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Lake Erie algae and ice make a nice mix in winter

Date:
January 10, 2012
Source:
Clarkson University
Summary:
Scientists have studied Lake Erie over the past five winters during mid-winter, a time when the lake is more than 70 percent covered by ice. They've documented very high concentrations of algae thriving in the water below the ice -- even in the ice itself.
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Clarkson University Biology Professor Michael R. Twiss has been working with colleagues and students from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, to study Lake Erie over the past five winters during mid-winter, a time when the lake is more than 70 percent covered by ice.

Twiss and his colleagues documented very high concentrations of algae thriving in the water below the ice and even within the ice itself -- this despite dark conditions and cold temperatures that were a fraction of a degree above freezing and expected to inhibit microbial growth.

These remarkably high concentrations of algae in the surface water under the ice in winter exceed blooms of algae observed in the spring. The growth of algae in winter also removes nutrients from the water so that nutrients are lower by the time spring arrives.

Both of these observations have important implications to managing the Lake Erie sport and commercial fishery -- multi-million dollar industries in the United States and Canada.

The voyages were made possible through collaborations with the Canadian Coast Guard, which operates a Class 1 icebreaker on the lake in the winter, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has a scientific research vessel that conducts scientific monitoring during ice-free seasons.

The research will help guide lake managers in Canada and the United States, as they consider winter conditions in attempting to understand the ecology of Lake Erie, one of five that comprise the North American Great Lakes. This collaborative research will also help the State of New York and its neighbors better manage water quality and ecosystem function in Lake Erie.

"Since Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it is the both the coldest and warmest -- therefore, it is an important sentinel for climate change in the region and one we need to continue learning more about," says Twiss.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Clarkson University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Michael Twiss, Mike McKay, Rick Bourbonniere, George Bullerjahn, Hunter Carrick, Ralph Smith, Jennifer Winter, Nigel D'souza, Paula Furey, Aubrey Lashaway, Matt Saxton and Steve Wilhelm. Diatoms abound in ice-covered Lake Erie: An investigation of offshore winter limnology in Lake Erie over the period 2007 to 2010. Journal of Great Lakes Research, Volume 38, No. 1

Cite This Page:

Clarkson University. "Lake Erie algae and ice make a nice mix in winter." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 January 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192723.htm>.
Clarkson University. (2012, January 10). Lake Erie algae and ice make a nice mix in winter. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192723.htm
Clarkson University. "Lake Erie algae and ice make a nice mix in winter." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192723.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

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