commonplace in U.S. and Canadian Greenstone
Belts and of worldwide occurrence in precious (gold, silver) and massive
base metal (copper, zinc) ore deposits.
Kracker, L. M., L. Zhou, J. M. Jech, J. K. Horne, J. A. Tyler and
S. B. BRANDT. Spatial and temporal variance in fish distributions: A
Lake Ontario case study. In State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) - Past,
Present, and Future. M. Munawar (ed.). Aquatic Ecosystem Health
and Management Society, 385-406 (2003).
Aquatic environments are a heterogeneous patchwork of physical and
biological features, much like terrestrial landscapes. In aquatic
landscapes, "structure" can be defined as the collective arrangement
and configuration of these features (Kracker, 1998). We suggest that
heterogeneity in the aquatic landscape, quantified by partitioning spatial
and temporal variance in fish distributions, reveals a structure indicative
of the underlying ecological processes. Lake Ontario is a three-dimensional,
heterogeneous environment exhibiting a structure comprised of temperature
gradients, geomorphological elements, and temporally and spatially diverse
biota and habitats (Olson et al., 1988; Goyke and Brandt, 1993). Studies
of the Laurentian Great Lakes have evolved from whole-lake, homogeneous
approaches (e.g., Kitchell et al., 1977; Rand et al., 1995) to partitioning
the ecosystem, thereby increasing spatial resolution (Sklar and Costanza,
1991; Brandt and Kirsh, 1993; Mason et al., 1995). This trend reflects
the greater emphasis that has been placed on the importance of scale,
pattern, and variation of biological quantities in ecological processes
(Petitgas, 1993; Horne and Schneider, 1995; Syrjala, 1996; Kracker,
1997). Environmental heterogeneity plays an important role in ecosystem
function by influencing the flow of energy within and among trophic
levels (Turner and Gardner, 1991). Spatial and temporal heterogeneity
of aquatic resources is driven by processes such as solar energy input,
diel migrations by aquatic organisms, aggregative behavior of fish,
and water movement.
KRUEGER, D. M. and T. R. Hrabik. Food web alterations that promote
native species: The recovery of cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations
through management of native piscivores. Canadian Journal of Fisheries
and Aquatic Sciences 62:2177-2188 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050022.pdf
We evaluated the effects of fisheries management on food webs in three
northern Wisconsin lakes with exotic rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax).
In two of the lakes, restrictions on fishing reduced mortality rates
on adult walleye (Sander vitreus) during the study period. In
these lakes, walleye populations increased concurrently with a decline
in rainbow smelt populations. As rainbow smelt populations declined
in both lakes, native cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations increased.
Our analysis of walleye diets illustrated that walleye fed selectively
on rainbow smelt but did not feed on cisco during the summer months.
When entered into bioenergetics simulations, this information demonstrates
that walleye predation alone was enough to cause the observed rainbow
smelt declines in our study lakes. Our results indicate that increased
walleye density allows for a parallel increase in cisco density. Based
on our results, fishery regulations to restore walleye to high densities
in lakes invaded by rainbow smelt may restore native planktivores that
have co-evolved traits.
Kukkonen, J. V. K., S. Mitra, P. F. LANDRUM, D. C. GOSSIAUX, J. Gunnarsson
and D. Weston. The contrasting roles of sedimentary plant-derived carbon
and black carbon on sediment-spiked hydrophobic organic contaminant
bioavailability to Diporeia spp. and Lumbriculus variegatus.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24(4):877-885 (2005).
In bioavailability studies, the biota sediment accumulation factor
(BSAF) is invoked to describe the thermodynamic partitioning of a hydrophobic
organic contaminant (HOC) between the organism lipid and the organic
carbon fraction of the sedimentary matrix and accounts for differences
in bioavailability among sediments. Bioaccumulation experiments were
performed with Lumbriculus variegatus and Diporeia species
exposed in seven sediments dosed with 2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl
(HCBP) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) or pyrene (PY) and 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl
(TCBP). The BSAF values for the nonplanar HCBP were consistent with
equilibrium partitioning theory (EQP) and averaged 2.87 for L. variegatus
and 1.45 for Diporeia, while the BSAF values for the planar compounds
(BaP, PY, TCBP) were generally lower than estimated from EQP (<1).
Correcting the BSAF values of the planar compounds for enhanced sorption
due to black carbon improved the BSAF values for L. variegatus,
generally resulting in values consistent with EQP, but substantial variation
remained for Diporeia. The BSAF values for the planar compounds
showed significant positive correlations with plant-derived carbon in
sediments (lignin and pigments) but were more consistent for L. variegatus
than for Diporeia. These correlations imply that compounds sorbed
to plant-derived carbon are more bioavailable since this material is
more likely ingested providing a second exposure route.
LANDRUM, P. F., J. A. Steevens, M. McELROY, D. C. GOSSIAUX, J. S.
Lewis and S. D. ROBINSON. Time-dependent toxicity of Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene
(DDE) to Hyalella azteca. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
24(1):211-218 (2005).
Temporal effects on body residues of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene
(DDE) associated with mortality in the freshwater amphipod Hyalella
azteca were evaluated. Toxicokinetics and body residues were determined
from water-only exposures that varied from 4 to 28 d, and DDE concentrations
ranging from 0.0013 to 0.045 umol L-1. Uptake and elimination
parameters were not affected significantly by the various temporal and
concentration treatments. Uptake rate coefficients ranged from 134.3
to 586.7 ml g-1 h-1, and elimination rate coefficients
ranged from 0.0011 to 0.0249 h-1. Toxicity metric values
included body residue for 50% mortality at a fixed sample time (LR5O)
and mean lethal residue to produce 50% mortality from individual exposure
concentrations (MLR5O) for live organisms and dead organisms. A twofold
increase occurred in the MLR5O values calculated using live organisms
compared to MLR5O values using dead organisms. Toxicity and kinetic
data were fit to a damage assessment model that allows for the time
course for toxicokinetics and damage repair, demonstrating the time-dependence
of body residues to toxicity. The DDE appeared to act through a nonpolar
narcosis mode of action for both acute and chronic mortality in H.
azteca. Furthermore, the temporal trend in the toxic response using
body residue as the dose metric is steep and found to be similar to
another chlorinated hydrocarbon, pentachlorobenzene, but was more potent
than that found for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH5).
Lee, J.-S. and J.-H. LEE. Influence of acid volatile sulfides and
simultaneously extracted metals on the bioavailability and toxicity
of a mixture of sediment-associated Cd, Ni, and Zn to polychaetes Neanthes
arenaceodentata. Science of the Total Environment 338:229-241
(2005).
Laboratory microcosm experiments were conducted to investigate the
influence of acid volatile sulfides (AVS) and simultaneously extracted
metals (SEM) in sediments on the bioavailability and toxicity of Cd,
Ni, and Zn in sediments to polychaete worms Neanthes arenaceodentata.
Cohorts of juvenile N. arenaceodentata were exposed to sediments
spiked with metal mixtures containing Cd, Ni, and Zn (0.5-15 mmol g-1
of total SEM) with Low- (~1 mmol . g-1), Medium- (~5 mmol
. g-1), and High-AVS concentrations (~10 mmol . g-1)
for 20 days to determine mortality, growth rate, and metal bioaccumulation.
Tissue Cd and Zn concentrations at the end of the exposure were significantly
higher in sediments with the low-AVS concentration at a given SEM concentration
due to the increased dissolved metal concentrations in overlying water
(OW). However, tissue Ni concentrations were not related to dissolved
Ni in the OW. AVS concentrations also influenced the toxicity of metals
to the worms. Significant mortality was observed only at the highest
SEM treatments at Low-AVS series. Most individuals survived at the highest
SEM treatments at Medium- and High-AVS series. Similarly, the growth
rates of worms were reduced in treatments having higher molar differences
between SEM and AVS ([SEM-AVS]). Overall, the bioavailability and toxicity
of metals in sediments was not well predicted by sediment metal concentrations
only, but considering the influence of geochemical factors (AVS) on
the metal bioavailability improved the prediction of toxicity. Also,
the relationship between tissue metal concentration and toxicity was
used to determine which contaminant was most responsible for the observed
toxicity of the metal mixture.
Lee, C.-H., D. J. SCHWAB and N. HAWLEY. Sensitivity analysis of sediment
resuspension parameters in coastal area of southern Lake Michigan. Journal
of Geophysical Research 110(C03004):16 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050018.pdf
[1] Model sensitivity analysis was
performed to identify and compare quantitatively the important resuspension
parameters in the coastal area of southern Lake Michigan. A one-dimensional
resuspension and bed model capable of dealing with the type of mixed
sediments (fine-grained+sand) common in the coastal area was developed
and utilized to compare with measured suspended sediment concentrations.
The results show that the most sensitive parameters in the model are
the fraction of fine-grained materials and sediment availability. Other
resuspension parameters such as settling velocity, critical shear stress,
and erosion rate constant are also found to be important and may cause
up to a 40% difference in suspended sediment concentration. Among those,
the absolute magnitude of settling velocity is most crucial in controlling
the first order prediction.
Lin, E.-B. and P. C. LIU. A discrete wavelet analysis of freak waves
in the ocean. Journal of Applied Mathematics 2004:5:379-394 (2004).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040032.pdf
A freak wave is a wave of very considerable
height, ahead of which there is a deep trough. A case study examines
some basic properties developed by performing wavelet analysis on a
freak wave. We demonstrate several applications of wavelets and discrete
and continuous wavelet transforms on the study of a freak wave. A modeling
setting for freak waves will also be mentioned.
LIU, P. C. and B. V. Babanin. Using wavelet spectrum analysis to resolve
breaking events in the wind wave time series. Annales Geophysicae
22:3335-3345 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040024.pdf
This paper presents the development
of a new approach, based on wavelet spectrum analysis, for the detection
of breaking waves in a time series of surface wave fluctuations. The
approach is shown to be capable of producing equivalent wave breaking
statistics as field measurements based on detection of whitecaps at
a fixed point of observation. This wavelet-based approach is applicable
to both deep water and finite depth environments. Based on applications
of this approach to the analysis of available field data, a novel classification
of wave breaking processes that consists of incipient, developing, and
subsiding phases is proposed.
LOFGREN, B. M. A model for simulation of the climate and hydrology
of the Great Lakes basin. Journal of Geophysical Research 109(D18108):20
pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040028.pdf
The Coupled Hydrosphere-Atmosphere
Research Model (CHARM) was developed by coupling the Regional Atmospheric
Modeling System (RAMS) to models of the land hydrology of the Great
Lakes basin and of the evaporation and thermodynamics of the Great Lakes.
It is intended for running coupled atmosphere-surface climate scenarios
for the Great Lakes basin, to gain a perspective that has been missed
by running hydrologic models in off-line mode, driven by the output
of global general circulation models. This paper presents validation
of this model using historical atmospheric data to drive the regional
embedded CHARM model. The current version of CHARM simulates the near-surface
air temperature in the region quite well, with some positive bias during
the winter and negative bias during the summer. Biases in the temperature
averaged over 1 month and over the portion of the domain that is not
directly forced by observations are less than or approximately 2 K.
The annual precipitation has a positive bias of 6.6% and does well at
placing the lake-effect precipitation areas, but may have too strong
a west-east gradient. Simulation of annually averaged runoff meets well
with expectations, but additional empirical fitting may be required
to replicate the seasonal cycle. Aspects of the model that remain troublesome
are the tendency for unrealistically low pressure at mean sea level
and for persistent heavy low stratus clouds.
LOFGREN, B. M. Development of the second-generation Hydrosphere-Atmosphere
Research Model (CHARM) for the Laurentian Great Lakes region. Proceedings,
19th Conference on Hydrology, 85th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological
Society, San Diego, CA, January 9-13, 2005. American Meteorological
Society, 3 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050021.pdf
The question of what effect global
warming might have on the amount of water available within the Laurentian
Great Lakes basin has gained some controversy. Even the author of this
extended abstract has gone on record with predictions in various directions.
Several studies during the 1990s used the results of general circulation
models (GCMs) to derive a suite of meteorological variables as drivers
for offline hydrologic models designed specifically for the Great Lakes
basin. That is, the GCMs drove the hydrologic models, but the GCM simulations
were already complete, so the GCMs were not aware of what was happening
in these hydrologic models. Notably, most of the GCMs altogether ignored
the presence of the Great Lakes in their simulations. These simulations
consistently show that, while GCMs generally show increased precipitation
over the basin, increased evapotranspiration from the basins, associated
with increased temperature and available energy at the surface took
the upper hand, leading to decreased net basin water supply and lowered
lake levels.
LOFGREN, B. M. CLIP: Climate-Land Interaction Project - Investigating
human-climate interactions in East Africa. Proceedings, 16th Conference
on Climate Variability and Change, 85th Annual Meeting of the American
Meteorological Society, San Diego, CA, January 9-13, 2005. 3 pp. (2005).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050020.pdf
East Africa is a region with an economy
that is rapidly developing in a variety of sectors, an expanding population,
and a distinct climatic challenge. Conflict sometimes occurs both between
and within tribal groups over conversion of land from pastoral to agrarian
use, but the trend is toward the cultivation of crops, both for subsistence
and for cash (Campbell et al. 2000). Much marginal land that previously
supported a pastoral economy has been irrigated for crops. Large-scale
land use change has been shown to have significant effects on climate
in other parts of Africa, leading to feedback between vegetation and
climate (e.g. Xue 1997). However, land use change in East Africa may
be more fragmented and less drastic (typical transformation from savanna
to cropland rather than from grassland to desert), and crops will introduce
a seasonal character with sharp anthropogenic discontinuities corresponding
to tillage and harvest. The Climate-Land Interaction Project (CLIP)
was conceived to investigate the interactions and feedback between climate
and land use in East Africa. It will specifically consider land use
transformations that are mediated by humans, in addition to the more
commonly investigated land use/land cover changes that occur in response
to climate perturbations through natural processes.
Lohrenz, S. E., G. L. FAHNENSTIEL, D. F. Millie, O. M. E. Schofield,
T. H. JOHENGEN and T. Bergman. Spring phytoplankton photosynthesis,
growth, and primary production and relationships to a recurrent coastal
sediment plume and river inputs in southeastern Lake Michigan. Journal
of Geophysical Research 109(C10S14):13 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040035.pdf
A recurrent coastal sediment plume
(RCP) is an episodic event in the southern basin of Lake Michigan that
typically coincides with the spring diatom bloom. Strong winter storm
activity during El Nino conditions in 1998 resulted in a large and intense
RCP event. Consistently higher values of the light-saturated rate of
photosynthesis, PBmax , were observed in spring
1998 compared to 1999 and 2000. Higher values of PBmax
in 1998 appeared to be related to increased availability of phosphorus,
as evidenced by significant correlations of PBmax
with soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Light-saturated growth rates
were also significantly correlated with SRP concentrations. These findings
were consistent the view that the RCP was a source of enrichment. However,
incubation experiments involving lake water enriched with sediments
showed relatively small increases in growth and photosynthetic parameters,
while enrichments with river water exhibited elevated rates. This result,
along with increased levels of river discharge in 1998 and high levels
of dissolved phosphorus in river water, supported the view that riverine
inputs rather than the RCP were responsible for the higher photosynthetic
parameters and growth seen for coastal margin assemblages. Despite the
higher levels of PBmax in 1998, model analyses
revealed that reduced light availability resulting from the intense
RCP event constrained phytoplankton growth rates and primary production
during this season and apparently suppressed the development of a typical
spring bloom. These findings indicate a potential for reduced ecosystem
productivity in response to extreme storm events, the frequency of which
may increase with projected long-term climate changes.
LOZAN0, S. J. and D. H. MERKEY. Chapter 7: Restoration monitoring of
soft bottom habitats. In Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of
Coastal Habitats. Volume II: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats.
G. W. Thayer, T.A. McTigue, R. Salz, D.H. Merkey, F.M. Burrows,
and P. Gayaldo (eds.). NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science,
Silver Spring, MD, 7.1-7.18 (2005). http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
Soft bottom habitats within coastal
environments are characterized by loose, unconsolidated sediment types
(Cowardin et al. 1979). The sediments are fine to coarse-grained with
at least 25% of the particles smaller than 2 cm and have a vegetative
cover less than 30%. Soft bottom habitats are restricted to subtidal,
permanently flooded water regimes, characterized by the general lack
of areas for plant and animal attachment and by lower energy levels
than rocky substrate habitats. The composition of plants and animals
present is determined by temperature, salinity, light penetration, and
the substrate type that is, in turn, structured by the exposure to wave
and current action. Managing the ecological health of soft bottom habitats
is integral to managing the health of aquatic systems as a whole. Many
organisms live in and on sediments and use sedimentary particles as
food. Crustaceans, polychaetes, and gastropods dominate these habitats
and are the primary sources of food for many of the larger estuarine
organisms such as fish (Boesch et al. 1994).
LOZANO, S. J. and J. V. Scharold. The status of Diporeia spp.
in Lake Ontario, 1994-1997. In Proceedings of a Workshop on the Dynamics
of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod Diporeia
spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr, and Nalepa, T.F (eds.). Great
Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report 66, Ann Arbor, MI, 233-246
(2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050009.pdf
Surveys of benthic macroinvertebrates
conducted in Lake Ontario between 1994 and 1997 revealed a recent decline
in Diporeia spp. (Amphipoda) abundance. The lowest population
densities and summer biomass are in the eastern basin of the lake at
all depths. Densities and biomass declined in the shallowest (10-50
m) depth zone between 1994 and 1997. Mean Diporeia spp. densities
declined from 1412 m-2 to 1 m-2, and the total
mean biomass declined from 0.66-g DW m-2 to 0.001 g-DW m-2.
The latter represents an overall loss of about 5100 mt of biomass in
the shallowest depth zone. In contrast, biomass at the deepest zone
(>90 m) did not change from 1994 to 1997 and has actually increased
over twofold since 1972. This shift of total biomass from shallow to
deeper sediments will have a profound effect on organisms that depend
upon Diporeia spp. for food. Because of the importance of benthic
macroinvertebrates, and particularly Diporeia spp. in fish diets,
changes in the status of Diporeia spp. could have dramatic effects
on fish production in Lake Ontario.
LUDSIN, S. A., B. J. Fryer, Z. Yang, S. Melancon and J. L. Markham.
Exploration of the existence of natural reproduction in Lake Erie lake
trout using otolith microchemistry. 2004 Project Completion Report.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Ann Arbor, MI, 45 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040036.pdf
Lake Erie fishery management agencies
have been attempting to reestablish lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
as a self-sustaining predator in eastern Lake Erie, primarily through
stocking. Although this program has led to the recolonization of eastern
Lake Erie by mature adults, and natural egg production has been documented,
an understanding of whether these naturally produced eggs successfully
recruit to older life stages is lacking. To assess the likelihood of
successful recruitment of wild fish, we used laser-ablation inductively
coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to develop characteristic otolith elemental
ÒsignaturesÓ for the hatchery (from cores) and Lake Erie (from edges)
using hatchery-reared lake trout that were recaptured in Lake Erie during
1984-2003. In turn, discriminant functions were developed to determine
whether 28 lake trout of unknown origin were produced in the hatchery
or wild. Large differences in elemental composition existed between
otolith cores (hatchery phase) and edges (Lake Erie phase) of recaptured
individuals. Using additional lake trout that spent their entire life
in the hatchery or in Keuka Lake (NY), we found that two elements (Zn,
Mn) likely differed between core and edge only because of physiology;
hence, these elements were not included in our final classification
model. The remaining elements (Li, Mg, Rb, Sr, Sn, Ba, and Pb), however,
varied more likely as a function of water chemistry, and allowed us
to discriminate between environments with 95% accuracy (based on an
independent, crossvalidation set consisting of known-origin fish). Barium
was the most important discriminator, followed by Sr, Mg, and Li. Ultimately,
using these four elements, we classified 24 of 28 unknown individuals
as hatchery-reared, whereas the other four fish were classified as wild.
Our results strongly suggest that the resident Lake Erie lake trout
population no longer consists solely of hatchery-reared Lake trout,
and that successful recruitment of naturally produced fish has occurred
Madenjian, C. P., T. O. Hook, E. S. Rutherford, D. M. MASON, T. E.
CROLEY II, E. B. Szalai and J. R. Bence. Recruitment variability of
alewives in Lake Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society 134:218-230 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050002.pdf
We used a long-term series of observations on alewife Alosa pseudoharengus
abundance that was based on fall bottom-trawl catches to assess the
importance of various abiotic and biotic factors on alewife recruitment
in Lake Michigan during 1962–2002. We first fit a basic Ricker
spawner–recruit model to the lakewide biomass estimates of age-3
recruits and the corresponding spawning stock size; we then fit models
for all possible combinations of the following four external variables
added to the basic model: an index of salmonine predation on an alewife
year-class, an index for the spring–summer water temperatures
experienced by alewives during their first year in the lake, an index
of the severity of the first winter experienced by alewives in the lake,
and an index of lake productivity during an alewife year-classs second
year in the lake. Based on an information criterion, the best model
for alewife recruitment included indices of salmonine predation and
spring–summer water temperatures as external variables. Our analysis
corroborated the contention that a decline in alewife abundance during
the 1970s and early 1980s in Lake Michigan was driven by salmonine predation.
Furthermore, our findings indicated that the extraordinarily warm water
temperatures during the spring and summer of 1998 probably led to a
moderately high recruitment of age-3 alewives in 2001, despite abundant
salmonines.
Madenjian, C. P., S. A. POTHOVEN, P. J. Schneeberger, D. V. O'Connor
and S. B. BRANDT. Preliminary evaluation of a Lake Whitefish (Coregonus
clupeaformis) bioenergetics model. In Proceedings of a Workshop
on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod
Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr and T.F. Nalepa (eds.).
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report 66, Ann Arbor, MI,
189-202 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050010.pdf
We conducted a preliminary evaluation
of a lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) bioenergetics model
by applying the model to size-at-age data for lake whitefish from northern
Lake Michigan. We then compared estimates of gross growth efficiency
(GGE) from our bioenergetics model with previously published estimates
of GGE for bloater (C. hoyi) in Lake Michigan and for lake Quebec.
According to our model, the GGE of Lake Michigan lake whitefish decreased
from 0.075 to 0.02 as age increased from 2 to 5 years. In contrast,
the GGE of lake whitefish in Quebec inland waters decreased from 0.12
to 0.05 for the same ages. When our swimming-speed submodel was replaced
with a submodel that had been used for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
in Lake Michigan and an observed predator energy density for Lake Michigan
lake whitefish was employed, our model predicted that the GGE of Lake
Michigan lake whitefish decreased from 0.12 to 0.04 as age increased
from 2 to 5 years.
Madenjian, C. P., D. W. HONDORP,
T. J. Desorcie and J. D. Holuszko. Sculpin community dynamics in Lake
Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:267-276 (2005).
Two hypotheses have been proposed
to explain the dynamics of sympatric populations of deepwater sculpin
(Myoxocephalus thompsonii) and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus).
The first hypothesis is that slimy sculpins negatively affect survival
of deepwater sculpins, and therefore deepwater sculpins coexist with
slimy sculpins only when a keystone predator, lake trout (Salvelinus
namaycush), is abundant. According to the second hypothesis, changes
in the abundances of the sculpins are driven by interactions with fishes
other than sculpins. To evaluate both hypotheses, we applied regression
analyses to long-term observations on abundances of both sculpin populations
in Lake Michigan during 1973–2002. For slimy sculpin abundance,
we considered the predation effect by lake trout and the effect of deepwater
sculpins on slimy sculpins. For deepwater sculpin abundance, we considered
the effect of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) on deepwater sculpins,
the predation effect by burbot (Lota lota), and the effect of
slimy sculpins on deepwater sculpins. An information criterion was used
to select the best regression model explaining the temporal trends.
The best model to explain trends in slimy sculpin abundance was the
model that included the lake trout predation term only. The best model
to explain trends in deepwater sculpin abundance was a model including
the alewife and burbot predation terms. Thus, a negative effect of slimy
sculpins on deepwater sculpins was not essential in capturing the sculpin
community dynamics. Therefore, our results supported the second hypothesis.
Further, our results supported the contention that control of the alewife
population was a prerequisite for restoration of deepwater sculpin populations.
MERKEY, D. H. Chapter 2: Restoration monitoring of the water column.
In Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats. Volume
II: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats. G. W. Thayer, T.A. McTigue,
R. Salz, D.H. Merkey, F.M. Burrows, and P. Gayaldo (eds.). NOAA National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, 2.1-2.26 (2005).
http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
The water column, defined as a volume
of water that extends from the water surface down to (but not including)
the substrate, is a very dynamic habitat subject to waves, currents,
tides, and river flow. It is also the only habitat in this guidance
document that is associated with all the other habitat types described
in the rest of Volume Two. The water column is responsible for
transporting materials, nutrients, sediments, and toxins from upland
sources into estuarine environments and from one aquatic habitat to
another. As such, the water column has direct effects on all other associated
habitats (e.g. SAV, coral reefs, riverine forests etc.), and, therefore,
must be taken into consideration for any restoration monitoring program.
MERKEY, D. H., F. M. Burrows and G. W. Thayer. Chapter 9: Restoration
monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). In Science-Based
Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats. Volume II: Tools for Monitoring
Coastal Habitats. G. W. Thayer, T.A. McTigue, R. Salz, D.H. Merkey,
F.M. Burrows, and P. Gayaldo (eds.). NOAA National Centers for Coastal
Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, 9.1-9.56 (2005). http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV
- referred to as Aquatic Bed in Cowardin et al. 1979) is a habitat created
by vascular4 plants that grow below the surface of the water. The plants
are usually completely inundated throughout the growing season. Some
SAV habitats may also contain a mix of open water and rooted, floating-leaved,
and short-emergent vegetation. The distribution of SAV in a particular
area is dependent on water depth, turbidity, and wave energy, the presence
of grazers, and characteristics of the sediment. Salinity can also be
important in tidal areas. Plant species diversity is greater in freshwater
SAV habitats than marine habitats. Approximately 500-700 plant species
in 50 genera (Sculthorpe 1967) have been cataloged for freshwater areas
compared to just 50 species in 12 genera for marine settings (den Hartog,
1970 cited in Stevenson 1988).
MERKEY, D. H., F. M. Burrows, T. A. McTigue and J. Foret. Chapter 10:
Restoration monitoring of coastal marshes. In Science-Based Restoration
Monitoring of Coastal Habitats. Volume II: Tools for Monitoring Coastal
Habitats. G. W. Thayer, T.A. McTigue, R. Salz, D.H. Merkey, F.M.
Burrows, and P. Gayaldo (eds.). NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean
Science, Silver Spring, MD, 10.1-10.94 (2005). http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
Coastal marshes are characterized
as having erect, rooted, herbaceous plants that extend above the water
surface (Figure 1). They are extremely productive systems that provide
an abundance of food for wildlife that directly access the marsh and
exporting large amounts of organic matter to estuaries and other coastal
systems. Coastal marshes also provide a variety of feeding and breeding
needs for invertebrates, fish, and other wildlife. The characteristics
of the marsh vegetation determines the quality and quantity of habitat
available to these animals (Adam 1990; Wilcox 1995). The high stem density
typical of marsh vegetation provides excellent cover for invertebrates
such as crustaceans, snails, worms, and insect larvae, allowing them
to feed on algae and on one another while escaping predation from larger
fish and wading birds (Havens et al. 1995; Harrel et al. 2001). If plant
stems are too dense, however, even small animals may be restricted.
Fish use marshes during high water periods to feed, spawn, and as nursery
habitat (Keast et al. 1978; Boesch and Turner 1984; McIvor et al. 1989;
Jude and Pappas 1992; Wilcox and Meeker 1992; Yozzo and Diaz 1999).
Canada geese and some ducks feed on the tender shoots of emergent vegetation4
(Prince et al. 1992). Wading birds and songbirds migrate along routes
through highly productive coastal marshes, using the habitat as temporary
feeding areas or as seasonal destinations (Weeber and Vallianatos 2000).
The vertical structure provided by emergent plants provides perching
areas for birds (Brawley et al. 1998) and allows snails and other animals
to escape high water levels (Hamilton 1977). Although many species of
mammals such as mink, otter, deer, and raccoons use coastal marshes
for feeding and refuge, others such as nutria and muskrats are completely
dependent upon them to provide the majority of their habitat needs (Evans
1970; Weller 1981; Wilcox and Meeker 1992).
MERKEY, D. H. Chapter 12: Restoration monitoring of deepwater swamps.
In Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats. Volume
II: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats. G. W. Thayer, T.A. McTigue,
R. Salz, D.H. Merkey, F.M. Burrows, and P. Gayaldo (eds.). NOAA National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, 12.1-12.20 (2005).
http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
Deepwater swamps are forested wetlands
that develop along edges of lakes, on alluvial river floodplains, in
slow-flowing strands, and in large, coastal-wetland complexes. Deepwater
swamps are commonly referred to as cypress swamps and in Cowardin et
al. (1979) these forests are referred to as Ôestuarine forested wetlandsÕ.
They can be found along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of
Mexico and throughout the Mississippi River valley from southern Illinois
to Louisiana. Dominant species commonly include: Baldcypress (Taxodium
distichum), Water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), and Swamp tupelo
(N. sylvatica var. biflora) (Wharton et al. 1982). The dominant
vegetation in deepwater swamps is distinguished from other forested
swamps in that it is significantly more tolerant of flooding than other
tree species (Figure 1 - Conner and Day 1992b; Allen et al. 1996). Adult
baldcypress and tupelo can survive permanent inundation although seedlings
require exposed sediments to germinate and become successfully established
(Schneider and Sharitz 1988; Keeland et al. 1997; Middleton 2000). The
soils of cypress swamps range from mineral to accumulated peat depending
on the hydrodynamics and topography of the specific system (Giese et
al. 2000; Mitsch and Gosselink 2000).
MERKEY, D. H. and B. D. Keeland. Chapter 13: Restoration monitoring
of riverine forests. In Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal
Habitats. Volume II: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats. G. W.
Thayer, T.A. McTigue, R. Salz, D.H. Merkey, F.M. Burrows, and P. Gayaldo
(eds.). NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring,
MD, 13.1-13.28 (2005). http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
A riverine forest is a type of wetland
dominated by trees and located along sluggish streams, drainage depressions,
and in large alluvial floodplains. Although this habitat occurs throughout
the United States, extensive areas of riverine forests are found on
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and throughout the Mississippi river valley
from Louisiana to southern Illinois (Figure 1 - Mitsch and Gosselink
2000; Allen et al. 2001). Riverine forests are commonly referred to
as bottomland hardwoods, floodplain forests, or riverine swamps. They
are referred to as Ôpalustrine forestsÕ by Cowardin et al. (1979).
Mohr, L. C. and T. F. NALEPA. Proceedings of a Workshop on the Dynamics
of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the Amphipod Diporeia
spp. in the Great Lakes. Technical Report 66. Great Lakes Fishery
Commission, Ann Arbor, MI, 310 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050004.pdf
No abstract.
Moore, D. W., R. Baudo, J. M. Conder,
P. F. LANDRUM, J. P. McFarland, R. N. Millward, J. P. Shine and J. Q.
Word. Bioaccumulation in the assessment of sediment quality: uncertainty
and potential application. In Use of Sediment Quality Guidelines
and Related Tools for the Assessment of Contaminated Sediments. R.J.
Wenning, G.E. Batley, C.G. Ingersoll, and D.W. Moore (eds.). Society
of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 429-495 (2005).
The desire for cost-effective screening
tools for contaminated sediments has resulted in the development of
a variety of numerical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Currently
developed guideline values can be categorized as either mechanistically
based (e.g., equilibrium partitioning [EqP}) or empirically based (threshold
effects levels [TELs], probably effects levels [PELs], effects range
low [ERLs], effects range median [ERMs], apparent effects thresholds
[AETs]) (Chapters 3 and 4). None of the existing approaches in either
of these categories were designed or intended to be protective of indirect
effects through bioaccumulation Thus, there is a need (and under certain
United States [US] regulatory programs, a requirement, e.g., the Marine
Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act [MPRSA] and the Clean Water
Act [CWA]) to assess the potential for sediment-associated contaminants
to bioaccumulate and to evaluate any potential effects (direct and indirect
[i.e., foodchain]) associated with that bioaccumulation. While the technical
basis, utility, and accuracy of existing SQG approaches in predicting
direct effects to benthic infaunal organisms is discussed in other chapters
(e.g., 4, 12, and 13), the intent of this chapter is to provide an overview
of the potential for guideline values to predict effects through bioaccumulation.
NALEPA, T. F., D. L. FANSLOW and G. Messick. Characteristics and potential
causes of declining Diporeia spp. populations in southern Lake
Michigan and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. In Proceedings of a Workshop
on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod
Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr and T.F. Nalepa (eds.).
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report 66, Ann Arbor, MI,
157-188 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050007.pdf
Populations of the amphipods Diporeia spp. are declining in
all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. We examine characteristics
and potential causes of declines in southern Lake Michigan and outer
Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Amphipod populations began to decline within
3-4 years after zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) colonized
both areas. In Lake Michigan, which was better studied, the decline
occurred first in shallow waters (<30 m) and then progressed deeper
(51-90 m). Between 1980-1981 (pre-Dreissena) and 1998-1999 (post-Dreissena),
densities at sites in these two depth intervals declined 92% and 58%,
respectively. At a 45-m site in southeastern Lake Michigan, densities
of Diporeia spp. declined to near zero within six months even
though mussels were never collected at the site itself. At a nearby
45-m site, densities declined gradually to zero over a six-year period
and correlated with increased mussel densities. Although mussels are
likely outcompeting Diporeia spp. populations for food, and food
limitation is probably a contributing factor to population declines,
populations show no physiological signs of starvation; lipid content
is at a maximum as densities approach zero. Pathogens, fish predation,
contaminants, and low dissolved oxygen do not appear to be the sole
causes of population declines. The decline of Diporeia spp. is
likely to continue as dreissenid populations expand.
NALEPA, T. F., L. C. Mohr, B. A. Henderson, C. P. Madenjian and P.
J. Schneeberger. Lake Whitefish and Diporeia spp. in the Great
Lakes: An overview. In Proceedings of a Workshop on the Dynamics
of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod Diporeia
spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr and T.F. Nalepa (eds.). Great
Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report 66, Ann Arbor, MI, 3-20 (2005).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050005.pdf
Because of growing concern in the
Great Lakes over declines in abundance and growth of lake whitefish
(Coregonus clupeaformis) and declines in abundance of the benthic
amphipod Diporeia spp., a workshop was held to examine past and
current trends, to explore trophic links, and to discuss the latest
research results and needs. The workshop was divided into sessions on
the status of populations in each of the lakes, bioenergetics and trophic
dynamics, and exploitation and management. Abundance, growth, and condition
of whitefish populations in Lakes Superior and Erie are stable and within
the range of historical means, but these variables are declining in
Lakes Michigan and Ontario and parts of Lake Huron. The loss of Diporeia
spp., a major food item of whitefish, has been a factor in observed
declines, particularly in Lake Ontario, but density-dependent factors
also likely played a role in Lakes Michigan and Huron. The loss of Diporeia
spp. is temporally linked to the introduction and proliferation
of dreissenid mussels, but a direct cause for the negative response
of Diporeia spp. has not been established. Given changes in whitefish
populations, age-structured models need to be re-evaluated. Other whitefish
research needs to include a better understanding of what environmental
conditions lead to strong year-classes, improved aging techniques, and
better information on individual population (stock) structure. Further
collaborations between assessment biologists and researchers studying
the lower food web would enhance an understanding of links between trophic
levels.
NALEPA, T. F., D. L. FANSLOW and A. J. FOLEY III. Spatial patterns
in population trends of the amphipod Diporeia spp. and Dreissena
mussels in Lake Michigan. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 29:426-431
(2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050019.pdf
Until the late 1980s, the benthic
amphipod Diporeia spp. was the dominant benthic macroinvertebrate
in offshore waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes and was considered
a keystone species in the lakes' trophic structure (COOK & JOHNSON
1974). In Lake Michigan, it comprised over 70% of macrobenthic biomass
at depths >30m in the 1980s (NALEPA 1989). As a benthic detritivore,
Diporeia feeds mainly upon material freshly settled from the
water column (i.e. diatoms) and, in turn, is fed upon by many fish species
including yellow perch, lake whitefish, bloater, alewife, and sculpin
(WELLS 1980, CROWDER et al. 1981, KRAFT & KITCHELL 1986). Declines
in Diporeia populations have been documented in the Great Lakes
since the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the quagga
mussel (Dreissena bugensis) became established in the late 1980s.
Large areas of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario are now completely
devoid of this organism (DERMOT & KEREC 1997, NALEPA et al. 1998,
LOZANO et al. 2001). A common hypothesis for the decline is that Diporeia
is being outcompeted for available food resources by Dreissena.
Diporeia feeds in the upper few cm of sediment, whereas Dreissena
occurs at the sediment surface and filters settling material before
it becomes available to Diporeia. Spatial and temporal patterns
of the Diporeia decline, however, are often inconsistent with
this food-limitation hypothesis (NALEPA et al. 2004). In this paper,
we examine trends in Diporeia and Dreissena populations
in different areas of Lake Michigan. By comparing spatial patterns of
population trends in these two organisms, we may better define causes
of declines and thus better predict the eventual extent of Diporeia
losses.
NALEPA, T. F., D. L. FANSLOW, G. A. LANG and S. A. RUBERG. Recent trends
in benthic macroinvertebrate populations in Lake Michigan. In State
of Lake Michigan (SOLM) - Ecology, Health, and Management. T. Edsall
and M. Munawar (eds.). Ecovision World Monograph Series, Aquatic Ecosystem
Health and Management Society, 269-292 (2005).
No abstract.
PEACOR, S. D. and E. E. Werner. How dependent are species-pair interaction
strengths on other species in the food web? Ecology 85(10):2754-2763
(2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040023.pdf
Abstract. In ecological theory species
interaction strengths are typically described by constants or functions
that depend on the densities of the two interacting species. However,
if speciesÕ traits (phenotypes) are plastic, then modifications in these
traits (induced by the presence of another species) could affect interaction
strengths of the focal species with a number of other species in the
system. The magnitudes of such higher-order effects on interaction strengths
have not been reported and are not straightforward to measure. We present
a methodology to quantify changes in consumer–resource interaction
coefficients (a metric of interaction strength) due to effects of predators
on consumer (i.e., the prey of the predator) phenotype (e.g., nonlethal
or trait-mediated effects). Application of this method to studies in
diverse systems indicates that predators can strongly reduce consumer–resource
interaction coefficients, often in the range of 20–80%. We use
analytic and simulation models to show that effects on interaction coefficients
of this magnitude can lead to trait-mediated effects that contribute
more strongly than density-mediated effects to the net effects of predators
on consumers and their resources, and even qualitatively change model
predictions. Our results strengthen previous claims that trait-mediated
effects strongly influence species interactions and suggest that recent
calls to quantify interaction strengths must be broadened to include
examination of the variation in interaction strengths due to their dependence
on densities of other species (most notably predators) in food webs.
PEACOR, S. D. and E. E. Werner. Context dependence of nonlethal effects
of a predator on prey growth. Israel Journal of Zoology 50:139-167
(2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040025.pdf
Predators can have a large influence
on their prey through induced changes in prey phenotype. Such ÒnonlethalÓ
predator effects have been abundantly demonstrated empirically in both
terrestrial and aquatic systems. But the extent to which changes in
species traits alter short-term responses such as growth rate or probability
of survival is not clear. Here we develop models to examine the nonlethal
effects of predators on prey growth. Our analyses illustrate how the
nonlethal effects of predators on individual prey growth depend on environmental
context; e.g., factors such as focal species density, competitor density,
resource dynamics, and the timescale over which the interactions occur.
This context dependence arises because of complex interactions of three
mechanisms; (1) the direct negative effect of induced reduction in foraging
rates, which is opposed by (2) the potential positive effects of reductions
in intra- and interspecific competition, and (3) resource responses
to reduced foraging. We present new empirical work, and review previous
work, on larval-anuran growth that is in general support of model predictions.
The framework presented here can serve to facilitate the design and
interpretation of experimental results and predict how the nonlethal
predator effect on prey growth in natural systems will vary over time
and space.
PEACOR, S., K. PANGLE and H. A. VANDERPLOEG. Behavioral response of
Lake Michigan Daphnia galeata mendotae to Mysis relicta.
Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:144-154 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050014.pdf
We performed laboratory experiments
to determine if Mysis relicta induce changes in the behavior
of Daphnia mendotae collected from Lake Michigan. Laboratory
results indicate that Daphnia perceived Mysis kairomones
and responded by changing their vertical position in cylinders. Experiments
using different resource levels, and two procedures to examine the potential
effects of the chemical cues from Mysis or from particulate matter
or bacteria associated with capture and defecation of prey, suggest
that Daphnia detect Mysis via a chemical cue. This is
the first laboratory study that we are aware of that indicates that
a zooplankton species from the Great Lakes responds behaviorally to
an invertebrate predator. Our findings support the hypothesis that changes
in vertical distribution of zooplankton associated with changes in invertebrate
predator density, observed in previous Great Lakes studies, is due to
behavioral responses to reduce predation risk. It is important to understand
and quantify such responses, because predator-induced changes in prey
behavior represent trait-mediated interactions that can potentially
strongly affect prey growth rates, and indirectly affect resources,
competitors, and predators of the prey.
PICHLOVA, R., A. Weber and B. Gosser. Leptodora kindtii survival
in the laboratory. Aquatic Ecology 38:537-546 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040031.pdf
Leptodora kindtii, a pelagic
predatory cladoceran, suffers high mortality on transfer to laboratory,
which makes the experimental work difficult. We investigated the causes
of high mortality, using four variables: water volume, animal density,
light intensity, and origin of water for culturing, i.e., water from
native or a non-native lake. For the experiments we used Leptodora and
water from Lake Loosdrecht and Lake Maarsseveen The Netherlands
. Water was found to be the most important factor; the animals did not
necessarily do better in lake water from which they were collected.
Water volume and animal density were of limited importance, and light
intensity did not affect survival.
Pinho, U. F., P. C. LIU and C. E. P. Ribeiro. Freak waves at Campos
Basin, Brazil. Geofizika 21:53-67 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040029.pdf
Freak waves occur abundantly in Campos
Basin, located on the northeast coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the
South Atlantic Ocean. This surprising and unexpected discovery was made
from a search of the time-series data of wave measurements recorded
in the Campos Basin from 1991 to 1995. In a study on the occurrence
of freak waves and their relevant properties, we have also found that
freak waves are not of rare occurrence as conventionally presumed, and
they occur not only during storm conditions but also during fair weather
states as well. While the conventional approach of spectrum analysis
provides some weak inference of freak wave effects, the basically stationary
random process approach is clearly incapable of contending with the
localized non-stationary process of freak wave occurrences.
POTHOVEN, S. A. and H. A. VANDERPLOEG.
Diet and prey selection of alewives in Lake Michigan: seasonal, depth,
and interannual patterns. Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society 133:1068-1077 (2004).
To evaluate the current diet of alewives
Alosa pseudoharengus and interactions with their prey in light
of recent changes in Lake Michigan, we determined the seasonal diet
and prey selectivity of large (>100 mm total length) and small (<100
mm) alewives in southeastern Lake Michigan. Selectivity and diet were
evaluated on a biomass basis for alewives collected near Muskegon, Michigan,
during June, July-August, and October 1999-2001. Fish were sampled from
three depth zones: shallow (15-25 m), transitional (35-55 m), and deep
(65-90 m). Prey selectivity and diet patterns indicated that alewives
had considerable flexibility in adjusting to prey availability, which
varied by season, depth zone, and year. Although small copepods were
an abundant prey item throughout the year and in all depth zones, they
were mainly important in the diet (large and small alewives) in June
and at the shallow stations, where many of the other prey types were
not available. Despite declining numbers, Diporeia continued
to be important for large alewives in spring, particularly at the transitional
and deep stations, where their biomass was many times higher than that
of other prey. During summer, large alewives selected either Bythotrephes
longimanus or Mysis relicta in all depth zones and years.
The diet of large alewives consisted mainly of Mysis in July
1999 and August 2001, whereas in August 2000 mainly Bosmina were
eaten. During October, Mysis and Bythotrephes, along with
large zooplankters (Daphnia spp. and large calanoid copepods),
were selected and were most important in the diet of large alewives.
In contrast, only the large zooplankton were selected and were important
prey for the small alewives in fall. Annual, seasonal, and depth differences
in prey biomass as well as differences in alewife size all influenced
diet and selectivity patterns.
POTHOVEN, S. A. Changes in Lake Whitefish diet: Lake Michigan. In Proceedings
of a Workshop on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
and the amphipod Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. L. C. Mohr and
T.F. Nalepa (eds.). Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Technical Report
66, Ann Arbor, MI, 127-140 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050006.pdf
Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were collected for diet
analysis from MichiganÕs waters of Lake Michigan during 1998-2001. When
the benthic amphipod Diporeia spp. was available, it was an important
item in the diets of small (<430 mm) and large (>430 mm) Lake
Whitefish. In southern Lake Michigan, the most-common prey consumed
in the absence of Diporeia spp. included zebra mussels (Dreissena
polymorpha), gastropods, chironomids, and Mysis relicta.
In northern regions of the lake, alternative prey included chironomids,
isopods, Bythotrephes, and fish. Following the decline of Diporeia
spp. in southeastern Lake Michigan between 1998 and 2001, their
contribution to the diet of small lake whitefish fell from 57% to 1%
(dry weight). The contribution of Diporeia spp. to the diet was
similar for small fish captured in nearshore (9-30 m) and offshore (31-46
m) waters. Mysis were more common in the diets of fish collected
at offshore stations whereas chironomids and zebra mussels were more
common in fish from nearshore stations.
SANO, L. L., A. M. Krueger and P. F. LANDRUM. Chronic toxicity of glutaraldehyde:
differential sensitivity of three freshwater organisms. Aquatic Toxicology
71:283-296 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050003.pdf
The biocide, glutaraldehyde, is a
potential environmental contaminant due to its widespread use in medical
applications, off-shore oil extraction, and pulp mill processing. It
has also been proposed as a candidate for treating the ballast water
of vessels, which could result in a substantial increase in environmental
release. To assess the potential for environmental impacts associated
with glutaraldehyde, three standard chronic toxicity bioassays were
performed: 96-h phytoplankton growth bioassays using Pseudokirchneriella
subcapitata (formerly, Selenastrum capricornutum), three-brood
reproduction bioassays using Ceriodaphnia dubia, and an embryo–larval
bioassay using steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. For the
green alga, P. subcapitata, significant decreases in growth were
observed at glutaraldehyde concentrations greater than or equal to 1.0
mg L-1. Embryos of O. mykiss demonstrated a similar sensitivity
with exposures of 2.5 mg L-1 resulting in a 97% reduction in hatch rate.
In most cases, this failure to hatch was due to the inability of the
embryo to leave the chorion and not to early embryo mortality. In contrast,
reproduction and mortality rates in C. dubia were not as sensitive
to glutaraldehyde: decreased reproduction was detected at 4.9 mg L-1
(the lowest observed effect concentration), and is similar to concentrations
causing acute mortality in adults (4.7 mg L-1 for the estimated LC50,
or 50% lethal concentration). These data indicate that both algae and
fish embryos may be particularly sensitive to long-term glutaraldehyde
exposure; however, this is predicated on whether glutaraldehyde concentrations
will achieve high enough environmental concentrations and for a sufficient
period of time to elicit such effects.
SANO, L. L. and P. F. LANDRUM. Evaluation
of different biocides for potential use in treating overseas unballasted
vessels entering the Great Lakes. Aquatic Invaders 16(July-September
2005):1-11 (2005).
The North American Great Lakes are
arguably one of the world's greatest natural resources. Containing more
than 5,500 cubic miles of freshwater and possessing 10,000 miles of
coastline, the Great Lakes constitute a unique freshwater habitat that
provides water and generates jobs for tens of millions of U.S. and Canadian
citizens. Despite the immense size, the Great Lakes are extremely vulnerable
to human activities. Over the decades, the ecosystem has succumbed to
anthropogenic pressures associated with over-fishing, eutrophication,
and urbanization. Perhaps one of the most profound anthropogenic effects,
however, has been from the introduction of aquatic nonindigenous species.
Although more than a dozen of these species have been introduced intentionally,
most often for recreational enhancement and as biological controls for
species such as the invading alewife, some of the more problematic ones
are due to unintentional introductions. Two of the most notorious unintentional
invaders include the sea lamprey, which was first sighted in the upper
Great Lakes the early 1900s, and the zebra mussel, which was first discovered
in Lake St. Clair in 1988 (Herbert et al. 1989)
Scharold, J. V., S. J. LOZANO and
T. D. Corry. Status of the amphipod Diporeia spp. in Lake Superior,
1994-2000. Journal of Great Lakes Research 30(Supplement 1):360-368
(2004).
The amphipod Diporeia spp.
is the dominant component of the Great Lakes benthic macroinvertebrate
fauna, and plays an important role in the ecosystem. The Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement of 1978 (GLWQA) calls for the use of Diporeia
as an indicator of ecological condition, with a goal of 220 to 320/m2
at depths less than 100 m, and 30-160/m2 at greater depths.
To ascertain the status of Diporeia in Lake Superior, a probability-based
survey of 27 sites representing the U.S. nearshore (10 to 110 m) waters
of Lake Superior was conducted in 1994, and again in 2000. During 1995
to 1998, ten nearshore non-depositional sites and five sites in major
depositional basins in the western half of the lake were revisited yearly
to examine variability of Diporeia abundance. In 1994, nearshore Diporeia
abundance ranged from 550 to 5500/m2, and the entire nearshore
area met or exceeded the GLWQA ecosystem objective. In 2000, abundance
ranged from less than 10 to 2,800/m2, and 11% of the nearshore
area did not meet the GLWQA objective. The area that did not meet the
GLWQA objective was located in the eastern half of the lake. Examination
of yearly abundance data in the western half of Lake Superior did not
reveal a significant trend at nearshore or offshore sites. Although
Diporeia abundance in the eastern half of the lake was lower
in 2000 than 1994, the severe declines in Diporeia populations
that have been observed in the lower Great Lakes are not evident in
Lake Superior. Abundances of Diporeia observed in the present study
are higher than those reported in the 1970s by a factor of seven.
Schuler, L. J., P. F. LANDRUM and
M. J. Lydy. Time-dependent toxicity of fluoranthene to freshwater invertebrates
and the role of biotransformation on lethal body residues. Environmental
Science and Technology 38:6247-6255 (2004).
The time-dependent toxicity of fluoranthene was examined for Hyalella
azteca, Chironomus tentans, and Diporeia spp. C.
tentans appeared to be the most sensitive species, and Diporeia
was the least sensitive. Incipient LC50 values, the concentration at
which the LC50 reaches an asymptote and does not change with increasing
duration of exposure, for H. azteca and C. tentans were
approximately 60 and 40 mgL-1, respectively. Incipient levels
were not reached for Diporeia; however, the 28-d LC50
concentration was 95.5 mgL-1. There was a temporal relationship
with respect to lethal body residues for each of the test species. For
H. azteca, the LR50, the median lethal residue at
an identified exposure time required to cause 50% mortality, based on
total fluoranthene equivalents (parent+metabolite compounds) decreased
from 3.19 mgL-1 at 5 d to 0.80 mgL-1 at 28 d.
For C. tentans, the LR50 decreased from 0.43 to 0.17
mgL-1 from 2 to 10 d. The 10-d LR50 for Diporeia was
9.97 mgL-1, and the 28-d value was 3.67 mgL-1.
The toxicokinetics are not sufficient to address the temporal changes
in LR50 values. Thus, the data were fit to a Damage Assessment
Model that also accounts for toxicodynamic processes. This analysis
provides estimates of the incipient lethal residues for H. azteca,
C. tentans, and Diporeia: 0.84, 0.21, and 3.00 mgL-1,
respectively. When comparing the relative sensitivity among species
using lethal body residues, special attention should be given to ensure
that comparisons are made at a common point in relation to exposure
duration (i.e., time to steady state, Tss). When the LR50
(lipid) values among the three species were compared at steady state,
C. tentans is more sensitive than H. azteca and Diporeia
spp.; however, there are no significant differences between the
amphipod species. The greater sensitivity of C. tentans to fluoranthene
as compared to the amphipods may be due, in part, to a potential toxic
metabolite.
SCHWAB, D. J., T. E. I. CROLEY and W. M. Schertzer. Physical, limnological,
and hydrological characteristics of Lake Michigan. In State of Lake
Michigan (SOLM) - Ecology, Health, and Management. T. Edsall and
M. Munawar (eds.). Ecovision World Monograph Series, Aquatic Ecosystem
Health and Management Society, 3-52 (2005).
No abstract.
STURTEVANT, R. Great Lakes Ecological Forecasting Needs Assessment.
NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-131, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 60 pp. (2004). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-131
To maximize the benefits of our ecosystems,
to sustain these benefits into the future and to restore the benefits
of impaired systems, decision-makers increasingly rely on understanding
of long and short-term changes in ecosystem structure and function.
Science today is challenged to play an increasing role in providing
forecasts of such changes at temporal and spatial scales appropriate
to these decision-making processes and sufficient to support proactive
ecosystem management. Ecosystems are influenced by physical, chemical,
biological and anthropogenic processes causing complex changes in system
structure and function. Predicting these changes – and particularly
the effect of these changes on human end-users – in a form that
makes the predictions useful to decision makers is the heart of the
ecological forecasting concept. This preliminary needs assessment is
largely the result of a workshop held at the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory in August of 2003. Workshop participants were challenged
to think broadly about the needs of the coastal constituencies whom
they represent and with whom they interact on a regular basis that could
be served by ecological forecasting. Workshop participants engaged in
several levels of prioritization exercises leading to a preliminary
recommendation as to areas in which Great Lakes research should focus
in developing ecological forecasting capacity.
Thayer, G. W., T. A. McTigue, R. J. Salz, D. H. MERKEY, F. M. Burrows
and P. F. Gayaldo. Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal
Habitats. Volume Two: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats. NOAA
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, 628 pp.
plus appendices (2005). http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html
Without effective monitoring, restoration
projects are exposed to several risks including: (1) the inability
to obtain early warnings indicating that a restoration project is not
developing as expected, (2) the inability to assess whether specific
project goals and objectives (both ecological and human dimensions)
are being met, (3) the inability to determine what measures might need
to be taken to better achieve those goals, (4) increased difficultly
in gauging how well a restoration site is functioning both before and
after implementation, and (5) decreased project coordination and efficiency.
To address these and other issues associated with restoration monitoring,
NOAA has provided guidance to the public in two volumes. The first volume,
Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, Volume One:
A Framework for Monitoring Plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters
Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457) was released in 2003. It outlines the
steps necessary to develop a monitoring plan for any coastal habitat
restoration project. Experienced restoration practitioners, biologists,
and ecologists as well as those new to coastal habitat restoration and
ecology can benefit from the step-by-step approach to designing a monitoring
plan outlined in Volume One. Volume Two, Tools for Monitoring Coastal
Habitats expands upon the information in Volume One. Volume Two is designed
more for practitioners who do not have extensive experience in coastal
ecology or social science than is Volume One. Professionals familiar
with coastal habitats and their social and ecological aspects, however,
may benefit from the annotated bibliographies, literature review, and
other tools provided in Volume Two. Volume Two is intended to provide
readers with information on and pertinent to monitoring of restoration
activities and, in so doing, includes references to ecological and human
dimensions characteristics and to restoration efforts. Volume Two is
not intended, however, as a treatise on the ecology and social aspects
of each of the habitats. Numerous texts and published documents that
do this well are already available, particularly for the ecological
characteristics. Likewise, detailed discussions of the restoration of
the various habitats are also not presented; again, for many of the
habitats, scientific publications on individual restoration methods
and projects already exist.
Word, J. Q., B. B. Albrecht, M. L.
Anghera, B. Baudo, S. M. Bay, D. M. DiToro, J. L. Hyland, C. G. Ingersoll,
P. F. LANDRUM, E. R. Long, J. P. Meador, D. W. Moore, T. P. O'Connor
and J. P. Shine. Predictive ability of sediment quality guidelines.
In Use of Sediment Quality Guidelines and Related Tools for the Assessment
of Contaminated Sediments. R.J. Wenning, G.E. Batley, C.G. Ingersoll,
and D.W. Moore (eds.). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,
Pensacola, FL, 121-161 (2005).
The quantitative extent to which
sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) are predictive of the presence, or
absence, of toxicity of contaminated sediment to sediment-dwelling organisms
or to higher trophic-level organisms is a critical concern among scientists
and regulators evaluating the application of one or more numeric SQG
approaches in assessments of sediment quality. Users of these guidelines
should understand how well various SQGs predict the presence or absence
and extent of toxicity in sediment samples. The ability of various SQGs
to represent the potential for effects or no effects of contaminants
on organisms in freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments was examined
through a review of the published literature focused on 3 specific questions:
1) How well do SQGs represent the
potential for effects or no effects observed in laboratory toxicity
tests and in field studies of benthic communities?
2) How well do SQGs represent the
potential for effects or no effects in organisms as a result of contaminant
uptake and/or trophic transfer?
3) How have SQGs been applied and
validated in the field as part of sediment management and risk management
decision making?
Zhulidov, A. V., D. A. Zhulidov, D. F. Pavlov, T. F. NALEPA and T.
U. Gurtovaya. Expansion of the invasive bivalve mollusk Dreissena
bugensis (quagga mussel) in the Don and Volga River basins: revisions
based on archived specimens. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology 5(2):127-133
(2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050013.pdf
Archived specimens of Dreissena,
collected as part of a long-term biomonitoring effort in the lower Don
and Volga River systems and dating back to 1979, were reexamined. Originally
identified as Dreissena polymorpha or variants thereof, some
of the specimens were identified to be Dreissena bugensis. Based on
this new evidence, the invasion history of D. bugensis in these
two river systems was re-evaluated. The finding of D. bugensis in the
lower Volga River in the early 1980s rather than in the late 1980s/early
1990s indicates that its spread was much slower than earlier believed.
Apparently, widespread dispersal was greatly facilitated by the completion
of the reservoir system in the Volga River in the late 1980s which created
conditions that were more conducive to this species. Upstream dispersal
in both the Don and Volga Rivers was likely a function of human-mediated
transport.
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