Foundations for Future Restoration Actions: Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative - Lake Ontario, 2018 Active
Environmental organizations from the United States and Canada have teamed up each year, as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) program, to assess conditions in one of the five Great Lakes. . Each year, the survey focuses on a series of research areas, such as phosphorus and nitrogen input and movement through the food web, phytoplankton and zooplankton populations, and fish diet and distribution. The research areas are tailored to the unique challenges and data needs associated with each lake. The 2018 CSMI focus was on Lake Ontario.
USGS scientists supported the Lake Ontario, Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) partnership priorities during the 2018 CMSI intensive study of the lake by working to: 1) improve the understanding of nearshore nutrient related problems, 2) evaluate aquatic food web status, and 3) improve the understanding of fish dynamics.
Nearshore Nutrient Research and Monitoring
USGS sampled the Lake Ontario nearshore environment for nutrients in a manner and in locations like those employed during the 2008 and 2013 CSMI years. Sampling was designed to characterize the connection between tributary nutrient inputs and nearshore water quality. Water samples were collected from 16 nearshore locations, 10 embayments, and 9 tributaries to Lake Ontario. Samples were analyzed for nutrients. In additions field measurements of blue-green algae (BGA), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and phycocyanin-to-chlorophyll ratios. Data collected for the 2018 CMSI are currently available in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database. Results will be incorporated into validation of ongoing nutrient and hydrodynamic modeling of Lake Ontario.
Contributions:
- Provides documentation of long-term change in nearshore nutrients
New York Nearshore Benthos Survey
This work entails high-resolution temporal assessments of nearshore water quality, Cladophora biomass and coverage, and dreissenid mussel abundance and density. These activities are completed in conjunction with researchers at Michigan Tech Research Institute to improve determination of nearshore benthic algae using satellite imagery. A single, nearshore area near Olcott, NY was selected based on 2018 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) diver assessments of Cladophora biomass. The work is ongoing with the first samples collected in May 2019.
Lower Aquatic Food Web Study (LOLA)
The lower foodweb (phytoplankton, zooplankton, etc.) is the foundation of a healthy aquatic ecosystem and fish production. In 2018, samples were collected throughout Lake Ontario on several sampling dates towards evaluating the status of the lower foodweb. Sampling surveys were evenly spaced from April in isothermal water column conditions to September in well stratified water column conditions. Updating the status of lower foodweb of Lake Ontario for 2018 provides: 1) the current (2018) state of Lake Ontario’s lower aquatic food web and larval fish in terms of species composition, overall biomass, and productivity; 2) an evaluation of the temporal and geographic variability in species abundance and community structure with special attention to the deep chlorophyll layer; 3) a synergization of traditional lower foodweb analyses with cutting edge technology both in the field and the laboratory; and 4) the development of new Great Lake scientists using hands-on experiential research opportunities in field and laboratory settings.
Contributions:
By updating the status of lower foodweb of Lake Ontario for 2018, providing recent data to help managers identify emerging issues for Lake Ontario ecosystem, providing new tests of state-of-the-art high-resolution methods for plankton sampling, and training of new Great Lake’s scientists this project supports:
- GLRI Action Plan II focus areas 2, 3, and 4 by increasing our understanding of how changes nutrient inputs and invasive species occurrence and abundance affect nutrient cycling and foodweb structure in Lake Ontario.
- Lake Ontario LAMP Partnership Priorities: 2. Improve Understanding of Nearshore Nutrient Related Problems, and 3. Evaluate Aquatic Food Web Status.
- Annex 2, Lakewide Management, and Annex 4, Nutrients, of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Partners:
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) sampled zooplankton along the complete far western transect for four time periods and performed a lakewide sampling in late July in coordination with USEPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED).
- USEPA MED of Duluth provided samples from the two complete western transects for late July that included phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mysid samples as well as Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) transects.
- USGS Ithaca Water Science Office provided 34 zooplankton samples from their intensive transects of eight nearshore areas near tributaries on the south shore of Lake Ontario. These sites include Mexico Bay, Oswego River, Sodus Bay, East Irondequoit, Eighteenmile Creek, Oak Orchard, and Niagara River. These samples are next in line to be processed at Cornell.
- DFO and USGS provided Cornell with zooplankton samples. USEPA MED provided phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mysid samples from the two western transects in late July/August.
Contaminant Levels in Lake Trout
The USGS in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program (GLFMSP), collected fish samples to investigate contaminant levels in Lake Ontario lake trout stocks. The results of this cooperative project will provide information essential to the appropriate management of lake trout stocks important to Lake Ontario recreational fishers and the general public. Contaminant data produced by the GLFMSP program can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/cdx/. This effort also supported the 2018 CMSI for Lake Ontario.
Contributions:
- This project support GLFMSP’s ability to track contaminant trends in Great Lakes fish in support of the GLRI Action Plan’s Toxics and Areas of Concern Focus Area to measure the “cumulative percentage decline for the long-term trend in average concentrations of PCBs in Great Lakes fish”.
- Data from the GLFMSP long-term monitoring in Great Lakes fish is available for researchers to assess the impact of discharge management and nonpoint source loading on contaminant levels in Great Lakes fish stocks, to relate those levels to physiological impacts on those fish, and for state health and management agencies to guide consumption guidelines.
Partners:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Lake Trout Reproductive Health Assessment
The overall goal of this project is to evaluate how diets of lake trout (determined using stable isotope and fatty acid methods) in Lake Ontario affect thiamine concentrations in their eggs, and how diet may lead to thiamine deficiency complex. Specific objectives are to (1) determine lake trout reproductive health through measurement of thiamine concentration in Lake Ontario lake trout eggs; (2) determine spatial changes in lake trout diet through analysis of stable isotope ratios and fatty acid signatures as well as direct enumeration of stomach contents; (3) relate diet patterns to recent evidence of improved natural lake trout reproduction; and (4) determine if diet and reproductive health of lake trout have changed substantially since the 2008 and 2013 whole lake analyses.
Contributions:
This project supports:
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) long-term late trout restoration efforts in Lake Ontario.
- GLRI Action Plan II focus areas 2, 3, and 4 by increasing our understanding of how changes nutrient inputs and invasive species occurrence and abundance affect nutrient cycling, foodweb structure and native top predator reproductive health.
- Lake Ontario LAMP Partnership Priorities and Annex 2, Lakewide Management, and Annex 4, Nutrients, of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Partners:
- USGS, NYSDEC and OMNRF collected samples and partners from USGS, The College at Brockport and the University of Windsor are performing chemical analysis.
- Thiamine and fatty acid analysis are conducted at The College at Brockport, stable isotope analysis is conducted at the University of Windsor.
Environmental organizations from the United States and Canada have teamed up each year, as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) program, to assess conditions in one of the five Great Lakes. . Each year, the survey focuses on a series of research areas, such as phosphorus and nitrogen input and movement through the food web, phytoplankton and zooplankton populations, and fish diet and distribution. The research areas are tailored to the unique challenges and data needs associated with each lake. The 2018 CSMI focus was on Lake Ontario.
USGS scientists supported the Lake Ontario, Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) partnership priorities during the 2018 CMSI intensive study of the lake by working to: 1) improve the understanding of nearshore nutrient related problems, 2) evaluate aquatic food web status, and 3) improve the understanding of fish dynamics.
Nearshore Nutrient Research and Monitoring
USGS sampled the Lake Ontario nearshore environment for nutrients in a manner and in locations like those employed during the 2008 and 2013 CSMI years. Sampling was designed to characterize the connection between tributary nutrient inputs and nearshore water quality. Water samples were collected from 16 nearshore locations, 10 embayments, and 9 tributaries to Lake Ontario. Samples were analyzed for nutrients. In additions field measurements of blue-green algae (BGA), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and phycocyanin-to-chlorophyll ratios. Data collected for the 2018 CMSI are currently available in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database. Results will be incorporated into validation of ongoing nutrient and hydrodynamic modeling of Lake Ontario.
Contributions:
- Provides documentation of long-term change in nearshore nutrients
New York Nearshore Benthos Survey
This work entails high-resolution temporal assessments of nearshore water quality, Cladophora biomass and coverage, and dreissenid mussel abundance and density. These activities are completed in conjunction with researchers at Michigan Tech Research Institute to improve determination of nearshore benthic algae using satellite imagery. A single, nearshore area near Olcott, NY was selected based on 2018 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) diver assessments of Cladophora biomass. The work is ongoing with the first samples collected in May 2019.
Lower Aquatic Food Web Study (LOLA)
The lower foodweb (phytoplankton, zooplankton, etc.) is the foundation of a healthy aquatic ecosystem and fish production. In 2018, samples were collected throughout Lake Ontario on several sampling dates towards evaluating the status of the lower foodweb. Sampling surveys were evenly spaced from April in isothermal water column conditions to September in well stratified water column conditions. Updating the status of lower foodweb of Lake Ontario for 2018 provides: 1) the current (2018) state of Lake Ontario’s lower aquatic food web and larval fish in terms of species composition, overall biomass, and productivity; 2) an evaluation of the temporal and geographic variability in species abundance and community structure with special attention to the deep chlorophyll layer; 3) a synergization of traditional lower foodweb analyses with cutting edge technology both in the field and the laboratory; and 4) the development of new Great Lake scientists using hands-on experiential research opportunities in field and laboratory settings.
Contributions:
By updating the status of lower foodweb of Lake Ontario for 2018, providing recent data to help managers identify emerging issues for Lake Ontario ecosystem, providing new tests of state-of-the-art high-resolution methods for plankton sampling, and training of new Great Lake’s scientists this project supports:
- GLRI Action Plan II focus areas 2, 3, and 4 by increasing our understanding of how changes nutrient inputs and invasive species occurrence and abundance affect nutrient cycling and foodweb structure in Lake Ontario.
- Lake Ontario LAMP Partnership Priorities: 2. Improve Understanding of Nearshore Nutrient Related Problems, and 3. Evaluate Aquatic Food Web Status.
- Annex 2, Lakewide Management, and Annex 4, Nutrients, of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Partners:
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) sampled zooplankton along the complete far western transect for four time periods and performed a lakewide sampling in late July in coordination with USEPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED).
- USEPA MED of Duluth provided samples from the two complete western transects for late July that included phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mysid samples as well as Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) transects.
- USGS Ithaca Water Science Office provided 34 zooplankton samples from their intensive transects of eight nearshore areas near tributaries on the south shore of Lake Ontario. These sites include Mexico Bay, Oswego River, Sodus Bay, East Irondequoit, Eighteenmile Creek, Oak Orchard, and Niagara River. These samples are next in line to be processed at Cornell.
- DFO and USGS provided Cornell with zooplankton samples. USEPA MED provided phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mysid samples from the two western transects in late July/August.
Contaminant Levels in Lake Trout
The USGS in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program (GLFMSP), collected fish samples to investigate contaminant levels in Lake Ontario lake trout stocks. The results of this cooperative project will provide information essential to the appropriate management of lake trout stocks important to Lake Ontario recreational fishers and the general public. Contaminant data produced by the GLFMSP program can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/cdx/. This effort also supported the 2018 CMSI for Lake Ontario.
Contributions:
- This project support GLFMSP’s ability to track contaminant trends in Great Lakes fish in support of the GLRI Action Plan’s Toxics and Areas of Concern Focus Area to measure the “cumulative percentage decline for the long-term trend in average concentrations of PCBs in Great Lakes fish”.
- Data from the GLFMSP long-term monitoring in Great Lakes fish is available for researchers to assess the impact of discharge management and nonpoint source loading on contaminant levels in Great Lakes fish stocks, to relate those levels to physiological impacts on those fish, and for state health and management agencies to guide consumption guidelines.
Partners:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Lake Trout Reproductive Health Assessment
The overall goal of this project is to evaluate how diets of lake trout (determined using stable isotope and fatty acid methods) in Lake Ontario affect thiamine concentrations in their eggs, and how diet may lead to thiamine deficiency complex. Specific objectives are to (1) determine lake trout reproductive health through measurement of thiamine concentration in Lake Ontario lake trout eggs; (2) determine spatial changes in lake trout diet through analysis of stable isotope ratios and fatty acid signatures as well as direct enumeration of stomach contents; (3) relate diet patterns to recent evidence of improved natural lake trout reproduction; and (4) determine if diet and reproductive health of lake trout have changed substantially since the 2008 and 2013 whole lake analyses.
Contributions:
This project supports:
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) long-term late trout restoration efforts in Lake Ontario.
- GLRI Action Plan II focus areas 2, 3, and 4 by increasing our understanding of how changes nutrient inputs and invasive species occurrence and abundance affect nutrient cycling, foodweb structure and native top predator reproductive health.
- Lake Ontario LAMP Partnership Priorities and Annex 2, Lakewide Management, and Annex 4, Nutrients, of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Partners:
- USGS, NYSDEC and OMNRF collected samples and partners from USGS, The College at Brockport and the University of Windsor are performing chemical analysis.
- Thiamine and fatty acid analysis are conducted at The College at Brockport, stable isotope analysis is conducted at the University of Windsor.