Mary Anne Evans is a Research Ecologist based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Mary Anne Evans is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Great Lakes Science Center where she contributes to the Restoration and Conservation Science branch. Her current research focuses on drivers and consequences of harmful and nuisance algal blooms (HABs and NABs) including nutrient, light, and dreissenid influences on benthic algal blooms, cyanobacterial HABs in western Lake Erie, nutrient and algal dynamics in other river influenced nearshore areas of the Great Lakes, and translating HABs and NABs science for diverse audiences. Prior to joining the USGS, she studied hypoxic “dead zones” in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico as a post-doctoral scientist at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and recreational lakes in Michigan as a post-doctoral scientist at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Michigan, studying the phytoplankton ecology of arctic lakes.
Research Summary
My research explores the interaction of physical and biological processes that control ecosystem functions. I am especially interested in controls of phytoplankton and benthic algae growth. Understanding the regulation of primary producers is integral to predicting, managing, and conserving ecosystem function, especially for systems impacted by both local human stresses and global climate change. In addition, large accumulations of algal biomass, either of toxic species or leading to decomposition induced hypoxia, can be detrimental to human use of aquatic resources. The conditions necessary for such harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxic events are predicted to increase under climate change scenarios; thus, understanding their controls will be increasingly important to ecosystem management.
My approach to research is to combine field studies with mathematical modeling. I use numerical models to explore a broader range of mechanistic variability than is practical in field experiments, while, at the same time, I use field data to test model predictions. In this way, each approach informs the other, allowing for more robust and general conclusions that may be extrapolated across aquatic ecosystems.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, 2012 – present, Great Lakes Science Center, United States Geological Survey
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, 2009-2012, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan
Post Doctoral Researcher, 2007-2009, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2007 University of Michigan, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Ann Arbor, MI. Dissertation title “Phytoplankton Ecology of Arctic Lakes"
M.S., 2001 University of Michigan, Department of Biology, Ann Arbor, MI
B.S., 1999 Summa cum laude, University of Louisville, Department of Biology, Louisville, KY. Honors thesis “The effects of elevated NO3 deposition on nitrogen retention in forest soils “
Science and Products
Data releases by this scientist
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2021
This dataset records Cladophora and associated benthic algae, collectively Cladophora community or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), biomass collected during the growing season of 2021 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: -
Phytoplankton Community Composition in Western Lake Erie, 2014-2018; Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, 2015; and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 2015
This dataset contains a tabular file of phytoplankton abundance and community composition analysis in samples collected from eight sites in the Western Lake Erie Basin; four sites in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan; and five sites in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Samples were collected and processed by the Great Lakes Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and analyzed by BSA Environment
Temperature and invertebrate community composition at nearshore Great Lakes sites, 2013-2016
Data on ambient water temperatures and invertebrate community composition from ~40 sites in the western basin of Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron), Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan) and Green Bay (Lake Michigan). These samples were collected as part of a study on spatial variation in ecosystem processes.
Code associated with analysis and modeling of benthic and pelagic inorganic nutrient processing rates at the interface between a river and lake
In this data release the authors have code and 'data' that are used to model how sediment flux and water column processing of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), ammonium (NH4/NHX) and nitrate (NOX).
The file 'README.md' contains background information on how to access and use the data and code files.
Data Release Sediment and water column flux data from the Fox Rivermouth (Green Bay, WI; 2017)
These are data associated with water column incubation experiments performed in the Fox rivermouth. The Fox River is a Lake Michigan tributary that enters Green Bay. These experiments are used to measure the transformation of inorganic and total dissolved nutrients occurring in the surface water of the rivermouth. Experiments had light and dark treatments, and some experiments were paired with
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2020 (ver. 2, May 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected during the growing season of 2020 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - measurements of Secchi disk depth and water chemistry; - wate
Hyperspectral Characterization of Common Cyanobacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
This dataset is a collection of hyperspectral imagery profiles of 13 common algae associated with Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB). Data were retrieved from a hyperspectral microscope at, and with the cooperation of, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Samples were collected from USGS water quality sampling efforts, and were also purchased from commercial vendors of biological materials
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2019
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2019 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2018 (ver. 2.0, June 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2018 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 25
Sub-indicator: Cladophora
Every three years the Great Lakes Executive Committee reports on the status of the Great Lakes' ecosystem based on 9 indicators and several sub-indicators. This sub-indicator technical report supports assessment of the Nutrients and Algae Indicator by evaluating the status of Cladophora and other benthic algae that can grow to nuisance levels. Based on established criteria, the overall status fo
Authors
David Depew, Harvey A. Bootsma, Todd Howell, Megan McCusker, Mary Anne Evans
Episodic nutrient addition affects water column nutrient processing rates in river-to-lake transitional zones
Storm-driven nutrient loading from tributaries can fuel eutrophication in nearshore and open water areas of lentic ecosystems. However, nutrient processing in river-to-lake transitional zones can substantially alter the amount and composition of nutrients transported to lakes from upstream surface waters. We measured the removal of nutrients and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the water column
Authors
Nolan J.T. Pearce, James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos
Benthic and planktonic inorganic nutrient processing rates at the interface between a river and lake
The interface between lotic and lentic ecosystems is often a zone of intense metabolic activity, as primary production in streams and rivers can be light limited whereas nutrients often limit primary production in lake ecosystems. Our objective was to model the influence that rivermouths (the lotic-lentic interface) could have on the loads of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and dissolved inorgan
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, William F. James, Paul Reneau
Great Lakes harmful algal blooms: Current knowledge gaps
Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) pose serious risks throughout the world to drinking water, recreation, and ecosystem health. The Great Lakes, which contain nearly 20% of the world’s available surface freshwater, have been experiencing an increase in HABs since the 1990s. Knowledge gaps relating to HABs remain even after extensive and ongoing research efforts. These knowledge gaps are presen
Authors
Gregory L. Boyer, Mary Anne Evans, Timothy Maguire, Silvia Newell, Heather Raymond, Dale M. Robertson, Katie Stammler, Nicole Zacharda, Kenneth J. Gibbons
Sequestration of microfibers and other microplastics by green algae, Cladophora, in the US Great Lakes
Daunting amounts of microplastics are present in surface waters worldwide. A main category of microplastics is synthetic microfibers, which originate from textiles. These microplastics are generated and released in laundering and are discharged by wastewater treatment plants or enter surface waters from other sources. The polymers that constitute many common synthetic microfibers are mostly denser
Authors
Julie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Cassie Nelson, Bharath Ganesh Babu, Mary Anne Evans, Eddie Kostelnik, Morgan Keller, Jenna Johnston, Sarah Shidler
Elucidating controls on cyanobacteria bloom timing and intensity via Bayesian mechanistic modeling
The adverse impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing worldwide. Lake Erie is a North American Great Lake highly affected by cultural eutrophication and summer cyanobacterial HABs. While phosphorus loading is a known driver of bloom size, more nuanced yet crucial questions remain. For example, it is unclear what mechanisms are primarily responsible for initiating cyanobacterial dominan
Authors
Dario Del Giudice, Shiqi Fang, Donald Scavia, Timothy W. Davis, Mary Anne Evans, Daniel R Obenour
Preliminary analysis to estimate the spatial distribution of benefits of P load reduction: Identifying the spatial influence of phosphorus loading from the Maumee River (USA) in western Lake Erie
Since the early 2000s, Lake Erie has been experiencing annual cyanobacterial blooms that often cover large portions of the western basin and even reach into the central basin. These blooms have affected several ecosystem services provided by Lake Erie to surrounding communities (notably drinking water quality). Several modeling efforts have identified the springtime total bioavailable phosphorus (
Authors
James H. Larson, Enrika Hlavacek, Nathan R. De Jager, Mary Anne Evans, Timothy Wynne
Phosphorus, nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon fluxes from sediments in freshwater rivermouths entering Green Bay (Lake Michigan; USA)
Transitional areas between ecosystem types are often active biogeochemically due to resource limitation changes. Lotic-to-lentic transitions in freshwaters appear active biogeochemically, but few studies have directly measured nutrient processing rates to assess whether processing within the rivermouth is important for load estimates or the local communities. We measured oxic fluxes of inorganic n
Authors
James H. Larson, William F. James, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Mary Anne Evans, Paul C. Reneau, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos
Quantifying microplastics in Indiana’s Lake Michigan watershed and submerged aquatic vegetation
Environmental breakdown of plastics produces synthetic microfibers, a class of microplastics that are most prevalent in surface waters. A main source of these pollutants is wastewater treatment plants which discharge into surface waters, including those that flow into Lake Michigan. Microplastics can settle into aquatic sediment or exist for lengths of time in the swash zone of the lakes; they can
Authors
Julie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mary Anne Evans
A space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in intensity across many waterbodies worldwide, including the western basin of Lake Erie. Substantial efforts have been made to track these blooms using in situ sampling and remote sensing. However, such measurements do not fully capture HAB spatial and temporal dynamics due to the limitations of discrete shipboard sampling over large areas and the
Authors
Shiqi Fang, Dario Del Giudice, Donald Scavia, Caren E. Binding, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Mary Anne Evans, Joseph Guinness, Thomas H. Johengen, Daniel R Obenour
Water column nutrient processing rates in rivermouths of Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Understanding the quantity and form of nutrient loads to large lakes is necessary to understand controls over primary production, phytoplankton community composition and the production of phytotoxins. Nutrient loading estimates to large lakes are primarily made at stream gages that are deliberately placed outside the direct influence of lake processes, but these estimates cannot take into account
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Sean Bailey, Robert J. Kennedy, William F. James, William B. Richardson, Paul C. Reneau
Evidence for interactions among environmental stressors in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Co-occurrence of environmental stressors is ubiquitous in ecosystems, but cumulative effects are difficult to predict for effective indicator development. Individual stressors can amplify (synergies) or lessen (antagonisms) each other's impacts or have fully independent effects (additive). Here we use the Laurentian Great Lakes, where a multitude of stressors have been studied for decades, as a ca
Authors
Sigrid D. P. Smith, David B. Bunnell, G.A. Burton, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Alisha D. Davidson, Caitlin E. Dickinson, Lauren A. Eaton, Peter C. Esselman, Mary Anne Evans, Donna R. Kashian, Nathan F. Manning, Peter B. McIntyre, Thomas F. Nalepa, Alicia Perez-Fuentetaja, Alan D. Steinman, Donald G. Uzarski, J. David Allan
Non-USGS Publications**
N. S. Bosch, M. A. Evans, D. Scavia, and J. D. Allan. 2014. Interacting effects of climate change and agricultural BMPs on nutrient runoff entering Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research 40(3): 581-589
Michalak, A.M., E. Anderson, D. Beletsky, S. Boland, N.S. Bosch, T.B. Bridgeman, J.D. Chaffin, K.H. Cho, R. Confesor, I. Daloğlu, J. DePinto, M.A. Evans, G.L. Fahnenstiel, L. He, J.C. Ho, L. Jenkins, T. Johengen, K.C. Kuo, E. Laporte, X. Liu, M. McWilliams, M.R. Moore, D.J. Posselt, R.P. Richards, D. Scavia, A.L. Steiner, E. Verhamme, D.M. Wright, M.A. Zagorski. 2013. The 2011 Lake Erie harmful algal bloom: Perfect storm or harbinger of future conditions? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110(16): 6448–6452.
M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2013. Exploring estuarine eutrophication sensitivity to nutrient loading. Limnology & Oceanography 58(2): 569–578
M. A. Evans, G.A. Fahnenstiel, and D. Scavia. 2011. Incidental oligotrophication of North American Great Lakes. Environmental Science and Technology 45(8): 3297–3303. DOI: 10.1021/es103892w
M. A. Evans and D. Scavia. 2010. Forecasting hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico: Model accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to ecosystem change. Environmental Research Letters 6: 015001
C. R. Johnson, C. Luecke, S. C. Whalen, M. A. Evans. 2010. Direct and indirect effects of fish on pelagic nitrogen and phosphorus availability in oligotrophic Arctic Alaskan lakes. Freshwater Biology 67: 1635–1648
Liu, Y, M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2010 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Exploring Increasing Sensitivity to Nitrogen Loads. Environmental Science and Technology 44(15): 5836-5841
M. A. Evans, S. MacIntyre, G. W. Kling. 2008. Internal wave effects on photosynthesis: experiments, theory, and modeling. Limnology & Oceanography 53(1): 339-353
J. Vandermeer, M. A. Evans, P. Foster, T. Höök, M. Reiskind, M. Wund. 2002. Increased competition may promote species coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:8731-8736
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Data releases by this scientist
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2021
This dataset records Cladophora and associated benthic algae, collectively Cladophora community or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), biomass collected during the growing season of 2021 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: -Phytoplankton Community Composition in Western Lake Erie, 2014-2018; Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, 2015; and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 2015
This dataset contains a tabular file of phytoplankton abundance and community composition analysis in samples collected from eight sites in the Western Lake Erie Basin; four sites in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan; and five sites in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Samples were collected and processed by the Great Lakes Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and analyzed by BSA EnvironmentTemperature and invertebrate community composition at nearshore Great Lakes sites, 2013-2016
Data on ambient water temperatures and invertebrate community composition from ~40 sites in the western basin of Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron), Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan) and Green Bay (Lake Michigan). These samples were collected as part of a study on spatial variation in ecosystem processes.Code associated with analysis and modeling of benthic and pelagic inorganic nutrient processing rates at the interface between a river and lake
In this data release the authors have code and 'data' that are used to model how sediment flux and water column processing of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), ammonium (NH4/NHX) and nitrate (NOX). The file 'README.md' contains background information on how to access and use the data and code files.Data Release Sediment and water column flux data from the Fox Rivermouth (Green Bay, WI; 2017)
These are data associated with water column incubation experiments performed in the Fox rivermouth. The Fox River is a Lake Michigan tributary that enters Green Bay. These experiments are used to measure the transformation of inorganic and total dissolved nutrients occurring in the surface water of the rivermouth. Experiments had light and dark treatments, and some experiments were paired withCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2020 (ver. 2, May 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected during the growing season of 2020 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - measurements of Secchi disk depth and water chemistry; - wateHyperspectral Characterization of Common Cyanobacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
This dataset is a collection of hyperspectral imagery profiles of 13 common algae associated with Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB). Data were retrieved from a hyperspectral microscope at, and with the cooperation of, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Samples were collected from USGS water quality sampling efforts, and were also purchased from commercial vendors of biological materialsCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2019
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2019 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2018 (ver. 2.0, June 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2018 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light, - Multimedia
Multimedia related to this scientist
- Publications
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 25Sub-indicator: Cladophora
Every three years the Great Lakes Executive Committee reports on the status of the Great Lakes' ecosystem based on 9 indicators and several sub-indicators. This sub-indicator technical report supports assessment of the Nutrients and Algae Indicator by evaluating the status of Cladophora and other benthic algae that can grow to nuisance levels. Based on established criteria, the overall status foAuthorsDavid Depew, Harvey A. Bootsma, Todd Howell, Megan McCusker, Mary Anne EvansEpisodic nutrient addition affects water column nutrient processing rates in river-to-lake transitional zones
Storm-driven nutrient loading from tributaries can fuel eutrophication in nearshore and open water areas of lentic ecosystems. However, nutrient processing in river-to-lake transitional zones can substantially alter the amount and composition of nutrients transported to lakes from upstream surface waters. We measured the removal of nutrients and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the water columnAuthorsNolan J.T. Pearce, James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. XenopoulosBenthic and planktonic inorganic nutrient processing rates at the interface between a river and lake
The interface between lotic and lentic ecosystems is often a zone of intense metabolic activity, as primary production in streams and rivers can be light limited whereas nutrients often limit primary production in lake ecosystems. Our objective was to model the influence that rivermouths (the lotic-lentic interface) could have on the loads of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and dissolved inorganAuthorsJames H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, William F. James, Paul ReneauGreat Lakes harmful algal blooms: Current knowledge gaps
Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) pose serious risks throughout the world to drinking water, recreation, and ecosystem health. The Great Lakes, which contain nearly 20% of the world’s available surface freshwater, have been experiencing an increase in HABs since the 1990s. Knowledge gaps relating to HABs remain even after extensive and ongoing research efforts. These knowledge gaps are presenAuthorsGregory L. Boyer, Mary Anne Evans, Timothy Maguire, Silvia Newell, Heather Raymond, Dale M. Robertson, Katie Stammler, Nicole Zacharda, Kenneth J. GibbonsSequestration of microfibers and other microplastics by green algae, Cladophora, in the US Great Lakes
Daunting amounts of microplastics are present in surface waters worldwide. A main category of microplastics is synthetic microfibers, which originate from textiles. These microplastics are generated and released in laundering and are discharged by wastewater treatment plants or enter surface waters from other sources. The polymers that constitute many common synthetic microfibers are mostly denserAuthorsJulie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Cassie Nelson, Bharath Ganesh Babu, Mary Anne Evans, Eddie Kostelnik, Morgan Keller, Jenna Johnston, Sarah ShidlerElucidating controls on cyanobacteria bloom timing and intensity via Bayesian mechanistic modeling
The adverse impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing worldwide. Lake Erie is a North American Great Lake highly affected by cultural eutrophication and summer cyanobacterial HABs. While phosphorus loading is a known driver of bloom size, more nuanced yet crucial questions remain. For example, it is unclear what mechanisms are primarily responsible for initiating cyanobacterial dominanAuthorsDario Del Giudice, Shiqi Fang, Donald Scavia, Timothy W. Davis, Mary Anne Evans, Daniel R ObenourPreliminary analysis to estimate the spatial distribution of benefits of P load reduction: Identifying the spatial influence of phosphorus loading from the Maumee River (USA) in western Lake Erie
Since the early 2000s, Lake Erie has been experiencing annual cyanobacterial blooms that often cover large portions of the western basin and even reach into the central basin. These blooms have affected several ecosystem services provided by Lake Erie to surrounding communities (notably drinking water quality). Several modeling efforts have identified the springtime total bioavailable phosphorus (AuthorsJames H. Larson, Enrika Hlavacek, Nathan R. De Jager, Mary Anne Evans, Timothy WynnePhosphorus, nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon fluxes from sediments in freshwater rivermouths entering Green Bay (Lake Michigan; USA)
Transitional areas between ecosystem types are often active biogeochemically due to resource limitation changes. Lotic-to-lentic transitions in freshwaters appear active biogeochemically, but few studies have directly measured nutrient processing rates to assess whether processing within the rivermouth is important for load estimates or the local communities. We measured oxic fluxes of inorganic nAuthorsJames H. Larson, William F. James, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Mary Anne Evans, Paul C. Reneau, Marguerite A. XenopoulosQuantifying microplastics in Indiana’s Lake Michigan watershed and submerged aquatic vegetation
Environmental breakdown of plastics produces synthetic microfibers, a class of microplastics that are most prevalent in surface waters. A main source of these pollutants is wastewater treatment plants which discharge into surface waters, including those that flow into Lake Michigan. Microplastics can settle into aquatic sediment or exist for lengths of time in the swash zone of the lakes; they canAuthorsJulie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mary Anne EvansA space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in intensity across many waterbodies worldwide, including the western basin of Lake Erie. Substantial efforts have been made to track these blooms using in situ sampling and remote sensing. However, such measurements do not fully capture HAB spatial and temporal dynamics due to the limitations of discrete shipboard sampling over large areas and theAuthorsShiqi Fang, Dario Del Giudice, Donald Scavia, Caren E. Binding, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Mary Anne Evans, Joseph Guinness, Thomas H. Johengen, Daniel R ObenourWater column nutrient processing rates in rivermouths of Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Understanding the quantity and form of nutrient loads to large lakes is necessary to understand controls over primary production, phytoplankton community composition and the production of phytotoxins. Nutrient loading estimates to large lakes are primarily made at stream gages that are deliberately placed outside the direct influence of lake processes, but these estimates cannot take into accountAuthorsJames H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Sean Bailey, Robert J. Kennedy, William F. James, William B. Richardson, Paul C. ReneauEvidence for interactions among environmental stressors in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Co-occurrence of environmental stressors is ubiquitous in ecosystems, but cumulative effects are difficult to predict for effective indicator development. Individual stressors can amplify (synergies) or lessen (antagonisms) each other's impacts or have fully independent effects (additive). Here we use the Laurentian Great Lakes, where a multitude of stressors have been studied for decades, as a caAuthorsSigrid D. P. Smith, David B. Bunnell, G.A. Burton, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Alisha D. Davidson, Caitlin E. Dickinson, Lauren A. Eaton, Peter C. Esselman, Mary Anne Evans, Donna R. Kashian, Nathan F. Manning, Peter B. McIntyre, Thomas F. Nalepa, Alicia Perez-Fuentetaja, Alan D. Steinman, Donald G. Uzarski, J. David AllanNon-USGS Publications**
N. S. Bosch, M. A. Evans, D. Scavia, and J. D. Allan. 2014. Interacting effects of climate change and agricultural BMPs on nutrient runoff entering Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research 40(3): 581-589Michalak, A.M., E. Anderson, D. Beletsky, S. Boland, N.S. Bosch, T.B. Bridgeman, J.D. Chaffin, K.H. Cho, R. Confesor, I. Daloğlu, J. DePinto, M.A. Evans, G.L. Fahnenstiel, L. He, J.C. Ho, L. Jenkins, T. Johengen, K.C. Kuo, E. Laporte, X. Liu, M. McWilliams, M.R. Moore, D.J. Posselt, R.P. Richards, D. Scavia, A.L. Steiner, E. Verhamme, D.M. Wright, M.A. Zagorski. 2013. The 2011 Lake Erie harmful algal bloom: Perfect storm or harbinger of future conditions? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110(16): 6448–6452.M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2013. Exploring estuarine eutrophication sensitivity to nutrient loading. Limnology & Oceanography 58(2): 569–578M. A. Evans, G.A. Fahnenstiel, and D. Scavia. 2011. Incidental oligotrophication of North American Great Lakes. Environmental Science and Technology 45(8): 3297–3303. DOI: 10.1021/es103892w
M. A. Evans and D. Scavia. 2010. Forecasting hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico: Model accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to ecosystem change. Environmental Research Letters 6: 015001
C. R. Johnson, C. Luecke, S. C. Whalen, M. A. Evans. 2010. Direct and indirect effects of fish on pelagic nitrogen and phosphorus availability in oligotrophic Arctic Alaskan lakes. Freshwater Biology 67: 1635–1648Liu, Y, M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2010 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Exploring Increasing Sensitivity to Nitrogen Loads. Environmental Science and Technology 44(15): 5836-5841M. A. Evans, S. MacIntyre, G. W. Kling. 2008. Internal wave effects on photosynthesis: experiments, theory, and modeling. Limnology & Oceanography 53(1): 339-353J. Vandermeer, M. A. Evans, P. Foster, T. Höök, M. Reiskind, M. Wund. 2002. Increased competition may promote species coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:8731-8736**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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