Limnological survey of Lake Erie 1959 and 1960

Federal, provincial, state, and university organizations participated in cooperative limnological surveys of Lake Erie in September 1959 and August 1960 to determine the extent and severity of the low dissolved-oxygen content of the hypolimnetic waters. Observations were restricted to the central basin in 1959, but were lake-wide in 1960. Approximately 70 percent of the bottom waters of the central basin had a serious oxygen deficiency during both years. Data were obtained also on the distribution of temperature, transparency, specific conductance, pH, and phenolphthalein and total alkalinity. The distributions of the chemical values are discussed in terms of their relationships to each other, and to thermal stratification, river outflow, lake morphometry, and lake currents.