LAKE ERIE SOURCE TRACKING OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS Douglas D. Kane 1, Joseph D. Conroy 2,3, Justin D. Chaffin 4, Thomas B. Bridgeman 4, 1 Natural Science and Mathematics Division, Defiance College, Defiance, OH Inland Fisheries Research Unit, Division of Wildlife, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Hebron, OH Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Department of Environmental Sciences and Lake Erie Center, University of Toledo, Oregon, OH
Outline Problem Approach Methods Results Conclusions
Problem Microcystis blooms have become more frequent and larger in Lake Erie in the last years August 2003-OhioLink
Approach Use contemporaneous sampling (within 1 week) in the Maumee River, Maumee Bay, and Lake Erie to determine location/quantity of Microcystis T1 T1= The Bend T2 T2 = Rt. 66 Bridge T3 T3 = Independence Dam T4 T4 = Mary Jane Thurston State Park T5 T5= Farnsworth Metropark
LEAST Sampling Sites T1 T1= The Bend T2 T2 = Rt. 66 Bridge T3 T3 = Indendence Dam T4 T4 = Mary Jane Thurston State Park T5 T5= Farnsworth Metropark T1T2 T3 T4 T5
Methods Boats/ Wading YSI Multiprobe and PAR meter Fluoroprobe Water Samples – Nutrients – Chlorophyll a – Phytoplankton – Microcystis
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in the Maumee River
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Site- p<0.001 Month- p<0.001 Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Chlorophyll a Site- p<0.001 Month- p<0.001 Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in % Cyanobacteria (Fluoroprobe) Site- p<0.001 Month- p<0.001 Site X Month- p<0.001
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in % Microcystis (microscopic)
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in the Maumee System
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Soluble Reactive Phosphorus
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Chlorophyll a
Temporal/ Spatial Trends in Secchi Depth
Secchi Transparency vs. Chlorophyll a
Conclusions High levels of SRP (>100 μg/L!), phytoplankton (>200 μg/L!), and Microcystis (80% of total pp biomass!) in MR; variable through time and space Microscopical enumeration does not agree with Fluoroprobe data in MR SRP- June and August MR>MB>WLE; September MB>WLE>MR Chlorophyll a- August> June~=September Secchi depth- MR< MB< LE (MR <0.5 m) Microcystis found at all sites at all times sampled
Phytoplankton, Sediments, and Nutrients in Maumee System are HIGHLY variable in time and space June 2003-OhioLink August 2003-OhioLink
Future Directions Continued Monitoring of Sites in MR- GLISTEN -Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship through Education Network Genetic Analysis of Microcystis
Thanks! USEPA Limnology Lab- OSU HU- NCWQR Peter Bichier Chris Bronish Other UT staff