Collection of our featured publications.
Freshwater Science: A Toxin Forecast for Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms
Scientists are currently able to accurately forecast the size and approximate location of Lake Erie’s summer harmful algal blooms, but they still have questions about what controls when blooms become toxic, and how to predict which algal toxins the bloom is likely to produce. Dr. Justin Chaffin at Ohio State’s Stone Lab is studying the environmental factors that cause Lake Erie algal blooms to become toxic or remain non-toxic, to provide more guidance to water utilities on when they should plan to treat drinking water for algal toxins. Event Archive
Forecast for Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie 2022
Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant at The Ohio State University hosted a live web event for NOAA’s annual HABs Forecast for western Lake Erie on June 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. In addition to the official forecast, the event featured spring nutrient loading and projections along with expert commentary and highlights of recent research efforts and successes. Event archive
Freshwater Science Teaser: Using Bacteria to Remove Microcystin from Drinking Water
Many Ohio communities draw their drinking water from Lake Erie, so making sure that any harmful algal bloom toxins are removed before the water reaches consumers is essential to maintaining public health. While water treatment plants currently use activated carbon, ozonation, and other methods to treat for algal toxins, Dr. Jason Huntley at The University of Toledo, with funding from the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative is developing new cost-effective, efficient, and safe methods to remove algal toxins from drinking water, using bacteria that naturally break down microcystin toxin into non-toxic component parts. The team was issued a patent on this technology in May 2021. Event Archive
Virtual Ohio Charter Captains Conference 2021
Ohio Sea Grant’s Charter Captains Conference helps prepare Lake Erie fishing charter boat captains for the upcoming season by providing updates about Lake Erie’s 2020 fishing outlook, environmental conditions, licensing, regulations and business management.
Twine Line Winter/Spring 2021
Ohio Sea Grant scientists and Extension educators continue to address important Ohio issues like aquaculture and harmful algal blooms through research and outreach.
Stone Lab Virtual Open House Tour
While we couldn’t welcome guests to Gibraltar Island this year, Stone Lab staff created a virtual tour to learn more about the Lake Erie islands and Stone Lab history, and to show off some beautiful views.
Understanding Algal Blooms: State of the Science Virtual Conference
The Understanding Algal Blooms: State of the Science Virtual Conference highlighted current scientific knowledge related to algal blooms. Research and outreach leaders presented findings from recent studies and identified important areas of uncertainty. Specific topics included: - Collaborations and partnerships critical for improving water quality - Understanding lag times and soil phosphorus dynamics - The latest in edge-of-field research and best management practices