USGS provides essential science to help ensure the health and function of the Great Lakes. USGS scientists located across the Science Centers identified below, are working on numerous research studies in the Great Lakes Region.
High-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data collected near the Stamp Sands of Lake Superior in 2021
The erosion and active transport of legacy mine tailings (called “stamp sands”) are impacting native fish species and aquatic habitats on a shallow water rocky reef complex along the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan called Buffalo Reef. Stamp sands are spreading from an old mill site at the Town of Gay and settling on the reef. Multiple surveys have documented the underwater migration of toxic, meta
High-resolution geophysical and sample data collected in the vicinity of Buffalo Reef, Michigan, within Lake Superior, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-005-FA
In August 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected high-resolution geophysical data, sediment samples, and bottom imagery to determine the distribution of historical mine tailings on the floor of Lake Superior. Large amounts of waste material from copper mining, locally known as “stamp sands,” were dumped into the lake in the early 20th ce
Effects of fungal endophytes on invasive Phragmites australis (ssp. australis) performance in growth chamber and field experiments at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve (N 39.217, W −86.540) (2018)
These data tables contain data collections from field experiments of Phragmites australis (ssp. australis) treated with known fungal endophytes. Tiller counts, tiller diameter, and tiller height measurements were taken every two weeks over an eight-week study period. Clones of Phragmites plants were collected from three different locations: Sandusky, Michigan; Bloomington, Indiana; and the Ottawa
Reference genome for Phragmites australis (Poaceae, subfamily Arundinoideae) and comparison of North American invasive genotype (ssp. australis) and native (ssp. americanus)
These data represent the first reference genome for the invasive Phragmites australis ssp. australis (1.14 giga base pairs (Gbp)), as well as output from comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses for invasive and native genotypes coexisting in the Great Lakes region of North America. Genome sequencing data used tillers and associated rhizome tissues collected from a single P. australis patch
Data collected to support research on grass crop growth promotion and biostimulation by endophytic bacteria
These data show grass crop and model species response to toxic chemicals (Arsenic (As)) and humic acids. Experiments were performed by collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey, Rutgers University, and Rey Juan Carlos University. A series of individual experiments investigated beneficial effects of endophytic bacteria on grass crop growth and resilience to known plant toxicity.
Land cover classifications and associated data from treatment areas enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, 2018
During 2018, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs or 'drones') were used to collect spatially referenced aerial imagery from 20 management units (sites) enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, a collective learning program developed by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative. Management units were located in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin (USA). Invasive Phragmites australis (hereafter
Soil microbes surrounding native and non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes and East Coast of the United States (2015-2017 survey)
To determine the differences in soil microbial community composition between native and non-native lineages of Phragmites, we sampled soils from eight sites in the Great Lakes basin where populations of native and non-native Phragmites co-occurred. In addition, we included samples of soils from 27 populations of Phragmites across the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coasts of the US. Samples were colle
Larval Fish Abundance, Identification, and Auxiliary Data from the Great Lakes and Their Connecting Channels
This dataset contains data collected on various vessel operations on the Great Lakes and their connecting channels, primarily the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and western Lake Erie, although other locations have been sampled and included in this dataset. This dataset contains the field variables, environmental conditions, larval catches (numbers), larval fish identifications, an
The effects of North American fungi and bacteria on Phragmites australis leaves 2017-2019, with comparisons to the global Phragmites microbiome
The data document the results of several microbe bioassays performed by the USGS on Phragmites australis plants, including those performed on mature leaves, seedlings, and dead leaf tissues exploration of the literature to find accounts of microbes associated with Phragmites worldwide. For the bioassays, we prepared 162 pure cultures isolated from Phragmites plants in North America along the east
Total phosphorus and water flux at a restored hydrologic connection at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in 2013 and 2014
This tabular data set contains estimates of total phosphorus concentration and mass, as well as measurements of water discharge and volume at a diked wetland pool (Pool 2B) that was reconnected to a Lake Erie tributary (Crane Creek) via a water control structure in March 2011. Sampling occurred during 2013 and 2014. In addition, this data set contains evaluations of movement of total phosphorus an
Land cover map including wetlands and invasive Phragmites circa 2017
The first basin-wide map of large stands of invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) in the coastal zone was created through a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and Michigan Tech Research Institute (Bourgeau-Chavez et al 2013). This data set represents a revised version of that map and was created using multi-temporal PALSAR data and Landsat images from 2016-2017. In addition to
Using turbidity measurements to estimate phosphorus and sediment flux in a Great Lakes Coastal Marsh, in Ohio
Great Lakes coastal marshes have the potential to filter water coming off of the landscape and remove sediments and nutrients before they reach the lakes. However, this ability has largely been neutralized as vast areas of coastal wetlands have been isolated behind dikes; while at the same time the Great Lakes continue to suffer from excess phosphorus loading. In this study we used high-frequency