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Filter Total Items: 44

Great Lakes restoration success through science: U.S. Geological Survey accomplishments 2010 through 2013

The Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth and serve as an important source of drinking water, transportation, power, and recreational opportunities for the United States and Canada. They also support an abundant commercial and recreational fishery, are crucial for agriculture, and are essential to the economic vitality of the
Authors

Fish assemblages, connectivity, and habitat rehabilitation in a diked Great Lakes coastal wetland complex

Fish and plant assemblages in the highly modified Crane Creek coastal wetland complex of Lake Erie were sampled to characterize their spatial and seasonal patterns and to examine the implications of the hydrologic connection of diked wetland units to Lake Erie. Fyke netting captured 52 species and an abundance of fish in the Lake Erie–connected wetlands, but fewer than half of those species and mu
Authors
Kurt P. Kowalski, Michael J. Wiley, Douglas A. Wilcox

Assessment of suitable habitat for Phragmites australis (common reed) in the Great Lakes coastal zone

In the Laurentian Great Lakes, the invasive form of Phragmites australis (common reed) poses a threat to highly productive coastal wetlands and shorelines by forming impenetrable stands that outcompete native plants. Large, dominant stands can derail efforts to restore wetland ecosystems degraded by other stressors. To be proactive, landscape-level management of Phragmites requires information on
Authors
Martha L. Carlson Mazur, Kurt P. Kowalski, David Galbraith

2011 Summary: Coastal wetland restoration research

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) projects currently taking place in Great Lakes coastal wetlands provide a unique opportunity to study ecosystem response to management actions as practitioners strive to improve wetland function and increase ecosystem services. Through a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (
Authors
Kurt P. Kowalski, Michael J. Wiley, Douglas A. Wilcox, Martha L. Carlson Mazur, Alex Czayka, Andrea Dominguez, Susan Doty, Mike Eggleston, Sean Green, Amanda Sweetman

Biological effects-based tools for monitoring impacted surface waters in the Great Lakes: a multiagency program in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

There is increasing demand for the implementation of effects-based monitoring and surveillance (EBMS) approaches in the Great Lakes Basin to complement traditional chemical monitoring. Herein, we describe an ongoing multiagency effort to develop and implement EBMS tools, particularly with regard to monitoring potentially toxic chemicals and assessing Areas of Concern (AOCs), as envisioned by the G
Authors
Drew R. Ekman, Gerald T. Ankley, Vicki Blazer, Timothy W. Collette, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Zachary G. Jorgensen, Kathy Lee, Pat M. Mazik, David H. Miller, Edward J. Perkins, Edwin T. Smith, Joseph E. Tietge, Daniel L. Villeneuve

Restoring the Great Lakes: DOI stories of success and partnership in implementing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes are a monumentally unique national treasure containing nearly ninety-five percent of the United States' fresh surface water. Formed by receding glaciers, the Great Lakes support a thriving, resilient ecosystem rich with fish, wildlife, and abundant natural resources. The Great Lakes also support an array of commercial uses, including shipping, and provide a source of recreation, dr
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Mapping invasive Phragmites australis in the coastal Great Lakes with ALOS PALSAR satellite imagery for decision support

The invasive variety of Phragmites australis (common reed) forms dense stands that can cause negative impacts on coastal Great Lakes wetlands including habitat degradation and reduced biological diversity. Early treatment is key to controlling Phragmites, therefore a map of the current distribution is needed. ALOS PALSAR imagery was used to produce the first basin-wide distribution map showing the
Authors
Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Kurt P. Kowalski, Martha L. Carlson Mazur, Kirk A. Scarbrough, Richard B. Powell, Colin N. Brooks, Brian Huberty, Liza K. Jenkins, Elizabeth C. Banda, David M. Galbraith, Zachary M. Laubach, Kevin Riordan

Compilation of watershed models for tributaries to the Great Lakes, United States, as of 2010, and identification of watersheds for future modeling for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) during 2009–10, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compiled a list of existing watershed models that had been created for tributaries within the United States that drain to the Great Lakes. Established Federal programs that are overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Authors
William F. Coon, Elizabeth A. Murphy, David T. Soong, Jennifer B. Sharpe