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Monitoring Lake Erie Even in the Depth of Winter | Ohio Sea Grant

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Monitoring Lake Erie Even in the Depth of Winter

12:00 pm, Sun September 12, 2021 – Collaboration with Coast Guard personnel has provided scientists with the opportunity for Lake Erie sampling during hard-to-access winter and spring months

Dr. McKay

Dr. McKay worked with Coast Guard crews from the U.S. and Canada to sample Lake Eire during the winter.

Although harmful algal blooms happen in the summer, the algae themselves are year-round residents of the water bodies they inhabit – but very little is known about other times in the annual cycle of blooms. In particular for Lake Erie, ice cover and extreme weather conditions in winter and spring prevent regular monitoring and safe sampling.

By partnering with the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, researchers at Bowling Green State University are able to take advantage of those ships’ ice-breaking capabilities to sample offshore waters in winter and early spring, before state and federal agencies start their monitoring efforts.

In winter of 2016 and 2017, the researchers collected 60 surface water samples for analysis, specifically looking at nutrients such as phosphorus, as well as phytoplankton biomass to determine how algae were growing below the ice. The two winters coincided with low-ice years on Lake Erie, possibly providing a look into the lake’s ice-free future due to a warming climate.

The Bottom Line

Collaboration with Coast Guard personnel has provided scientists with the opportunity for Lake Erie sampling during hard-to-access winter and spring months.

ARTICLE TITLE: Monitoring Lake Erie Even in the Depth of Winter PUBLISHED: 12:00 pm, Sun September 12, 2021 | MODIFIED: 8:25 am, Mon May 2, 2022
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Christina Dierkes
Outreach Specialist, Ohio Sea Grant College Program

As Ohio Sea Grant’s science writer, Christina covers research, education and outreach projects in the Great Lakes for a wide range of audiences. She also produces online events like the Freshwater Science webinar series and other outreach events, and manages social media for Ohio Sea Grant.

FIND MORE TAGGED as HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS, OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH