Sample records for lake michigan water

  1. Michigan lakes: An assessment of water quality

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Minnerick, R.J.

    2004-01-01

    Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes, that provide countless recreational opportunities and are an important resource that makes tourism and recreation a $15-billion-dollar per-year industry in the State (Stynes, 2002). Knowledge of the water-quality characteristics of inland lakes is essential for the current and future management of these resources.Historically the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) jointly have monitored water quality in Michigan's lakes and rivers. During the 1990's, however, funding for surface-water-quality monitoring was reduced greatly. In 1998, the citizens of Michigan passed the Clean Michigan Initiative to clean up, protect, and enhance Michigan's environmental infrastructure. Because of expanding water-quality-data needs, the MDEQ and the USGS jointly redesigned and implemented the Lake Water-Quality Assessment (LWQA) Monitoring Program (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 1997).

  2. Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zimmerman, Jerome W.

    1968-01-01

    Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan was analyzed for 142 stations on 99 streams tributary to Lake Superior and 83 stations on 56 streams tributary to Lake Michigan during 1962-65. Concentrations of aluminum, copper, and iron were not affected greatly by flow or season. Magnesium, calcium, chlorides, total alkalinity, total hardness, and conductivity varied with the flow, temperature, and season; the lowest values were during the spring runoff and heavy rains, and the highest were during low water in late summer and the colder periods of winter. Concentrations of nitrate, silica, and sulfates were lowest in the spring and summer. Concentrations of tanninlike and ligninlike compounds were highest during the spring runoff and other high-water periods, and were lowest during freezeup when surface runoff was minimal. The pH values were highest from June to September and lowest during the spring runoff. Phenolphthalein alkalinity was detected primarily in the summer and coincided occasionally with low flows just before the spring thaw. Total hardness usually was lower in streams tributary to Lake Superior than in streams tributary to Lake Michigan. The total hardness was higher in the streams in Wisconsin than in the streams in Michigan along the west shore of Lake Michigan. It was lowest in the northernmost streams. The water quality of the streams in an area was related to the geological characteristics of the land.

  3. Water-quality characteristics of Michigan's inland lakes, 2001-10

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, L.M.; Taricska, C.K.

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) jointly monitored for selected water-quality constituents and properties of inland lakes during 2001–10 as part of Michigan's Lake Water-Quality Assessment program. During 2001–10, 866 lake basins from 729 inland lakes greater than 25 acres were monitored for baseline water-quality conditions and trophic status. This report summarizes the water-quality characteristics and trophic conditions of the monitored lakes throughout the State; the data include vertical-profile measurements, nutrient measurements at three discrete depths, Secchi-disk transparency (SDT) measurements, and chlorophyll a measurements for the spring and summer, with major ions and other chemical indicators measured during the spring at mid-depth and color during the summer from near-surface samples. In about 75 percent of inland lake deep basins (index stations), trophic characteristics were associated with oligotrophic or mesotrophic conditions; 5 percent or less were categorized as hypereutrophic, and 80 percent of hypereutrophic lakes had a maximum depth of 30 feet or less. Comparison of spring and summer measurements shows that water clarity based on SDT measurements were clearer in the spring than in the summer for 63 percent of lakes. For near-surface measurements made in spring, 97 percent of lakes can be considered phosphorus limited and less than half a percent nitrogen limited; for summer measurements, 96 percent of lakes can be considered phosphorus limited and less than half a percent nitrogen limited. Spatial patterns of major ions, alkalinity, and hardness measured in the spring at mid-depth all showed lower values in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and a southward increase toward the southern areas of the Lower Peninsula, though the location of increase varied by constituent. A spatial analysis of the data based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Level III Ecoregions separated potassium

  4. Michigan: The Great Lakes State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKay, Sandra Lee; La Luzerne-Oi, Sally

    2009-01-01

    Although Michigan is often called the "Wolverine State," its more common nickname is the "Great Lakes State." This name comes from the fact that Michigan is the only state in the United States that borders four of the five Great Lakes. Also referred to as the "Water Wonderland," Michigan has 11,000 additional lakes,…

  5. Lake level variability in Silver Lake, Michigan: a response to fluctuations in lake levels of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fisher, Timothy G.; Loope, Walter L.

    2004-01-01

    Sediment from Silver Lake, Michigan, can be used to constrain the timing and elevation of Lake Michigan during the Nipissing transgression. Silver Lake is separated from Lake Michigan by a barrier/dune complex and the Nipissing, Calumet, and Glenwood shorelines of Lake Michigan are expressed landward of this barrier. Two Vibracores were taken from the lake in February 2000 and contain pebbly sand, sand, buried soils, marl, peat, and sandy muck. It is suggested here that fluctuations in the level of Lake Michigan are reflected in Silver Lake since the Chippewa low phase, and possibly at the end of the Algonquin phase. An age of 12,490 B.P. (10,460±50 14C yrs B.P.) on wood from a buried Entisol may record the falling Algonquin phase as the North Bay outlet opened. A local perched water table is indicated by marl deposited before 7,800 B.P. and peat between 7,760-7,000 B.P. when Lake Michigan was at the low elevation Chippewa phase. Continued deepening of the lake is recorded by the transition from peat to sandy muck at 7,000 B.P. in the deeper core, and with the drowning of an Inceptisol nearly 3 m higher at 6,410 B.P. in the shallower core. A rising groundwater table responding to a rising Lake Michigan base level during the Nipissing transgression, rather than a response to mid-Holocene climate change, explains deepening of Silver Lake. Sandy muck was deposited continually in Silver Lake between Nipissing and modern time. Sand lenses within the muck are presumed to be eolian in origin, derived from sand dunes advancing into the lake on the western side of the basin.

  6. Evidence of widespread natural reproduction by lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in the Michigan waters of Lake Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Riley, S.C.; He, J.X.; Johnson, J.E.; O'Brien, T. P.; Schaeffer, J.S.

    2007-01-01

    Localized natural reproduction of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron has occurred since the 1980s near Thunder Bay, Michigan. During 2004–2006, USGS spring and fall bottom trawl surveys captured 63 wild juvenile lake trout at depths ranging from 37–73 m at four of five ports in the Michigan waters of the main basin of Lake Huron, more than five times the total number captured in the previous 30-year history of the surveys. Relatively high catches of wild juvenile lake trout in bottom trawls during 2004–2006 suggest that natural reproduction by lake trout has increased and occurred throughout the Michigan waters of the main basin. Increased catches of wild juvenile lake trout in the USGS fall bottom trawl survey were coincident with a drastic decline in alewife abundance, but data were insufficient to determine what mechanism may be responsible for increased natural reproduction by lake trout. We recommend further monitoring of juvenile lake trout abundance and research into early life history of lake trout in Lake Huron.

  7. 77 FR 49349 - Safety Zone; Chicago Air and Water Show, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-16

    ... Zone; Chicago Air and Water Show, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION... Water Show safety zone on Lake Michigan near Lincoln Park. This action is necessary to accurately reflect the enforcement dates and times for this safety zone due to changes made in this year's air show...

  8. State and regional water-quality characteristics and trophic conditions of Michigan's inland lakes, 2001-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, L.M.; Minnerick, R.J.

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are jointly monitoring selected water-quality constituents of inland lakes through 2015 as part of Michigan’s Lake Water Quality Assessment program. During 2001–2005, 433 lake basins from 364 inland lakes were monitored for baseline water-quality conditions and trophic status. This report summarizes the water-quality characteristics and trophic conditions of those monitored lake basins throughout the State. Regional variation of water quality in lake basins was examined by grouping on the basis of the five Omernik level III ecoregions within Michigan. Concentrations of most constituents measured were significantly different between ecoregions. Less regional variation of phosphorus concentrations was noted between Northern Lakes and Forests (50) and North Central Hardwoods (51) ecoregions during summer possibly because water samples were collected when lake productivity was high; hence the utilization of the limited amount of phosphorus by algae and macrophytes may have resulted in the more uniform concentrations between these two ecoregions. Concentrations of common ions (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate) measured in the spring typically were higher in the Michigan southern Lower Peninsula in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains (55), Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains (56), and Huron/Erie Lake Plains (57) ecoregions. Most ions whose concentrations were less than the minimum reporting levels or were nondetectable were from lakes in the Michigan northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula in the Northern Lakes and Forests (50) and North Central Hardwoods (51) ecoregions. Chlorophyll a concentrations followed a similar distribution pattern. Measured properties such as pH and specific conductance (indicative of dissolved solids) also showed a regional relation. The lakes with the lowest pH and specific conductance were generally in the western

  9. Whiting in Lake Michigan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    Satellites provide a view from space of changes on the Earth's surface. This series of images from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) aboard the Orbview-2 satellite shows the dramatic change in the color of Lake Michigan during the summer. The bright color that appears in late summer is probably caused by calcium carbonate-chalk-in the water. Lake Michigan always has a lot of calcium carbonate in it because the floor of the lake is limestone. During most of the year the calcium carbonate remains dissolved in the cold water, but at the end of summer the lake warms up, lowering the solubility of calcium carbonate. As a result, the calcium carbonate precipitates out of the water, forming clouds of very small solid particles that appear as bright swirls from above. The phenomenon is appropriately called a whiting event. A similar event occured in 1999, but appears to have started later and subsided earlier. It is also possible that a bloom of the algae Microcystis is responsible for the color change, but unlikely because of Lake Michigan's depth and size. Microcystis blooms have occured in other lakes in the region, however. On the shore of the lake it is possible to see the cities of Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both appear as clusters of gray-brown pixels. Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

  10. Spatial and Temporal Water Quality Patterns in Open-Water Lake Michigan from the 2015 CSMI

    EPA Science Inventory

    Water quality patterns in the Laurentian Great Lakes broadly reflect climate, surficial geography, and landuse but are also shaped by limnological and biological processes. Open-water sampling conducted as part of the 2015 Lake Michigan interagency coordinated science and monito...

  11. Sources of fatty acids in Lake Michigan surface microlayers and subsurface waters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyers, Philip A.; Owen, Robert M.

    1980-11-01

    Fatty acid and organic carbon contents have been measured in the particulate and dissolved phases of surface microlayer and subsurface water samples collected from Lake Michigan. Concentrations are highest close to fluvial sources and lowest in offshore areas, yet surface/subsurface fractionation is lowest near river mouths and highest in open lake locations. These gradients plus accompanying fatty acid compositional changes indicate that river-borne organic materials are important constituents of coastal Lake Michigan microlayers and that sinking and turbulent resuspension of particulates affect surface film characteristics. Lake neuston and plankton contribute organic components which partially replace potamic materials removed by sinking.

  12. Regional groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin in support of Great Lakes Basin water availability and use studies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Feinstein, D.T.; Hunt, R.J.; Reeves, H.W.

    2010-01-01

    A regional groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin and surrounding areas has been developed in support of the Great Lakes Basin Pilot project under the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Availability and Use Program. The transient 2-million-cell model incorporates multiple aquifers and pumping centers that create water-level drawdown that extends into deep saline waters. The 20-layer model simulates the exchange between a dense surface-water network and heterogeneous glacial deposits overlying stratified bedrock of the Wisconsin/Kankakee Arches and Michigan Basin in the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan; eastern Wisconsin; northern Indiana; and northeastern Illinois. The model is used to quantify changes in the groundwater system in response to pumping and variations in recharge from 1864 to 2005. Model results quantify the sources of water to major pumping centers, illustrate the dynamics of the groundwater system, and yield measures of water availability useful for water-resources management in the region. This report is a complete description of the methods and datasets used to develop the regional model, the underlying conceptual model, and model inputs, including specified values of material properties and the assignment of external and internal boundary conditions. The report also documents the application of the SEAWAT-2000 program for variable-density flow; it details the approach, advanced methods, and results associated with calibration through nonlinear regression using the PEST program; presents the water-level, drawdown, and groundwater flows for various geographic subregions and aquifer systems; and provides analyses of the effects of pumping from shallow and deep wells on sources of water to wells, the migration of groundwater divides, and direct and indirect groundwater discharge to Lake Michigan. The report considers the role of unconfined conditions at the regional scale as well as the influence of salinity on groundwater flow

  13. Links between type E botulism outbreaks, lake levels, and surface water temperatures in Lake Michigan, 1963-2008

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lafrancois, Brenda Moraska; Riley, Stephen C.; Blehert, David S.; Ballmann, Anne E.

    2011-01-01

    Relationships between large-scale environmental factors and the incidence of type E avian botulism outbreaks in Lake Michigan were examined from 1963 to 2008. Avian botulism outbreaks most frequently occurred in years with low mean annual water levels, and lake levels were significantly lower in outbreak years than in non-outbreak years. Mean surface water temperatures in northern Lake Michigan during the period when type E outbreaks tend to occur (July through September) were significantly higher in outbreak years than in non-outbreak years. Trends in fish populations did not strongly correlate with botulism outbreaks, although botulism outbreaks in the 1960s coincided with high alewife abundance, and recent botulism outbreaks coincided with rapidly increasing round goby abundance. Botulism outbreaks occurred cyclically, and the frequency of outbreaks did not increase over the period of record. Climate change scenarios for the Great Lakes predict lower water levels and warmer water temperatures. As a consequence, the frequency and magnitude of type E botulism outbreaks in the Great Lakes may increase.

  14. Synthetic musk fragrances in Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Peck, Aaron M; Hornbuckle, Keri C

    2004-01-15

    Synthetic musk fragrances are added to a wide variety of personal care and household products and are present in treated wastewater effluent. Here we report for the first time ambient air and water measurements of six polycyclic musks (AHTN, HHCB, ATII, ADBI, AHMI, and DPMI) and two nitro musks (musk xylene and musk ketone) in North America. The compounds were measured in the air and water of Lake Michigan and in the air of urban Milwaukee, WI. All of the compounds except DPMI were detected. HHCB and AHTN were found in the highest concentrations in all samples. Airborne concentrations of HHCB and AHTN average 4.6 and 2.9 ng/m3, respectively, in Milwaukee and 1.1 and 0.49 ng/m3 over the lake. The average water concentration of HHCB and AHTN in Lake Michigan was 4.7 and 1.0 ng/L, respectively. A lake-wide annual mass budget shows that wastewater treatment plant discharge is the major source (3470 kg/yr) of the synthetic musks while atmospheric deposition contributes less than 1%. Volatilization and outflow through the Straits of Mackinac are major loss mechanisms (2085 and 516 kg/yr for volatilization and outflow, respectively). Concentrations of HHCB are about one-half the predicted steady-state water concentrations in Lake Michigan.

  15. Water quality in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages, Wisconsin and Michigan, 1992-95

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Peters, Charles A.; Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Scudder, Barbara C.; Fitzpatrick, Faith A.; Richards, Kevin D.; Stewart, Jana S.; Fitzgerald, Sharon A.; Lenz, Bernard N.

    1998-01-01

    This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages Study Unit and torelate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information in primarily intended for those who are involved in water-resource management. Yet, the information contained here may also interest those who simply wish to know more about the quality of water in the rivers and aquifers in the area where they live.

  16. Radiocarbon ages of pre-bomb clams and the hard-water effect in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rea, David K.; Colman, Steven M.

    1995-01-01

    Five radiocarbon ages, all determined by accelerator mass spectrometry, have been obtained for two pre-bomb bivalves from Lake Michigan and one from Lake Huron. After correcting those ages for the fractionation of14C in calcite and for the radioactively inert CO2 in the atmosphere, we find residual ages, caused by the hard water effect, of about 250 years for Lake Michigan and 440 years for Lake Huron.

  17. Paleoecology of a Northern Michigan Lake and the relationship among climate, vegetation, and Great Lakes water levels

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Booth, R.K.; Jackson, S.T.; Thompson, T.A.

    2002-01-01

    We reconstructed Holocene water-level and vegetation dynamics based on pollen and plant macrofossils from a coastal lake in Upper Michigan. Our primary objective was to test the hypothesis that major fluctuations in Great Lakes water levels resulted in part from climatic changes. We also used our data to provide temporal constraints to the mid-Holocene dry period in Upper Michigan. From 9600 to 8600 cal yr B.P. a shallow, lacustrine environment characterized the Mud Lake basin. A Sphagnum-dominated wetland occupied the basin during the mid-Holocene dry period (???8600 to 6600 cal yr B.P.). The basin flooded at 6600 cal yr B.P. as a result of rising water levels associated with the onset of the Nipissing I phase of ancestral Lake Superior. This flooding event occured contemporaneously with a well-documented regional expansion of Tsuga. Betula pollen increased during the Nipissing II phase (4500 cal yr B.P.). Macrofossil evidence from Mud Lake suggests that Betula alleghaniensis expansion was primarily responsible for the rising Betula pollen percentages. Major regional and local vegetational changes were associated with all the major Holocene highstands of the western Great Lakes (Nipissing I, Nipissing II, and Algoma). Traditional interpretations of Great Lakes water-level history should be revised to include a major role of climate. ?? 2002 University of Washington.

  18. Predicting water quality by relating secchi-disk transparency and chlorophyll a measurements to satellite imagery for Michigan Inland Lakes, August 2002

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, L.M.; Aichele, Stephen S.; Minnerick, R.J.

    2004-01-01

    Inland lakes are an important economic and environmental resource for Michigan. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have been cooperatively monitoring the quality of selected lakes in Michigan through the Lake Water Quality Assessment program. Through this program, approximately 730 of Michigan's 11,000 inland lakes will be monitored once during this 15-year study. Targeted lakes will be sampled during spring turnover and again in late summer to characterize water quality. Because more extensive and more frequent sampling is not economically feasible in the Lake Water Quality Assessment program, the U.S. Geological Survey and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality investigate the use of satellite imagery as a means of estimating water quality in unsampled lakes. Satellite imagery has been successfully used in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and elsewhere to compute the trophic state of inland lakes from predicted secchi-disk measurements. Previous attempts of this kind in Michigan resulted in a poorer fit between observed and predicted data than was found for Minnesota or Wisconsin. This study tested whether estimates could be improved by using atmospherically corrected satellite imagery, whether a more appropriate regression model could be obtained for Michigan, and whether chlorophyll a concentrations could be reliably predicted from satellite imagery in order to compute trophic state of inland lakes. Although the atmospheric-correction did not significantly improve estimates of lake-water quality, a new regression equation was identified that consistently yielded better results than an equation obtained from the literature. A stepwise regression was used to determine an equation that accurately predicts chlorophyll a concentrations in northern Lower Michigan.

  19. Comparative analysis of discharges into Lake Michigan, Phase I - Southern Lake Michigan.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Veil, J. A.; Elcock, D.; Gasper, J. R.

    2008-06-30

    BP Products North America Inc. (BP) owns and operates a petroleum refinery located on approximately 1,700 acres in Whiting, East Chicago, and Hammond, Indiana, near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. BP provided funding to Purdue University-Calumet Water Institute (Purdue) and Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) to conduct studies related to wastewater treatment and discharges. Purdue and Argonne are working jointly to identify and characterize technologies that BP could use to meet the previous discharge permit limits for total suspended solids (TSS) and ammonia after refinery modernization. In addition to the technology characterization work, Argonne conducted a separate project task, whichmore » is the subject of this report. In Phase I of a two-part study, Argonne estimated the current levels of discharge to southern Lake Michigan from significant point and nonpoint sources in Illinois, Indiana, and portions of Michigan. The study does not consider all of the chemicals that are discharged. Rather, it is narrowly focused on a selected group of pollutants, referred to as the 'target pollutants'. These include: TSS, ammonia, total and hexavalent chromium, mercury, vanadium, and selenium. In Phase II of the study, Argonne will expand the analysis to cover the entire Lake Michigan drainage basin.« less

  20. Predicting water quality by relating secchi-disk transparency and chlorophyll a measurements to Landsat satellite imagery for Michigan inland lakes, 2001-2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, L.M.; Minnerick, R.J.

    2007-01-01

    The State of Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes; approximately 3,500 of these lakes are greater than 25 acres. The USGS, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), has been monitoring the quality of inland lakes in Michigan through the Lake Water Quality Assessment monitoring program. Approximately 100 inland lakes will be sampled per year from 2001 to 2015. Volunteers coordinated by MDEQ started sampling lakes in 1974, and continue to sample to date approximately 250 inland lakes each year through the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP), Michigan’s volunteer lakes monitoring program. Despite this sampling effort, it is still impossible to physically collect the necessary water-quality measurements for all 3,500 Michigan inland lakes. Therefore, a technique was used by USGS, modeled after Olmanson and others (2001), in cooperation with MDEQ that uses satellite remote sensing to predict water quality in unsampled inland lakes greater than 25 acres. Water-quality characteristics that are associated with water clarity can be predicted for Michigan inland lakes by relating sampled measurements of secchi-disk transparency (SDT) and chlorophyll a concentrations (Chl-a), to satellite imagery. The trophic state index (TSI) which is an indicator of the biological productivity can be calculated based on SDT measurements, Chl-a concentrations, and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations measured near the lake’s surface. Through this process, unsampled inland lakes within the fourteen Landsat satellite scenes encompassing Michigan can be translated into estimated TSI from either predicted SDT or Chl-a (fig. 1).

  1. Acid rain stimulation of Lake Michigan phytoplankton growth

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manny, Bruce A.; Fahnenstiel, G.L.; Gardner, W.S.

    1987-01-01

    Three laboratory experiments demonstrated that additions of rainwater to epilimnetic lake water collected in southeastern Lake Michigan stimulated chlorophyll a production more than did additions of reagent-grade water during incubations of 12 to 20 d. Chlorophyll a production did not begin until 3–5 d after the rain and lake water were mixed. The stimulation caused by additions of rain acidified to pH 3.0 was greater than that caused by additions of untreated rain (pH 4.0–4.5). Our results support the following hypotheses: (1) Acid rain stimulates the growth of phytoplankton in lake water; (2) phosphorus in rain appears to be the factor causing this stimulation. We conclude that acid rain may accelerate the growth of epilimnetic phytoplankton in Lake Michigan (and other similar lakes) during stratification when other sources of bioavailable phosphorus to the epilimnion are limited

  2. ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY DEPOSITION TO LAKE MICHIGAN DURING THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wet and dry mercury (Hg) deposition were calculated to Lake Michigan using a hybrid receptor modeling framework. The model utilized mercury monitoring data collected during the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study and the Atmospheric Exchange Over Lakes and Oceans Study together w...

  3. 75 FR 34932 - Safety Zone; Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix, Lake Michigan, Michigan City, IN

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-21

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix, Lake Michigan, Michigan City, IN AGENCY: Coast... zone on Lake Michigan near Michigan City, Indiana. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from a... of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled Safety Zone; Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix, Lake...

  4. LINKING GREAT WATERSHEDS WITH LAKE MICHIGAN: THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    An overview of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study -- which is focusing on atrazine, PCBs, nutrients, suspended solids, trans-nonachlor, and mercury. The relative contribution of contaminants to Lake Michigan will be examined for all major watersheds in the basin. - - - Further ...

  5. Fleet dynamics of the commercial lake trout fishery in Michigan waters of Lake Superior during 1929-1961

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilberg, Michael J.; Bronte, Charles R.; Hansen, Michael J.

    2004-01-01

    Understanding fishing fleet dynamics is important when using fishery dependent data to infer the status of fish stocks. We analyzed data from mandatory catch reports from the commercial lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) fishery in Michigan waters of Lake Superior during 1929-1961, a period when lake trout populations collapsed through the combined effects of overfishing and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) predation. The number of full-time fishermen increased during 1933-1943 and then decreased during 1943-1957. Addition of new fishermen was related to past yield, market prices, World War II draft exemptions, and lost fishing opportunities in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Loss of existing fishermen was related to declining lake trout density. Large mesh (a?Y 114-mm stretch-measure) gill net effort increased during 1929-1951 because fishermen fished more net inshore as lake trout density declined, even though catch per effort (CPE) was often higher in deeper waters. The most common gill net mesh size increased from 114-mm to 120-mm stretch-measure during 1929-1957, as lake trout growth increased. More effort was fished inshore than offshore and the amount of inshore effort was less variable over time than offshore effort. Relatively stable yield was maintained by increasing gill net effort and by moving some effort to better grounds. Because fishing-up caused yield and CPE to remain high despite declining lake trout abundance, caution must be used when basing goals for lake trout restoration on historical fishery indices.

  6. 33 CFR 334.820 - Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.820 Section 334.820 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.820 Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. (a...

  7. 33 CFR 334.820 - Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.820 Section 334.820 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.820 Lake Michigan; naval restricted area, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. (a...

  8. Characterization of Lake Michigan coastal lakes using zooplankton assemblages

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Whitman, Richard L.; Nevers, Meredith B.; Goodrich, Maria L.; Murphy, Paul C.; Davis, Bruce M.

    2004-01-01

    Zooplankton assemblages and water quality were examined bi-weekly from 17 April to 19 October 1998 in 11 northeastern Lake Michigan coastal lakes of similar origin but varied in trophic status and limnological condition. All lakes were within or adjacent to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan. Zooplankton (principally microcrustaceans and rotifers) from triplicate Wisconsin net (80 I?m) vertical tows taken at each lake's deepest location were analyzed. Oxygen-temperature-pH-specific conductivity profiles and surface water quality were concurrently measured. Bray-Curtis similarity analysis showed small variations among sample replicates but large temporal differences. The potential use of zooplankton communities for environmental lake comparisons was evaluated by means of BIOENV (Primer 5.1) and principal component analyses. Zooplankton analyzed at the lowest identified taxonomic level yielded greatest sensitivity to limnological variation. Taxonomic and ecological aggregations of zooplankton data performed comparably, but less well than the finest taxonomic analysis. Secchi depth, chlorophyll a, and sulfate concentrations combined to give the best correlation with patterns of variation in the zooplankton data set. Principal component analysis of these variables revealed trophic status as the most influential major limnological gradient among the study lakes. Overall, zooplankton abundance was an excellent indicator of variation in trophic status.

  9. 2016 Lake Michigan Lake Trout Working Group Report

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Breidert, Brian; Boyarski, David; Bronte, Charles R.; Dickinson, Ben; Donner, Kevin; Ebener, Mark P.; Gordon, Roger; Hanson, Dale; Holey, Mark; Janssen, John; Jonas, Jory; Kornis, Matthew; Olsen, Erik; Robillard, Steve; Treska, Ted; Weldon, Barry; Wright, Greg D.

    2017-01-01

    This report provides a review on the progression of lake trout rehabilitation towards meeting the Salmonine Fish Community Objectives (FCOs) for Lake Michigan (Eshenroder et. al. 1995) and the interim goal and evaluation objectives articulated in A Fisheries Management Implementation Strategy for the Rehabilitation of Lake Trout in Lake Michigan (Dexter et al. 2011); we also include data describing lake trout stocking and mortality to portray the present state of progress towards lake trout rehabilitation.

  10. 75 FR 34936 - Safety Zone; Chicago Tall Ships Fireworks, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-21

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Chicago Tall Ships Fireworks, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... waters of Lake Michigan within Chicago Harbor, Chicago, Illinois. This zone is intended to restrict... CWO2 Jon Grob, U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Lake Michigan, telephone (414)747-7188, e-mail [email protected

  11. 75 FR 22333 - Safety Zone; Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix, Lake Michigan, Michigan City, IN

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-28

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix, Lake Michigan, Michigan City, IN AGENCY: Coast... temporary safety zone on Lake Michigan near Michigan City, Indiana. This zone is intended to restrict... ensure the safety of vessels from the hazards associated with the Michigan City Super Boat Grand Prix...

  12. A post-Calumet shoreline along southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Capps, D.K.; Thompson, T.A.; Booth, R.K.

    2007-01-01

    The southern shore of Lake Michigan is the type area for many of ancestral Lake Michigan's late Pleistocene lake phases, but coastal deposits and features of the Algonquin phase of northern Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior are not recognized in the area. Isostatic rebound models suggest that Algonquin phase deposits should be 100 m or more below modern lake level. A relict shoreline, however, exists along the lakeward margin of the Calumet Beach that was erosional west of Deep River and depositional east of the river. For this post-Calumet shoreline, the elevation of basal foreshore deposits east of Deep River and the base of the scarp west of Deep River indicate a slightly westward dipping water plane that is centered at ???184 m above mean sea level. Basal foreshore elevations also indicate that lake level fell ???2 m during the development of the shoreline. The pooled mean of radiocarbon dates from the surface of the peat below post-Calumet shoreline foreshore deposits indicate that the lake transgressed over the peat at 10,560 ?? 70 years B.P. Pollen assemblages from the peat are consistent with this age. The elevation and age of the post-Calumet shoreline are similar to the Main Algonquin phase of Lake Huron. Recent isostatic rebound models do not adequately address a high-elevation Algonquin-age shoreline along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, but the Goldthwait (1908) hinge-line model does. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  13. Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Feasibility Assessment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boezaart, Arnold; Edmonson, James; Standridge, Charles

    The purpose of this project was to conduct the first comprehensive offshore wind assessment over Lake Michigan and to advance the body of knowledge needed to support future commercial wind energy development on the Great Lakes. The project involved evaluation and selection of emerging wind measurement technology and the permitting, installation and operation of the first mid-lake wind assessment meteorological (MET) facilities in Michigan’s Great Lakes. In addition, the project provided the first opportunity to deploy and field test floating LIDAR and Laser Wind Sensor (LWS) technology, and important research related equipment key to the sitting and permitting of futuremore » offshore wind energy development in accordance with public participation guidelines established by the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council (GLOW). The project created opportunities for public dialogue and community education about offshore wind resource management and continued the dialogue to foster Great Lake wind resource utilization consistent with the focus of the GLOW Council. The technology proved to be effective, affordable, mobile, and the methods of data measurement accurate. The public benefited from a substantial increase in knowledge of the wind resources over Lake Michigan and gained insights about the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind turbine placements in the future. The unique first ever hub height wind resource assessment using LWS technology over water and development of related research data along with the permitting, sitting, and deployment of the WindSentinel MET buoy has captured public attention and has helped to increase awareness of the potential of future offshore wind energy development on the Great Lakes. Specifically, this project supported the acquisition and operation of a WindSentinel (WS) MET wind assessment buoy, and associated research for 549 days over multiple years at three locations on Lake Michigan. Four research objectives were defined

  14. Recent geologic development of Lake Michigan (U.S.A.)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gross, D.L.; Cahill, R.A.

    1983-01-01

    The stresses placed on Lake Michigan since the advent of industrialization require knowledge of the sedimentology of the whole lake in order to make informed decisions for environmental planning. Sediment accumulation rates are low: areas of the lake receiving the most sediment average only 1 mm a-1; deep-water basins average 0.1 to 0.5 mm a-1; and large areas are not receiving any sediment. Sediment was deposited rapidly (typically 5 mm a-1), in the form of rock flour, during the deglaciation of both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Basins. Then the rate of accumulation decreased by 80-90% and has remained relatively constant since final deglaciation. Because active sedimentation occurs mostly in the deep water areas of the lake, the sediment remains undisturbed and contains a record of the chemical history of the lake. ?? 1983 Dr W. Junk Publishers.

  15. Great Lakes water quality scenario models: Operational feasibility -Lake Michigan Mass Balance models

    EPA Science Inventory

    An overview of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance models were provided (eutrophication/nutrients, atrazine, mercury, and PCBs) with emphasis on the PCB model post-audit and forecast for Lake Trout. Provided were modeling construct, model description, and primary results. An assessm...

  16. A reactive nitrogen budget for Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    The reactive nitrogen budget for Lake Michigan was reviewed and updated, making use of recent estimates of watershed and atmospheric nitrogen loads. The updated total N load to Lake Michigan was approximately double the previous estimate from the Lake Michigan Mass Balance study ...

  17. Energy density of lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis in Lakes Huron and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, S.A.; Nalepa, T.F.; Madenjian, C.P.; Rediske, R.R.; Schneeberger, P.J.; He, J.X.

    2006-01-01

    We collected lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis off Alpena and Tawas City, Michigan, USA in Lake Huron and off Muskegon, Michigan USA in Lake Michigan during 2002–2004. We determined energy density and percent dry weight for lake whitefish from both lakes and lipid content for Lake Michigan fish. Energy density increased with increasing fish weight up to 800 g, and then remained relatively constant with further increases in fish weight. Energy density, adjusted for weight, was lower in Lake Huron than in Lake Michigan for both small (≤800 g) and large fish (>800 g). Energy density did not differ seasonally for small or large lake whitefish or between adult male and female fish. Energy density was strongly correlated with percent dry weight and percent lipid content. Based on data from commercially caught lake whitefish, body condition was lower in Lake Huron than Lake Michigan during 1981–2003, indicating that the dissimilarity in body condition between the lakes could be long standing. Energy density and lipid content in 2002–2004 in Lake Michigan were lower than data for comparable sized fish collected in 1969–1971. Differences in energy density between lakes were attributed to variation in diet and prey energy content as well as factors that affect feeding rates such as lake whitefish density and prey abundance.

  18. Ninespine Stickleback Abundance in Lake Michigan Increases After Dreissenid Mussel Invasion

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Gorman, Owen T.

    2010-01-01

    Based on data from our annual lakewide bottom trawl survey of Lake Michigan, we determined that density of ninespine sticklebacks Pungitius pungitius increased from an average of 0.234 kg/ha during 1973–1995 to an average of 1.318 kg/ha during 1996–2007. This greater-than-fivefold increase in density coincided with the dreissenid mussel invasion of Lake Michigan. Intervention analysis revealed that ninespine stickleback density in Lake Michigan significantly increased between the two time periods. In contrast, based on data from our annual bottom trawl survey of U.S. waters of Lake Superior, ninespine stickleback density decreased from an average of 0.133 kg/ha during 1978–1999 to an average of only 0.026 kg/ha during 2000–2007. This greater-than-fivefold density decrease, which was found to be significant via intervention analysis, coincided with population recovery for both lean and fat morphotypes of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Superior. In contrast to Lake Michigan, dreissenid mussels have not invaded Lake Superior on a lakewide basis. Thus, a comparison of these two lakes indicated that the increase in ninespine stickleback abundance in Lake Michigan was most likely attributable to the dreissenid mussel invasion. In addition, based on our correlation analysis, alewives Alosa pseudoharengus did not have an adverse effect on ninespine stickleback abundance in Lake Michigan. Perhaps the recent increase in biomass of green algae Cladophora spp. associated with the dreissenid mussel invasion improved spawning habitat quality for ninespine sticklebacks and led to their stepwise abundance increase in Lake Michigan beginning in 1996

  19. Lake Michigan lake trout PCB model forecast post audit

    EPA Science Inventory

    Scenario forecasts for total PCBs in Lake Michigan (LM) lake trout were conducted using the linked LM2-Toxics and LM Food Chain models, supported by a suite of additional LM models. Efforts were conducted under the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study and the post audit represents th...

  20. 33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

  1. 33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

  2. 33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

  3. 33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

  4. 33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

  5. MICHTOX: A MASS BALANCE AND BIOACCUMULATION MODEL FOR TOXIC CHEMICALS IN LAKE MICHIGAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    MICHTOX is a toxic chemical mass balance and bioaccumulation model for Lake Michigan. It was developed for USEPA's Region V in support of the Lake Michigan Lake-wide Management Plan (LaMP) to provide guidance on expected water quality improvements in response to critical pollutan...

  6. Strand-plain evidence for late Holocene lake-level variations in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thompson, T.A.; Baedke, S.J.

    1997-01-01

    Lake level is a primary control on shoreline behavior in Lake Michigan. The historical record from lake-level gauges is the most accurate source of information on past lake levels, but the short duration of the record does not permit the recognition of long-term patterns of lake-level change (longer than a decade or two). To extend the record of lake-level change, the internal architecture and timing of development of five strand plains of late Holocene beach ridges along the Lake Michigan coastline were studied. Relative lake-level curves for each site were constructed by determining the elevation of foreshore (swash zone) sediments in the beach ridges and by dating basal wetland sediments in the swales between ridges. These curves detect long-term (30+ yr) lake-level variations and differential isostatic adjustments over the past 4700 yr at a greater resolution than achieved by other studies. The average timing of beach-ridge development for all sites is between 29 and 38 yr/ridge. This correspondence occurs in spite of the embayments containing the strand plains being different in size, orientation, hydrographic regime, and available sediment type and caliber. If not coincidental, all sites responded to a lake-level fluctuation of a little more than three decades in duration and a range of 0.5 to 0.6 m. Most pronounced in the relative lake-level curves is a fluctuation of 120-180 yr in duration. This ???150 yr variation is defined by groups of four to six ridges that show a rise and fall in foreshore elevations of 0.5 to 1.5 m within the group. The 150 yr variation can be correlated between sites in the Lake Michigan basin. The ???30 and 150 yr fluctuations are superimposed on a long-term loss of water to the Lake Michigan basin and differential rates of isostatic adjustment.

  7. Updated polychlorinated biphenyl mass budget for Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study revisits and updates the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that was conducted in 1994-1995. This work uses recent concentrations of PCBs in tributary and open lake water, air, and sediment to calculate an updated mass budg...

  8. Recruitment variability of alewives in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, C.P.; Hook, T.O.; Rutherford, E.S.; Mason, D.M.; Croley, T.E.; Szalai, E.B.; Bence, J.R.

    2005-01-01

    We used a long-term series of observations on alewife Alosa pseudoharengus abundance that was based on fall bottom-trawl catches to assess the importance of various abiotic and biotic factors on alewife recruitment in Lake Michigan during 1962–2002. We first fit a basic Ricker spawner–recruit model to the lakewide biomass estimates of age-3 recruits and the corresponding spawning stock size; we then fit models for all possible combinations of the following four external variables added to the basic model: an index of salmonine predation on an alewife year-class, an index for the spring–summer water temperatures experienced by alewives during their first year in the lake, an index of the severity of the first winter experienced by alewives in the lake, and an index of lake productivity during an alewife year-class's second year in the lake. Based on an information criterion, the best model for alewife recruitment included indices of salmonine predation and spring–summer water temperatures as external variables. Our analysis corroborated the contention that a decline in alewife abundance during the 1970s and early 1980s in Lake Michigan was driven by salmonine predation. Furthermore, our findings indicated that the extraordinarily warm water temperatures during the spring and summer of 1998 probably led to a moderately high recruitment of age-3 alewives in 2001, despite abundant salmonines.

  9. Survival of lake trout eggs and fry reared in water from the upper Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mac, Michael J.; Edsall, Carol Cotant; Seelye, James G.

    1985-01-01

    As part of continuing studies of the reproductive failure of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan, we measured the survival of lake trout eggs and fry of different origins and reared in different environments. Eggs and milt were stripped from spawning lake trout collected in the fall of 1980 from southeastern Lake Michigan, northwestern Lake Huron, south central Lake Superior, and from hatchery brood stock. Eggs from all sources were incubated, and the newly hatched fry were reared for 139 days in lake water from each of the three upper Great Lakes and in well water. Survival of eggs to hatching at all sites was lowest for those from Lake Michigan (70% of fertilized eggs) and highest for eggs from Lake Superior (96%). Comparisons of incubation water from the different lakes indicated that hatching success of eggs from all sources was highest in Lake Huron water, and lowest in Lake Michigan water. The most notable finding was the nearly total mortality of fry from eggs of southeastern Lake Michigan lake trout. At all sites, the mean survival of Lake Michigan fry through 139 days after hatching was only 4% compared to near 50% for fry from the other three sources. In a comparison of the rearing sites, little influence of water quality on fry survival was found. Thus, the poor survival was associated with the source of eggs and sperm, not the water in which the fry were reared.

  10. 33 CFR 110.82a - Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. 110.82a Section 110.82a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. (a) Area 1. Beginning at latitude 45°25′42.2″ N...

  11. 33 CFR 110.82a - Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. 110.82a Section 110.82a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. (a) Area 1. Beginning at latitude 45°25′42.2″ N...

  12. 33 CFR 110.82a - Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. 110.82a Section 110.82a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. (a) Area 1. Beginning at latitude 45°25′42.2″ N...

  13. 33 CFR 110.82a - Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. 110.82a Section 110.82a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. (a) Area 1. Beginning at latitude 45°25′42.2″ N...

  14. 33 CFR 110.82a - Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. 110.82a Section 110.82a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Harbor Springs, Mich. (a) Area 1. Beginning at latitude 45°25′42.2″ N...

  15. 33 CFR 334.840 - Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone adjacent to airport on... Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone...

  16. 33 CFR 334.840 - Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone adjacent to airport on... Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone...

  17. Current-use flame retardants in the water of Lake Michigan tributaries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guo, Jiehong; Romanak, Kevin; Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Hites, Ronald A.; Venier, Marta

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we measured the concentrations of 65 flame retardants in water samples from five Lake Michigan tributaries. These flame retardants included organophosphate esters (OPEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and Dechlorane-related compounds. A total of 59 samples, including both the particulate and the dissolved phases, were collected from the Grand, Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph, and Lower Fox rivers and from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in 2015. OPEs were the most abundant among the targeted compounds with geometric mean concentrations ranging from 20 to 54 ng/L; OPE concentrations were comparable among the five tributaries. BFR concentrations were about 1 ng/L, and the most-abundant compounds were bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate, 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate, and decabromodiphenyl ether. The highest BFR concentrations were measured in either the IHSC or the Saint Joseph River. The dechlorane-related compounds were detected at low concentrations (<1 pg/L). The fraction of target compounds in the particulate phase relative to the dissolved phase varied by chemical and tended to increase with their octanol–water partition coefficient. The chemical loading from all the five tributaries into Lake Michigan were <10 kg/year for the BFRs and about 500 kg/year for the OPEs.

  18. Spatial Patterns Study for Sediments from Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    Accurately understanding the distribution of sediment measurements within large water bodies such as Lake Michigan is critical for modeling and understanding of carbon, nitrogen, silica and phosphorus dynamics. Several water quality models have been formulated and applied to the ...

  19. 33 CFR 334.840 - Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone... the center line of the runway at the south end of the air strip on Northerly Island; thence 183°, 500... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Waters of Lake Michigan south of...

  20. 33 CFR 334.840 - Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone... the center line of the runway at the south end of the air strip on Northerly Island; thence 183°, 500... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Waters of Lake Michigan south of...

  1. 33 CFR 334.840 - Waters of Lake Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Michigan south of Northerly Island at entrance to Burnham Park Yacht Harbor, Chicago, Ill.; danger zone... the center line of the runway at the south end of the air strip on Northerly Island; thence 183°, 500... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Waters of Lake Michigan south of...

  2. Late Holocene lake-level variation in southeastern Lake Superior: Tahquamenon Bay, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnston, John W.; Baedke, Steve J.; Booth, Robert K.; Thompson, Todd A.; Wilcox, Douglas A.

    2004-01-01

    Internal architecture and ages of 71 beach ridges in the Tahquamenon Bay embayment along the southeastern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were studied to generate a late Holocene relative lake-level curve. Establishing a long-term framework is important to examine the context of historic events and help predict potential future changes critical for effective water resource management. Ridges in the embayment formed between about 4,200 and 2,100 calendar years before 1950 (cal. yrs. B.P.) and were created and preserved every 28 A? 4.8 years on average. Groups of three to six beach ridges coupled with inflections in the lake-level curve indicate a history of lake levels fluctuations and outlet changes. A rapid lake-level drop (approximately 4 m) from about 4,100 to 3,800 cal. yrs. B.P. was associated with a fall from the Nipissing II high-water-level phase. A change from a gradual fall to a slight rise was associated with an outlet change from Port Huron, Michigan/Sarnia, Ontario to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario. A complete outlet change occurred after the Algoma high-water-level phase (ca. 2,400 cal. yrs. B.P.). Preliminary rates of vertical ground movement calculated from the strandplain are much greater than rates calculated from historical and geologic data. High rates of vertical ground movement could have caused tectonism in the Whitefish Bay area, modifying the strandplain during the past 2,400 years. A tectonic event at or near the Sault outlet also may have been a factor in the outlet change from Port Huron/Sarnia to Sault Ste. Marie.

  3. Changes in the Lake Michigan food web following dreissenid mussel invasions: A synthesis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Warner, David M.; Pothoven, Steven A.; Fahnenstiel, Gary L.; Nalepa, Thomas F.; Vanderploeg, Henry A.; Tsehaye, Iyob; Claramunt, Randall M.; Clark, Richard D

    2015-01-01

    Using various available time series for Lake Michigan, we examined changes in the Lake Michigan food web following the dreissenid mussel invasions and identified those changes most likely attributable to these invasions, thereby providing a synthesis. Expansion of the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) population into deeper waters, which began around 2004, appeared to have a substantial predatory effect on both phytoplankton abundance and primary production, with annual primary production in offshore (> 50 m deep) waters being reduced by about 35% by 2007. Primary production likely decreased in nearshore waters as well, primarily due to predatory effects exerted by the quagga mussel expansion. The drastic decline inDiporeia abundance in Lake Michigan during the 1990s and 2000s has been attributed to dreissenid mussel effects, but the exact mechanism by which the mussels were negatively affecting Diporeia abundance remains unknown. In turn, decreased Diporeiaabundance was associated with reduced condition, growth, and/or energy density in alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii), and bloater (Coregonus hoyi). However, lake-wide biomass of salmonines, top predators in the food web, remained high during the 2000s, and consumption of alewives by salmonines actually increased between the 1980–1995 and 1996–2011 time periods. Moreover, abundance of the lake whitefish population, which supports Lake Michigan's most valuable commercial fishery, remained at historically high levels during the 2000s. Apparently, counterbalancing mechanisms operating within the complex Lake Michigan food web have enabled salmonines and lake whitefish to retain relatively high abundances despite reduced primary production.

  4. The food of the lake trout (Cristivomer namaycush namaycush) and of the lawyer (Lota maculosa) of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Van Oosten, John; Deason, Hilary J.

    1938-01-01

    This paper reports on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the contents of 4,979 lake trout stomachs (593 examined in 1930 and 1,253 collected in 1931 from southern Lake Michigan, 1,446 from northern Lake Michigan and 1,687 from Green Bay in 1932), and of a total of 1,528 lawyer stomachs (172 examined in 1930 and 734 collected in 1931 from southern Lake Michigan, 612 from northern Lake Michigan and 10 from Green Bay in 1932). The food of the trout consisted of 98 per cent by volume of fish of which Cottidae and Coregonidae were the principal constituents. Cottidae were dominant in southern Lake Michigan (72 per cent by volume), Coregonidae in northern Lake Michigan (51 per cent) but the lake shiner, Notropis atherinides, was most important in Green Bay in the spring of the year (64 per cent). The lawyer food consisted of 74 per cent by volume of fish and 26 per cent invertebrates. Dominant items were Cottidae (76 per cent by volume) in southern Lake Michigan, Coregonidae (51 per cent) and Pontoporeia (37 per cent) in northern Lake Michigan, and Percopsis (34 per cent) and Mysis (26 per cent) in Green Bay. Data are also presented on the frequency of occurrence (number of stomachs) of the food items and its variation with the sizes of the trout and lawyers, depths of water, seasons, and localities; on the number of individual fish of each species destroyed by the trout and lawyers; and on the calculated volume of the food fishes preceding digestion. The lake trout and lawyer are competitors for the same food, are both predators of the commercially important Coregonidae, and the lawyer through its consumption of invertebrates is a food competitor of the Coregonidae.

  5. Lake Michigan lake trout PCB model forecast post audit (oral presentation)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Scenario forecasts for total PCBs in Lake Michigan (LM) lake trout were conducted using the linked LM2-Toxics and LM Food Chain models, supported by a suite of additional LM models. Efforts were conducted under the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study and the post audit represents an...

  6. Two hermaphroditic alewives from Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Saxon, Margaret I.

    1968-01-01

    Hermaphroditism has been reported frequently among many of the Clupeidae, but only one account of hermaphroditism has been published for the alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus. Rothschild discovered four hermaphroditic alewives among 444 fish he examined from Cayuga Lake, New York. We recently collected two hermaphroditic alewives from Lake Michigan. Both fish were normal in external appearance but were easily identified as hermaphrodites by gross examination of their gonads. The first hermaphrodite (177 mm T.L.) was discovered among several hundred normal adult alewives captured in early July 1965 in the Kalamazoo River about one mile upstream from Lake Michigan. The second hermaphroditic alewife (152 mm T.L.) was obtained from a sample of 160 adult alewives captured in Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in mid-April 1966.

  7. Spatial patterns in PCB concentrations of Lake Michigan lake trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.; Stedman, Ralph M.; Brown, Edward H.; Eck, Gary W.; Schmidt, Larry J.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; Chernyak, Sergei M.; Passino-Reader, Dora R.

    1999-01-01

    Most of the PCB body burden in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) of the Great Lakes is from their food. PCB concentrations were determined in lake trout from three different locations in Lake Michigan during 1994–1995, and lake trout diets were analyzed at all three locations. The PCB concentrations were also determined in alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), bloater (Coregonus hoyi), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsoni), five species of prey fish eaten by lake trout in Lake Michigan, at three nearshore sites in the lake. Despite the lack of significant differences in the PCB concentrations of alewife, rainbow smelt, bloater, slimy sculpin, and deepwater sculpin from the southeastern nearshore site near Saugatuck (Michigan) compared with the corresponding PCB concentrations from the northwestern nearshore site near Sturgeon Bay (Wisconsin), PCB concentrations in lake trout at Saugatuck were significantly higher than those at Sturgeon Bay. The difference in the lake trout PCB concentrations between Saugatuck and Sturgeon Bay could be explained by diet differences. The diet of lake trout at Saugatuck was more concentrated in PCBs than the diet of Sturgeon Bay lake trout, and therefore lake trout at Saugatuck were more contaminated in PCBs than Sturgeon Bay lake trout. These findings were useful in interpreting the long-term monitoring series for contaminants in lake trout at both Saugatuck and the Wisconsin side of the lake.

  8. 75 FR 32664 - Safety Zone; Milwaukee Air and Water Show, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, WI

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-09

    .... ACTION: Temporary final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone on Lake Michigan... of Lake Michigan due to a large-scale air show and a fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is... air show and fireworks display. DATES: This regulation is effective from 12:01 a.m. on June 10, 2010...

  9. Introduction and spread of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Lakes Huron and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stedman, Ralph M.; Bowen, Charles A.

    1985-01-01

    The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) was not known to occur in the Great Lakes above Niagara Falls until 1980, when it was collected in South Bay, Manitoulin Island, in the Lake Huron basin. By 1984 this species had been found in tributaries of Lakes Huron and Michigan, and in the open waters of both lakes. All specimens identified were the completely plated morph that is most prevalent in fresh water along the east coast of North America. The status of this species in Lakes Huron and Michigan appears to be “Possibly Established.” If threespine stickleback increase in abundance they may eventually provide additional forage for large salmonids.

  10. Estimation of a Trophic State Index for selected inland lakes in Michigan, 1999–2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, Lori M.; Jodoin, Richard S.

    2016-03-11

    A 15-year estimated Trophic State Index (eTSI) for Michigan inland lakes is available, and it spans seven datasets, each representing 1 to 3 years of data from 1999 to 2013. On average, 3,000 inland lake eTSI values are represented in each of the datasets by a process that relates field-measured Secchi-disk transparency (SDT) to Landsat satellite imagery to provide eTSI values for unsampled inland lakes. The correlation between eTSI values and field-measured Trophic State Index (TSI) values from SDT was strong as shown by R2 values from 0.71 to 0.83. Mean eTSI values ranged from 42.7 to 46.8 units, which when converted to estimated SDT (eSDT) ranged from 8.9 to 12.5 feet for the datasets. Most eTSI values for Michigan inland lakes are in the mesotrophic TSI class. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III Ecoregions were used to illustrate and compare the spatial distribution of eTSI classes for Michigan inland lakes. Lakes in the Northern Lakes and Forests, North Central Hardwood Forests, and Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains ecoregions are predominantly in the mesotrophic TSI class. The Huron/Erie Lake Plains and Eastern Corn Belt Plains ecoregions, had predominantly eutrophic class lakes and also the highest percent of hypereutrophic lakes than other ecoregions in the State. Data from multiple sampling programs—including data collected by volunteers with the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the 2007 National Lakes Assessment (NLA)—were compiled to compare the distribution of lake TSI classes between each program. The seven eTSI datasets are available for viewing and download with eSDT from the Michigan Lake Water Clarity Interactive Map Viewer at http://mi.water.usgs.gov/projects/RemoteSensing/index.html.

  11. National Water-Quality Assessment Program - Western Lake Michigan Drainage Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Setmire, J.O.

    1991-01-01

    A major component of the program is study-unit investigations, which comprise the princ ipal bui lding blocks of the program on which national-level asses ment activities a re based . The 60 study-unit in vestigations that make up the program are hydrologic systems that include parts of most major river bas ins and a qui fer systems. These study units cover areas of I ,200 to more than 65 ,000 square mi les and incorporate about 60 to 70 percent of the Nation's water use and popul ation e rved by public water supply. In 1991 , the Western Lake Michigan drainage basin was among the fir st 20 NA WQA study unit selected for study under the full -scale implementation plan.

  12. Water use for irrigation in Michigan, 2001

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Morenz, Michele L.; Van Til, Ron L.; Luukkonen, Carol L.

    2005-01-01

    Each year, water-use data for Michigan are compiled or estimated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), working in cooperation with the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). The resulting information provides a category-by-category profile of over 4,200 facilities throughout the State. The data are reported in the Michigan Water Use Reporting Program, which provides needed information for water-resources planning and enhances public understanding of the value of sustaining water resources within the Great Lakes Basin. The primary goal of the program is to inventory, analyze, and report baseline data for major water uses.

  13. Spawning habitat unsuitability: an impediment to cisco rehabilitation in Lake Michigan?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Rutherford, Edward S.; Blouin, Marc A.; Sederberg, Bryan J.; Elliott, Jeff R.

    2011-01-01

    The cisco Coregonus artedi was one of the most important native prey fishes in Lake Michigan and in the other four Laurentian Great Lakes. Most of the cisco spawning in Lake Michigan was believed to have occurred in Green Bay. The cisco population in Lake Michigan collapsed during the 1950s, and the collapse was attributed in part to habitat degradation within Green Bay. Winter water quality surveys of lower Green Bay during the 1950s and 1960s indicated that the bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was less than 2 mg/L throughout much of the lower bay, and most cisco eggs would not successfully hatch at such low DO concentrations. To determine present-day spawning habitat suitability in lower Green Bay, we compared cisco egg survival in lower Green Bay with survival at a reference site (St. Marys River, Michigan–Ontario) during 2009. We also conducted winter water quality surveys in lower Green Bay and the St. Marys River during 2009 and 2010. Cisco egg survival in lower Green Bay averaged 65.3%, which was remarkably similar to and not significantly different from the mean at the St. Marys River site (64.0%). Moreover, the lowest bottom DO concentrations recorded during the winter surveys were 11.2 mg/L in lower Green Bay and 12.7 mg/L in the St. Marys River. These relatively high DO concentrations would not be expected to have any negative effect on cisco egg survival. We conclude that winter water quality conditions in lower Green Bay were suitable for successful hatching of cisco eggs and that water quality during the egg incubation period did not represent an impediment to cisco rehabilitation in Lake Michigan. Our approach to determining spawning habitat suitability for coregonids would be applicable to other aquatic systems.

  14. River-Lake Mixing, Eutrophication, and Hypoxia in Green Bay, Lake Michigan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klump, J. V.; LaBuhn, S.

    2014-12-01

    Despite being a freshwater system, Green Bay in Lake Michigan, has many estuarine-like characteristics, including water mass exchange and the mixing between riverine inflow and the open lake. The bay has experienced excessive nutrient loading for decades resulting in hyper-eutrophic conditions and extensive algal blooms. Combined with a restricted, estuarine like circulation, this has resulted in the reoccurrence of late summer "dead zones" and wide spread bottom water oxygen concentrations below water quality standards. The onset of hypoxia is clearly related to thermal stratification which, in Green Bay, arises both from direct atmospheric forcing, i.e. low winds, high air temperatures, and increased solar radiation, and from indirect atmospheric forcing that drives circulation patterns resulting in the southerly incursion of cooler Lake Michigan bottom waters onto highly reducing organic rich sediment deposits. This circulation pattern can re-stratify a well-mixed water column within hours, and can set up stable stratified water column conditions that persist for days to weeks during which time sediment oxygen demand rates are sufficient to completely deplete hypolimnetic oxygen. Modeling hypoxia, therefore, is somewhat more complex than in a system which is driven largely or solely by seasonal thermal fluctuations. Understanding both the general circulation and the onset and duration of stratification in the bay are essential to determining the potential for hypoxic conditions to improve or worsen, particularly in the face of climate change projections of warmer conditions, less ice cover, and an earlier summer. Using D and O-18 isotopes in water, Rn-222, and dissolved methane as tracers we examine the relationship between river/lake mixing, transport rates and oxygen depletion in an attempt to verify the spatial and temporal scales of hypoxia in the bay, and estimate the potential impact of future climate change projections.

  15. Global and regional contributions to total mercury concentrations in Lake Michigan water

    EPA Science Inventory

    A calibrated mercury component mass balance model, LM2-Mercury, was applied to Lake Michigan to predict mercury concentrations in the lake under different mercury loadings, mercury air concentrations, and management scenarios. Although post-audit data are few, model predictions (...

  16. Seasonal stability of Cladophora-associated Salmonella in Lake Michigan watersheds.

    PubMed

    Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N; Sawdey, Richard; Ishii, Satoshi; Shively, Dawn A; Ferguson, John A; Whitman, Richard L; Sadowsky, Michael J

    2009-02-01

    The bacterial pathogens Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were recently found to be associated with Cladophora growing in southern Lake Michigan. Preliminary results indicated that the Salmonella strains associated with Cladophora were genetically identical to each other. However, because of the small sample size (n=37 isolates) and a lack of information on spatial-temporal relationships, the nature of the association between Cladophora and Salmonella remained speculative. In this study, we investigated the population structure and genetic relatedness of a large number of Cladophora-borne Salmonella isolates from Lake Michigan (n=133), as well as those isolated from stream and lake water (n=31), aquatic plants (n=8), and beach sands and sediments (n=8) from adjacent watersheds. Salmonella isolates were collected during 2005-2007 between May and August from Lake Michigan beachsheds in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The genetic relatedness of Salmonella isolates was examined by using the horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced rep-PCR (HFERP) DNA fingerprinting technique. While the Salmonella isolates associated with Cladophora exhibited a high degree of genetic relatedness (>or=92% similarity), the isolates were not all genetically identical. Spatial and temporal relationships were evident in the populations examined, with tight clustering of the isolates both by year and location. These findings suggest that the relationship between Salmonella and Cladophora is likely casual and is related to input sources (e.g. wastewater, runoff, birds) and the predominant Salmonella genotype surviving in the environment during a given season. Our studies indicate that Cladophora is likely an important reservoir for Salmonella and other enteric bacterial pathogens in Lake Michigan beachsheds, which in turn may influence nearshore water quality.

  17. Seasonal stability of Cladophora-associated Salmonella in Lake Michigan watersheds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Byappanahalli, M.N.; Sawdey, R.; Ishii, S.; Shively, D.A.; Ferguson, J.A.; Whitman, R.L.; Sadowsky, M.J.

    2009-01-01

    The bacterial pathogens Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were recently found to be associated with Cladophora growing in southern Lake Michigan. Preliminary results indicated that the Salmonella strains associated with Cladophora were genetically identical to each other. However, because of the small sample size (n = 37 isolates) and a lack of information on spatial-temporal relationships, the nature of the association between Cladophora and Salmonella remained speculative. In this study, we investigated the population structure and genetic relatedness of a large number of Cladophora-borne Salmonella isolates from Lake Michigan (n = 133), as well as those isolated from stream and lake water (n = 31), aquatic plants (n = 8), and beach sands and sediments (n = 8) from adjacent watersheds. Salmonella isolates were collected during 2005-2007 between May and August from Lake Michigan beachsheds in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The genetic relatedness of Salmonella isolates was examined by using the horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced rep-PCR (HFERP) DNA fingerprinting technique. While the Salmonella isolates associated with Cladophora exhibited a high degree of genetic relatedness (???92% similarity), the isolates were not all genetically identical. Spatial and temporal relationships were evident in the populations examined, with tight clustering of the isolates both by year and location. These findings suggest that the relationship between Salmonella and Cladophora is likely casual and is related to input sources (e.g. wastewater, runoff, birds) and the predominant Salmonella genotype surviving in the environment during a given season. Our studies indicate that Cladophora is likely an important reservoir for Salmonella and other enteric bacterial pathogens in Lake Michigan beachsheds, which in turn may influence nearshore water quality. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Occurrence of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora (Chlorophyta) in nearshore water and beach sand of Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Whitman, Richard L; Shively, Dawn A; Pawlik, Heather; Nevers, Meredith B; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N

    2003-08-01

    Each summer, the nuisance green alga Cladophora (mostly Cladophora glomerata) amasses along Lake Michigan beaches, creating nearshore anoxia and unsightly, malodorous mats that can attract problem animals and detract from visitor enjoyment. Traditionally, elevated counts of Escherichia coli are presumed to indicate the presence of sewage, mostly derived from nearby point sources. The relationship between fecal indicator bacteria and Cladophora remains essentially unstudied. This investigation describes the local and regional density of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora mats along beaches in the four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan) bordering Lake Michigan. Samples of Cladophora strands collected from 10 beaches (n = 41) were assayed for concentrations of E. coli and enterococci during the summer of 2002. Both E. coli and enterococci were ubiquitous (up to 97% occurrence), with overall log mean densities (+/- standard errors) of 5.3 (+/- 4.8) and 4.8 (+/- 4.5) per g (dry weight). E. coli and enterococci were strongly correlated in southern Lake Michigan beaches (P < 0.001, R(2) = 0.73, n = 17) but not in northern beaches (P = 0.892, n = 16). Both E. coli and enterococci survived for over 6 months in sun-dried Cladophora mats stored at 4 degrees C; the residual bacteria in the dried alga readily grew upon rehydration. These findings suggest that Cladophora amassing along the beaches of Lake Michigan may be an important environmental source of indicator bacteria and call into question the reliability of E. coli and enterococci as indicators of water quality for freshwater recreational beaches.

  19. Occurrence of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora (Clorophyta) in nearshore water and beach sand of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Whitman, Richard L.; Shively, Dawn A.; Pawlik, Heather; Nevers, Meredith B.; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.

    2003-01-01

    Each summer, the nuisance green alga Cladophora (mostly Cladophora glomerata) amasses along Lake Michigan beaches, creating nearshore anoxia and unsightly, malodorous mats that can attract problem animals and detract from visitor enjoyment. Traditionally, elevated counts of Escherichia coli are presumed to indicate the presence of sewage, mostly derived from nearby point sources. The relationship between fecal indicator bacteria and Cladophora remains essentially unstudied. This investigation describes the local and regional density of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora mats along beaches in the four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan) bordering Lake Michigan. Samples of Cladophora strands collected from 10 beaches (n = 41) were assayed for concentrations of E. coli and enterococci during the summer of 2002. Both E. coli and enterococci were ubiquitous (up to 97% occurrence), with overall log mean densities (± standard errors) of 5.3 (± 4.8) and 4.8 (± 4.5) per g (dry weight). E. coli and enterococci were strongly correlated in southern Lake Michigan beaches (P R2 = 0.73, n = 17) but not in northern beaches (P = 0.892, n = 16). Both E. coli and enterococci survived for over 6 months in sun-dried Cladophora mats stored at 4°C; the residual bacteria in the dried alga readily grew upon rehydration. These findings suggest that Cladophora amassing along the beaches of Lake Michigan may be an important environmental source of indicator bacteria and call into question the reliability of E. coli and enterococci as indicators of water quality for freshwater recreational beaches.

  20. Sediment Transforms Lake Michigan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-01-11

    NASA image acquired December 17, 2010 In mid-December 2010, suspended sediments transformed the southern end of Lake Michigan. Ranging in color from brown to green, the sediment filled the surface waters along the southern coastline and formed a long, curving tendril extending toward the middle of the lake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured these natural-color images on December 17, 2010 (top), and December 10, 2010 (bottom). Such sediment clouds are not uncommon in Lake Michigan, where winds influence lake circulation patterns. A scientificpaper published in 2007 described a model of the circulation, noting that while the suspended particles mostly arise from lake-bottom sediments along the western shoreline, they tend to accumulate on the eastern side. When northerly winds blow, two circulation gyres, rotating in opposite directions, transport sediment along the southern shoreline. As the northerly winds die down, the counterclockwise gyre predominates, and the smaller, clockwise gyre dissipates. Clear water—an apparent remnant of the small clockwise gyre—continues to interrupt the sediment plume. George Leshkevich, a researcher with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains that the wind-driven gyres erode lacustrine clay (very fine lakebed sediment) on the western shore before transporting it, along with re-suspended lake sediments, to the eastern shore. On the eastern side, the gyre encounters a shoreline bulge that pushes it toward the lake’s central southern basin, where it deposits the sediments. The sediment plume on December 17 followed a windy weather front in the region on December 16. NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Aqua - MODIS NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard

  1. Predicting lake trophic state by relating Secchi-disk transparency measurements to Landsat-satellite imagery for Michigan inland lakes, 2003-05 and 2007-08

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuller, L.M.; Jodoin, R.S.; Minnerick, R.J.

    2011-01-01

    Inland lakes are an important economic and environmental resource for Michigan. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment have been cooperatively monitoring the quality of selected lakes in Michigan through the Lake Water Quality Assessment program. Sampling for this program began in 2001; by 2010, 730 of Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes are expected to have been sampled once. Volunteers coordinated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment began sampling lakes in 1974 and continue to sample (in 2010) approximately 250 inland lakes each year through the Michigan Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program. Despite these sampling efforts, it still is impossible to physically collect measurements for all Michigan inland lakes; however, Landsat-satellite imagery has been used successfully in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and elsewhere to predict the trophic state of unsampled inland lakes greater than 20 acres by producing regression equations relating in-place Secchi-disk measurements to Landsat bands. This study tested three alternatives to methods previously used in Michigan to improve results for predicted statewide Trophic State Index (TSI) computed from Secchi-disk transparency (TSI (SDT)). The alternative methods were used on 14 Landsat-satellite scenes with statewide TSI (SDT) for two time periods (2003– 05 and 2007–08). Specifically, the methods were (1) satellitedata processing techniques to remove areas affected by clouds, cloud shadows, haze, shoreline, and dense vegetation for inland lakes greater than 20 acres in Michigan; (2) comparison of the previous method for producing a single open-water predicted TSI (SDT) value (which was based on an area of interest (AOI) and lake-average approach) to an alternative Gethist method for identifying open-water areas in inland lakes (which follows the initial satellite-data processing and targets the darkest pixels, representing the deepest water

  2. Examining Lake Michigan Spring Euphotic Depth (Zeu) Anomalies: Utilizing 10 Years of MODIS-Aqua Data at 4 Kilometer Resolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Acker, James G.

    2013-01-01

    Examination of ten years of euphotic depth anomalies in Lake Michigan during the months of March-June indicates the following: The well-known and frequently observed occurrence of a turbidity feature in the southern part of Lake Michigan during the spring season has become less common during the period 2003-2012. Overall, the clarity of Lake Michigan water in the southern end of the lake appears to have increased spring season over the period 2003-2012. Euphotic depth can be used as a primary indicator of changes in Lake Michigan lacustrine optics, and for other large lakes. Unique events, such as the heavy rains in June 2008, can have a distinct signature in the euphotic depth anomaly distribution in Lake Michigan.

  3. Patterns of organochlorine contamination in lake trout from Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, Michael A.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Masnado, Robert G.

    1992-01-01

    To investigate spatial and temporal patterns of organochlorine contamination in lake trout from Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes, we examined laboratory contaminant analysis data of muscle tissue samples from Lake Michigan (n=317) and Lake Superior (n=53) fish. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, and dieldrin, reported as mg/kg wet weight in 620 mm to 640 mm mean length Lake Michigan lake trout, decreased over time. Mean total PCB concentration declined exponentially from 9.7 in 1975 to 1.9 in 1990. Total chlordane concentration declined 63 percent from 0.48 in 1983 to 0.18 in 1990, and dieldrin declined 52 percent during this same period, from 0.21 to 0.10. The bioaccumulation rate of PCBs is significantly lower for lake trout inhabiting Lake Michigan's midlake reef complex, compared to lake trout from the nearshore waters of western Lake Michigan. Organochlorine compound concentrations were greater in Lake Michigan lake trout than Lake Superior fish. Lake Superior lean lake trout and siscowet exhibited similar rates of PCB bioaccumulation despite major differneces in muscle tissue lipid content between the two subspecies. The lack of a significant difference in the PCB bioaccumulation rates of lean trout and siscowet suggests that lipid content may not be an important factor influencing PCB bioaccumulation in lake trout, within the range of lipid concentrations observed. Relative concentrations of the various organochlorine contaminants found in lake trout were highly correlated, suggesting similar mass balance processes for these compounds. Evidence presented revealing spatial and temporal patterns of organochlorine contamination may be of value in reestablishing self-sustaining populations of lake trout in Lake Michigan.

  4. Life history of the spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius) in southeastern Lake Michigan, the Kalamazoo River, and western Lake Erie

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wells, LaRue; House, Robert

    1974-01-01

    Young shiners started growing earlier in the year than older ones in all three waters. Males and females of the same age resumed growth at about the same time. The growing season began as early as mid-May in the Kalamazoo River and continued as late as September or early October in the other two waters. Small spottail shiners in Lake Michigan and the Kalamazoo River weighed about the same at a given length, but at lengths greater than about 100 mm the lake fish were heavier. In all three waters, spottail shiners matured at about the same length, and males at a somewhat smaller size than females. Smallest mature fish were 65-69 mm long, and the largest immatures were 80-84 mm. In Lake Michigan about half and in Lake Erie about three-quarters of age-I fish were mature, as were all age-II fish in both lakes. In the Kalamazoo River a few fish of age II and all of age III were mature. The spawning season in Lake Michigan in 1964 was from late June or early July to late July, whereas in 1972, which had a colder spring, spawning occurred from mid-July to late August or early September. All shiners in the Kalamazoo River had spawned by the end of June if 1964. Lake Erie spottail shiners spawned during early June to early or mid-July in 1958. Spottail shiners 87-143 mm long from the different waters contained 915 to 8,898 mature eggs.

  5. Visualizing the geology of lake trout spawning sites, northern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dartnell, Peter; Barnes, Peter; Gardner, James V.; Lee, Kristen

    2004-01-01

    Geologists and biologists are working together to understand the links between lake floor geology (composition and shape) and the distribution of lake trout throughout their life cycle. Lake floor geology is one of the main factors determining where lake trout spawn, feed, and hide. In support of ongoing research to study Lake Michigan trout habitats, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mapped the morphology of principle lake trout spawning sites. Using the Army Corps of Engineer's SHOALS airborne lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) system we mapped six regions in Northern Lake Michigan in order to identify ideal spawning regions composed of shallow, clean, gravel/cobble substrate, adjacent to deeper water. Lidar mapping systems, which use laser pulses to measure water depths from an airplane, are now available to map the nearshore lake morphology at meter-scale detail. Maps generated from the bathymetric data are used to define regions with smooth homogeneous substrate, regions with higher relief, and mixed regions with both smooth and rough relief. This morphologic information combined with sediment samples and direct bottom observations enable geologists to map areas with rougher relief composed of rock outcrop, boulders, and cobbles, as well as smooth regions covered with sand or mud. This information helps biologists, fishery managers, and ecologists visualize the lake floor in significant detail which promotes better fishery management, species protection, and habitat identification. These maps present the maps and discuss the geology of the six lake trout spawning sites mapped by the lidar system. Where the mapping approached land, aerial photography of the land is combined with the bathymetric data to help visualize the scale of the offshore features. Map and perspective views of Boulder Reef, Hog Island Reef, and Little Traverse Bay are shown on sheet 1, whereas map and perspective views of Trout and High Island

  6. Visualizing the geology of lake trout spawning sites; northern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dartnell, Peter; Barnes, Peter; Gardner, James V.; Lee, Kristen

    2006-01-01

    Geologists and biologists are working together to understand the links between lake floor geology (composition and shape) and the distribution of lake trout throughout their life cycle. Lake floor geology is one of the main factors determining where lake trout spawn, feed, and hide. In support of ongoing research to study Lake Michigan trout habitats, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mapped the morphology of principle lake trout spawning sites. Using the Army Corps of Engineer's SHOALS airborne lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) system we mapped six regions in Northern Lake Michigan in order to identify ideal spawning regions composed of shallow, clean, gravel/cobble substrate, adjacent to deeper water. Lidar mapping systems, which use laser pulses to measure water depths from an airplane, are now available to map the nearshore lake morphology at meter-scale detail. Maps generated from the bathymetric data are used to define regions with smooth homogeneous substrate, regions with higher relief, and mixed regions with both smooth and rough relief. This morphologic information combined with sediment samples and direct bottom observations enable geologists to map areas with rougher relief composed of rock outcrop, boulders, and cobbles, as well as smooth regions covered with sand or mud. This information helps biologists, fishery managers, and ecologists visualize the lake floor in significant detail which promotes better fishery management, species protection, and habitat identification. These maps present the maps and discuss the geology of the six lake trout spawning sites mapped by the lidar system. Where the mapping approached land, aerial photography of the land is combined with the bathymetric data to help visualize the scale of the offshore features. Map and perspective views of Boulder Reef, Hog Island Reef, and Little Traverse Bay are shown on sheet 1, whereas map and perspective views of Trout and High Island

  7. Dynamics of the Lake Michigan food web, 1970-2000

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Fahnenstiel, Gary L.; Johengen, Thomas H.; Nalepa, Thomas F.; Vanderploeg, Henry A.; Fleischer, Guy W.; Schneeberger, Philip J.; Benjamin, Darren M.; Smith, Emily B.; Bence, James R.; Rutherford, Edward S.; Lavis, Dennis S.; Robertson, Dale M.; Jude, David J.; Ebener, Mark P.

    2002-01-01

    Herein, we document changes in the Lake Michigan food web between 1970 and 2000 and identify the factors responsible for these changes. Control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) populations in Lake Michigan, beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, had profound effects on the food web. Recoveries of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and burbot (Lota lota) populations, as well as the buildup of salmonine populations, were attributable, at least in part, to sea lamprey control. Based on our analyses, predation by salmonines was primarily responsible for the reduction in alewife abundance during the 1970s and early 1980s. In turn, the decrease in alewife abundance likely contributed to recoveries of deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsoni), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and burbot populations during the 1970s and 1980s. Decrease in the abundance of all three dominant benthic macroinvertebrate groups, including Diporeia, oligochaetes, and sphaeriids, during the 1980s in nearshore waters (50 m deep) of Lake Michigan, was attributable to a decrease in primary production linked to a decline in phosphorus loadings. Continued decrease in Diporeia abundance during the 1990s was associated with the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion, but specific mechanisms for zebra mussels affecting Diporeia abundance remain unidentified.

  8. A MODELLING FRAMEWORK FOR MERCURY CYCLING IN LAKE MICHIGAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    A time-dependent mercury model was developed to describe mercury cycling in Lake Michigan. The model addresses dynamic relationships between net mercury loadings and the resulting concentrations of mercury species in the water and sediment. The simplified predictive modeling fram...

  9. Modeling the Sensitivity of Primary Production in Lake Michigan to Nutrient Loads with and without Dreissenid Mussels

    EPA Science Inventory

    Dreissenid (quagga) mussels became established in large numbers in Lake Michigan beginning around 2004. Since then, significant changes have been observed in Lake Michigan open-water chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations, and in primary production. We updated the LM3-Eutro mode...

  10. Introduction and summary: Chlorinated hydrocarbons as a factor in the reproduction and survival of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Willford, Wayne A.; Bergstedt, Roger A.; Berlin, William H.; Foster, Neal R.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; Mac, Michael J.; Passino, Dora R. May; Reinert, Robert E.; Rottiers, Donald V.

    1981-01-01

    Although lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were considered extinct in Lake Michigan by the mid 1950's, control of the parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and extensive restocking resulted in an abundance of hatchery-produced lake trout in the lake by the early 1970's. However, no naturally produced yearling or older lake trout have been found in the lake during nearly a decade of assessment sampling. Among the numerous hypotheses proposed to account for this apparent reproductive failure of the planted lake trout, a frequently suggested cause is the well-documented contamination of the fish by toxic substances such as DDT and its metabolites, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) at concentrations reported as adversely affecting the hatching of eggs and survival of larval fish. However, manually stripped and fertilized eggs of Lake Michigan lake trout have hatched successfully and the fry have survived normally under a variety of hatchery conditions. This observation led to studies at the Great Lakes Fishery Laboratory on the performance and survival of fry hatched from eggs of Lake Michigan lake trout and exposed for 6 months to PCB's (Aroclor 1254) and DDE at concentrations similar to those present in offshore waters and zooplankton of Lake Michigan (10.0 ng/L PCB's and 1.0 ng/L DDE in water; 1.0 μg/g PCB's and 0.1 μg/g DDE in food), and at concentrations 5 and 25 times higher. Cumulative mortality of the fry exposed to simulated Lake Michigan levels of PCB's and DDE for 6 months was 40.7% — nearly twice that of unexposed (control) fry — and mortality at the highest exposure level was 46.5%. Evaluation of the growth, swimming performance, predator avoidance, temperature preference, and metabolism of the fry showed no significant effects attributable to exposure to PCB's and DDE, except for a lowering of preferred temperature at the highest (25x) exposures (the only concentration tested) to each contaminant and (additively) both contaminants combined

  11. The presence and near-shore transport of human fecal pollution in Lake Michigan beaches

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Molloy, S.L.; Liu, L.B.; Phanikumar, M.S.; Jenkins, T.M.; Wong, M.V.; Rose, J.B.; Whitman, R.L.; Shively, D.A.; Nevers, M.B.

    2005-01-01

    The Great Lakes are a source of water for municipal, agricultural and industrial use, and support significant recreation, commercial and sport fishing industries. Every year millions of people visit the 500 plus recreational beaches in the Great Lakes. An increasing public health risk has been suggested with increased evidence of fecal contamination at the shoreline. To investigate the transport and fate of fecal pollution at Great Lakes beaches and the health risk associated with swimming at these beaches, the near-shore waters of Mt Baldy Beach, Lake Michigan and Trail Creek, a tributary discharging into the lake were examined for fecal pollution indicators. A model of surf zone hydrodynamics coupled with a transport model with first-order inactivation of pollutant was used to understand the relative importance of different processes operating in the surf zone (e.g. physical versus biological processes). The Enterococcus human fecal pollution marker, which targets a putative virulence factor, the enterococcal surface protein (esp) in Enterococcus faecium, was detected in 2/28 samples (7%) from the tributaries draining into Lake Michigan and in 6/30 samples (20%) from Lake Michigan beaches. Preliminary analysis suggests that the majority of fecal indicator bactateria variation and water quality changes at the beaches can be explained by inputs from the influential stream and hydrometeorological conditions. Using modeling methods to predict impaired water quality may help reduce potential health threats to recreational visitors.

  12. Distribution of sediment measurements in Lake Michigan as a case study: Implications for estimating sediment and water interactions in eutrophication and bioaccumulation models

    EPA Science Inventory

    Lake Michigan, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, was utilized as a water body for assessment within a case study. Field data collected at 116 sampling sites throughout the lake in an intensive monitoring effort were utilized for evaluation of the di...

  13. Polychlorinated naphthalenes and polychlorinated biphenyls in fishes from Michigan waters including the Great Lakes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kannan, K.; Yamashita, N.; Imagawa, Takashi

    2000-02-15

    Polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were measured in while body and fillet of fishes collected from Michigan waters, including the Great Lakes, during 1996--1997. PCNs were found in all the fishes analyzed including those from Siskiwit Lake, a remote lake located near the southern shoreline of Isle Royale National park in Lake Superior. Concentration of total PCNs in fishes ranged from 19 to 31 400 pg/g, wet wt, and varied depending on sampling location and species. Fishes from the Detroit River contained the greatest concentrations of both PCNs and PCBs. Concentrations of total PCNs in fishes frommore » Michigan waters were significantly correlated with the concentrations of PCBs. As with total PCN concentrations, the profiles of PCN isomer/congener distribution in fishes varied among sampling locations and species. Fishes from the Detroit River contained PCN profile similar to that of Halowax 1014, whereas those from Siskiwit Lake and lake Superior contained greater proportions of congeners which have great bioaccumulative potential. Estimated concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TEQs) of PCNs ranged from 0.007 to 11 pg/g, wet wt. PCN congeners 66/67 and 69 accounted for greater than 80% of the TEQs contributed by PCNs. TEQs contributed by PCBs, estimated based on H411E bioassay-derived TEFs, were in the range of 0.06--11 pg/g, wet wt, which were similar to those contributed by PCNs. When international TEFs (1-TEFs) for coplanar PCBs were applied, estimated PCB-TEQs ranged from 0.46 to 79 pg/g, wet wt, which were 5--10 times greater than those that were estimated from H411E TEFs. PCB congener 126 contributed greater than 50% of the TEQs contributed by PCBs in all the fishes. Overall, when similarly derived TEFs were used. PCNs contributed 2--57% of the sum of TEQs of PCNs and PCBs.« less

  14. An evaluation of lake trout reproductive habitat on Clay Banks Reef, northwestern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Holey, Mark E.; Manny, Bruce A.; Kennedy, Gregory W.

    1995-01-01

    The extinction of the native populations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan in about 1956 has been followed by a decades-long attempt to reestablish self-sustaining populations of this valuable species in habitats it formerly occupied throughout the lake. One of the most recent management strategies designed to facilitate recovery was to make a primary management objective the establishment of sanctuaries where stocked lake trout could be protected and self-sustaining populations reestablished. In the present study we employed habitat survey and mapping techniques, field and laboratory bioassays, egg traps, sediment traps, and gill nets to examine the potential for successful natural reproduction by stocked lake trout on Clay Banks Reef in the Door-Kewaunee sanctuary in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan. Our study revealed (1) there was suitable habitat on the reef to support the production of viable fry, (2) spawner abundance on the reef was the highest recorded in the great lakes, and (3) eggs taken from spawners on the reef and held on the reef in plexiglas incubators hatched and produced fry that survived through swim-up. We conclude that Clay Banks Reef has the potential to support successful natural reproduction by stocked lake trout.

  15. Lake-level history of Lake Michigan for the past 12,000 years: the record from deep lacustrine sediments

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colman, Steven M.; Forester, Richard M.; Reynolds, Richard L.; Sweetkind, Donald S.; King, John W.; Gangemi, Paul; Jones, Glenn A.; Keigwin, Loyd D.; Foster, David S.

    1994-01-01

    Collection and analysis of an extensive set of seismic-reflection profiles and cores from southern Lake Michigan have provided new data that document the history of the lake basin for the past 12,000 years. Analyses of the seismic data, together with radiocarbon dating, magnetic, sedimentologic, isotopic, and paleontologic studies of core samples, have allowed us to reconstruct lake-level changes during this recent part of the lake's history.The post-glacial history of lake-level changes in the Lake Michigan basin begins about 11.2 ka with the fall from the high Calumet level, caused by the retreat of the Two Rivers glacier, which had blocked the northern outlet of the lake. This lake-level fall was temporarily reversed by a major influx of water from glacial Lake Agassiz (about 10.6 ka), during which deposition of the distinctive gray Wilmette Bed of the Lake Michigan Formation interrupted deposition of red glaciolacustrine sediment. Lake level then continued to fall, culminating in the opening of the North Bay outlet at about 10.3 ka. During the resulting Chippewa low phase, lake level was about 80 m lower than it is today in the southern basin of Lake Michigan.The rise of the early Holocene lake level, controlled primarily by isostatic rebound of the North Bay outlet, resulted in a prominent, planar, transgressive unconformity that eroded most of the shoreline features below present lake level. Superimposed on this overall rise in lake level, a second influx of water from Lake Agassiz temporarily raised lake levels an unknown amount about 9.1 ka. At about 7 ka, lake level may have fallen below the level of the outlet because of sharply drier climate. Sometime between 6 and 5 ka, the character of the lake changed dramatically, probably due mostly to climatic causes, becoming highly undersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate and returning primary control of lake level to the isostatically rising North Bay outlet. Post-Nipissing (about 5 ka) lake level has

  16. Coastal Changes, Eastern Lake Michigan, 1970-74.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-01-01

    an effective shore protection agent during the stormiest months of January, February, and March. Till and mixed till bluffs tended to erode less than...final report of a 4-year study of 17 profile lines located along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The work v-as carried out under the coastal...26 5 Sediment statistics sum~mary, eastern Lake Michigan (October 1973 to December 1974

  17. Occurrence of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora (Chlorophyta) in nearshore water and beach sand of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Whitman, Richard L.; Shively, Dawn A.; Pawlik, Heather; Nevers, Meredith; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.

    2003-01-01

    Each summer, the nuisance green alga Cladophora (mostly Cladophora glomerata) amasses along Lake Michigan beaches, creating nearshore anoxia and unsightly, malodorous mats that can attract problem animals and detract from visitor enjoyment. Traditionally, elevated counts of Escherichia coli are presumed to indicate the presence of sewage, mostly derived from nearby point sources. The relationship between fecal indicator bacteria and Cladophora remains essentially unstudied. This investigation describes the local and regional density ofEscherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora mats along beaches in the four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan) bordering Lake Michigan. Samples of Cladophora strands collected from 10 beaches (n = 41) were assayed for concentrations of E. coli and enterococci during the summer of 2002. Both E. coli and enterococci were ubiquitous (up to 97% occurrence), with overall log mean densities (± standard errors) of 5.3 (± 4.8) and 4.8 (± 4.5) per g (dry weight). E. coli and enterococci were strongly correlated in southern Lake Michigan beaches (P< 0.001, R2 = 0.73, n = 17) but not in northern beaches (P = 0.892, n = 16). BothE. coli and enterococci survived for over 6 months in sun-dried Cladophora mats stored at 4°C; the residual bacteria in the dried alga readily grew upon rehydration. These findings suggest that Cladophora amassing along the beaches of Lake Michigan may be an important environmental source of indicator bacteria and call into question the reliability of E. coli and enterococci as indicators of water quality for freshwater recreational beaches.

  18. Water resources of the Grand Rapids area, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stramel, G.J.; Wisler, C.O.; Laird, L.B.

    1954-01-01

    The Grand Rapids area, Michigan, has three sources from which to obtain its water supply: Lake Michigan, the Grand River and its tributaries, and ground water. Each of the first two and possibly the third is capable of supplying the entire needs of the area.This area is now obtaining a part of its supply from each of these sources. Of the average use of 50 mgd (million gallons per day) during 1951, Lake Michigan supplied 29 mgd; the Grand River and its tributaries supplied 1 mgd; and ground water supplied 20 mgd.Lake Michigan offers a practically unlimited source of potable water. However, the cost of delivery to the Grand Rapids area presents an economic problem in the further development of this source. Even without storage the Grand River can provide an adequate supply for the city of Grand Rapids. The present average use of the city of Grand Rapids is about 30 mgd and the maximum use is about 60 mgd, while the average flow of the Grand River is 2, 495 mgd or 3, 860 cfs (cubic feet per second) and the minimum daily flow recorded is 246 mgd. The quality and temperature of water in the Grand River is less desirable than Lake Michigan water. However, with proper treatment its chemical quality can be made entirely satisfactory.The city of Grand Rapids is actively engaged in a study that will lead to the expansion of its present water-supply facilities to meet the expected growth in population in Grand Rapids and its environs.Ground-water aquifers in the area are a large potential source of supply. The Grand Rapids area is underlain by glacial material containing a moderately hard to very hard water of varying chemical composition but suitable for most uses. The glacial outwash and lacustrine deposits bordering principal streams afford the greatest potential for the development of large supplies of potable ground water. Below the glacial drift, bedrock formations contain water that is extremely hard and moderately to highly mineralized. Thus the major sources of

  19. DEPOSITION AND EMISSION OF GASEOUS MERCURY TO AND FROM LAKE MICHIGAN DURING THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE STUDY (JULY, 1994 - OCTOBER, 1995)

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper presents measurements of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) concentrations in Lake Michigan and the application of a mechanistic approach to estimate deposition and emission fluxes of gaseous mercury (Hg2+ and Hg0) to and from Lake Michigan. Measurements of DGM concentr...

  20. Do we have the tools and the smarts to quantify near shore conditions in Lake Michigan?

    EPA Science Inventory

    The off-shore waters in Lake Michigan have been approaching the oligotrophic state, and the lake wide total phosphorus concentration has met the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) target since the early 1980s. However, environmental concerns in the near shore, such as ex...

  1. Field estimate of net trophic transfer efficiency of PCBs to Lake Michigan chinook salmon from their prey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; O'Connor, Daniel V.; Stewart, Donald J.; Miller, Michael A.; Masnado, Robert G.

    2002-01-01

    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) has been the predominant piscivore in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario since the 1970s, and therefore accurate quantification of its energy budget is needed for effective management of Great Lakes fisheries. A new approach of evaluating a fish bioenergetics model in the field involves field estimation of the efficiency with which the fish retains PCBs from its food. We used diet information, PCB determinations in both chinook salmon and their prey, and bioenergetics modeling to generate a field estimate of the efficiency with which Lake Michigan chinook salmon retain PCBs from their food. Our field estimate is the most reliable field estimate to date because (a) the estimate was based on a relatively high number (N = 142) of PCB determinations for chinook salmon from Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan in 1985, (b) a relatively long time series (1978−1988) of detailed observations on chinook salmon diet in Lake Michigan was available, and (c) the estimate incorporated new information from analyses of chinook salmon age and growth during the 1980s and 1990s in Lake Michigan. We estimated that chinook salmon from Lake Michigan retain 53% of the PCBs that are contained within their food.

  2. Role of lake-wide prey fish survey in understanding ecosystem dynamics and managing fisheries of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Edsall, T.; Munawar, M.

    2005-01-01

    With this study, the role of this lake-wide prey fish survey in both understanding the dynamics of the Lake Michigan ecosystem and managing Lake Michigan fisheries was documented. The complexity of ecosystems is such that long-term study is required before the dynamics of the ecosystem can be understoond. Furthermore, long-term observation is needed before important or meaningful questions about ecosystem dynamics can be asked. My approach is to first illustrate, by example, the usefulness of the survey results in providing insights into the dynamics of the Lake Michigan ecosystem. Then, examples of direct application of the survey results toward Lake Michigan fisheries management are presented.

  3. Nearshore coastal mapping. [in Lake Michigan and Puerto Rico

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Polcyn, F. C.; Lyzenga, D. R.

    1975-01-01

    Two test sites of different water quality and bottom topography were used to test for maximum water depth penetration using the Skylab S-192 MSS for measurement of nearshore coastal bathymetry. Sites under investigation lie along the Lake Michigan coastline where littoral transport acts to erode sand bluffs and endangers developments along 1,200 miles of shore, and on the west coast of Puerto Rico where unreliable shoal location and depth information constitutes a safety hazard to navigation. The S-192 and S-190A and B provide data on underwater features because of water transparency in the blue/green portion of the spectrum. Depth of 20 meters were measured with the S-192 in the Puerto Rico test site. The S-190B photography with its improved spatial resolution clearly delineates the triple sand bar topography in the Lake Michigan test site. Several processing techniques were employed to test for maximum depth measurement with least error. The results are useful for helping to determine an optimum spectral bandwidth for future space sensors that will increase depth measurements for different water attenuation conditions where a bottom reflection is detectable.

  4. Use of 87Sr/86Sr and δ11B to Identify Slag-Affected Sediment in Southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bayless, E. Randall; Bullen, Thomas D.; Fitzpatrick, John A.

    2004-01-01

    Slag is a ubiquitous byproduct of the iron-smelting industry and influences geochemistry and water quality in adjacent geologic units, ground and surface water. Despite extensive slag deposition along the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan, definitive evidence that slag has affected lakebed sediments has not been established. Concerns for the protection of water and ecosystem resources in the Great Lakes motivated this study to determine if strontium and boron isotopes could be used to identify and delineate slag-affected bed sediment in Lake Michigan. Sixty-five samples of bed sediment were acquired from the southern lobe of Lake Michigan and analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr and ??11B. Samples immediately offshore from Indiana steel mills and slag-disposal sites contained higher median 87Sr/86Sr values (0.70881) than shoreline sediments collected elsewhere in the basin (0.70847) and uniquely decreased with increasing distance from the shoreline. The highest ??11B values occurred in sediments from the Indiana shoreline (+12.9 to 16.4???) but were also elevated in sediments collected offshore from three Lake Michigan cities (+11.7 to 12.7???). Contoured isotope data indicated that 82-154 km2 of bed sediment along the Indiana shoreline had elevated 87Sr/86Sr and ??11B values relative to shoreline sediments elsewhere in southern Lake Michigan.

  5. National water-quality assessment of the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York; environmental and hydrologic setting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Casey, G.D.; Myers, Donna N.; Finnegan, D.P.; ,

    1998-01-01

    The Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin covers approximately 22,300 mi ?(square miles) in parts of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Situated in two major physiographic provinces, the Appalachian Plateaus and the Central Lowland, the basin includes varied topographic and geomorphic features that affect the hydrology. As of 1990, the basin was inhabited by approximately 10.4 million people. Lake effect has a large influence on the temperature and precipitation of the basin, especially along the leeward southeast shore of Lake Erie. Mean annual precipitation generally increases from west to east, ranging from 31.8 inches at Detroit, Mich., to 43.8 inches at Erie, Pa. The rocks that underlie the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin range in age from Cambrian through Pennsylvanian, but only Silurian through Pennsylvanian rocks are part of the shallow ground-water flow system. The position of the basin on the edge of the Michigan and Appalachian Basins is responsible for the large range in geologic time of the exposed rocks. Rock types range from shales, siltstones, and mudstones to coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates. Carbonate rocks consisting of limestones, dolomites, and calcareous shales also underlie the basin. All the basin is overlain by Pleistocene deposits- till, fine-grained stratified sediments, and coarse-grained stratified sediments-most of Wisconsinan age. A system of buried river valleys filled with various lacustrine, alluvial, and coarse glacial deposits is present in the basin. The soils of the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin consist of two dominant soil orders: Alfisols and Inceptisols. Four other soil orders in the basin (Mollisols, Histisols, Entisols, and Spodosols) are of minor significance, making up less than 8 percent of the total area. The estimated water use for the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin for 1990 was 10,649 Mgal/d (million gallons per day). Power generation accounted for about 77 percent of total water withdrawals for

  6. Evidence of Lake Trout reproduction at Lake Michigan's mid-lake reef complex

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Janssen, J.; Jude, D.J.; Edsall, T.A.; Paddock, R.W.; Wattrus, N.; Toneys, M.; McKee, P.

    2006-01-01

    The Mid-Lake Reef Complex (MLRC), a large area of deep (> 40 m) reefs, was a major site where indigenous lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan aggregated during spawning. As part of an effort to restore Lake Michigan's lake trout, which were extirpated in the 1950s, yearling lake trout have been released over the MLRC since the mid-1980s and fall gill net censuses began to show large numbers of lake trout in spawning condition beginning about 1999. We report the first evidence of viable egg deposition and successful lake trout fry production at these deep reefs. Because the area's existing bathymetry and habitat were too poorly known for a priori selection of sampling sites, we used hydroacoustics to locate concentrations of large fish in the fall; fish were congregating around slopes and ridges. Subsequent observations via unmanned submersible confirmed the large fish to be lake trout. Our technological objectives were driven by biological objectives of locating where lake trout spawn, where lake trout fry were produced, and what fishes ate lake trout eggs and fry. The unmanned submersibles were equipped with a suction sampler and electroshocker to sample eggs deposited on the reef, draw out and occasionally catch emergent fry, and collect egg predators (slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus). We observed slimy sculpin to eat unusually high numbers of lake trout eggs. Our qualitative approaches are a first step toward quantitative assessments of the importance of lake trout spawning on the MLRC.

  7. Total and Methyl Mercury in 1994-5 Lake Michigan Lake Trout and Forage Fish

    EPA Science Inventory

    Total and methyl mercury were analyzed in Lake Michigan fish collected in 1994 and 1995 as part of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance project (LMMB). One predator fish species and five forage fish species were analyzed to determine the bioaccumulative nature of mercury. These data ...

  8. 40 CFR 81.67 - Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Quality Control Regions § 81.67 Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Menominee-Escanaba (Michigan)-Marinette (Wisconsin) Interstate Air Quality Control Region has been renamed the Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (Wisconsin) and revised to consist of the territorial area...

  9. Coastal response to the Port Sheldon jetties at Pigeon Lake, Michigan. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hansen, M.; Underwood, S.G.

    1991-07-01

    The Consumers Powers Corp. constructed two jetties at Port Shelton, Michigan to maintain an open waterway into Pigeon Lake. These jetties are located at the entrance of Pigeon Lake in Port Shelton township, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Originally, water was drawn from Lake Michigan via Pigeon Lake Inlet to cool a fossil fuel power plant. The inlet into Pigeon Lake was deepened and widened throughout the early history of the power plant. Adjacent shorelines have been modified directly by Consumers Power Corp. and indirectly by the natural littoral response to the jetties. This study sought to determinemore » the impact, if any, of these jetties at the entrance to Pigeon Lake on adjacent shorelines and nearshore zones. Analysis of historical shoreline position and bathymetry data in the vicinity of Port Sheldon indicates approximately 810,600 cu yd of material has been trapped by the jetties since construction in 1964. At present, it appears that the fillet areas adjacent to the jetties have volumetrically stabilized and that natural and bypassing may be occurring around the lakeward tips of the jetties. Results of this study identified a zone of slightly higher erosion 3,000 to 9,000 ft south of the jetties that may be related to jetty construction.« less

  10. Historical evidence for discrete stocks of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, Edward H.; Eck, G.W.; Foster, N.R.; Horrall, R.M.; Coberly, C.E.

    1981-01-01

    Although few biological data exist on the now extinct native lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, of Lake Michigan, historical records and interviews with former commercial fishermen strongly suggest that this once widespread resource was composed of a number of discrete spawning populations or stocks. A natural division of the resource into distinct stocks is consistent with the size of Lake Michigan and its varied physiography. The native trout may have undergone subtle genetic changes over the millennia, although we cannot determine whether the physical and behavioral differences represented different genotypes or only temporary effects of the local environment. Because of physiographic similarities among the upper Great Lakes and probable interchanges of lake trout during the last glacial period, we recommend that progeny of extant wild stocks, particularly from Lake Superior, are genetically most suitable for recolonizing Lake Michigan. Moreover, the hatchery-held parents of such fish should be infused periodically with genes of the wild or feral donor populations. Despite the sound historical basis for these recommendations, we also recognize that sufficiently high stocking rates coupled with a reduction of heavy exploitation may be even more important than heritability in obtaining self-sustaining populations.

  11. Lake Michigan: Nearshore Variability

    EPA Science Inventory

    We conducted a high-resolution survey in the nearshore of Lake Michigan at a 20 meter contour using towed electronic instrumentation. The nearly 1200 km survey was conducted Sep 8-15, 2010. We also conducted six cross-contour tows. Along the survey tracks we sampled fixed stat...

  12. LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE STUDY UPDATE

    EPA Science Inventory

    A 2005 field design of tributary and open Lake Michigan sampling will be discussed for the first time at this Council meeting. The sample design is expected to aid in determining whether or not contaminant loads and open lake concentrations have decreased over the past 10 years s...

  13. Ecosystem transformations of the Laurentian Great Lake Michigan by nonindigenous biological invaders.

    PubMed

    Cuhel, Russell L; Aguilar, Carmen

    2013-01-01

    Lake Michigan, a 58,000-km(2) freshwater inland sea, is large enough to have persistent basin-scale circulation yet small enough to enable development of approximately balanced budgets for water, energy, and elements including carbon and silicon. Introduction of nonindigenous species-whether through invasion, intentional stocking, or accidental transplantation-has transformed the lake's ecosystem function and habitat structure. Of the 79 nonindigenous species known to have established reproductive populations in the lake, only a few have brought considerable ecological pressure to bear. Four of these were chosen for this review to exemplify top-down (sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus), middle-out (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus), and bottom-up (the dreissenid zebra and quagga mussels, Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, respectively) transformations of Lake Michigan ecology, habitability, and ultimately physical environment. Lampreys attacked and extirpated indigenous lake trout, the top predator. Alewives outcompeted native planktivorous fish and curtailed invertebrate populations. Dreissenid mussels-especially quagga mussels, which have had a much greater impact than the preceding zebra mussels-moved ecosystem metabolism basin-wide from water column to bottom dominance and engineered structures throughout the lake. Each of these non indigenous species exerted devastating effects on commercial and sport fisheries through ecosystem structure modification.

  14. Historic and modern abundance of wild lean lake trout in Michigan waters of Lake Superior: Implications for restoration goals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilberg, Michael J.; Hansen, Michael J.; Bronte, Charles R.

    2003-01-01

    Populations of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Superior collapsed in the late 1950s due to overfishing and predation by sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus. A binational effort to restore the lean morphotype of lake trout began with the stocking of hatchery-reared fish followed by the chemical control of sea lampreys and closure of the commercial fishery. Previous comparisons of the contemporary abundance of wild lean lake trout with that from historic commercial fishery statistics indicate that abundance was higher historically. However, this conclusion may be biased because several factors—the inclusion of siscowet (the “fat” morphotype of lake trout) in the catch statistics, the soak time of nets, seasonal effects on catch per effort, and the confounding effects of effort targeted at lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis—were not accounted for. We developed new indices of historic lean lake trout abundance that correct for these biases and compared them with the assessment data from 1984 to 1998 in Michigan waters of Lake Superior. The modern (1984–1998) abundance of wild lean lake trout is at least as high as that during 1929–1943 in six of eight management areas but lower in one area. Measures to promote and protect naturally reproducing populations have been more successful than previously realized.

  15. Expansion of Dreissena into offshore waters of Lake Michigan and potential impacts on fish populations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, D.B.; Madenjian, C.P.; Holuszko, J.D.; Adams, J.V.; French, J. R. P.

    2009-01-01

    Lake Michigan was invaded by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the late 1980s and then followed by quagga mussels (D. bugensis) around 1997. Through 2000, both species (herein Dreissena) were largely restricted to depths less than 50??m. Herein, we provide results of an annual lake-wide bottom trawl survey in Lake Michigan that reveal the relative biomass and depth distribution of Dreissena between 1999 and 2007 (although biomass estimates from a bottom trawl are biased low). Lake-wide mean biomass density (g/m2) and mean depth of collection revealed no trend between 1999 and 2003 (mean = 0.7??g/m2 and 37??m, respectively). Between 2004 and 2007, however, mean lake-wide biomass density increased from 0.8??g/m2 to 7.0??g/m2, because of increased density at depths between 30 and 110??m, and mean depth of collection increased from 42 to 77??m. This pattern was confirmed by a generalized additive model. Coincident with the Dreissena expansion that occurred beginning in 2004, fish biomass density (generally planktivores) declined 71% between 2003 and 2007. Current understanding of fish population dynamics, however, indicates that Dreissena expansion is not the primary explanation for the decline of fish, and we provide a species-specific account for more likely underlying factors. Nonetheless, future sampling and research may reveal a better understanding of the potential negative interactions between Dreissena and fish in Lake Michigan and elsewhere.

  16. Evaluation of ERTS data for certain oceanographic uses. [precipitation of calcium carbonate in Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strong, A. E. (Principal Investigator)

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. According to Lake Michigan records, the pH levels have been steadily increasing as the lake becomes more eutrophic. Numerous upwellings during the summer of 1973, beginning with the late July event, appear to be triggering a chemical precipitation of calcium carbonate. The upwelling provides abundant carbon dioxide into the surface water and results in massive blooms of phytoplankton. As the CO2 is utilized by these microscopic plants the pH is increased (acidity decreases) and CaCO3 no longer is able to remain in solution. The precipitation takes place where the phytoplankton are living, near depths of 10 meters. Therefore, the whiting observed by ERTS-1 is only seen in the green band, as red cannot penetrate but a few meters. With these whitings, secci disc readings lower in July from 10-15 meters to 3-5 meters and green, milky water is observed by research vessels. It appears that whitings have been becoming more frequent since the middle 60's but until ERTS-1 the extent had never been realized. Calcium levels are too low, presently, for a similar precipitate in Lakes Huron or Superior. However, whitings have been seen by ERTS-1 in Lakes Erie and Ontario where the calcium ion and pH levels are more like those found in Lake Michigan.

  17. Estimation of groundwater use for a groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin and adjacent areas, 1864-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buchwald, Cheryl A.; Luukkonen, Carol L.; Rachol, Cynthia M.

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, at the request of Congress, is assessing the availability and use of the Nation's water resources to help characterize how much water is available now, how water availability is changing, and how much water can be expected to be available in the future. The Great Lakes Basin Pilot project of the U.S. Geological Survey national assessment of water availability and use focused on the Great Lakes Basin and included detailed studies of the processes governing water availability in the Great Lakes Basin. One of these studies included the development of a groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin. This report describes the compilation and estimation of the groundwater withdrawals in those areas in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois that were needed for the Lake Michigan Basin study groundwater-flow model. These data were aggregated for 12 model time intervals spanning 1864 to 2005 and were summarized by model area, model subregion, category of water use, aquifer system, aquifer type, and hydrogeologic unit model layer. The types and availability of information on groundwater withdrawals vary considerably among states because water-use programs often differ in the types of data collected and in the methods and frequency of data collection. As a consequence, the methods used to estimate and verify the data also vary. Additionally, because of the different sources of data and different terminologies applied for the purposes of this report, the water-use data published in this report may differ from water-use data presented in other reports. These data represent only a partial estimate of groundwater use in each state because estimates were compiled only for areas in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois within the Lake Michigan Basin model area. Groundwater-withdrawal data were compiled for both nearfield and farfield model areas in Wisconsin and Illinois, whereas these data were compiled primarily for the nearfield model

  18. Changes in consumption by alewives and lake whitefish after dreissenid mussel invasions in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, S.A.; Madenjian, C.P.

    2008-01-01

    Growth of alewives Alosa pseudoharengus and lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis has declined since the arrival and spread of dreissenid mussels in Lakes Michigan and Huron. Alewives are the main forage for the salmonids in Lake Michigan, and lake whitefish are the most important commercial species in both lakes. Bioenergetics modeling was used to determine consumption by the average individual fish before and after the dreissenid invasion and to provide insight into the invasion's effects on fish growth and food web dynamics. Alewives feed on both Zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates, and lake whitefish are benthivores. Annual consumption of zooplankton by an average alewife in Lake Michigan was 37% lower and consumption of benthic macroinvertebrates (amphipods Diporeia spp., opossum shrimp Mysis relicta, and Chironomidae) was 19% lower during the postinvasion period (1995-2005) than during the preinvasion period (1983-1994). Reduced consumption by alewives corresponded with reduced alewife growth. In Lakes Michigan and Huron, consumption of nonmollusk macroinvertebrates (Diporeia spp., opossum shrimp, Chironomidae) by the average lake whitefish was 46-96% lower and consumption of mollusks (mainly dreissenids and gastropods) was 2-5 times greater during the postinvasion period than during the preinvasion period. Even though total food consumption by lake whitefish did not differ between the two periods in Lake Huron or the Southern Management Unit in Lake Michigan, postinvasion weight at age was at least 38% lower than preinvasion weight at age. Under the current postinvasion diet regime, consumption by lake whitefish would have to increase by up to 122% to achieve preinvasion growth rates. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

  19. Climate Factors Contributing to Streamflow Inputs and Extreme Water-level Deviations from Long-term Averages for Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, M. T.; Stamm, J. F.

    2014-12-01

    The Great Lakes are a highly valued freshwater resource of the United States and Canada. The Lakes are the focus of a science-based restoration program, known as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Physical and chemical factors, such as inflows and nutrient loads to the Great Lakes can affect ecosystem function, contribute to the spread of invasive species and increase the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. Since about 1999, water levels in Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron have been at or below the long-term average (1918 to present). Analyses of streamflow trends for the period 1960 to 2012 in watersheds draining into Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron showed a long-term decline in average inflows, which helps to explain the persistently below-average lake levels. Recent climatic conditions of October 2013 to August 2014 have contributed to a rapid rise in lake levels, most notably in Lake Superior. Lake Superior recently reached an elevation of 602.56 feet above sea level in August 2014, which is the highest level in 17 years. Coincident with this recovery was the development of a large algal bloom in Lake Erie in August of 2014 that shut down the Toledo, Ohio municipal water supply. These anomalous, extreme deviations from long-term average lake levels will be examined to better understand the forcing factors that contributed to changes in inflow volumes and lake-levels. Particular focus will be given to the climatology of years when changes in lake levels are most pronounced, such as; the measured lake-level declines during 1964-1965 and 1998-2000; and lake-level rises during 1973-1974, 1987-1989, and 2013-2014. The climatology of years with periods of algal blooms will also be examined such as, 2003, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

  20. Assessment of Sediment Measurements in Lake Michigan as a Case Study: Implications for Monitoring and Modeling

    EPA Science Inventory

    Lake Michigan, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, was utilized as a water body for assessment within a case study. Field data collected at 116 sediment sampling sites throughout the lake in an intensive monitoring effort were utilized for assessment ...

  1. Genetic diversity of lake whitefish in lakes Michigan and Huron: sampling, standardization, and research priorities

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stott, Wendylee; VanDeHey, Justin A.; Sloss, Brian L.

    2010-01-01

    We combined data from two laboratories to increase the spatial extent of a genetic data set for lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis from lakes Huron and Michigan and saw that genetic diversity was greatest between lakes, but that there was also structuring within lakes. Low diversity among stocks may be a reflection of relatively recent colonization of the Great Lakes, but other factors such as recent population fluctuation and localized stresses such as lamprey predation or heavy exploitation may also have a homogenizing effect. Our data suggested that there is asymmetrical movement of lake whitefish between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan; more genotypes associated with Lake Michigan were observed in Lake Huron. Adding additional collections to the calibrated set will allow further examination of diversity in other Great Lakes, answer questions regarding movement among lakes, and estimate contributions of stocks to commercial yields. As the picture of genetic diversity and population structure of lake whitefish in the Great Lakes region emerges, we need to develop methods to combine data types to help identify important areas for biodiversity and thus conservation. Adding genetic data to existing models will increase the precision of predictions of the impacts of new stresses and changes in existing pressures on an ecologically and commercially important species.

  2. Updated polychlorinated biphenyl mass budget for Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guo, Jiehong; Romanak, Kevin; Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Li, An; Kreis, Russell; Hites, Ronald A.; Venier, Marta

    2017-01-01

    This study revisits and updates the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that was conducted in 1994–1995. This work uses recent concentrations of PCBs in tributary and open lake water, air, and sediment to calculate an updated mass budget. Five of the 11 LMMBP tributaries were revisited in 2015. In these five tributaries, the geometric mean concentrations of ∑PCBs (sum of 85 congeners) ranged from 1.52 to 22.4 ng L–1. The highest concentrations of PCBs were generally found in the Lower Fox River and in the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. The input flows of ∑PCBs from wet deposition, dry deposition, tributary loading, and air to water exchange, and the output flows due to sediment burial, volatilization from water to air, and transport to Lake Huron and through the Chicago Diversion were calculated, as well as flows related to the internal processes of settling, resuspension, and sediment–water diffusion. The net transfer of ∑PCBs is 1240 ± 531 kg yr–1 out of the lake. This net transfer is 46% lower than that estimated in 1994–1995. PCB concentrations in most matrices in the lake are decreasing, which drove the decline of all the individual input and output flows. Atmospheric deposition has become negligible, while volatilization from the water surface is still a major route of loss, releasing PCBs from the lake into the air. Large masses of PCBs remain in the water column and surface sediments and are likely to contribute to the future efflux of PCBs from the lake to the air.

  3. Movement of parasitic-phase sea lampreys in Lakes Huron and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, Bernard R.; Elliott, Oliver R.

    1953-01-01

    A program of tagging was carrie dout in the waters of northern Lake Huron during the fall and winter of 1951-52 in order to supplement the small amount of information available on movement of sea lampreys during their parasitic phase. A total of 219 parasitic-phase sea lampreys were tagged and released at three localities. Of this number 38 or 17.2 percent were recovered. One tag was recovered near North Manitou Island, Lake Michigan. The remaining 37 were take in Lake Huron or in streams tributary to that lake. The dispersal of tagged lampreys throughout Lake Huron was wide. Five marked individuals were taken in the southern part of the lake over 150 miles from the point of tagging; 4 of these 5 were captured in Canadian waters. The marked lampreys exhibited no distinct pattern of migration other than a tendency toward a general southeasterly movement in Lake Huron.

  4. Lake Michigan: Nearshore variability and a nearshore-offshore distinction in water quality

    EPA Science Inventory

    We conducted a high-resolution survey of the Lake Michigan nearshore using towed electronic instrumentation and fixed station sampling (1049 km at the approximate 20-m depth contour and grab samples at 15 sites). The principal variability in the alongshore reach was generally re...

  5. 78 FR 37712 - Safety Zone; Chicago Match Cup Race; Lake Michigan; Chicago, IL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-24

    ... Zone; Chicago Match Cup Race; Lake Michigan; Chicago, IL AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of enforcement of regulation. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on Lake Michigan near Chicago... the Captain of the Port, Lake Michigan. DATES: This regulation will be enforced at the dates and times...

  6. MODELLING SEDIMENT TRANSPORT FOR THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE PROJECT

    EPA Science Inventory

    A sediment transport model is one component of the overall ensemble of models being developed for the Lake Michigan Mass Balance. The SEDZL model is being applied to simulate the fine-grained sediment transport in Lake Michigan for the 1982-1983 and 1994-1995 periods. Model perf...

  7. Results of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project: Atrazine Modeling Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report covers an overview of chemical properties, measurements in air and water, model construct and assumptions, and results of mathematical mass balance modeling of the herbicide atrazine in the Lake Michigan basin. Within the context of the mass balance, an overview of a...

  8. Age and growth of round gobies in Lake Michigan, with preliminary mortality estimation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Huo, Bin; Madenjian, Charles P.; Xie, Cong X.; Zhao, Yingming; O'Brien, Timothy P.; Czesny, Sergiusz J.

    2015-01-01

    The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is a prevalent invasive species throughout Lake Michigan, as well as other Laurentian Great Lakes, yet little information is available on spatial variation in round goby growth within one body of water. Age and growth of round goby at three areas of Lake Michigan were studied by otolith analysis from a sample of 659 specimens collected from 2008 to 2012. Total length (TL) ranged from 48 to 131 mm for Sturgeon Bay, from 50 to 125 mm for Waukegan, and from 54 to 129 mm for Sleeping Bear Dunes. Ages ranged from 2 to 7 years for Sturgeon Bay, from 2 to 5 years for Waukegan, and from 2 to 6 years for Sleeping Bear Dunes. Area-specific and sex-specific body–otolith relationships were used to back-calculate estimates of total length at age, which were fitted to von Bertalanffy models to estimate growth rates. For both sexes, round gobies at Sleeping Bear Dunes and Waukegan grew significantly faster than those at Sturgeon Bay. However, round goby growth did not significantly differ between Sleeping Bear Dunes and Waukegan for either sex. At all three areas of Lake Michigan, males grew significantly faster than females. Based on catch curve analysis, estimates of annual mortality rates ranged from 0.79 to 0.84. These relatively high mortality rates suggested that round gobies may be under predatory control in Lake Michigan.

  9. Progress toward lake trout restoration in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holey, Mark E.; Rybicki, Ronald W.; Eck, Gary W.; Brown, Edward H.; Marsden, J. Ellen; Lavis, Dennis S.; Toneys, Michael L.; Trudeau, Tom N.; Horrall, Ross M.

    1995-01-01

    Progress toward lake trout restoration in Lake Michigan is described through 1993. Extinction of the native lake trout fishery by sea lamprey predation, augmented by exploitation and habitat destruction, resulted in an extensive stocking program of hatchery-reared lake trout that began in 1965. Sea lamprey abundance was effectively controlled using selective chemical toxicants. The initial stocking produced a measurable wild year class of lake trout by 1976 in Grand Traverse Bay, but failed to continue probably due to excessive exploitation. The overall lack of successful reproduction lakewide by the late 1970s led to the development and implementation in 1985 of a focused inter-agency lakewide restoration plan by a technical committee created through the Lake Committee structure of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Strategies implemented in 1985 by the plan included setting a 40% total mortality goal lakewide, creating two large refuges designed to encompass historically the most productive spawning habitat and protect trout stocked over their home range, evaluating several lake trout strains, and setting stocking priorities throughout the lake. Target levels for stocking in the 1985 Plan have never been reached, and are much less than the estimated lakewide recruitment of yearlings by the native lake trout stocks. Since 1985, over 90% of the available lake trout have been stocked over the best spawning habitat, and colonization of the historically productive offshore reefs has occurred. Concentrations of spawning lake trout large enough for successful reproduction, based on observations of successful hatchery and wild stocks, have developed at specific reefs. Continued lack of recruitment at these specific sites suggests that something other than stotk abundance has limited success. Poor survival of lake trout eggs, assumed to be related to contaminant burden, occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but survival has since increased to equal survival in the

  10. AN OVERVIEW OF THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE MODELING PROJECT: BACKGROUND, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND FUTURE WORK

    EPA Science Inventory

    Modeling associated with the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) is being conducted using WASP-type water quality models to gain a better understanding of the ecosystem transport and fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), atrazine, mercury, and trans-nonachlor in Lake M...

  11. Deglaciation, lake levels, and meltwater discharge in the Lake Michigan basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colman, Steven M.; Clark, J.A.; Clayton, L.; Hansel, A.K.; Larsen, C.E.

    1994-01-01

    The deglacial history of the Lake Michigan basin, including discharge and routing of meltwater, is complex because of the interaction among (1) glacial retreats and re-advances in the basin (2) the timing of occupation and the isostatic adjustment of lake outlets and (3) the depositional and erosional processes that left evidence of past lake levels. In the southern part of the basin, a restricted area little affected by differential isostasy, new studies of onshore and offshore areas allow refinement of a lake-level history that has evolved over 100 years. Important new data include the recognition of two periods of influx of meltwater from Lake Agassiz into the basin and details of the highstands gleaned from sedimentological evidence. Major disagreements still persist concerning the exact timing and lake-level changes associated with the Algonquin phase, approximately 11,000 BP. A wide variety of independent data suggests that the Lake Michigan Lobe was thin, unstable, and subject to rapid advances and retreats. Consequently, lake-level changes were commonly abrupt and stable shorelines were short-lived. The long-held beliefs that the southern part of the basin was stable and separated from deformed northern areas by a hinge-line discontinuity are becoming difficult to maintain. Numerical modeling of the ice-earth system and empirical modeling of shoreline deformation are both consistent with observed shoreline tilting in the north and with the amount and pattern of modern deformation shown by lake-level gauges. New studies of subaerial lacustrine features suggest the presence of deformed shorelines higher than those originally ascribed to the supposed horizontal Glenwood level. Finally, the Lake Michigan region as a whole appears to behave in a similar manner to other areas, both local (other Great Lakes) and regional (U.S. east coast), that have experienced major isostatic changes. Detailed sedimentological and dating studies of field sites and additional

  12. Relationship between mid-water trawling effort and catch composition uncertainty in two large lakes (Huron and Michigan) dominated by alosines, osmerids, and coregonines

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, David M.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Schaeffer, Jeffrey S.; Yule, Daniel L.; Hrabik, Tom R.; Peintka, Bernie; Rudstam, Lars G.; Holuszko, Jeffrey D.; O'Brien, Timothy P.

    2012-01-01

    Because it is not possible to identify species with echosounders alone, trawling is widely used as a method for collecting species and size composition data for allocating acoustic fish density estimates to species or size groups. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, data from midwater trawls are commonly used for such allocations. However, there are no rules for how much midwater trawling effort is required to adequately describe species and size composition of the pelagic fish communities in these lakes, so the balance between acoustic sampling effort and trawling effort has been unguided. We used midwater trawl data collected between 1986 and 2008 in lakes Michigan and Huron and a variety of analytical techniques to develop guidance for appropriate levels of trawl effort. We used multivariate regression trees and re-sampling techniques to i. identify factors that influence species and size composition of the pelagic fish communities in these lakes, ii. identify stratification schemes for the two lakes, iii. determine if there was a relationship between uncertainty in catch composition and the number of tows made, and iv. predict the number of tows required to reach desired uncertainty targets. We found that depth occupied by fish below the surface was the most influential explanatory variable. Catch composition varied between lakes at depths <38.5 m below the surface, but not at depths ≥38.5 m below the surface. Year, latitude, and bottom depth influenced catch composition in the near-surface waters of Lake Michigan, while only year was important for Lake Huron surface waters. There was an inverse relationship between RSE [relative standard error = 100 × (SE/mean)] and the number of tows made for the proportions of the different size and species groups. We found for the fifth (Lake Huron) and sixth (Lake Michigan) largest lakes in the world, 15–35 tows were adequate to achieve target RSEs (15% and 30%) for ubiquitous species, but rarer species required much

  13. Heterotrophic bacteria associated with the degradation of zooplankton fecal pellets in Lake Michigan. [Mysis relicta, pseudomonas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ferrante, J.G.; Ptak, D.J.

    1978-01-01

    Heterotrophic microbes decompose most of the calanoid copepod fecal pellets produced in Lake Michigan before they reach the sediment. Rod-shaped nonfermenters isolated from copepod and Mysis relicta fecal pellets were identified as Pseudomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas fluorescens species. No enterobacteriaceae or fungal hyphae were found on or in any pellets. This investigation suggests that Pseudomonas species are attached to and may degrade Mysis relicta and calanoid copepod fecal pellets in the water column of Lake Michigan.

  14. Summary of biological investigations relating to water quality in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages, Wisconsin and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scudder, B.C.; Rheaume, S.J.; Parsons, S.R.; Lenz, B.N.

    1996-01-01

    Most biological studies related to waterquality conditions in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages have focused on populations and community structure of aquatic biota. Chemical concentrations in tissues of aquatic biota have been the next most common area of research. Our review suggests a paucity of data related to the health of all types of aquatic biota, especially amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles; toxicity studies also were relatively uncommon. Overall, organisms primarily studied have been fish and invertebrates, although birds are most frequently examined in studies of organism health. The Fox/ Wolf Subbasin has been the focus of many more studies than the other subbasins, most likely because of the greater extent and severity of known water-quality problems in the Lower Fox River/Green Bay area over the past several decades and because it is the largest subbasin. Studies in the other subbasins are needed to adequately assess the water quality of these areas.

  15. Biology, population structure, and estimated forage requirements of lake trout in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eck, Gary W.; Wells, LaRue

    1983-01-01

    Data collected during successive years (1971-79) of sampling lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan were used to develop statistics on lake trout growth, maturity, and mortality, and to quantify seasonal lake trout food and food availability. These statistics were then combined with data on lake trout year-class strengths and age-specific food conversion efficiencies to compute production and forage fish consumption by lake trout in Lake Michigan during the 1979 growing season (i.e., 15 May-1 December). An estimated standing stock of 1,486 metric tons (t) at the beginning of the growing season produced an estimated 1,129 t of fish flesh during the period. The lake trout consumed an estimated 3,037 t of forage fish, to which alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) contributed about 71%, rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) 18%, and slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) 11%. Seasonal changes in bathymetric distributions of lake trout with respect to those of forage fish of a suitable size for prey were major determinants of the size and species compositions of fish in the seasonal diet of lake trout.

  16. Surficial geologic map of Berrien County, Michigan, and the adjacent offshore area of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stone, Byron D.; Kincare, Kevin A.; O'Leary, Dennis W.; Newell, Wayne L.; Taylor, Emily M.; Williams, Van S.; Lundstrom, Scott C.; Abraham, Jared E.; Powers, Michael H.

    2017-12-13

    The surficial geologic map of Berrien County, southwestern Michigan (sheet 1), shows the distribution of glacial and postglacial deposits at the land surface and in the adjacent offshore area of Lake Michigan. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of their lithologic characteristics, stratigraphic relationships, and age. Drill-hole information correlated in cross sections provides details of typical stratigraphic sequences that compose one or more penetrated geologic map units. A new bedrock geologic map (on sheet 2) includes contours of the altitude of the eroded top of bedrock and shows the distribution of middle Paleozoic shale and carbonate units in the subcrop. A sediment thickness map (also on sheet 2) portrays the extent of as much as 150 meters of surficial materials that overlie the bedrock surface.The major physical features of the county are related principally to deposits of the last Laurentide ice sheet that advanced and then retreated back through the region from about 19,000 to 14,000 radiocarbon years before present. Glacial and postglacial deposits underlie the entire county; shale bedrock crops out only in the adjacent offshore area on the bottom of Lake Michigan. All glacial deposits and glacial meltwater deposits in Berrien County are related to the late Wisconsinan glacial advances of the Lake Michigan ice lobe and its three regional recessional moraines, which cross the county as three north-northeast-trending belts.From east to west (oldest to youngest), the three moraine belts are known as the Kalamazoo, Valparaiso, and Lake Border morainic systems. The till-ridge morainic systems (Lake Border and local Valparaiso morainic systems) consist of multiple, elongate moraine ridges separated by till plains and lake-bottom plains. Tills in ground and end moraines in Berrien County are distinguished as informal units, and are correlated with three proposed regional till units in southwestern Michigan

  17. LM-3: A High-resolution Lake Michigan Mass Balance Water Quality Model

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report is a user’s manual that describes the high-resolution mass balance model known as LM3. LM3 has been applied to Lake Michigan to describe the transport and fate of atrazine, PCB congeners, and chloride in that system. The model has also been used to model eutrophicat...

  18. Model Construct and Calibration of an Integrated Water Quality Model (LM2-Toxic) for the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) is a part of the Enhanced Monitoring Plan (EMP) for Lake Michigan (McCarty, et al., 2006). PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were one of the targeted pollutants studied in the project. As one of the components in the overall LMMBP mod...

  19. 40 CFR 81.67 - Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.67 Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Menominee...

  20. 40 CFR 81.67 - Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.67 Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Menominee...

  1. 40 CFR 81.67 - Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.67 Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Menominee...

  2. 40 CFR 81.67 - Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.67 Lake Michigan Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Menominee...

  3. 76 FR 48751 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-09

    ...-AA87 Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of... in the Chicago area, the Captain of the Port Sector Lake Michigan has determined that to better... critical infrastructure in the Chicago area. Based on this review, the Captain of the Port Sector Lake...

  4. Side-scan sonar mapping of lake trout spawning habitat in northern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Poe, Thomas P.; Nester, Robert T.; Brown, Charles L.

    1989-01-01

    Native stocks of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush were virtually or completely extirpated from the lower four Great Lakes by the early 1960s. The failure of early attempts to reestablish self-sustaining populations of lake trout was attributed partly to the practice of stocking hatcheryreared juveniles at locations and over substrates that had not been used in the past for spawning by native fish. Subsequent attempts to improve the selection of stocking locations were impeded by the lack of reliable information on the distribution of substrates on historical spawning grounds. Here we demonstrate the potential of side-scan sonar to substantially expand the data base needed to pinpoint the location of substrates where lake trout eggs, fry, or juveniles could be stocked to maximize survival and help ensure that survivors returning to spawn would encounter suitable substrates. We also describe the substrates and bathymetry of large areas on historical lake trout spawning grounds in the Fox Island Lake Trout Sanctuary in northern Lake Michigan. These areas could be used to support a contemporary self-sustaining lake trout population in the sanctuary and perhaps also in adjacent waters.

  5. Environmental setting of fixed sites in the western Lake Michigan drainages, Michigan and Wisconsin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sullivan, D.J.; Peterson, E.M.; Richards, K.D.

    1995-01-01

    This report describes selected environmental- setting features for 11 fixed surface-water sites in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment Pro- gram. The study unit, which includes 10 major river systems draining to Lake Michigan, is bounded on the south by the Illinois State line and extends north to about 31 miles north of Escanaba, Mich. The fixed sites are on the following streams: Peshekee River, Popple River, Menominee River, Pensaukee River, Duck Creek, Tomorrow River, East River, Fox River, North Branch Milwaukee River, Lincoln Creek, and Milwaukee River. Drainage basins above these sites receive runoff from land uses and land covers, bedrock types, and surficial deposits representative of the main types of each of these characteristics in the study unit. Data types collected at the fixed sites include water chemistry; organic compounds and trace elements in streambed sediment and biological tissues; algal, benthic-invertebrate, and fish communities; and aquatic habitat. Field measurements include water temperature, pH, specific conductance, alkalinity, and dissolved oxygen. Results of water- quality field measurements indicate little variation in temperature among the fixed sites. Specific conductance and alkalinity were generally higher at sites underlain by carbonate bedrock than at sites underlain by igneous/metamorphic bedrock. Differences in pH among the fixed sites were less than those for specific conductance and alkalinity, but pH seemed to increase slightly from north to south. Dissolved-oxygen concentration varied more at agricultural sites than at forested and urban sites, perhaps because of higher nutrient inputs at agricultural sites. The information included in this report has been assembled as reference material for ongoing studies at the fixed sites.

  6. Water resources of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Handy, A.H.; Stark, J.R.

    1984-01-01

    Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in a water-rich area. It borders Lake Michigan and several small streams flow through the park to the lake. Small lakes are numerous within the park and near its boundaries. Ground water is available at most places in the park and wells yield as much as 100 gallons per minute. Water from streams, lakes, wells, and springs is of good quality. Dissolved solids range from 35 to 180 mg/L in lakes, from 145 to 214 mg/L in streams, and from 136 to 468 mg/L in groundwater. Analyses of samples for pesticides and trace metals indicate that no pesticides are present in the water, and that concentrations of trace metals do not exceed recommended drinking-water standards. Surface and ground water are available in sufficient quantity in most areas of the park for the development of water supplies for visitor 's centers, campgrounds, picnic areas, and other park facilities.

  7. Assessing prey fish populations in Lake Michigan: Comparison of simultaneous acoustic-midwater trawling with bottom trawling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fabrizio, Mary C.; Adams, Jean V.; Curtis, Gary L.

    1997-01-01

    The Lake Michigan fish community has been monitored since the 1960s with bottom trawls, and since the late 1980s with acoustics and midwater trawls. These sampling tools are limited to different habitats: bottom trawls sample fish near bottom in areas with smooth substrates, and acoustic methods sample fish throughout the water column above all substrate types. We compared estimates of fish densities and species richness from daytime bottom trawling with those estimated from night-time acoustic and midwater trawling at a range of depths in northeastern Lake Michigan in summer 1995. We examined estimates of total fish density as well as densities of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), bloater Coregonus hoyi (Gill), and rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax (Mitchell) because these three species are the dominant forage of large piscivores in Lake Michigan. In shallow water (18 m), we detected more species but fewer fish (in fish/ha and kg/ha) with bottom trawls than with acoustic-midwater trawling. Large aggregations of rainbow smelt were detected by acoustic-midwater trawling at 18 m and contributed to the differences in total fish density estimates between gears at this depth. Numerical and biomass densitites of bloaters from all depths were significantly higher when based on bottom trawl samples than on acoustic-midwater trawling, and this probably contributed to the observed significant difference between methods for total fish densities (kg/ha) at 55 m. Significantly fewer alewives per ha were estimated from bottom trawling than from acoustics-midwater trawling at 55 m, and in deeper waters, no alewives were taken by bottom trawling. The differences detected between gears resulted from alewife, bloater, and rainbow smelt vertical distributions, which varied with lake depth and time of day. Because Lake Michigan fishes are both demersal and pelagic, a single sampling method cannot be used to completely describe characteristics of the fish community.

  8. A SCREENING-LEVEL MODEL EVALUATION OF ATRAZINE IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN BASIN

    EPA Science Inventory

    Atrazine, a widely used herbicide in the agricultural regions of the Lake Michigan basin, was selected as a priority toxic chemical study in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) - sponsored Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project.

  9. Chinook salmon foraging patterns in a changing Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jacobs, Gregory R.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Warner, David M.; Claramunt, Randall M.

    2013-01-01

    Since Pacific salmon stocking began in Lake Michigan, managers have attempted to maintain salmon abundance at high levels within what can be sustained by available prey fishes, primarily Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha are the primary apex predators in pelagic Lake Michigan and patterns in their prey selection (by species and size) may strongly influence pelagic prey fish communities in any given year. In 1994–1996, there were larger Alewives, relatively more abundant alternative prey species, fewer Chinook Salmon, and fewer invasive species in Lake Michigan than in 2009–2010. The years 2009–2010 were instead characterized by smaller, leaner Alewives, fewer alternative prey species, higher abundance of Chinook Salmon, a firmly established nonnative benthic community, and reduced abundance of Diporeia, an important food of Lake Michigan prey fish. We characterized Chinook Salmon diets, prey species selectivity, and prey size selectivity between 1994–1996 and 2009–2010 time periods. In 1994–1996, Alewife as prey represented a smaller percentage of Chinook Salmon diets than in 2009–2010, when alewife comprised over 90% of Chinook Salmon diets, possibly due to declines in alternative prey fish populations. The size of Alewives eaten by Chinook Salmon also decreased between these two time periods. For the largest Chinook Salmon in 2009–2010, the average size of Alewife prey was nearly 50 mm total length shorter than in 1994–1996. We suggest that changes in the Lake Michigan food web, such as the decline in Diporeia, may have contributed to the relatively low abundance of large Alewives during the late 2000s by heightening the effect of predation from top predators like Chinook Salmon, which have retained a preference for Alewife and now forage with greater frequency on smaller Alewives.

  10. Mixed stock analysis of Lake Michigan's Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis commercial fishery

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Andvik, Ryan; Sloss, Brian L.; VanDeHey, Justin A.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Hansen, Scott P.; Isermann, Daniel A.

    2016-01-01

    Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) support the primary commercial fishery in Lake Michigan. Discrete genetic stocks of lake whitefish have been identified and tagging data suggest stocks are mixed throughout much of the year. Our objectives were to determine if (1) differential stock harvest occurs in the commercial catch, (2) spatial differences in genetic composition of harvested fish were present, and (3) seasonal differences were present in the harvest by commercial fisheries that operate in management zones WI-2 and WFM-01 (Green Bay, Lake Michigan). Mixed stock analysis was conducted on 17 commercial harvest samples (n = 78–145/sample) collected from various ports lake-wide during 2009–2010. Results showed significant mixing with variability in stock composition across most samples. Samples consisted of two to four genetic stocks each accounting for ≥ 10% the catch. In 10 of 17 samples, the stock contributing the largest proportion made up < 60% of the harvest. In general, seasonal and annual differences existed in the proportional stock contribution at a single capture location. Samples from Wisconsin's primary commercial fishing management zone (WI-2) were composed predominately of fish from the Big Bay de Noc (Michigan) stock as opposed to the geographically proximate, North–Moonlight Bay (Wisconsin) stock. These findings have implications for management and allocation of fish to various quotas. Specifically, geographic location of harvest, the current means of allocating harvest quotas, is not the best predictor of genetic stock harvest.

  11. 78 FR 36426 - Safety Zone; Queen's Cup; Lake Michigan; Milwaukee, WI

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-18

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Queen's Cup; Lake Michigan; Milwaukee, WI AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Temporary... Lake Michigan due to the 2013 Queen's Cup Race. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect the... Queen's Cup Regatta. The Queen's Cup Regatta is a race from Milwaukee, WI to Ludington, MI that is...

  12. Lake-level variability and water availability in the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilcox, Douglas A.; Thompson, Todd A.; Booth, Robert K.; Nicholas, J.R.

    2007-01-01

    In this report, we present recorded and reconstructed (pre-historical) changes in water levels in the Great Lakes, relate them to climate changes of the past, and highlight major water-availability implications for storage, coastal ecosystems, and human activities. 'Water availability,' as conceptualized herein, includes a recognition that water must be available for human and natural uses, but the balancing of how much should be set aside for which use is not discussed. The Great Lakes Basin covers a large area of North America. The lakes capture and store great volumes of water that are critical in maintaining human activities and natural ecosystems. Water enters the lakes mostly in the form of precipitation and streamflow. Although flow through the connecting channels is a primary output from the lakes, evaporation is also a major output. Water levels in the lakes vary naturally on timescales that range from hours to millennia; storage of water in the lakes changes at the seasonal to millennial scales in response to lake-level changes. Short-term changes result from storm surges and seiches and do not affect storage. Seasonal changes are driven by differences in net basin supply during the year related to snowmelt, precipitation, and evaporation. Annual to millennial changes are driven by subtle to major climatic changes affecting both precipitation (and resulting streamflow) and evaporation. Rebounding of the Earth's surface in response to loss of the weight of melted glaciers has differentially affected water levels. Rebound rates have not been uniform across the basin, causing the hydrologic outlet of each lake to rise in elevation more rapidly than some parts of the coastlines. The result is a long-term change in lake level with respect to shoreline features that differs from site to site. The reconstructed water-level history of Lake Michigan-Huron over the past 4,700 years shows three major high phases from 2,300 to 3,300, 1,100 to 2,000, and 0 to 800

  13. LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE PROJECT: ATRAZINE MODELLING RESULTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The triazine herbicide, atrazine, is used worldwide to control broadleaf and grassy weeds in agricultural regions. Atrazine is extensively used for corn crops in the midwestern US, the Great Lakes region, and in the Lake Michigan basin and has been cited as an emerging pollutant ...

  14. 76 FR 32323 - Limited Service Domestic Voyage Load Lines for River Barges on Lake Michigan

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-06

    ...-AA17 Limited Service Domestic Voyage Load Lines for River Barges on Lake Michigan AGENCY: Coast Guard... for certain river barges operating on Lake Michigan, as established in the final rule published on... in the Federal Register (75 FR 70595) (2010 final rule) that finalized the special Lake Michigan load...

  15. 78 FR 45059 - Safety Zone; Sherman Private Party Fireworks, Lake Michigan, Winnetka, IL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-26

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Sherman Private Party Fireworks, Lake Michigan, Winnetka, IL AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Temporary final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on Lake Michigan near Winnetka, IL. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Lake...

  16. 137Cs as a tracer of recent sedimentary processes in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cahill, R.A.; Steele, J.D.

    1986-01-01

    To determine recent sediment movement, we measured the levels of 137Cs (an artificial radionuclide produced during nuclear weapons testing) of 118 southern Lake Michigan samples and 27 in Green Bay. These samples, taken from 286 grab samples of the upper 3 cm of sediment, were collected in 1975 as part of a systematic study of Lake Michigan sediment. 137Cs levels correlated well with concentrations of organic carbon, lead, and other anthropogenic trace metals in the sediment. 137Cs had a higher correlation with silt-sized than with clay-sized sediment (0.55 and 0.46, respectively). Atmospherically derived 137Cs and trace metals are being redistributed by sedimentary processes in Lake Michigan after being incorporated in suspended sediment. We determined a distribution pattern of 137Cs that represents areas of southern Lake Michigan where sediment deposition is occurring. ?? 1986 Dr W. Junk Publishers.

  17. Response of the St. Joseph River to lake level changes during the last 12,000 years in the Lake Michigan basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kincare, K.A.

    2007-01-01

    The water level of the Lake Michigan basin is currently 177 m above sea level. Around 9,800 14C years B.P., the lake level in the Lake Michigan basin had dropped to its lowest level in prehistory, about 70 m above sea level. This low level (Lake Chippewa) had profound effects on the rivers flowing directly into the basin. Recent studies of the St. Joseph River indicate that the extreme low lake level rejuvenated the river, causing massive incision of up to 43 m in a valley no more than 1.6 km wide. The incision is seen 25 km upstream of the present shoreline. As lake level rose from the Chippewa low, the St. Joseph River lost competence and its estuary migrated back upstream. Floodplain and channel sediments partially refilled the recently excavated valley leaving a distinctly non-classical morphology of steep sides with a broad, flat bottom. The valley walls of the lower St. Joseph River are 12-18 m tall and borings reveal up to 30 m of infill sediment below the modern floodplain. About 3 ?? 108 m3 of sediment was removed from the St. Joseph River valley during the Chippewa phase lowstand, a massive volume, some of which likely resides in a lowstand delta approximately 30 km off-shore in Lake Michigan. The active floodplain below Niles, Michigan, is inset into an upper terrace and delta graded to the Calumet level (189 m) of Lake Chicago. In the lower portion of the terrace stratigraphy a 1.5-2.0 m thick section of clast-supported gravel marks the entry of the main St. Joseph River drainage above South Bend, Indiana, into the Lake Michigan basin. This gravel layer represents the consolidation of drainage that probably occurred during final melting out of ice-marginal kettle chains allowing stream piracy to proceed between Niles and South Bend. It is unlikely that the St. Joseph River is palimpsest upon a bedrock valley. The landform it cuts across is a glaciofluvial-deltaic feature rather than a classic unsorted moraine that would drape over pre-glacial topography

  18. Changes in movements of Chinook Salmon between lakes Huron and Michigan after Alewife population collapse

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, Richard D.; Bence, James R.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Clevenger, John A.; Kornis, Matthew S.; Bronte, Charles R.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Roseman, Edward

    2017-01-01

    Alewives Alosa pseudoharengus are the preferred food of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Alewife populations collapsed in Lake Huron in 2003 but remained comparatively abundant in Lake Michigan. We analyzed capture locations of coded-wire-tagged Chinook Salmon before, during, and after Alewife collapse (1993–2014). We contrasted the pattern of tag recoveries for Chinook Salmon released at the Swan River in northern Lake Huron and Medusa Creek in northern Lake Michigan. We examined patterns during April–July, when Chinook Salmon were primarily occupied by feeding, and August–October, when the salmon were primarily occupied by spawning. We found evidence that Swan River fish shifted their feeding location from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan after the collapse. Over years, proportions of Swan River Chinook Salmon captured in Lake Michigan increased in correspondence with the Alewife decline in Lake Huron. Mean proportions of Swan River fish captured in Lake Michigan were 0.13 (SD = 0.14) before collapse (1993–1997) and 0.82 (SD = 0.22) after collapse (2008–2014) and were significantly different. In contrast, proportions of Medusa Creek fish captured in Lake Michigan did not change; means were 0.98 (SD = 0.05) before collapse and 0.99 (SD = 0.01) after collapse. The mean distance to the center of the coastal distribution of Swan River fish during April–July shifted 357 km (SD = 169) from central Lake Huron before collapse to central Lake Michigan after collapse. The coastal distributions during August–October were centered on the respective sites of origin, suggesting that Chinook Salmon returned to release sites to spawn regardless of their feeding locations. Regarding the impact on Alewife populations, this shift in interlake movement would be equivalent to increasing the Chinook Salmon stocking rate within Lake Michigan by 30%. The primary management implication is that interlake coordination of Chinook Salmon

  19. Quantitation of microorganic compounds in waters of the Great Lakes by adsorption on activated carbon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Daniels, Stacy L.; Kempe, Lloyd L.; Graham, E. S.; Beeton, Alfred M.

    1963-01-01

    Microorganic compounds in waters of Lakes Michigan and Huron have been sampled by adsorption on activated carbon in filters installed aboard the M/V Cisco and at the Hammond Bay Laboratory of the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. The organic compounds were eluted from the carbon according to techniques developed at the U.S. Public Health Service. On the assumption that chloroform eluates represent less polar compounds from industrial sources and alcohol eluates the more polar varieties of natural origin, plots of chloroform eluates against alcohol eluates appear to be useful in judging water qualities. Based upon these criteria, the data in this paper indicate that both the waters of northern Lake Michigan and of Lake Huron, in the vicinity of Hammond Bay, Michigan, are relatively free from pollution. The limnetic waters of Lake Michigan showed a particularly high ratio of alcohol to chloroform eluates. Data for monthly samples indicated that this ratio fluctuated seasonally. The periodicity of the fluctuations was similar to those of lake levels and water temperatures.

  20. Diet of lake trout and burbot in northern Lake Michigan during spring: Evidence of ecological interaction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jacobs, Gregory R.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Holuszko, Jeffrey D.

    2010-01-01

    We used analyses of burbot (Lota lota) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) diets taken during spring gill-net surveys in northern Lake Michigan in 2006-2008 to investigate the potential for competition and predator-prey interactions between these two species. We also compared our results to historical data from 1932. During 2006-2008, lake trout diet consisted mainly of alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), whereas burbot utilized a much wider prey base including round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), rainbow smelt, alewives, and sculpins. Using the Schoener's diet overlap index, we found a higher potential for interspecific competition in 1932 than in 2006-2008, though diet overlap was not significant in either time period. No evidence of cannibalism by lake trout or lake trout predation on burbot was found in either time period. In 2006-2008, however, lake trout composed 5.4% (by weight) of burbot diet. To determine whether this predation could be having an impact on lake trout rehabilitation efforts in northern Lake Michigan, we developed a bioenergetic-based consumption estimate for burbot on Boulder Reef (a representative reef within the Northern Refuge) and found that burbot alone can consume a considerable proportion of the yearling lake trout stocked annually, depending on burbot density. Overall, we conclude that predation, rather than competition, is the more important ecological interaction between burbot and lake trout, and burbot predation may be contributing to the failed lake trout rehabilitation efforts in Lake Michigan.

  1. Potential impacts of water diversion on fishery resources in the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manny, Bruce A.

    1984-01-01

    Uses of Great Lakes water within the Great Lakes basin are steadily increasing, and critical water shortages elsewhere may add to the demands for diversions of water out of the basin in the near future. The impacts of such diversions on fish in the Great Lakes must be considered in the context of in-basin uses of the water, because in-basin uses already adversely affect the fishery resources. Temporary in-basin water withdrawals from Lake Michigan by industry in 1980 equaled 260% of the total volume of water between the shoreline and the 10-meter depth - the littoral waters most heavily used by fish as spawning and nursery grounds. Nearly 100% of the fish removed by these water withdrawals were killed. Enough young alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) in Lake Michigan and young yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in western Lake Erie have been removed at water intakes in recent years to reduce the productivity and biomass of adult fish stocks. Out-of-basin diversions of water at Chicago and at the Welland Canal, channel modifications in the St. Clair River, and in-basin consumptive water withdrawals have lowered the annual mean water level of Lakes Michigan and Huron by about 27 cm and that of Lake Erie by about 10 cm, dewatering wetlands that historically served as spawning and nursery habitat for many valuable fish species. The dollar value of fish lost to water diversions and withdrawals has not yet been estimated, but water withdrawals alone have already reduced the annual economic impact of the Great Lakes fisheries, which has been estimated to be 1.16 billion dollars.

  2. Causes of declining survival of lake trout stocked in U.S. waters of Lake Superior in 1963-1986

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Michael J.; Ebener, Mark P.; Schorfhaar, Richard G.; Schram, Stephen T.; Schreiner, Donald R.; Selgeby, James H.; Taylor, William W.

    1996-01-01

    Survival of the 1963-1982 year-classes of stocked yearling lake trout Salvelinus namaycush declined significantly over time in Lake Superior. To investigate possible causes of this decline, a Ricker model of stock-recruitment was used to describe the catch per effort (CPE) of age-7 stocked lake trout in the Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior as functions of the numbers of yearlings stocked 6 years earlier (an index of density dependence), the density (CPE) of wild adult lake trout (an index of predation), and large-mesh (a?Y 114-mm stretch-measure) gill-net fishing effort (an index of fishing mortality). Declining CPE of stocked lake trout in Michigan and Wisconsin was significantly associated with increasing large-mesh gillnet fishing effort. Declining CPE of stocked lake trout in Minnesota was significantly associated with increasing density of wild lake trout. Declining survival of stocked lake trout may therefore have been caused by increased mortality in large-mesh gill-net fisheries in Michigan and Wisconsin, and by predation by wild lake trout that recently recolonized the Minnesota area. We recommend that experimental management be pursued to determine the relative importance of large-mesh gillnet fishing effort and of predation by wild lake trout on the survival of stocked lake trout in U.S. waters of Lake Superior.

  3. A short-term look at potential changes in Lake Michigan slimy sculpin diets

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    French, John R. P.; Stickel, Richard G.; Stockdale, Beth A.; Black, M. Glen

    2010-01-01

    Diporeia hoyi and Mysis relicta are the most important prey items of slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) in the Great Lakes. Slimy sculpins were collected from dreissenid-infested bottoms off seven Lake Michigan ports at depths of 27–73 m in fall 2003 to study their lake-wide diets. Relatively large dreissenid biomass occurred at depths of 37- and 46-m. Quagga mussels (Dreissena bugnesis) composed at least 50% of dreissenid biomass at Manistique, Saugatuck, and Sturgeon Bay. Mysis accounted for 82% of the sculpin diet by dry weight at eastern Lake Michigan while Diporeia composed 54–69% of the diet at western Lake Michigan and dominated the diets of slimy sculpins at all sites deeper than 46 m. In northern Lake Michigan, this diet study in new sites showed that slimy sculpin consumed more prey with low energy contents, especially chironomids, than Mysis and Diporeia in shallow sites (depth <55 m). We recommend diet studies on sedentary benthic fishes to be conducted along perimeters of the Great Lakes to observe changes in their diets that may be impacted by changing benthic macroinvertebrate communities.

  4. Status of lake trout rehabilitation in the Northern Refuge of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.

    1999-01-01

    The Northern Refuge in Lake Michigan was established in 1985 as part of a rehabilitation program to stock yearling lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in areas with the best potential for success. Stocking of hatchery-reared lake trout within the refuge began in 1986 at three reefs: Boulder Reef, Gull Island Reef, and Richards Reef. On each reef from 1991 to 1997 we conducted gill-net surveys during the fall spawning season to evaluate performance of adult lake trout, and we conducted beam trawl surveys for naturally reproduced age-0 lake trout in the spring. Criteria to evaluate performance included spawner density, growth, maturity, and mortality. We found no evidence of natural reproduction by lake trout from our surveys. Nevertheless, density of spawning lake trout on Boulder Reef (69 fish/305 m of gill net/night) and Gull Island Reef (34 fish/305 m of gill net/night) appeared to be sufficiently high to initiate a self-sustaining population. Growth and maturity rates of lake trout in the Northern Refuge were similar to those for lake trout stocked in the nearshore region of Lake Michigan. In the Northern Refuge, growth rate for the Marquette strain of lake trout was slightly higher than for the Lewis Lake strain. Annual mortality estimates from catch curve analyses ranged from 0.46 to 0.41, and therefore, these estimates approached a level that was considered to be sufficiently low to allow for a self-sustaining population. Thus, it appeared that the lack of evidence for natural reproduction by lake trout in the Northern Refuge should not be attributed to inability of the population to attain a sufficiently large stock of spawners.

  5. Distribution, abundance, and spawning season and grounds of the kiyi, Leucichthys kiyi Koelz, in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hile, Ralph; Deason, Hilary J.

    1947-01-01

    The depth of water on known spawning grounds (all in southern Lake Michigan) was 57.5 to 84 fathoms. There is evidence that the kiyi may spawn in more than 90 fathoms. Spawning appears to be widespread throughout waters of suitable depth.

  6. 33 CFR 162.120 - Harbors on Lake Michigan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... City, Indiana; St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland (Lake Macatawa), Grand Haven, Muskegon... of Menominee, Michigan and Wisconsin; Algoma, Kewaunee, Two Rivers, Manitowac, Sheboygan, Port...

  7. Shell-free biomass and population dynamics of dreissenids in offshore Lake Michigan, 2001-2003

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    French, J. R. P.; Adams, J.V.; Craig, J.; Stickel, R.G.; Nichols, S.J.; Fleischer, G.W.

    2007-01-01

    The USGS-Great Lakes Science Center has collected dreissenid mussels annually from Lake Michigan since zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) became a significant portion of the bottom-trawl catch in 1999. For this study, we investigated dreissenid distribution, body mass, and recruitment at different depths in Lake Michigan during 2001-2003. The highest densities of dreissenid biomass were observed from depths of 27 to 46 m. The biomass of quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) increased exponentially during 2001-2003, while that of zebra mussels did not change significantly. Body mass (standardized for a given shell length) of both species was lowest from depths of 27 to 37m, highest from 55 to 64 m, and declined linearly at deeper depths during 2001-2003. Recruitment in 2003, as characterized by the proportion of mussels < 11 mm in the catch, varied with depth and lake region. For quagga mussels, recruitment declined linearly with depth, and was highest in northern Lake Michigan. For zebra mussels, recruitment generally declined non-linearly with depth, although the pattern was different for north, mid, and southern Lake Michigan. Our analyses suggest that quagga mussels could overtake zebra mussels and become the most abundant mollusk in terms of biomass in Lake Michigan.

  8. Modeling the transport and inactivation of E. coli and enterococci in the near-shore region of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Liu, L.; Phanikumar, M.S.; Molloy, S.L.; Whitman, R.L.; Shively, D.A.; Nevers, M.B.; Schwab, D.J.; Rose, J.B.

    2006-01-01

    To investigate the transport and fate of fecal pollution at Great Lakes beaches and the health risks associated with swimming, the near-shore waters of Lake Michigan and two tributaries discharging into it were examined for bacterial indicators of human fecal pollution. The enterococcus human fecal pollution marker, which targets a putative virulence factorthe enterococcal surface protein (esp) in Enterococcus faecium, was detected in 2/28 samples (7%) in the tributaries draining into Lake Michigan and in 6/30 samples (20%) in Lake Michigan beaches. This was indicative of human fecal pollution being transported in the tributaries and occurrence at Lake Michigan beaches. To understand the relative importance of different processes influencing pollution transport and inactivation, a finite-element model of surf-zone hydrodynamics (coupled with models for temperature, E. coli and enterococci) was used. Enterococci appear to survive longer than E. coli, which was described using an overall first-order inactivation coefficient in the range 0.5−2.0 per day. Our analysis suggests that the majority of fecal indicator bacteria variation can be explained based on loadings from the tributaries. Sunlight is a major contributor to inactivation in the surf-zone and the formulation based on sunlight, temperature and sedimentation is preferred over the first-order inactivation formulation.

  9. IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERATURE IN MODELLING PCB BIOACCUMULATION IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN FOOD WEB

    EPA Science Inventory

    In most food web models, the exposure temperature of a food web is typically defined using a single spatial compartment. This essentially assumes that the predator and prey are exposed to the same temperature. However, in a large water body such as Lake Michigan, due to the spati...

  10. Genetic structure of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    VanDeHey, J.A.; Sloss, Brian L.; Peeters, Paul J.; Sutton, T.M.

    2009-01-01

    Genetic relationships among lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) spawning aggregates in Lake Michigan were assessed and used to predict a stock or management unit (MU) model for the resource. We hypothesized that distinct spawning aggregates represented potential MUs and that differences at molecular markers underlie population differentiation. Genetic stock identification using 11 microsatellite loci indicated the presence of six genetic MUs. Resolved MUs corresponded to geographically proximate spawning aggregates clustering into genetic groups. Within MUs, analyses suggested that all but one delineated MU was a stable grouping (i.e., no between-population differences), with the exception being the Hog Island - Traverse Bay grouping. Elk Rapids was the most genetically divergent population within Lake Michigan. However, low F st values suggested that moderate to high levels of gene flow occur or have occurred in the past between MUs. Significant tests of isolation by distance and low pairwise Fst values potentially led to conflicting results between traditional analyses and a Bayesian approach. This data set could provide baseline data from which a comprehensive mixed-stock analysis could be performed, allowing for more efficient and effective management of this economically and socially important resource.

  11. Application of a Lower Food Resulting from Aquatic Invasive Species in Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    Lake Michigan Ecosystem Model (LM-Eco) that includes a detailed description of trophic levels and their interactions was developed for Lake Michigan. The LM-Eco model construct has been applied in two phases to investigate ecosystem-level responses and effects corresponding with...

  12. Post Audit of Lake Michigan Lake Trout PCB Model Forecasts

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan (LM) Mass Balance Study was conducted to measure and model polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other anthropogenic substances to gain a better understanding of the transport, fate, and effects of these substances within the system and to aid managers in the env...

  13. A list of Michigan Corixidae (Hemiptera) with four new state records from the Great Lakes of Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chordas, Stephen W.; Hudson, Patrick L.

    1999-01-01

    Corisella tarsalis, Sigara lineata, Trichocorixa borealis, and Trichocorixa kanza were recently identified from Michigan and constitute new state records. These four species were collected from two of the Great Lakes or their connecting rivers and increase the number of corixids for Michigan to 47 species. We newly report the genus Corisella for Michigan. Although most abundant in the western United States and Canada, scattered Corisella records in the Midwest (Wisconsin, Ohio and Ontario, Canada) indicated there was a good probability of its occurrence in Michigan. Finally, we provide an updated list of Michigan Corixidae.

  14. Groundwater flux and nutrient loading in the northeast section of Bear Lake, Muskegon County, Michigan, 2015

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Totten, Alexander R.; Maurer, Jessica A.; Duris, Joseph W.

    2017-11-30

    Bear Lake in North Muskegon, Michigan, is listed as part of the Muskegon Lake area of concern as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This area of concern was designated as a result of eutrophication and beneficial use impairments. On the northeast end of Bear Lake, two man-made retention ponds (Willbrandt Pond East and Willbrandt Pond West), formerly used for celery farming, may contribute nutrients to Bear Lake. Willbrandt Ponds (East and West) were previously muck fields that were actively used for celery farming from the early 1900s until 2002. The restoration and reconnection of the Willbrandt Ponds into Bear Lake prompted concerns of groundwater nutrient loading into Bear Lake. Studies done by the State of Michigan and Grand Valley State University revised initial internal phosphorus load estimates and indicated an imbalance in the phosphorus budget in Bear Lake. From June through November 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) did an investigative study to quantify the load of nutrients from shallow groundwater around the Willbrandt Ponds in an effort to update the phosphorus budget to Bear Lake. Seven sampling locations were established, including five shallow groundwater wells and two surface-water sites, in the Willbrandt pond study area and Bear Lake. A total of 12 nutrient samples and discrete water-level measurements were collected from each site from June through November 2015. Continuous water-level data were recorded for both surface-water monitoring locations for the entire sampling period.Water-level data indicated that Willbrandt Pond West had the highest average water-level elevation of all sites monitored, which indicated the general direction of flux is from Willbrandt Pond West to Bear Lake. Nutrient and chloride loading from Willbrandt Pond West to Bear Lake was calculated using two distinct methods: Dupuit and direct seepage methods. Shallow groundwater loading calculations were determined by using groundwater levels to

  15. Multimedia Model for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs in Lake Michigan

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in the U.S. Great Lakes has long been of concern, but information regarding the current sources, distribution, and fate of PAH contamination is lacking, and very little information exists for the potentially more toxic nitro-derivatives of PAHs (NPAHs). This study uses fugacity, food web, and Monte Carlo models to examine 16 PAHs and five NPAHs in Lake Michigan, and to derive PAH and NPAH emission estimates. Good agreement was found between predicted and measured PAH concentrations in air, but concentrations in water and sediment were generally under-predicted, possibly due to incorrect parameter estimates for degradation rates, discharges to water, or inputs from tributaries. The food web model matched measurements of heavier PAHs (≥5 rings) in lake trout, but lighter PAHs (≤4 rings) were overpredicted, possibly due to overestimates of metabolic half-lives or gut/gill absorption efficiencies. Derived PAH emission rates peaked in the 1950s, and rates now approach those in the mid-19th century. The derived emission rates far exceed those in the source inventories, suggesting the need to reconcile differences and reduce uncertainties. Although additional measurements and physiochemical data are needed to reduce uncertainties and for validation purposes, the models illustrate the behavior of PAHs and NPAHs in Lake Michigan, and they provide useful and potentially diagnostic estimates of emission rates. PMID:25373871

  16. Coastal groundwater/surface-water interactions: a Great Lakes case study

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neff, Brian P.; Haack, Sheridan K.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Savino, Jacqueline F.; Lundstrom, Scott C.

    2006-01-01

    Key similarities exist between marine and Great Lakes coastal environments. Water and nutrient fluxes across lakebeds in the Great Lakes are influenced by seiche and wind set-up and set-down, analogous to tidal influence in marine settings. Groundwater/surface-water interactions also commonly involve a saline-fresh water interface, although in the Great-Lakes cases, it is groundwater that is commonly saline and surface water that is fresh. Evapotranspiration also affects nearshore hydrology in both settings. Interactions between groundwater and surface water have recently been identified as an important component of ecological processes in the Great Lakes. Water withdrawals and the reversal of the groundwater/surface water seepage gradient are also common to many coastal areas around the Great Lakes. As compared to surface water, regional groundwater that discharges to western Lake Erie from Michigan is highly mineralized. Studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey at Erie State Game Area in southeastern Michigan, describe groundwater flow dynamics and chemistry, shallow lake-water chemistry, and fish and invertebrate communities. Results presented here provide an overview of recent progress of ongoing interdisciplinary studies of Great Lakes nearshore systems and describe a conceptual model that identifies relations among geologic, hydrologic, chemical, and biological processes in the coastal habitats of Lake Erie. This conceptual model is based on analysis of hydraulic head in piezometers at the study site and chemical analysis of deep and shallow coastal groundwater.

  17. DEVELOPMENT, CALIBRATION AND APPLICATION OF A CONTAINMENT TRANSPORT AND FATE MASS BALANCE MODEL IN LAKE MICHIGAN, LM2

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) was initiated to support the development of a Lake Wide Management Plan (LaMP) for Lake Michigan. As one of the models in the LMMBP modeling framework, the Level 2 Lake Michigan containment transport and fate (LM2) model has been dev...

  18. Distribution, abundance, and resting microhabitat of burbot on Julian's Reef, southwestern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Horns, William H.

    1993-01-01

    We used a remotely operated submersible vehicle equipped with a color video camera to videotape the lake bed and document the distribution and abundance of burbot Lota lota on a 156-hectare portion of Julian's Reef in southwestern Lake Michigan. The substrates and bathymetry of the study area had been mapped recently by side-scan sonar. Burbot density determined from videotapes covering 6,900 m2 of lake bed at depths of 23-41 m averaged 139 individuals/ hectare (range, 0-571/hectare). This density was substantially higher than the highest burbot density (59-95/hectare) reported in the literature. Burbot were present on the lake bed at depths of 23-36 m, but were most abundant near the crest of the reef at 23-28 m, where the water temperature was 8-13°C, their preferred summer temperature range. Substrates in that temperature range on the reef were bedrock, bedrock ridges, and bedrock and rubble. Burbot were most abundant on the bedrock and rubble. Small fish and macroinvertebrates typically eaten by burbot elsewhere in western Lake Michigan were distributed on the reef according to their summer preferred temperatures and were not seen in abundance where burbot density was highest. We saw no lake trout Salvelinus namaycush on Julian's Reef, although large numbers of juvenile lake trout have been stocked there annually and temperatures on the reef were in the preferred summer temperature range for lake trout.

  19. Distribution, abundance, and resting microhabitat of burbot on Julian's Reef, southwestern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Horns, William H.

    1993-01-01

    We used a remotely operated submersible vehicle equipped with a color video camera to videotape the lake bed and document the distribution and abundance of burbot Lota lotaon a 156-hectare portion of Julian's Reef in southwestern Lake Michigan. The substrates and bathymetry of the study area had been mapped recently by side-scan sonar. Burbot density determined from videotapes covering 6,900 m2 of lake bed at depths of 23–41 m averaged 139 individuals/ hectare (range, 0–571/hectare). This density was substantially higher than the highest burbot density (59–95/hectare) reported in the literature. Burbot were present on the lake bed at depths of 23–36 m, but were most abundant near the crest of the reef at 23–28 m, where the water temperature was 8–13°C, their preferred summer temperature range. Substrates in that temperature range on the reef were bedrock, bedrock ridges, and bedrock and rubble. Burbot were most abundant on the bedrock and rubble. Small fish and macroinvertebrates typically eaten by burbot elsewhere in western Lake Michigan were distributed on the reef according to their summer preferred temperatures and were not seen in abundance where burbot density was highest. We saw no lake trout Salvelinus namaycush on Julian's Reef, although large numbers of juvenile lake trout have been stocked there annually and temperatures on the reef were in the preferred summer temperature range for lake trout.

  20. Recent increases in the large glacial-relict calanoid Limnocalanus macrurus in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barbiero, R.P.; Bunnell, D.B.; Rockwell, D.C.; Tuchman, M.L.

    2009-01-01

    Since 2004, population density of the large hypolimnetic calanoid Limnocalanus macrurus Sars. has increased dramatically in Lake Michigan. The average summer biomass of this species between 2004 and 2006 was roughly three times that of the period 1984–2003, and at levels unprecedented in our 22-year dataset, making L. macrurus the dominant zooplankter in the lake in terms of biomass. These increases have been accentuated by coincident population declines of the main daphnid, Daphnia mendotae, in the lake with the result that in 2006, L. macrurus accounted for 75% and 50% of the large (> 0.9 mm) crustacean biomass in the northern and southern basins of Lake Michigan, respectively. The increases in L. macrurus populations have closely coincided with equally dramatic increases in summer water clarity. Recent extinction coefficients are among the lowest recorded for the lake, and deepening light penetration has permitted increases in the size of the deep chlorophyll layer. In addition, planktivorous fish populations have declined coincidently with the increases in L. macrurus. It seems likely that an increase in sub-epilimnetic production has resulted in increased food resources for the deep-living L. macrurus, while low planktivore abundances have reduced predation loss, permitting L. macrurus to respond to these increases in sub-epilimnetic production.

  1. Ozone distributions over southern Lake Michigan: comparisons between ferry-based observations, shoreline-based DOAS observations and model forecasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cleary, P. A.; Fuhrman, N.; Schulz, L.; Schafer, J.; Fillingham, J.; Bootsma, H.; McQueen, J.; Tang, Y.; Langel, T.; McKeen, S.; Williams, E. J.; Brown, S. S.

    2015-05-01

    Air quality forecast models typically predict large summertime ozone abundances over water relative to land in the Great Lakes region. While each state bordering Lake Michigan has dedicated monitoring systems, offshore measurements have been sparse, mainly executed through specific short-term campaigns. This study examines ozone abundances over Lake Michigan as measured on the Lake Express ferry, by shoreline differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) observations in southeastern Wisconsin and as predicted by the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. From 2008 to 2009 measurements of O3, SO2, NO2 and formaldehyde were made in the summertime by DOAS at a shoreline site in Kenosha, WI. From 2008 to 2010 measurements of ambient ozone were conducted on the Lake Express, a high-speed ferry that travels between Milwaukee, WI, and Muskegon, MI, up to six times daily from spring to fall. Ferry ozone observations over Lake Michigan were an average of 3.8 ppb higher than those measured at shoreline in Kenosha, with little dependence on position of the ferry or temperature and with greatest differences during evening and night. Concurrent 1-48 h forecasts from the CMAQ model in the upper Midwestern region surrounding Lake Michigan were compared to ferry ozone measurements, shoreline DOAS measurements and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) station measurements. The bias of the model O3 forecast was computed and evaluated with respect to ferry-based measurements. Trends in the bias with respect to location and time of day were explored showing non-uniformity in model bias over the lake. Model ozone bias was consistently high over the lake in comparison to land-based measurements, with highest biases for 25-48 h after initialization.

  2. Lake Michigan sediment lead storage and history of loads

    EPA Science Inventory

    Dated sediment box cores collected in 1994-1996 from 52 locations in Lake Michigan were analyzed for to access storage, trends, and loading history of lead. The results of this study provide information of historic lead loads to the lake for a time period for which no other info...

  3. Diet niches of major forage fish in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hunter, R. Douglas; Savino, J.F.; Ogilvie, L.M.; ,

    2007-01-01

    A large complex of coregonine species historically dominated the fish community of Lake Michigan. The current species complex is simplified with one remaining coregonine, bloater (Coregonus hoyi), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsoni), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and two dominant invaders, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). To better understand the diet relationships of the major offshore forage fishes now in Lake Michigan, diets of bloater, alewife, rainbow smelt, deepwater sculpin, and slimy sculpin were compared. The three sites, chosen to represent northern, central, and southern components of the lake, were sampled during spring, summer, and fall in 1994, and spring and fall in 1995. Forage fishes had diverse and variable diets, with niches differentiated by prey type or location. Diporeia hoyi, Mysis relicta, and zooplankton were the major diet items. The index of relative importance showed benthic (slimy and deepwater sculpins) and pelagic (alewife, rainbow smelt) feeding strategies with opportunistic bloaters incorporating both feeding strategies. Highest diet overlaps were between species of sculpin, and between large and small bloaters; both groups partitioned food by size. Though competition for food may be minimized by spatial segregation of potential competitors, the forage fish in Lake Michigan apparently partition food resources. Fishery management models incorporating food habits of pelagic forage fish would need to take into account diet variation associated with location and season. ?? 2007 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.

  4. Distribution and foraging patterns of common loons on Lake Michigan with implications for exposure to type E avian botulism

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kenow, Kevin P.; Houdek, Steven C.; Fara, Luke; Gray, Brian R.; Lubinski, Brian R.; Heard, Darryl J.; Meyer, Michael W.; Fox, Timothy J.; Kratt, Robert

    2018-01-01

    Common loons (Gavia immer) staging on the Great Lakes during fall migration are at risk to episodic outbreaks of type E botulism. Information on distribution, foraging patterns, and exposure routes of loons are needed for understanding the physical and ecological factors that contribute to avian botulism outbreaks. Aerial surveys were conducted to document the spatiotemporal distribution of common loons on Lake Michigan during falls 2011–2013. In addition, satellite telemetry and archival geolocator tags were used to determine the distribution and foraging patterns of individual common loons while using Lake Michigan during fall migration. Common loon distribution observed during aerial surveys and movements of individual radiomarked and/or geotagged loons suggest a seasonal pattern of use, with early fall use of Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan followed by a shift in distribution to southern Lake Michigan before moving on to wintering areas. Common loons tended to occupy offshore areas of Lake Michigan and, on average, spent the majority of daylight hours foraging. Dive depths were as deep as 60 m and dive characteristics suggested that loons were primarily foraging on benthic prey. A recent study concluded that round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) are an important prey item of common loons and may be involved in transmission of botulinum neurotoxin type E. Loon distribution coincides with the distribution of dreissenid mussel biomass, an important food resource for round gobies. Our observations support speculation that energy transfer to higher trophic levels via gobies may occur in deep-water habitats, along with transfer of botulinum neurotoxin.

  5. Variation in Lake Michigan alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) thiaminase and fatty acids composition

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Honeyfield, D.C.; Tillitt, D.E.; Fitzsimons, J.D.; Brown, S.B.

    2010-01-01

    Thiaminase activity of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is variable across Lake Michigan, yet factors that contribute to the variability in alewife thiaminase activity are unknown. The fatty acid content of Lake Michigan alewife has not been previously reported. Analysis of 53 Lake Michigan alewives found a positive correlation between thiaminase activity and the following fatty acid: C22:ln9, sum of omega-6 fatty acids (Sw6), and sum of the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thiaminase activity was negatively correlated with C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0, C24:0, C18:ln9t, C20:3n3, C22:2, and the sum of all saturated fatty acids (SAFA). Multi-variant regression analysis resulted in three variables (C18:ln9t, Sw6, SAFA) that explained 71% (R2=0.71, P<0.0001) of the variation in thiaminase activity. Because the fatty acid content of an organism is related is food source, diet may be an important factor modulating alewife thiaminase activity. These data suggest there is an association between fatty acids and thiaminase activity in Lake Michigan alewife.

  6. Excretion is Faster Than Diagenesis for Nutrient Recycling in Lake Michigan Benthos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aguilar, C.; Cuhel, R. L.

    2013-12-01

    Regeneration of phytoplankton growth nutrients including ammonium (NH4+) and phosphate (HPO4=) occurs in aquatic systems worldwide through biogeochemical processes of diagenesis. Organic matter falling to the bottom accumulates in sediments, and bacterial decomposition removes oxygen from the sub-surface. Anaerobic metabolism is energetically inefficient, and bacteria a few cm below the surface respire or ferment organic matter into carbon dioxide or organic acids, excreting nitrogen (NH4+) or phosphorus inorganic 'waste'. Subsurface production of bacterial metabolic products often leads to sharp gradients in porewater concentrations of NH4+ and HPO4=, which drive diffusive flux out of the sediments into overlying water. Aquatic systems with totally aerobic water overlying anoxic sediment (e.g., Lake Michigan) have muted efflux of certain inorganic nutrients arising from organic matter decomposition. For example, NH4+ is oxidized to nitrate in the upper few mm of surficial sediments by nitrifying bacteria. Strong subsurface porewater gradients, especially of redox- or geochemically-reactive compounds, often decline to low values well below the sediment-water interface, indicating transformation by sediment bacterial populations, or by purely geochemical processes such as calcium hydroxyphosphate (apatite) precipitation. For these, little flux to the water column occurs. In Lake Michigan, neither NH4+ nor HPO4= escapes substantially from the biogeochemical barriers between their diagenetic sources and overlying waters, either before or after ecosystem alteration by invasive quagga mussels (QM). Silicate and total CO2 evade unimpeded in the same cores. The organic matter deposited from the water column is also the nutrition of benthic bivalve filter feeders such as QM in Lake Michigan, or the Asian Clam in San Francisco Bay. In animal metabolism for energy production, only the carbon component is oxidized through respiration, with NH4+ (from protein) and HPO4= (from

  7. 75 FR 33995 - Safety Zone; Michigan Orthopaedic Society 50th Anniversary Fireworks, Lake Huron, Mackinac Island...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-16

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Michigan Orthopaedic Society 50th Anniversary Fireworks, Lake Huron, Mackinac Island... from a portion of Lake Huron during the Michigan Orthopaedic Society 50th Anniversary Fireworks display... launching of fireworks in conjunction with the Michigan Orthopaedic Society 50th Anniversary Fireworks...

  8. Cisco (Coregonus artedii) mortalities in a southern Michigan lake, July 1968

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colby, Peter J.; Brooke, Larry T.

    1969-01-01

    Cisco die-offs are common in the summer in certain lakes of northern Indiana and southern Michigan, along the southern boundary of the national distribution of coregonine fishes. Although numerous cisco die-offs have been reported, few, if any, have been accompanied by environmental information at the time of the die-off. On 31 July and 1 August 1968, we investigated a cisco die-off on Halfmoon Lake, on the border of Washtenaw and Livingston Counties, Michigan.

  9. Water resources data for Michigan, water year 1972; Part 1, Surface water records

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1973-01-01

    Surface-water records for the 1972 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Michigan are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of T. R. Cummings, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Michigan. Records of discharge and stage of streams, and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs are published in a series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States". Through September 30, 1960, these water-supply papers were in an annual series and since then are in a 5-year series. Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Michigan were contained in Part 4 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports is limited and primarily for local needs.

  10. Water resources data for Michigan, water year 1971; Part 1, Surface water records

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1972-01-01

    Surface-water records for the 1971 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Michigan are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of T. R. Cummings, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Michigan. Records of discharge and stage of streams, and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs are published in a series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Through September 30, 1960, these water-supply papers were in an annual series and since then are in a 5-year series. Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Michigan were contained in Part 4 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports is limited and primarily for local needs.

  11. Water resources data for Michigan, water year 1973; Part 1, Surface water records

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1974-01-01

    Surface-water records for the 1973 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Michigan are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of T.R. Cummings, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Michigan. Records of discharge and stage of streams, and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs are published in a series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States". Through September 30, 1960, these water-supply papers were in an annual series and since then are in a 5-year series. Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Michigan are contained in Part 4 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports is limited and primarily for local needs.

  12. 78 FR 37963 - Safety Zone; Chicago to Mackinac Race; Lake Michigan; Chicago, IL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-25

    ... Zone; Chicago to Mackinac Race; Lake Michigan; Chicago, IL AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of..., Illinois for the 105th Race to Mackinac. This zone will be enforced from 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. on July 12... of life on the navigable waters during the 105th Race to Mackinac. During the aforementioned periods...

  13. Bird mortality during nocturnal migration over Lake Michigan: A case study

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Diehl, Robert H.; Bates, John M.; Willard, David E.; Gnoske, Thomas P.

    2014-01-01

    Millions of birds die each year during migration. Most of this mortality goes unobserved and conditions surrounding the actual events are often not thoroughly documented. We present a case study of substantial migrant casualties along the shores of southwestern Lake Michigan during May 1996 when we found 2,981 dead birds of 114 species, mostly migrant passerines. An unusual sequence of events allowed us to document the circumstances surrounding this migratory bird kill. Bird carcasses appeared on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan in the days following storm systems that produced high rain and in one case, hail. Encounters between birds and precipitation over open water were recorded by weather radar, and were followed by winds that drifted dead birds toward highly populated shorelines where the kill was observed and documented. Climatologically, May 1996 was exceptional for producing weather conditions that both killed birds en masse and allowed the mortality to be documented. As a result, this is one of the more thoroughly documented instances of a weather-related mass mortality event during migration.

  14. Multi-pathogen waterborne disease outbreak associated with a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Serdarevic, F; Jones, R C; Weaver, K N; Black, S R; Ritger, K A; Guichard, F; Dombroski, P; Emanuel, B P; Miller, L; Gerber, S I

    2012-04-01

    We report an outbreak associated with a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. This took place on the same day as heavy rainfall, which resulted in 42·4 billion liters of rainwater and storm runoff containing highly diluted sewage being released into the lake. Of 72 cruise participants, 41 (57%) reported gastroenteritis. Stool specimens were positive for Shigella sonnei (n=3), Giardia (n=3), and Cryptosporidium (n=2). Ice consumption was associated with illness (risk ratio 2·2, P=0·011). S. sonnei was isolated from a swab obtained from the one of the boat's ice bins. Environmental inspection revealed conditions and equipment that could have contributed to lake water contaminating the hose used to load potable water onto the boat. Knowledge of water holding and distribution systems on boats, and of potential risks associated with flooding and the release of diluted sewage into large bodies of water, is crucial for public health guidance regarding recreational cruises.

  15. Abundance indices for determining the status of lake trout restoration in Michigan waters of Lake Superior

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Michael J.; Schorfhaar, Richard G.; Peck, James W.; Selgeby, James H.; Taylor, William W.

    1995-01-01

    Self-sustaining populations of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush have returned to most areas in Lake Superior, but progress toward achieving historic commercial yields has been difficult to measure because of unrecorded losses to predation by sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus and to fisheries. Consequently, we developed restoration targets (catch per effort, CPE; geometric mean number per kilometer of 114-mm stretch-meaure gill net during 1929-1943, when historic yields were sustained) from linear relationships between CPE in commercial and assessment fisheries in Michigan. Target CPEs for lake trout restoration were higher and less variable than the modern CPEs in all areas. Modern CPEs generally increased during the 1970s and early 1980s but declined during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Modern CPEs were highest in western Michigan from the Keweenaw Peninsula to Marquette (71 to 81% of target CPEs), but coefficients of variation (CV,SD/mean) of mean CPEs were 1.4 to 2.4 times greater than target CVs. Around Munising, the modern CPE was lower (41% of the target CPE), whereas the CV was 1.9 times greater than the target CV. Around Grand Marais, the modern CPE was lowest among all areas (17% of the target CPE), but the CV was nearly the same (1.1 times the target CV). In Whitefish Bay, the modern CPE was only 28% of the target CPE and the CV was 9.0 times greater, though the modern period was based on only the years 1979-1982 and 1984-1985. Further progress in restoration in most areas can be achieved only if fishery managers adequately protect existing stocks of wild fish from sea lamprey predation and fishery exploitation.

  16. 78 FR 49684 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-15

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

  17. Integrated synoptic surveys of the hydrodynamics and water-quality distributions in two Lake Michigan rivermouth mixing zones using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a manned boat

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jackson, P. Ryan; Reneau, Paul C.

    2014-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and Tributaries, launched a pilot project in 2010 to determine the value of integrated synoptic surveys of rivermouths using autonomous underwater vehicle technology in response to a call for rivermouth research, which includes study domains that envelop both the fluvial and lacustrine boundaries of the rivermouth mixing zone. The pilot project was implemented at two Lake Michigan rivermouths with largely different scales, hydrodynamics, and settings, but employing primarily the same survey techniques and methods. The Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern (AOC) survey included measurements in the lower 2 to 3 miles of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers and inner and outer Milwaukee Harbor. This estuary is situated in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is the most populated basin that flows directly into Lake Michigan. In contrast, the Manitowoc rivermouth has a relatively small harbor separating the rivermouth from Lake Michigan, and the Manitowoc River Watershed is primarily agricultural. Both the Milwaukee and Manitowoc rivermouths are unregulated and allow free exchange of water with Lake Michigan. This pilot study of the Milwaukee River Estuary and Manitowoc rivermouth using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) paired with a manned survey boat resulted in high spatial and temporal resolution datasets of basic water-quality parameter distributions and hydrodynamics. The AUV performed well in these environments and was found primarily well-suited for harbor and nearshore surveys of three-dimensional water-quality distributions. Both case studies revealed that the use of a manned boat equipped with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and multiparameter sonde (and an optional flow-through water-quality sampling system) was the best option for riverine surveys. To ensure that the most accurate and highest resolution velocity data

  18. Growth and condition of alewives in Lake Michigan, 1984-2001

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Holuszko, Jeffrey D.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.

    2003-01-01

    Diets of salmonines in Lake Michigan have been dominated by alewives Alosa pseudoharengus since the 1960s, and information on alewife population dynamics is critical to the management of salmonine fisheries. We monitored alewife size at age and condition (K) at several different locations in Lake Michigan during fall 1984–2001. Alewives were aged by enumerating annuli on otoliths. The results indicated that alewife length at age did not trend upward or downward between 1984 and the late 1990s but decreased from the late 1990s to 2001. Alewife weight at age was relatively constant between 1984 and the mid-1990s but decreased from the mid-1990s to 2001. Mean condition for a given alewife age was, on average, 13.7% higher during 1984–1994 than during 1995–2001. This decline in alewife condition was not a density-dependent response by the alewife population because alewife abundance trended neither upward nor downward during 1984–2001. The decline in alewife condition was possibly due to the lakewide decrease in the abundance of Diporeia spp. during the 1990s. Apparently, the availability of the large-bodied invertebrates Diporeia and Mysis spp. was an important regulator of adult alewife growth because alewives attained a substantially larger size in Lake Michigan, where these invertebrates were relatively important constituents of the adult alewife diet, than in Lake Ontario, where these invertebrates were not readily eaten by adult alewives. For age-2 or older females, mean length was 2–9 mm greater than for males. Alewife size at age and condition were slightly higher on the eastern side of Lake Michigan than on the western side.

  19. Global and Local Contributions to Mercury Concentrations in Lake Michigan and Impact on Fish Consumption Advisories

    EPA Science Inventory

    LM2-Mercury, a mercury species mass balance model developed for Lake Michigan, was used to assess mercury cycling in Lake Michigan. A calibrated model (including a hindcast) was used to predict mercury concentrations in the lake based on various sensitivity and management scenari...

  20. 78 FR 36091 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-17

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

  1. 77 FR 65478 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-29

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River...

  2. 77 FR 60044 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-02

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River...

  3. 76 FR 65609 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-24

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal...

  4. 75 FR 64673 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and, Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and, Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and... Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Ship and...: The Coast Guard will enforce Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des...

  5. 78 FR 65874 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-04

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including...

  6. Increasing thiamine concentrations in lake trout eggs from Lakes Huron and Michigan coincide with low alewife abundance

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Riley, Stephen C.; Rinchard, Jacques; Honeyfield, Dale C.; Evans, Allison N.; Begnoche, Linda

    2011-01-01

    Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in the Laurentian Great Lakes suffer from thiamine deficiency as a result of adult lake trout consuming prey containing thiaminase, a thiamine-degrading enzyme. Sufficiently low egg thiamine concentrations result in direct mortality of or sublethal effects on newly hatched lake trout fry. To determine the prevalence and severity of low thiamine in lake trout eggs, we monitored thiamine concentrations in lake trout eggs from 15 sites in Lakes Huron and Michigan from 2001 to 2009. Lake trout egg thiamine concentrations at most sites in both lakes were initially low and increased over time at 11 of 15 sites, and the proportion of females with egg thiamine concentrations lower than the recommended management objective of 4 nmol/g decreased over time at eight sites. Egg thiamine concentrations at five of six sites in Lakes Huron and Michigan were significantly inversely related to site-specific estimates of mean abundance of alewives Alosa pseudoharengus, and successful natural reproduction of lake trout has been observed in Lake Huron since the alewife population crashed. These results support the hypothesis that low egg thiamine in Great Lakes lake trout is associated with increased alewife abundance and that low alewife abundance may currently be a prerequisite for successful reproduction by lake trout in the Great Lakes.

  7. 76 FR 2829 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-18

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

  8. 77 FR 20295 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-04

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

  9. 78 FR 36092 - Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-17

    ... Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

  10. 77 FR 35854 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-15

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

  11. 75 FR 52462 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-26

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

  12. 78 FR 40635 - Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-08

    ... Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

  13. 75 FR 73966 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-30

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

  14. Application of a Lower Food Web Ecosystem Productivity Model to Investigate Population Dynamics of Invasive Species in Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    A Lake Michigan Ecosystem Model (LM-Eco) that includes a detailed description of trophic levels and their interactions was developed for Lake Michigan. The LM-Eco model constitutes a first step toward a comprehensive Lake Michigan ecosystem productivity model to investigate ecosy...

  15. A conceptual framework for Lake Michigan coastal/nearshore ecosystems, with application to Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) objectives

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Seelbach, Paul W.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Bunnell, David Bo; Haack, Sheridan K.; Rogers, Mark W.

    2013-01-01

    The Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) within the Great Lakes region are examples of broad-scale, collaborative resource-management efforts that require a sound ecosystems approach. Yet, the LaMP process is lacking a holistic framework that allows these individual actions to be planned and understood within the broader context of the Great Lakes ecosystem. In this paper we (1) introduce a conceptual framework that unifies ideas and language among Great Lakes managers and scientists, whose focus areas range from tributary watersheds to open-lake waters, and (2) illustrate how the framework can be used to outline the geomorphic, hydrologic biological, and societal processes that underlie several goals of the Lake Michigan LaMP, thus providing a holistic and fairly comprehensive roadmap for tackling these challenges. For each selected goal, we developed a matrix that identifies the key ecosystem processes within the cell for each lake zone and each discipline; we then provide one example where a process is poorly understood and a second where a process is understood, but its impact or importance is unclear. Implicit in these objectives was our intention to highlight the importance of the Great Lakes coastal/nearshore zone. Although the coastal/nearshore zone is the important linkage zone between the watershed and open-lake zones—and is the zone where most LaMP issues are focused--scientists and managers have a relatively poor understanding of how the coastal/nearshore zone functions. We envision follow-up steps including (1) collaborative development of a more detailed and more complete conceptual model of how (and where) identified processes are thought to function, and (2) a subsequent gap analysis of science and monitoring priorities.

  16. 76 FR 23524 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-27

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... safety zone from Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan. This proposed safety zone will cover 77.... This TIR established a 77 mile long safety zone from Brandon Road Lock to Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL...

  17. Water resources data for Michigan, water year 1974; Part 1, Surface water records

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1975-01-01

    Surface-water records for the 1974 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Michigan are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of T.R. Cummings, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Michigan.Records of discharge and stage of streams, and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs are published in a series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States". Through September 30, 1960, these water-supply papers were in an annual series and since then are in a 5-year series. Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Michigan are contained in Part 4 of that series.Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports is limited and they are designed primarily for rapid release of data shortly after the end of the water year.

  18. Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 9, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Olcott, Perry G.

    1992-01-01

    Segment 9, which consists of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan, abuts the Canadian border in the upper Midwest and lies adjacent to or surrounds four of the Great Lakes-Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Thousands of small to large lakes similar to the one shown in figure 1 dot the landscape, which is drained by numerous rivers and streams tributary primarily to the Mississippi River in the west and to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system in the east. These abundant surface-water sources represent an ample supply of water to large users, such as the cities of Milwaukee, Wis., and Detroit, Mich. However, water stored in unconsolidated and consolidated sedimentary-rock aquifers that underlie the four States also is in abundant supply and is an economical source that can be used for nearly any purpose, usually with little or no treatment. In more than 95 percent of the four-State area, these aquifers supply water to a broad spectrum of consumers-from individual households to cities, such as St. Paul, Minn., Madison, Wis., and Lansing, Mich. These aquifers are the subject of this chapter. The geology and the hydrology of each of the principal aquifers are illustrated and discussed insofar as information was available from the literature. Hydrogeology, ground-water flow, availability and quality of water, and freshwater withdrawals from each of the aquifers are the principal subjects of discussion. Population in the four States is concentrated in the cities and is thinly dispersed in the broad agricultural areas of the States (fig. 2). Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Des Moines, Iowa, Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., and Detroit and Lansing, Mich., are a few of the principal cities. Many of these cities and other large population centers represent areas of concentrated ground-water withdrawals. Precipitation is the source of all water in Segment 9. Average annual precipitation ranges from about 20 to 40 inches across the segment and generally increases from

  19. Bacteria and emerging chemical contaminants in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fogarty, Lisa R.

    2007-01-01

    Introduction Since the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, awareness of the quality of the Nation's water has continued to improve. Despite improvements to wastewater-treatment systems and increased regulation on waste discharge, bacterial and chemical contamination is still a problem for many rivers and lakes throughout the United States. Pathogenic microorganism and newly recognized chemical contaminants have been found in waters that are used for drinking water and recreation (Rose and Grimes, 2001; Kolpin and others, 2002). This summary of bacteria and emerging-chemical-contaminant monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin (fig. 1) was initiated by the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project (LSCRMP) in 2003, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the Counties of Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

  20. 27 CFR 9.79 - Lake Michigan Shore.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) Starting at the most northern point, the intersection the Kalamazoo River with Lake Michigan. (2) Then southeast along the winding course of the Kalamazoo River for approximately 35 miles until it intersects the Penn Central railroad line just south of the City of Otsego. (3) Then south along the Penn Central...

  1. Sport fishing at a thermal discharge into Lake Michigan

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Spigarelli, S.A.; Thommes, M.M.

    1976-07-01

    Sport fishing censuses were conducted during 1972 and 1973 at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant on Lake Michigan (Two Rivers, Wisconsin). The objectives of this study were to describe the fishery at a typical shoreline thermal discharge into the upper Great Lakes and to make comparisons with reference fisheries in unheated areas. Extensive sport fishing at this power plant resulted in a relatively large catch of trout (4 species) and sporadic catches of salmon and non-salmonid species. Species composition of the catch and catch-per-unit-effort varied daily and seasonally and generally reflected trends in reference fisheries. A comparison between years showedmore » increased fishing effort, total catch, and proportion of trout in 1973, while success (catch-per-unit-effort) decreased. Despite this heavy fishing pressure, catch-per-unit-effort was generally higher at Point Beach than in reference shoreline fisheries. The economic value of thermal discharge fisheries on Lake Michigan is estimated using available value and expenditure data.« less

  2. Effects of freezing in and out of water on length and weight of Lake Michigan bloaters

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sayers, Richard E.

    1987-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine if freezing significantly alters the length or weight of bloaters Coregonus hoyi. Bloaters were collected from southern Lake Michigan and were frozen for periods of 2-200 d. Freezing in water caused a significant decrease in length and a significant increase in weight. These changes did not vary predictably with time. The mean change in weight was greater for adults than for juveniles, but the mean change in length was not significantly different between juveniles and adults. Regressions for weight or length after freezing versus weight or length before freezing were highly significant and can be used as correction equations for estimating the original lengths and weights of fresh specimens after fish have been frozen. Test fish that were subsequently refrozen in air shrank more than those refrozen in water.

  3. Linking egg thiamine and fatty acid concentrations of Lake Michigan lake trout with early life stage mortality.

    PubMed

    Czesny, Sergiusz; Dettmers, John M; Rinchard, Jacques; Dabrowski, Konrad

    2009-12-01

    The natural reproduction of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Michigan is thought to be compromised by nutritional deficiency associated with inadequate levels of thiamine (vitamin B1) in their eggs. However, mortality driven by thiamine deficiency (commonly referred to as early mortality syndrome [EMS]) is not the only significant cause of low lake trout survival at early life stages. In this study, we sought to better understand the combined effects of variable levels of thiamine and fatty acids in lake trout eggs on prehatch, posthatch, and swim-up-stage mortality. We sampled the eggs of 29 lake trout females from southwestern Lake Michigan. The concentrations of free thiamine and its vitamers (e.g., thiamine monophosphate [TMP] and thiamine pyrophosphate [TPP]) as well as fatty acid profiles were determined in sampled eggs. Fertilized eggs and embryos were monitored through the advanced swim-up stage (1,000 degree-days). Three distinct periods of mortality were identified: prehatch (0-400 degree-days), immediately posthatch (401-600 degree-days), and swim-up (601-1,000 degree-days). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed (1) that cis-7-hexadecenoic acid in both neutral lipids (NL) and phospholipids (PL) correlated with prehatch mortality, (2) that docosapentaenoic acid in PL and docosahexaenoic acid in NL correlated with posthatch mortality, and (3) that total lipids, TPP, and palmitoleic acid in NL, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid in PL correlated with the frequency of EMS. These results indicate the complexity of early life stage mortality in lake trout and suggest that inadequate levels of key fatty acids in eggs, along with variable thiamine content, contribute to the low survival of lake trout progeny in Lake Michigan.

  4. Modeling the Response of Nutrient Concentrations and Primary Productivity in Lake Michigan to Nutrient Loading Scenarios

    EPA Science Inventory

    A water quality model, LM3 Eutro, will be used to estimate the response of nutrient concentrations and primary productivity in Lake Michigan to nutrient loading scenarios. This work is part of a larger effort, the Future Midwestern landscapes study, that will estimate the produc...

  5. MODELLING PHYTOPLANKTON IN LAKE MICHIGAN USING A HIGH RESULUTION CARBON-BASED FRAMEWORK

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project was initiated by the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office to determine strategies for managing toxic chemicals in the lake basin. The hydrophobicity of most of these chemicals necessitates a solid understanding of autochthonous produ...

  6. Factors associated with the deposition of Cladophora on Lake Michigan beaches in 2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Riley, Stephen C.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Adams, Jean V.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Lafrancois, Brenda Moraska

    2015-01-01

    Deposition of the macroalgae Cladophora spp. was monitored on 18 beaches around Lake Michigan during 2012 at a high temporal frequency. We observed a high degree of spatial variability in Cladophora deposition among beaches on Lake Michigan, even within local regions, with no clear regional pattern in the intensity of Cladophora deposition. A strong seasonal pattern in Cladophora deposition was observed, with the heaviest deposition occurring during mid-summer. Several beaches exhibited high temporal variability in Cladophora deposition over short time scales, suggesting that drifting algal mats may be extremely dynamic in nearshore environments of the Great Lakes. Cladophora deposition on Lake Michigan beaches was primarily related to the presence of nearshore structures, local population density, and nearshore bathymetry. There was relatively little evidence that waves, winds, or currents were associated with Cladophora deposition on beaches, but this may be due to the relatively poor resolution of existing nearshore hydrodynamic data. Developing a predictive understanding of beach-cast Cladophora dynamics in Great Lakes environments may require both intensive Cladophora monitoring and fine-scale local hydrodynamic modeling efforts.

  7. Phosphorus and Phytoplankton in Lake Michigan: Model Post-audit and Projections

    EPA Science Inventory

    The eutrophication model, LM3-Eutro, was developed in support of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project to simulate chlorophyll-a (phytoplankton), phosphorus and carbon concentrations in the lake. This high-resolution carbon-based model was developed and calibrated using extensi...

  8. Sanctuaries for lake trout in the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stanley, Jon G.; Eshenroder, Randy L.; Hartman, Wilbur L.

    1987-01-01

    Populations of lake trout, severely depleted in Lake Superior and virtually extirpated from the other Great Lakes because of sea lamprey predation and intense fishing, are now maintained by annual plantings of hatchery-reared fish in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and parts of Lake Superior. The extensive coastal areas of the Great Lakes and proximity to large populations resulted in fishing pressure on planted lake trout heavy enough to push annual mortality associated with sport and commercial fisheries well above the critical level needed to reestablish self-sustaining stocks. The interagency, international program for rehabilitating lake trout includes controlling sea lamprey abundance, stocking hatchery-reared lake trout, managing the catch, and establishing sanctuaries where harvest is prohibited. Three lake trout sanctuaries have been established in Lake Michigan: the Fox Island Sanctuary of 121, 500 ha, in the Chippewa-Ottawa Treaty fishing zone in the northern region of the lake; the Milwaukee Reef Sanctuary of 160, 000 ha in midlake, in boundary waters of Michigan and Wisconsin; and Julian's Reef Sanctuary of 6, 500 ha, in Illinois waters. In northern Lake Huron, Drummond Island Sanctuary of 55, 000 ha is two thirds in Indian treaty-ceded waters in Michigan and one third in Ontario waters of Canada. A second sanctuary, Six Fathom Bank-Yankee Reef Sanctuary, in central Lake Huron contains 168, 000 ha. Sanctuary status for the Canadian areas remains to be approved by the Provincial government. In Lake Superior, sanctuaries protect the spawning grounds of Gull Island Shoal (70, 000 ha) and Devils Island Shoal (44, 000 ha) in Wisconsin's Apostle Island area. These seven sanctuaries, established by the several States and agreed upon by the States, Indian tribes, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Province of Ontario, contribute toward solving an interjurisdictional fishery problem.

  9. Developing a Modeling Framework for Ecosystem Forecasting: The Lake Michigan Pilot

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent multi-party efforts to coordinate modeling activities that support ecosystem management decision-making in the Great Lakes have resulted in the recommendation to convene an interagency working group that will develop a pilot approach for Lake Michigan. The process will br...

  10. Protocol to Reconstruct Historical Contaminant Loading to Large Lakes: The Lake Michigan Sediment Record of Mercury

    EPA Science Inventory

    Samples of opportunity from Pb-210 dated sediment cores collected from Lake Michigan between 1994 and 1996 were analyzed for mercury. The storage of both anthropogenic and total (post-1850) mercury in the lake was calculated to be 186 and 228 metric tons, respectively. By setti...

  11. Daytime distribution of Pontoporeia affinis off bottom in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wells, LaRue

    1968-01-01

    The vertical migration of the amphipod Pontoporeia affinis in Lake Michigan has been well documented by Wells, Marzolf, and McNaught and Hasler. Wells and Marzolf observed Pontoporeia off bottom only at night. McNaught and Hasler, however, found Pontoporeia above the bottom shortly after noon in a 24-hr study on 12 June 1965, and some individuals were taken just below the thermocline in all daylight hours in a similar study on 19-20 August. This paper presents evidence that Pontoporeia regularly were present above bottom during the day from April-August 1964. The data for this report were collected during a study of seasonal and depth distribution of larval bloaters (Coregonus hoyi) in Lake Michigan. Sampling was conducted from the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries RV Cisco off Saugatuck, Michigan, at intervals of about 10 days from 9 April to 14 August 1964. A few samples were taken on 22 August and 15 October.

  12. Field responses of Prunus serotina and Asclepias syriaca to ozone around southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bennett, J.P.; Jepsen, E.A.; Roth, J.A.

    2006-01-01

    Higher ozone concentrations east of southern Lake Michigan compared to west of the lake were used to test hypotheses about injury and growth effects on two plant species. We measured approximately 1000 black cherry trees and over 3000 milkweed stems from 1999 to 2001 for this purpose. Black cherry branch elongation and milkweed growth and pod formation were significantly higher west of Lake Michigan while ozone injury was greater east of Lake Michigan. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analyses we determined that departures from normal precipitation, soil nitrogen and ozone exposure/peak hourly concentrations were the most important variables affecting cherry branch elongation, and milkweed stem height and pod formation. The effects of ozone were not consistently comparable with the effects of soil nutrients, weather, insect or disease injury, and depended on species. Ozone SUM06 exposures greater than 13 ppm-h decreased cherry branch elongation 18%; peak 1-h exposures greater than 93 ppb reduced milkweed stem height 13%; and peak 1-h concentrations greater than 98 ppb reduced pod formation 11% in milkweed. Decreased cherry branch elongation, milkweed stem height and pod production, and foliar injury on both species occurred at sites around southern Lake Michigan at ozone exposures of 13 SUM06 ppm-h and 93a??98 ppb peak hourly.

  13. LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE STUDY: PROGNOSIS FOR PCBS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study was conducted to measure and model nutrients, atrazine, PCBs, trans-nonachlor, and mercury to gain a better understanding of the transport and fate of these substances within the system and to aid managers in the environmental decision-making ...

  14. Waterbird mortality from botulism type E in Lake Michigan: An update

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brand, Christopher J.; Duncan, Ruth M.; Garrow, Scott P.; Olson, Dan; Schumann, Leonard E.

    1983-01-01

    Three outbreaks of botulism type E occurring in waterbirds on Lake Michigan since autumn 1976 are discussed. Natural ingestion of food containing type E toxin by Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) and the presence of type E toxin in blood from moribund gulls were demonstrated. Concurrent presence of type C and type E botulinal toxins was found in a die-off of Common Loons (Gavia immer). In combination with previous reported outbreaks, these incidents suggest that this disease is geographically widespread in Lake Michigan, and that environmental conditions conducive to type E botulinal toxin production and consumption occur in both summer and autumn.

  15. Cladophora (Chlorophyta) spp. harbor human bacterial pathogens in nearshore water of Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Ishii, Satoshi; Yan, Tao; Shively, Dawn A; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N; Whitman, Richard L; Sadowsky, Michael J

    2006-07-01

    Cladophora glomerata, a macrophytic green alga, is commonly found in the Great Lakes, and significant accumulations occur along shorelines during the summer months. Recently, Cladophora has been shown to harbor high densities of the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and enterococci. Cladophora may also harbor human pathogens; however, until now, no studies to address this question have been performed. In the present study, we determined whether attached Cladophora, obtained from the Lake Michigan and Burns Ditch (Little Calumet River, Indiana) sides of a breakwater during the summers of 2004 and 2005, harbored the bacterial pathogens Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter. The presence of potential pathogens and numbers of organisms were determined by using cultural methods and by using conventional PCR, most-probable-number PCR (MPN-PCR), and quantitative PCR (QPCR) performed with genus- and toxin-specific primers and probes. While Shigella and STEC were detected in 100% and 25%, respectively, of the algal samples obtained near Burns Ditch in 2004, the same pathogens were not detected in samples collected in 2005. MPN-PCR and QPCR allowed enumeration of Salmonella in 40 to 80% of the ditch- and lakeside samples, respectively, and the densities were up to 1.6 x 10(3) cells per g Cladophora. Similarly, these PCR methods allowed enumeration of up to 5.4 x 10(2) Campylobacter cells/g Cladophora in 60 to 100% of lake- and ditchside samples. The Campylobacter densities were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the lakeside Cladophora samples than in the ditchside Cladophora samples. DNA fingerprint analyses indicated that genotypically identical Salmonella isolates were associated with geographically and temporally distinct Cladophora samples. However, Campylobacter isolates were genetically diverse. Since animal hosts are thought to be the primary habitat for Campylobacter and Salmonella species, our results suggest

  16. 78 FR 36424 - Special Local Regulations for Summer Events; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-18

    ... Guard, DHS. ACTION: Temporary final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is establishing temporary special local regulations for three summer events within the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone. This rule is intended to provide for the safety of life and property on navigable waters immediately prior to...

  17. Proximate composition and caloric content of eight Lake Michigan fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rottiers, Donald V.; Tucker, Robert M.

    1982-01-01

    We measured the proximate composition (percentage lipid, water, fat-free dry material, ash) and caloric content of eight species of Lake Michigan fish: lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), bloater (Coregonus hoyi), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). Except for alewives, proximate composition and caloric content did not differ significantly between males and females. And, for coho salmon, there was no significant difference in composition between fish collected in different years. Lipid and caloric content of lake trout increased directly with age. In all species examined, lipids and caloric contents were significantly lower in small, presumably immature, fish than in larger, older fish. Lipid content of lake trout, lake whitefish, and bloaters (range of means, 16-22%) was nearly 3 times higher than that of coho salmon, sculpins, rainbow smelt, and alewives (range of means, 5.2-7.0%). The mean caloric content ranged from 6.9 to 7.1 kcal/g for species high in lipids and from 5.8 to 6.3 kcal/g for species low in lipids. Although the caloric content of all species varied directly with lipid content and inversely with water content, an increase in lipid content did not always coincide with a proportional increase in caloric content when other components of fish composition were essentially unchanged. This observation suggests that the energy content of fish estimated from the proximate composition by using universal conversion factors may not necessarily be accurate.

  18. Comparative recruitment dynamics of Alewife and Bloater in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Collingsworth, Paris D.; Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Riley, Stephen C.

    2014-01-01

    The predictive power of recruitment models often relies on the identification and quantification of external variables, in addition to stock size. In theory, the identification of climatic, biotic, or demographic influences on reproductive success assists fisheries management by identifying factors that have a direct and reproducible influence on the population dynamics of a target species. More often, models are constructed as one-time studies of a single population whose results are not revisited when further data become available. Here, we present results from stock recruitment models for Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and Bloater Coregonus hoyi in Lakes Michigan and Huron. The factors that explain variation in Bloater recruitment were remarkably consistent across populations and with previous studies that found Bloater recruitment to be linked to population demographic patterns in Lake Michigan. Conversely, our models were poor predictors of Alewife recruitment in Lake Huron but did show some agreement with previously published models from Lake Michigan. Overall, our results suggest that external predictors of fish recruitment are difficult to discern using traditional fisheries models, and reproducing the results from previous studies may be difficult particularly at low population sizes.

  19. Application of a Lower Food Web Ecosystem Productivity Model for Investigating Dynamics of the Invasive Species Bythortrephes longimanus in Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    A Lake Michigan Ecosystem Model (LM-Eco) that includes a detailed description of trophic levels and their interactions was developed for Lake Michigan. The LM-Eco model constitutes a first step toward a comprehensive Lake Michigan ecosystem productivity model to investigate ecos...

  20. 33 CFR 165.904 - Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Harbor, to the northwest point. (b) Effective times and dates. This safety and security zone will be in... & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone. 165.904 Section 165.904 Navigation and Navigable Waters... Guard District § 165.904 Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor—Safety and Security Zone...

  1. Acoustic estimates of abundance and distribution of spawning lake trout on Sheboygan Reef in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, D.M.; Claramunt, R.M.; Janssen, J.; Jude, D.J.; Wattrus, N.

    2009-01-01

    Efforts to restore self-sustaining lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes have had widespread success in Lake Superior; but in other Great Lakes, populations of lake trout are maintained by stocking. Recruitment bottlenecks may be present at a number of stages of the reproduction process. To study eggs and fry, it is necessary to identify spawning locations, which is difficult in deep water. Acoustic sampling can be used to rapidly locate aggregations of fish (like spawning lake trout), describe their distribution, and estimate their abundance. To assess these capabilities for application to lake trout, we conducted an acoustic survey covering 22 km2 at Sheboygan Reef, a deep reef (<40 m summit) in southern Lake Michigan during fall 2005. Data collected with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) confirmed that fish were large lake trout, that lake trout were 1–2 m above bottom, and that spawning took place over specific habitat. Lake trout density exhibited a high degree of spatial structure (autocorrelation) up to a range of ~190 m, and highest lake trout and egg densities occurred over rough substrates (rubble and cobble) at the shallowest depths sampled (36–42 m). Mean lake trout density in the area surveyed (~2190 ha) was 5.8 fish/ha and the area surveyed contained an estimated 9500–16,000 large lake trout. Spatial aggregation in lake trout densities, similarity of depths and substrates at which high lake trout and egg densities occurred, and relatively low uncertainty in the lake trout density estimate indicate that acoustic sampling can be a useful complement to other sampling tools used in lake trout restoration research.

  2. 76 FR 13508 - Ninth Coast Guard District Sector Realignment; Northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-14

    ... Station Alpena from Group Sault Ste. Marie to Sectors Lake Michigan and Detroit, respectively. That... boundary adjustment is that Stations Charlevoix and Alpena will be reassigned to Sector Sault Ste. Marie...

  3. The green alga, Cladophora, promotes Escherichia coli growth and contamination of recreational waters in Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Vanden Heuvel, Amy; McDermott, Colleen; Pillsbury, Robert; Sandrin, Todd; Kinzelman, Julie; Ferguson, John; Sadowsky, Michael; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Whitman, Richard; Kleinheinz, Gregory T

    2010-01-01

    A linkage between Cladophora mats and exceedances of recreational water quality criteria has been suggested, but not directly studied. This study investigates the spatial and temporal association between Escherichia coli concentrations within and near Cladophora mats at two northwestern Lake Michigan beaches in Door County, Wisconsin. Escherichia coli concentrations in water underlying mats were significantly greater than surrounding water (p < 0.001). Below mat E. coli increased as the stranded mats persisted at the beach swash zone. Water adjacent to Cladophora mats had lower E. coli concentrations, but surpassed EPA swimming criteria the majority of sampling days. A significant positive association was found between E. coli concentrations attached to Cladophora and in underlying water (p < 0.001). The attached E. coli likely acted as a reservoir for populating water underlying the mat. Fecal bacterial pathogens, however, could not be detected by microbiological culture methods either attached to mat biomass or in underlying water. Removal of Cladophora mats from beach areas may improve aesthetic and microbial water quality at affected beaches. These associations and potential natural growth of E. coli in bathing waters call into question the efficacy of using E. coli as a recreational water quality indicator of fecal contaminations.

  4. FISH COMMUNITIES IN LAKE IN SUBREGION 2B (UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN) IN RELATION TO LAKE ACIDITY: VOLUME I

    EPA Science Inventory

    Surveys of fish community status were conducted in summer 1987 in 49 lakes in Subregion 20, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as part of Phase II of the Eastern Lake Survey. Lake selection involved a variable probability sampling design. Fish communities were surveyed using gill n...

  5. Lake Michigan offshore ecosystem structure and food web changes from 1987 to 2008

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rogers, Mark W.; Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Warner, David M.

    2014-01-01

    Ecosystems undergo dynamic changes owing to species invasions, fisheries management decisions, landscape modifications, and nutrient inputs. At Lake Michigan, new invaders (e.g., dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.), spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus), round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)) have proliferated and altered energy transfer pathways, while nutrient concentrations and stocking rates to support fisheries have changed. We developed an ecosystem model to describe food web structure in 1987 and ran simulations through 2008 to evaluate changes in biomass of functional groups, predator consumption, and effects of recently invading species. Keystone functional groups from 1987 were identified as Mysis, burbot (Lota lota), phytoplankton, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), nonpredatory cladocerans, and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Simulations predicted biomass reductions across all trophic levels and predicted biomasses fit observed trends for most functional groups. The effects of invasive species (e.g., dreissenid grazing) increased across simulation years, but were difficult to disentangle from other changes (e.g., declining offshore nutrient concentrations). In total, our model effectively represented recent changes to the Lake Michigan ecosystem and provides an ecosystem-based tool for exploring future resource management scenarios.

  6. Satellite remote sensing for modeling and monitoring of water quality in the Great Lakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coffield, S. R.; Crosson, W. L.; Al-Hamdan, M. Z.; Barik, M. G.

    2017-12-01

    Consistent and accurate monitoring of the Great Lakes is critical for protecting the freshwater ecosystems, quantifying the impacts of climate change, understanding harmful algal blooms, and safeguarding public health for the millions who rely on the Lakes for drinking water. While ground-based monitoring is often hampered by limited sampling resolution, satellite data provide surface reflectance measurements at much more complete spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we implemented NASA data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Aqua satellite to build robust water quality models. We developed and validated models for chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, phosphorus, and turbidity based on combinations of the six MODIS Ocean Color bands (412, 443, 488, 531, 547, and 667nm) for 2003-2016. Second, we applied these models to quantify trends in water quality through time and in relation to changing land cover, runoff, and climate for six selected coastal areas in Lakes Michigan and Erie. We found strongest models for chlorophyll-a in Lake Huron (R2 = 0.75), nitrogen in Lake Ontario (R2=0.66), phosphorus in Lake Erie (R2=0.60), and turbidity in Lake Erie (R2=0.86). These offer improvements over previous efforts to model chlorophyll-a while adding nitrogen, phosphorus, and turbidity. Mapped water quality parameters showed high spatial variability, with nitrogen concentrated largely in Superior and coastal Michigan and high turbidity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll near urban and agricultural areas of Erie. Temporal analysis also showed concurrence of high runoff or precipitation and nitrogen in Lake Michigan offshore of wetlands, suggesting that water quality in these areas is sensitive to changes in climate.

  7. 76 FR 41065 - Safety Zones; Annual Events Requiring Safety Zones in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-13

    ... Sport Rocket Launch; Muskegon, MI. (1) Location. All waters of Muskegon Lake, near the West Michigan... De Pere; De Pere, WI. (1) Location. All waters of the Fox River, near Voyageur Park, within the arc... waters of the Fox River, near the Western Lime Company 1.13 miles above the head of the Fox River, within...

  8. Midwest Flood of 2008: Lake Michigan Basin-Wide Summer Plankton Bloom is not due to Nutrient Injection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuhel, R. L.; Aguilar, C.; Balch, B.

    2008-12-01

    Major Midwestern US flooding occurred in June of 2008 following over 30cm of rainfall in a 4-day period. Tributaries to Lake Michigan swelled, with outflow from the Milwaukee River increasing 30-fold from long-term means of 8.5 m3/s to over 250 m3/s. Flood stage was sustained for 8 days and dampened over a protracted 30-day period. A series of inshore, transect, and mid-lake cruises established the presence of unseasonally strong gradients in surface phytoplankton biomass moving progressively offshore, to ultimately influence at least half of the 150 km-wide Lake Michigan basin. Remote sensing of chlorophyll (chl) and the diffuse attenuation coefficient (at 490nm) documented the existence of blooms offshore of each major river on both sides of the lake persisting into mid-July, and then disappearing from surface waters, not visible to space-based satellite sensors. Profiles detailed deep chlorophyll maxima that were distinct from previous years. Surface transects in 2007 yielded typical summer chl of <0.5μg/L, with little deviation over the mid-lake seamounts. In July 2008, surface chl over deep water reached concentrations as high as 1.7μg/L, with distinct depletions (25%) over the quagga mussel-infested shallower reef zone. Offshore transects displayed high chl in the upper 5m only a few days after the onset of high flow. Unseasonably high phytoplankton population densities progressed with time and distance offshore in a manner suggestive of advection of a surface lens across the well-stratified lake. As the lens progressed offshore, populations continued to grow, appearing as a band of high chl extending across the lake. After 2 weeks, inshore areas had substantially lower surface biomass than those offshore, reflecting settling of denser cells during a long period of relatively calm weather. Development of deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) at 25-40m followed the decrease of surface populations at all locations deeper than 50m. High satellite- derived diffuse

  9. 75 FR 78928 - Limited Service Domestic Voyage Load Lines for River Barges on Lake Michigan, Delay of Effective...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-17

    ... Advisories may also be issued when lake ice exists that could be hazardous to small boats. Although river...-AA17 Limited Service Domestic Voyage Load Lines for River Barges on Lake Michigan, Delay of Effective... Lake Michigan. This rule finalized interim regulations that have been in effect since 2002, with some...

  10. Population structure of Cladophora-borne Escherichia coli in nearshore water of Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N; Whitman, Richard L; Shively, Dawn A; Ferguson, John; Ishii, Satoshi; Sadowsky, Michael J

    2007-08-01

    We previously reported that the macrophytic green alga Cladophora harbors high densities (up to 10(6) colony-forming units/g dry weight) of the fecal indicator bacteria, Escherichia coli and enterococci, in shoreline waters of Lake Michigan. However, the population structure and genetic relatedness of Cladophora-borne indicator bacteria remain poorly understood. In this study, 835 E. coli isolates were collected from Cladophora tufts (mats) growing on rocks from a breakwater located within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in northwest Indiana. The horizontal fluorophore enhanced rep-PCR (HFERP) DNA fingerprinting technique was used to determine the genetic relatedness of the isolates to each other and to those in a library of E. coli DNA fingerprints. While the E. coli isolates from Cladophora showed a high degree of genetic relatedness (92% similarity), in most cases, however, the isolates were genetically distinct. The Shannon diversity index for the population was very high (5.39). Both spatial and temporal influences contributed to the genetic diversity. There was a strong association of isolate genotypes by location (79% and 80% for lake- and ditch-side samplings, respectively), and isolates collected from 2002 were distinctly different from those obtained in 2003. Cladophora-borne E. coli isolates represented a unique group, which was distinct from other E. coli isolates in the DNA fingerprint library tested. Taken together, these results indicate that E. coli strains associated with Cladophora may be a recurring source of indicator bacteria to the nearshore beach.

  11. 75 FR 26094 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-11

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... establishing a temporary safety zone from Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan. This temporary safety...

  12. Divergent life histories of invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) in Lake Michigan and its tributaries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kornis, Matthew; Weidel, Brian C.; Vander Zanden, M. Jake

    2017-01-01

    Round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) have invaded benthic habitats of the Laurentian Great Lakes and connected tributary streams. Although connected, these two systems generally differ in temperature (Great Lakes are typically colder), food availability (Dreissenid mussels are more prevalent in Great Lakes), and system size and openness. Here, we compare round goby life histories from inshore Lake Michigan and adjacent tributary systems—an uncommon case study of life-history differences between connected systems. Tributary round gobies grew much faster (average length-at-age of 122.3 vs. 65.7 mm for Age 2 +  round gobies), appeared to have shorter life spans (maximum observed age of 2 vs. 5) and had lower age-at-50% maturity (1.6 vs. 2.4 years; females only) compared to gobies from Lake Michigan. In addition, tributary gobies had greater fecundity at Ages 1–2 than lake gobies, but had fewer eggs for a given body size prior to the first spawning event of the summer. We were not able to determine the cause of the observed life-history differences. Nonetheless, the observed differences in growth, maturation and longevity were consistent with known effects of water temperature, as well as predictions of life-history theory for animals at invasion fronts exposed to novel environmental conditions. The high degree of phenotypic plasticity in connected populations of this invasive species has implications for our understanding of invasive species impacts in different habitats.

  13. Estimation of alewife biomass in Lake Michigan, 1967-1978

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hatch, Richard W.; Haack, Paul M.; Brown, Edward H.

    1981-01-01

    The buildup of salmonid populations in Lake Michigan through annual stockings of hatchery-reared fish may become limited by the quantity of forage fish, mainly alewives Alosa pseudoharengus, available for food. As a part of a continuing examination of salmonid predator-prey relations in Lake Michigan, we traced changes in alewife biomass estimated from bottom-trawl surveys conducted in late October and early November 1967–1978. Weight of adult alewives trawled per 0.5 hectare of bottom (10-minute drag) at 16 depths along eight transects between 1973 and 1977 formed a skewed distribution: 72 of 464 drags caught no alewives; 89 drags caught less than 1 kg; and 2 drags caught more than 100 kg (maximum 159 kg). Analysis of variance in normalized catch per tow indicated highly significant differences between the main effects of years and depths, and highly significant differences in the interactions of years and transects, years and depths, and transects and depths. Five geographic and depth strata, formed by combining parts of transects wherein mean catch rate did not differ significantly, were the basis for calculating annual estimates of adult alewife biomass (with 90% confidence intervals). Estimated biomass of alewives (±90% confidence limits) in Lake Michigan proper (Green Bay and Grand Traverse Bay excluded) rose gradually from 46,000 (±9,000) t in 1967 to 114,000 (±17,000) t in 1973, declined to 45,000 (±8,000) t in 1977, and rose to 77,000 (±19,000) t in 1978.

  14. Cladophora (Chlorophyta) spp. harbor human bacterial pathogens in nearshore water of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ishii, S.; Yan, T.; Shively, D.A.; Byappanahalli, M.N.; Whitman, R.L.; Sadowsky, M.J.

    2006-01-01

    Cladophora glomerata, a macrophytic green alga, is commonly found in the Great Lakes, and significant accumulations occur along shorelines during the summer months. Recently, Cladophora has been shown to harbor high densities of the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and enterococci. Cladophora may also harbor human pathogens; however, until now, no studies to address this question have been performed. In the present study, we determined whether attachedCladophora, obtained from the Lake Michigan and Burns Ditch (Little Calumet River, Indiana) sides of a breakwater during the summers of 2004 and 2005, harbored the bacterial pathogens Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC),Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter. The presence of potential pathogens and numbers of organisms were determined by using cultural methods and by using conventional PCR, most-probable-number PCR (MPN-PCR), and quantitative PCR (QPCR) performed with genus- and toxin-specific primers and probes. WhileShigella and STEC were detected in 100% and 25%, respectively, of the algal samples obtained near Burns Ditch in 2004, the same pathogens were not detected in samples collected in 2005. MPN-PCR and QPCR allowed enumeration of Salmonella in 40 to 80% of the ditch- and lakeside samples, respectively, and the densities were up to 1.6 × 103 cells per g Cladophora. Similarly, these PCR methods allowed enumeration of up to 5.4 × 102 Campylobacter cells/gCladophora in 60 to 100% of lake- and ditchside samples. The Campylobacterdensities were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the lakeside Cladophora samples than in the ditchside Cladophora samples. DNA fingerprint analyses indicated that genotypically identical Salmonella isolates were associated with geographically and temporally distinct Cladophora samples. However, Campylobacter isolates were genetically diverse. Since animal hosts are thought to be the primary habitat for

  15. Concentrations and estimated loads of nutrients, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls in selected tributaries to Lake Michigan, 2005-6

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Westenbroek, Stephen M.

    2010-01-01

    The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) measured and modeled the concentrations of environmentally persistent contaminants in air, river and lake water, sediment, and fish and bird tissues in and around Lake Michigan for an 18-month period spanning 1994-95. Tributary loads were calculated as part of the LMMBP. The work described in this report was designed to provide updated concentration data and load estimates for 5 nutrients, total mercury, and total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) at 5 of the original 11 LMMBP sampling sites. Samples were collected at five Lake Michigan tributary monitoring sites during 2005 and 2006. Annual loads calculated for the 2005-6 sampling period are as much as 50 percent lower relative to the 1994-95 time period. Differences between the loads calculated for the two time periods are likely related to a combination of (1) biases introduced by a reduced level of sampling effort, (2) differences in hydrological characteristics, and (3) actual environmental change. Estimated annual total mercury loads during 2005-6 ranged from 51 kilograms per year (kg/yr) in the Fox River to 2.2 kg/yr in the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. Estimated annual total PCB loads during 2005-6 ranged from 132 kg/yr in the Fox River to 6.2 kg/yr in the Grand River.

  16. MERCURY IN AND FLUXES TO LAKE MICHIGAN SURFICIAL SEDIMENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sediment samples were collected from Lake Michigan between 1994 and 1996. One purpose of the coring was to define the horizontal distribution of mercury in the surficial 1 cm of sediment. When possible the sediments were box cored. Subcores for mercury analysis were sectioned at ...

  17. Influence of Cladophora-Quagga Mussel Assemblages on Nearshore Methylmercury Production in Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Lepak, Ryan F; Krabbenhoft, David P; Ogorek, Jacob M; Tate, Michael T; Bootsma, Harvey A; Hurley, James P

    2015-07-07

    Recent spread of invasive mussels in Lake Michigan has altered primary productivity in the nearshore zone, resulting in proliferation of filamentous benthic green algae (Cladophora glomerata). In areas of dense Cladophora and quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) assemblages, as well as in regions where sloughed Cladophora accumulates, methylmercury (MeHg) production is enhanced. A shoreline transect from a river mouth through waters overlying Cladophora/quagga-rich zones showed that aqueous MeHg concentrations increased, despite river dilution. Cladophora, as primary producers, ranged from 0.6 to 7.5 ng g(-1) MeHg [4-47% of total mercury (Hg) as MeHg], and were higher than MeHg concentrations in offshore-collected seston. Concentrations of MeHg in decaying Cladophora accumulated onshore ranged from 2.6 to 18.0 ng g(-1) MeHg (18-41% as MeHg) and from 0.1 to 3.0 ng g(-1) MeHg (2-21% as MeHg) in deposits of recently sloughed and accumulated Cladophora in a nearshore topographical depression. Relative to offshore open waters, interstitial waters within decaying Cladophora from onshore and nearshore deposits were elevated in MeHg concentration, 1000- and 10-fold, respectively. Percent Hg as MeHg was also elevated (65-75% and 9-19%, respectively for onshore interstitial water and nearshore interstitial water, compared to 0.2-3.3% as MeHg for open water). Quagga mussels collected within growing Cladophora beds in the nearshore zone were significantly higher in MeHg than offshore counterparts. Our combined results suggest that recent changes in nearshore primary production contributes to MeHg production and bioaccumulation in Lake Michigan.

  18. FISH COMMUNITIES IN LAKE IN SUBREGION 2B (UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN) IN RELATION TO LAKE ACIDITY: VOLUME II. APPENDICES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Surveys of fish community status were conducted in summer 1987 in 49 lakes in Subregion 20, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as part of Phase II of the Eastern Lake Survey. Lake selection involved a variable probability sampling design. Fish communities were surveyed using gill n...

  19. Field responses of Prunus serotina and Asclepias syriaca to ozone around southern Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Bennett, J P; Jepsen, E A; Roth, J A

    2006-07-01

    Higher ozone concentrations east of southern Lake Michigan compared to west of the lake were used to test hypotheses about injury and growth effects on two plant species. We measured approximately 1000 black cherry trees and over 3000 milkweed stems from 1999 to 2001 for this purpose. Black cherry branch elongation and milkweed growth and pod formation were significantly higher west of Lake Michigan while ozone injury was greater east of Lake Michigan. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analyses we determined that departures from normal precipitation, soil nitrogen and ozone exposure/peak hourly concentrations were the most important variables affecting cherry branch elongation, and milkweed stem height and pod formation. The effects of ozone were not consistently comparable with the effects of soil nutrients, weather, insect or disease injury, and depended on species. Ozone SUM06 exposures greater than 13 ppm-h decreased cherry branch elongation 18%; peak 1-h exposures greater than 93 ppb reduced milkweed stem height 13%; and peak 1-h concentrations greater than 98 ppb reduced pod formation 11% in milkweed.

  20. Nearshore Placement Techniques in Southern Lake Michigan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-03-01

    ER D C /C HL T R- 18 -3 Regional Sediment Management (RSM) Program Nearshore Placement Techniques in Southern Lake Michigan Co as ta...online library at http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/default. Regional Sediment Management (RSM) Program ERDC/CHL TR-18-3 March 2018 Nearshore...This study was conducted for Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (HQUSACE), Washington, DC, under the USACE Regional Sediment Management

  1. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of late Holocene raised strandplain sequences adjacent to Lakes Michigan and Superior, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Argyilan, Erin P.; Forman, Steven L.; Johnston, John W.; Wilcox, Douglas A.

    2005-01-01

    This study evaluates the accuracy of optically stimulated luminescence to date well-preserved strandline sequences at Manistique/Thompson bay (Lake Michigan), and Tahquamenon and Grand Traverse Bays (Lake Superior) that span the past ∼4500 yr. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) method is applied to produce absolute ages for littoral and eolian sediments. SAR ages are compared against AMS and conventional 14C ages on swale organics. Modern littoral and eolian sediments yield SAR ages 14C ages on swale organics. Significant variability in 14C ages >2000 cal yr B.P. complicates comparison to SAR ages at all sites. However, a SAR age of 4280 ± 390 yr (UIC913) on ridge77 at Tahquamenon Bay is consistent with regional regression from the high lake level of the Nipissing II phase ca. 4500 cal yr B.P. SAR ages indicate a decrease in ridge formation rate after ∼1500 yr ago, likely reflecting separation of Lake Superior from lakes Huron and Michigan. This study shows that SAR is a credible alternative to 14C methods for dating littoral and eolian landforms in Great Lakes and other coastal strandplains where 14C methods prove problematic.

  2. 33 CFR 165.929 - Safety Zones; Annual events requiring safety zones in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Challenge Sport Rocket Launch Muskegon, MI. All waters of Muskegon Lake, near the West Michigan Dock and... 5 p.m. (4) Celebrate De Pere De Pere, WI. All waters of the Fox River, near Voyageur Park, within...) International Bayfest Green Bay, WI. All waters of the Fox River, near the Western Lime Company 1.13 miles above...

  3. Basin-scale simulation of current and potential climate changed hydrologic conditions in the Lake Michigan Basin, United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Christiansen, Daniel E.; Walker, John F.; Hunt, Randall J.

    2014-01-01

    The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest public investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 Federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. The U.S. Department of the Interior was one of the 11 agencies that entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the GLRI to complete scientific projects throughout the Great Lakes basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau within the Department of the Interior, is involved in the GLRI to provide scientific support to management decisions as well as measure progress of the Great Lakes basin restoration efforts. This report presents basin-scale simulated current and forecast climatic and hydrologic conditions in the Lake Michigan Basin. The forecasts were obtained by constructing and calibrating a Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) model of the Lake Michigan Basin; the PRMS model was calibrated using the parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis (PEST) software suite. The calibrated model was used to evaluate potential responses to climate change by using four simulated carbon emission scenarios from eight general circulation models released by the World Climate Research Programme’s Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3. Statistically downscaled datasets of these scenarios were used to project hydrologic response for the Lake Michigan Basin. In general, most of the observation sites in the Lake Michigan Basin indicated slight increases in annual streamflow in response to future climate change scenarios. Monthly streamflows indicated a general shift from the current (2014) winter-storage/snowmelt-pulse system to a system with a more equally distributed hydrograph throughout the year. Simulated soil moisture within the basin illustrates that conditions within the basin are also expected to change on a monthly timescale. One effect of increasing air temperature as a result of the changing

  4. The Stratification Analysis of Sediment Data for Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    This research paper describes the development of spatial statistical tools that are applied to investigate the spatial trends of sediment data sets for nutrients and carbon in Lake Michigan. All of the sediment data utilized in the present study was collected over a two year per...

  5. Bathymetry and selected perspective views of 6 reef and coastal areas in Northern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnes, Peter; Fleisher, Guy; Gardner, James V.; Lee, Kristen

    2003-01-01

    We apply state of the art laser technology and derivative imagery to map the detailed morphology and of principal lake trout spawning sites on reefs in Northern Lake Michigan and to provide a geologic interpretation. We sought to identify the presence of ideal spawning substrate: shallow, "clean" gravel/cobble substrate, adjacent to deeper water. This study is a pilot collaborative effort with the US Army Corps of Engineers SHOALS (Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne Lidar Survey) program. The high-definition maps are integrated with known and developing data on fisheries, as well as limited substrate sedimentologic information and underlying Paleozoic carbonate rocks.

  6. The green alga, Cladophora, promotes Escherichia coli growth and contamination of recreational waters in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Heuvel, A.V.; McDermott, C.; Pillsbury, R.; Sandrin, T.; Kinzelman, J.; Ferguson, J.; Sadowsky, M.; Byappanahalli, M.; Whitman, R.; Kleinheinz, G.T.

    2010-01-01

    A linkage between Cladophora mats and exceedances of recreational water quality criteria has been suggested, but not directly studied. Th is study investigates the spatial and temporal association between Escherichia coli concentrations within and near Cladophora mats at two northwestern Lake Michigan beaches in Door County, Wisconsin. Escherichia coli concentrations in water underlying mats were significantly greater than surrounding water (p < 0.001). Below mat E. coli increased as the stranded mats persisted at the beach swash zone. Water adjacent to Cladophora mats had lower E. coli concentrations, but surpassed EPA swimming criteria the majority of sampling days. A signifi cant positive association was found between E. coli concentrations attached to Cladophora and in underlying water (p < 0.001). The attached E. coli likely acted as a reservoir for populating water underlying the mat. Fecal bacterial pathogens, however, could not be detected by microbiological culture methods either attached to mat biomass or in underlying water. Removal of Cladophora mats from beach areas may improve aesthetic and microbial water quality at affected beaches. These associations and potential natural growth of E. coli in bathing waters call into question the efficacy of using E. coli as a recreational water quality indicator of fecal contaminations. Copyright ?? 2010 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

  7. A unique assemblage of cosmopolitan freshwater bacteria and higher community diversity differentiate an urbanized estuary from oligotrophic Lake Michigan

    PubMed Central

    Newton, Ryan J.; McLellan, Sandra L.

    2015-01-01

    Water quality is impacted significantly by urbanization. The delivery of increased nutrient loads to waterways is a primary characteristic of this land use change. Despite the recognized effects of nutrient loading on aquatic systems, the influence of urbanization on the bacterial community composition of these systems is not understood. We used massively-parallel sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes to examine the bacterial assemblages in transect samples spanning the heavily urbanized estuary of Milwaukee, WI to the relatively un-impacted waters of Lake Michigan. With this approach, we found that genera and lineages common to freshwater lake epilimnia were common and abundant in both the high nutrient, urban-impacted waterways, and the low nutrient Lake Michigan. Although the two environments harbored many taxa in common, we identified a significant change in the community assemblage across the urban-influence gradient, and three distinct community features drove this change. First, we found the urban-influenced waterways harbored significantly greater bacterial richness and diversity than Lake Michigan (i.e., taxa augmentation). Second, we identified a shift in the relative abundance among common freshwater lineages, where acI, acTH1, Algoriphagus and LD12, had decreased representation and Limnohabitans, Polynucleobacter, and Rhodobacter had increased representation in the urban estuary. Third, by oligotyping 18 common freshwater genera/lineages, we found that oligotypes (highly resolved sequence clusters) within many of these genera/lineages had opposite preferences for the two environments. With these data, we suggest many of the defined cosmopolitan freshwater genera/lineages contain both oligotroph and more copiotroph species or populations, promoting the idea that within-genus lifestyle specialization, in addition to shifts in the dominance among core taxa and taxa augmentation, drive bacterial community change in urbanized waters. PMID:26483766

  8. Geomorphic and sedimentologic evidence for the separation of Lake Superior from Lake Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnston, J.W.; Thompson, T.A.; Wilcox, D.A.; Baedke, S.J.

    2007-01-01

    A common break was recognized in four Lake Superior strandplain sequences using geomorphic and sedimentologic characteristics. Strandplains were divided into lakeward and landward sets of beach ridges using aerial photographs and topographic surveys to identify similar surficial features and core data to identify similar subsurface features. Cross-strandplain, elevation-trend changes from a lowering towards the lake in the landward set of beach ridges to a rise or reduction of slope towards the lake in the lakeward set of beach ridges indicates that the break is associated with an outlet change for Lake Superior. Correlation of this break between study sites and age model results for the strandplain sequences suggest that the outlet change occurred sometime after about 2,400 calendar years ago (after the Algoma phase). Age model results from one site (Grand Traverse Bay) suggest an alternate age closer to about 1,200 calendar years ago but age models need to be investigated further. The landward part of the strandplain was deposited when water levels were common in all three upper Great Lakes basins (Superior, Huron, and Michigan) and drained through the Port Huron/Sarnia outlet. The lakeward part was deposited after the Sault outlet started to help regulate water levels in the Lake Superior basin. The landward beach ridges are commonly better defined and continuous across the embayments, more numerous, larger in relief, wider, have greater vegetation density, and intervening swales contain more standing water and peat than the lakeward set. Changes in drainage patterns, foreshore sediment thickness and grain size help in identifying the break between sets in the strandplain sequences. Investigation of these breaks may help identify possible gaps in the record or missing ridges in strandplain sequences that may not be apparent when viewing age distributions and may justify the need for multiple age and glacial isostatic adjustment models. ?? 2006 Springer Science

  9. Relative abundance, site fidelity, and survival of adult lake trout in Lake Michigan from 1999 to 2001: Implications for future restoration strategies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bronte, C.R.; Holey, M.E.; Madenjian, C.P.; Jonas, J.L.; Claramunt, R.M.; McKee, P.C.; Toneys, M.L.; Ebener, M.P.; Breidert, B.; Fleischer, G.W.; Hess, R.; Martell, A.W.; Olsen, E.J.

    2007-01-01

    We compared the relative abundance of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush spawners in gill nets during fall 1999–2001 in Lake Michigan at 19 stocked spawning sites with that at 25 unstocked sites to evaluate how effective site-specific stocking was in recolonizing historically important spawning reefs. The abundance of adult fish was higher at stocked onshore and offshore sites than at unstocked sites. This suggests that site-specific stocking is more effective at establishing spawning aggregations than relying on the ability of hatchery-reared lake trout to find spawning reefs, especially those offshore. Spawner densities were generally too low and too young at most sites to expect significant natural reproduction. However, densities were sufficiently high at some sites for reproduction to occur and therefore the lack of recruitment was attributable to other factors. Less than 3% of all spawners could have been wild fish, which indicates that little natural reproduction occurred in past years. Wounding by sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus was generally lower for Seneca Lake strain fish and highest for strains from Lake Superior. Fish captured at offshore sites in southern Lake Michigan had the lowest probability of wounding, while fish at onshore sites in northern Lake Michigan had the highest probability. The relative survival of the Seneca Lake strain was higher than that of the Lewis Lake or the Marquette strains for the older year-classes examined. Survival differences among strains were less evident for younger year-classes. Recaptures of coded-wire-tagged fish of five strains indicated that most fish returned to their stocking site or to a nearby site and that dispersal from stocking sites during spawning was about 100 km. Restoration strategies should rely on site-specific stocking of lake trout strains with good survival at selected historically important offshore spawning sites to increase egg deposition and the probability of natural reproduction in Lake

  10. Lake Michigan nearshore: How modeling scenarios can improve dialog between modelers and ecologists

    EPA Science Inventory

    The nearshore of Lake Michigan, similarly to the other Great Lakes, experiences environmental concerns due to excessive eutrophication. Assessing the nearshore is challenging because fluctuating nutrient loads, and ever-changing currents cause this area to exhibit large spatial a...

  11. 33 CFR 334.845 - Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore from Manitowoc and Sheboygan..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.845 Wisconsin...

  12. 33 CFR 334.845 - Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore from Manitowoc and Sheboygan..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.845 Wisconsin...

  13. 33 CFR 334.845 - Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore from Manitowoc and Sheboygan..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.845 Wisconsin...

  14. 33 CFR 334.845 - Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore from Manitowoc and Sheboygan..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.845 Wisconsin...

  15. 33 CFR 334.845 - Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Wisconsin Air National Guard, Volk Field military exercise area located in Lake Michigan offshore from Manitowoc and Sheboygan..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.845 Wisconsin...

  16. Examining Ecological and Ecosystem Level Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species in Lake Michigan Using An Ecosystem Productivity Model, LM-Eco

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ecological and ecosystem-level impacts of aquatic invasive species in Lake Michigan were examined using the Lake Michigan Ecosystem Model (LM-Eco). The LM-Eco model includes a detailed description of trophic levels and their interactions within the lower food web of Lake Michiga...

  17. EMISSIONS PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION OF LAKE MICHIGAN POLLUTANT SOURCES - PART I

    EPA Science Inventory

    The southern Lake Michigan aea continues to experience poor air quality despite the implementation of many measures to control particulate matter, ozone and toxic pollutants. Fortunately, the ambient atmosphere holds clues tothese sources and their contributions to urban polluti...

  18. 33 CFR 165.910 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... the shoreline at 41°23′45″ N, 88°16′18″ W; then east to the shoreline at 41°23′39″ N, 88°16′09″ W... southeast back to the shoreline at 42°19′31″ N, 86°18′50″ W; then following along the shoreline back to the... Plant. All waters of Lake Michigan encompassed by a line starting on the shoreline at 42°26′36″ N, 87°48...

  19. 33 CFR 165.910 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... the shoreline at 41°23′45″ N, 88°16′18″ W; then east to the shoreline at 41°23′39″ N, 88°16′09″ W... southeast back to the shoreline at 42°19′31″ N, 86°18′50″ W; then following along the shoreline back to the... Plant. All waters of Lake Michigan encompassed by a line starting on the shoreline at 42°26′36″ N, 87°48...

  20. 33 CFR 165.910 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... the shoreline at 41°23′45″ N, 88°16′18″ W; then east to the shoreline at 41°23′39″ N, 88°16′09″ W... southeast back to the shoreline at 42°19′31″ N, 86°18′50″ W; then following along the shoreline back to the... Plant. All waters of Lake Michigan encompassed by a line starting on the shoreline at 42°26′36″ N, 87°48...

  1. DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT AND FATE MASS BALANCE CALIBRATION MODEL FOR LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE PROJECT (LMMBP)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) was initiated to directly support the development of a lakewide management plan (LaMP) for Lake Michigan. A mass balance modeling approach is proposed for the project to addrss the realtionship between sources of toxic chemicals and thei...

  2. 46 CFR 401.410 - Basic rates and charges on Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior and the St. Mary's River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Superior and the St. Mary's River. 401.410 Section 401.410 Shipping COAST GUARD (GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE... Services § 401.410 Basic rates and charges on Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior and the St. Mary's River... performed by U.S. registered pilots on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior and the St. Mary's River. (a...

  3. EMISSIONS PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION OF LAKE MICHIGAN POLLUTANT SOURCES - PART III

    EPA Science Inventory

    The southern Lake Michigan aea continues to experience poor air quality despite the implementation of many measures to control particulate matter, ozone and toxic pollutants. Fortunately, the ambient atmosphere holds clues to these sources and their contributions to urban polluti...

  4. EMISSIONS PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION OF LAKE MICHIGAN POLLUTANT SOURCES - PART II

    EPA Science Inventory

    The southern Lake Michigan area continues to experience poor air quality despite the implementation of many measures to control particulate matter, ozone and toxic pollutants. Fortunately, the ambient atmosphere holds clues to these sources and their contributions to urban pollut...

  5. Mercury mass balance in Lake Michigan--the knowns and unknowns

    EPA Science Inventory

    LM2-Mercury, a mercury mass balance model, was developed to simulate and evaluate the transport, fate, and biogeochemical transformations of mercury in Lake Michigan. The model simulates total suspended solids (TSS), disolved organic carbon (DOC), and total, elemental, divalent, ...

  6. Stable isotope differences among the Lake Michigan 2015 CSMI transects

    EPA Science Inventory

    During the Lake Michigan 2015 Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI), eight transects situated near tributaries that present a gradient of phosphorus loads were sampled from nearshore to offshore during May, July, and September. Our objective was to evaluate associa...

  7. Changes in stable isotope composition in Lake Michigan trout ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Researchers have frequently sought to use environmental archives of sediment, peat and glacial ice to try and assess historical trends in atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition to aquatic ecosystems. While this information is valuable in the context of identifying temporal source trends, these types of assessments cannot account for likely changes in bioavailability of Hg sources that are tied to the formation of methylmercury (MeHg) and accumulation in fish tissues. For this study we propose the use of long-term fish archives and Hg stable isotope determination as an improved means to relate temporal changes in fish Hg levels to varying Hg sources in the Great Lakes. For this study we acquired 180 archived fish composites from Lake Michigan over a 40-year time period (1975 to 2014) from the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program, which were analyzed for their total Hg content and Hg isotope abundances. The results reveal that Hg sources to Lake Michigan trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have encountered considerable changes as well as a large shift in the food web trophic position as a result of the introduction of several invasive species, especially the recent invasion of dreissenid mussels. Total Hg concentrations span a large range (1,600 to 150 ng g-1) and exhibit large variations from 1975 to 1985. Ä199Hg signatures similarly exhibit large variation (3.2 to 6.9‰) until 1985, followed by less variation through the end of the data record in 2014.

  8. 76 FR 63199 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-12

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... of Engineers' scheduled maintenance shutdown of Barrier IIB. During the enforcement period, entry...

  9. Identifying the origin of waterbird carcasses in Lake Michigan using a neural network source tracking model

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kenow, Kevin P.; Ge, Zhongfu; Fara, Luke J.; Houdek, Steven C.; Lubinski, Brian R.

    2016-01-01

    Avian botulism type E is responsible for extensive waterbird mortality on the Great Lakes, yet the actual site of toxin exposure remains unclear. Beached carcasses are often used to describe the spatial aspects of botulism mortality outbreaks, but lack specificity of offshore toxin source locations. We detail methodology for developing a neural network model used for predicting waterbird carcass motions in response to wind, wave, and current forcing, in lieu of a complex analytical relationship. This empirically trained model uses current velocity, wind velocity, significant wave height, and wave peak period in Lake Michigan simulated by the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System. A detailed procedure is further developed to use the model for back-tracing waterbird carcasses found on beaches in various parts of Lake Michigan, which was validated using drift data for radiomarked common loon (Gavia immer) carcasses deployed at a variety of locations in northern Lake Michigan during September and October of 2013. The back-tracing model was further used on 22 non-radiomarked common loon carcasses found along the shoreline of northern Lake Michigan in October and November of 2012. The model-estimated origins of those cases pointed to some common source locations offshore that coincide with concentrations of common loons observed during aerial surveys. The neural network source tracking model provides a promising approach for identifying locations of botulinum neurotoxin type E intoxication and, in turn, contributes to developing an understanding of the dynamics of toxin production and possible trophic transfer pathways.

  10. Applications of agent-based modeling to nutrient movement Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    As part of an ongoing project aiming to provide useful information for nearshore management (harmful algal blooms, nutrient loading), we explore the value of agent-based models in Lake Michigan. Agent-based models follow many individual “agents” moving through a simul...

  11. Lead in Lake Michigan and Green Bay Surficial Sediments

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sediment cores were collected in 1987-1989 in Green Bay using a box corer and in 1994-1996 in Lake Michigan using a box corer and a PONAR. Core samples were segmented and dated. Historic background lead concentrations were determined for Green Bay (range=1.8-39.3 mg/kg, mean=14...

  12. Nearshore energy subsidies support Lake Michigan fishes and invertebrates following major changes in food web structure

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Turschak, Benjamin A; Bunnell, David B.; Czesny, Sergiusz J.; Höök, Tomas O.; Janssen, John; Warner, David M.; Bootsma, Harvey A

    2014-01-01

    Aquatic food webs that incorporate multiple energy channels (e.g. nearshore benthic or pelagic) with varying productivity and turnover rates convey stability to biological communities by providing multiple independent energy sources. Within the Lake Michigan food web, invasive dreissenid mussels have caused rapid changes to food web structure and potentially altered the channels through which consumers acquire energy. We used stable C and N isotopes to determine how Lake Michigan food web structure has changed in the past decade, coincident with the expansion of dreissenid mussels, decreased pelagic phytoplankton production and increased nearshore benthic algal production. Fish and invertebrate samples collected from sites around Lake Michigan were analyzed to determine taxa-specific 13C:12C (delta 13C) and 15N:14N (delta 15N) ratios. Sampling took place during two distinct periods, 2002-2003 and 2010-2012, that spanned the period of dreissenid expansion, and included nearshore, pelagic and profundal fish and invertebrate taxa. Magnitude and direction of the 13C shift indicated significantly greater reliance upon nearshore benthic energy sources among nearly all fish taxa as well as profundal invertebrates. Although the mechanisms underlying this 13C shift likely varied among species, possible causes include the transport of benthic algal production to offshore waters and an increased reliance on nearshore prey items. Delta 15N shifts were more variable and of smaller magnitude across taxa although declines in delta 15N among some pelagic fishes may indicate a shift to alternative prey resources. Lake Michigan fishes and invertebrates appear to have responded to dreissenid induced changes in nutrient and energy pathways by switching from pelagic to alternative nearshore energy subsidies. Although large shifts in energy allocation (i.e. pelagic to nearshore benthic) resulting from invasive species appear to have affected total production at upper trophic

  13. Substrate conditions and abundance of lake trout eggs in a traditional spawning area in southeastern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dorr, John A.; O'Connor, Daniel V.; Foster, Neal R.; Jude, David J.

    1981-01-01

    Spawning by planted lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) was documented by sampling with a diver-assisted pump in a traditional spawning area in southeastern Lake Michigan near Saugatuck, Michigan in mid-November in 1978 and 1979. Bottom depths at the 11 locations sampled ranged from 3 to 12 m and substrate size from boulders to sand. Periphyton (Cladophora and associated biota) was several millimeters thick at most stations but sparse at the shallowest. The most eggs recovered from a single sample occurred at the shallowest depth (3 m). In both years, some of the small numbers of eggs collected (9 in 1978, 14 in 1979) were alive and fertilized. Laboratory incubation of viable eggs resulted in successful hatching of larvae. When compared with egg densities measured at spawning sites used by self-sustaining populations of lake trout in other lakes, densities in the study are (0-13/m2) appeared to be critically low. Insufficient numbers of eggs, combined with harsh incubation conditions (turbulence, ice scour, sedimentation), were implicated as prime causes for lake trout reproductive failure in the study area, although other factors, such as inappropriate spawning behavior (selection of suboptimal spawning location, depth, or substrate) also may have reduced survival of eggs and larvae.

  14. The whitefish fishery of Lakes Huron and Michigan with special reference to the deep-trap-net fishery

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Van Oosten, John; Hile, Ralph; Jobes, Frank W.

    1946-01-01

    This study of the whitefish fishery of Lakes Huron and Michigan includes: (1) a review of the available statistics of production, 1879-1942; (2) a detailed analysis of the annual fluctuations in the production and abundance of whitefish and in the intensity of the whitefish fishery in the State of Michigan waters of the lakes, 1929-1942, with special reference to the effects of fishing with deep trap nets; (3) an account of the bathymetric distribution and vertical movements of whitefish and certain other species; and (4) a report of field observations made in 1931 and 1932, as related particularly to the destruction of undersized whitefish by pound nets and deep trap nets. The main body of the manuscript and appendices A, B, and C, completed in March 1942, contain statistics through the year 1939. Since that time, records for the years 1940-1942 have become available. Because these additional data did not alter any of the conclusions of the manuscript but actually strengthened them, it was not deemed justifiable to expend the considerable amount of time and money that would be required to revise the study. The 1940-1942 records are therefore presented in appendix D. From a relatively high production in the earlier years of the period, 1879 to 1942, the yield of whitefish declined to a lower level about which the catch fluctuated until the late 1920's and early 1930's when a general increase in production occurred. This recent increase was higher and the subsequent decline more severe in the Michigan waters of Lake Huron than in other areas.

  15. Thiamine and thiaminase status in forage fish of salmonines from Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tillitt, D.E.; Zajicek, J.L.; Brown, S.B.; Brown, L.R.; Fitzsimons, J.D.; Honeyfield, D.C.; Holey, M.E.; Wright, G.M.

    2005-01-01

    Dietary sources of thiamine (vitamin B1) and thiamine-degrading enzymes (thiaminases) are thought to be primary factors in the development of thiamine deficiency among Great Lakes salmonines. We surveyed major forage fish species in Lake Michigan for their content of thiamine, thiamine vitamers, and thiaminase activity. Concentrations of total thiamine were similar (P ≤ 0.05) among most forage fishes (alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, bloater Coregonus hoyi, spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius, deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii, yellow perch Perca flavescens, ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius, and round goby Neogobius melanostomus) and slightly lower in rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax. Concentrations of total thiamine were all above the dietary requirements of coldwater fishes, suggesting the thiamine content of forage fish is not the critical factor in the development of thiamine deficiency in Lake Michigan salmonines. Thiamine pyrophosphate was the predominant form of thiamine in most species of forage fish, followed by free thiamine and thiamine monophosphate. Total thiamine was slightly greater in summer collections of alewife and rainbow smelt than in spring and fall collections, but the same was not true for bloater. Thiaminase activity varied among species and was greatest in gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, spottail shiner, alewife, and rainbow smelt. Thiaminase activity in alewife varied among collection locations, season (greatest in spring), and size of the fish. Size and condition factors were positively correlated with both total thiamine and thiaminase activity in alewife. Thus, thiamine and thiaminase activity in forage fishes collected in Lake Michigan varied among species, seasons, year caught, and size (or condition). Therefore, multiple factors must be considered in the development of predictive models for the onset of thiamine deficiency in Great Lakes salmonines. Most importantly, thiaminase activity was great in alewives and

  16. 76 FR 78161 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-16

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' maintenance operations of dispersal barrier IIB. During these...

  17. 77 FR 25595 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-01

    ... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Corps of Engineers' post-maintenance testing of Barrier IIA and IIB. During the enforcement period...

  18. 76 FR 35106 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-16

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago..., DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent safety zone from Brandon... Safety Zones; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary...

  19. 33 CFR 100.35T09-0327 - Special Regulated Areas for summer events; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Special Regulated Areas for summer events; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone. 100.35T09-0327 Section 100.35T09-0327 Navigation... OF LIFE ON NAVIGABLE WATERS § 100.35T09-0327 Special Regulated Areas for summer events; Captain of...

  20. A decade of predatory control of zooplankton species composition of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Makarewicz, Joseph C.; Bertram, Paul; Lewis, Theodore; Brown, Edward H.

    1995-01-01

    From 1983 to 1992, 71 species representing 38 genera from the Calanoida, Cladocera, Cyclopoida, Mysidacea, Rotifera, Mollusca and Harpacticoida comprised the offshore zooplankton community of Lake Michigan. Our data demonstrate that the composition and abundance of the calanoid community after 1983 is not unlike that of 1960s and that species diversity of the calanoid community is more diverse than the cladoceran community in the 1990s as compared to the early 1980s. Even though the relative biomass of the cladocerans has remained similar over the 1983-1993 period, the species diversity and evenness of the Cladocera community in the early 1990s is unlike anything that has been previously reported for Lake Michigan. Cladocera dominance is centered in one species, Daphnia galeata mendotae, and only three species of Cladocera were observed in the pelagic region of the lake in 1991 and 1992. Nutrient levels, phytoplankton biomass, and the abundance of planktivorous alewife and bloater chub and Bythotrephes are examined as possible causes of these changes in zooplankton species composition. The increase in Rotifera biomass, but not Crustacea, was correlated with an increase in relative biomass of unicellular algae. Food web models suggest Bythotrephes will cause Lake Michigan's plankton to return to a community similar to that of the 1970s; that is Diaptomus dominated. Such a change has occurred. However, correlational analysis suggest that alewife and bloater chubs (especially juveniles) are affecting size and biomass of larger species of zooplankton as well as Bythotrephes.

  1. Surface currents of Lake Michigan, 1931 and 1932

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Van Oosten, John

    1963-01-01

    Seven hundred fourty-five bottles containing post cards for recording of information were released at stations in Lake Michigan; 283 were released June 17 to August 17, 1931, south of a line from Frankfort, Michigan, to Algoma, Wisconsin, and 462 during May 9 to August 25, 1932, both south and north of that line. One hundred eighty-six bottles or 65.7 percent of those released in 1931, 331 bottles or 71.6 percent of 1932 releases, and 517 bottles or 69.4 percent of releases in the 2 years were recovered. Recoveries of bottles from both years indicated that the surface currents were somewhat variable, but their general direction was from west to east and predominately northeast in 1931 and northeast and southeast in 1932.

  2. 33 CFR 165.930 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock... Guard District § 165.930 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY REGULATED NAVIGATION...

  3. Influence of near-surface stratigraphy on coastal landslides at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnhardt, W.A.; Jaffe, B.E.; Kayen, R.E.; Cochrane, G.R.

    2004-01-01

    Lake-level change and landslides are primary controls on the development of coastal environments along the coast of northeastern Lake Michigan. The late Quaternary geology of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was examined with high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and boreholes. Based on sequence-stratigraphic principles, this study recognizes ten stratigraphic units and three major unconformities that were formed by late Pleistocene glaciation and postglacial lake-level changes. Locally high sediment supply, and reworking by two regressions and a transgression have produced a complex stratigraphy that is prone to episodic failure. In 1995, a large landslide deposited approximately 1 million m3 of sediment on the lake floor. The highly deformed landslide deposits, up to 18 m thick, extend 3-4 km offshore and unconformably overlie well-stratified glacial and lacustrine sediment. The landslide-prone bluff is underlain by channel-fill deposits that are oriented nearly perpendicular to the shoreline. The paleochannels are at least 10 m deep and 400 m wide and probably represent stream incision during a lake-level lowstand about 10.3 ka B.P. The channels filled with sediment during the subsequent transgression and lake-level highstand, which climaxed about 4.5 ka B.P. As lake level fell from the highstand, the formation of beach ridges and sand dunes sealed off the channel and isolated a small inland lake (Glen Lake), which lies 5 m above the level of Lake Michigan and may be a source of piped groundwater. Our hypothesis is that the paleochannels act as conduits for pore water flow, and thereby locally reduce soil strength and promote slope failure.

  4. Potential effects of climate change on ground water in Lansing, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Croley, T.E.; Luukkonen, C.L.

    2003-01-01

    Computer simulations involving general circulation models, a hydrologic modeling system, and a ground water flow model indicate potential impacts of selected climate change projections on ground water levels in the Lansing, Michigan, area. General circulation models developed by the Canadian Climate Centre and the Hadley Centre generated meteorology estimates for 1961 through 1990 (as a reference condition) and for the 20 years centered on 2030 (as a changed climate condition). Using these meteorology estimates, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's hydrologic modeling system produced corresponding period streamflow simulations. Ground water recharge was estimated from the streamflow simulations and from variables derived from the general circulation models. The U.S. Geological Survey developed a numerical ground water flow model of the Saginaw and glacial aquifers in the Tri-County region surrounding Lansing, Michigan. Model simulations, using the ground water recharge estimates, indicate changes in ground water levels. Within the Lansing area, simulated ground water levels in the Saginaw aquifer declined under the Canadian predictions and increased under the Hadley.

  5. Two episodes of meltwater influx from glacial Lake Agassiz into the Lake Michigan basin and their climatic contrasts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colman, Steven M.; Keigwin, L.D.; Forester, R.M.

    1994-01-01

    Two episodes of meltwater influx from glacial Lake Agassiz are recorded as prominent sedimentologic, isotopic, magnetic, and faunal signatures in southern Lake Michigan profundal sediments. As a tributary to the main path of eastward Lake Agassiz flow, southern Lake Michigan recorded only the largest, catastrophic discharges. The distinctive Wilmette Bed, a massive gray mud that interrrupts laminated red glaciolacustrine clays, marks the first episode, which occurred near the beginning of the Younger Dryas cooling events. The associated discharge may have played a role in the inception or severity of the Younger Dryas event. An oxygen isotope excursion in biogenic carbonate and changes in ostracode assemblages mark the second episode, which appears to have had at least two pulses, dated by accelerator mass spectrometer 14C ages on biogenic carbonate at about 8.9 and 8.6 ka. The second episode occurred during the early Holocene peak in global meltwater discharge and apparently had little widespread climatic or oceanographic effect. The contrast between the effects associated with these two episodes of meltwater discharge emphasizes the complexity of the ice sheet-ocean-climate system. -Authors

  6. White Lake AOC

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    White Lake is in Muskegon County along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. It was named an Area of Concern on the Great Lakes under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987 and delisted in 2014.

  7. Investigation of Total and Methyl Mercury in Fish and Sediment of Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sediment cores and fish collected between 1994 and 1996 as part of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project were analyzed for total and methyl mercury. Results of the fish analyses are being used to describe total and methyl mercury concentrations in forage fish and lake trout, re...

  8. OVERVIEW AND STATUS OF LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE MODELLING PROJECT

    EPA Science Inventory

    With most of the data available from the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project field program, the modeling efforts have begun in earnest. The tributary and atmospheric load estimates are or will be completed soon, so realistic simulations for calibration are beginning. A Quality Ass...

  9. Net trophic transfer efficiency of PCBs to Lake Michigan coho salmon from their prey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Elliott, Robert F.; Schmidt, Larry J.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; Quintal, Richard T.; Begnoche, Linda J.; Bouchard, Patrick M.; Holey, Mark E.

    1998-01-01

    Most of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) body burden accumulated by coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Laurentian Great Lakes is from their food. We used diet information, PCB determinations in both coho salmon and their prey, and bioenergetics modeling to estimate the efficiency with which Lake Michigan coho salmon retain PCBs from their food. Our estimate was the most reliable estimate to date because (a) the coho salmon and prey fish sampled during our study were sampled in spring, summer, and fall from various locations throughout the lake, (b) detailed measurements were made on the PCB concentrations of both coho salmon and prey fish over wide ranges in fish size, and (c) coho salmon diet was analyzed in detail from April through November over a wide range of salmon size from numerous locations throughout the lake. We estimated that coho salmon from Lake Michigan retain 50% of the PCBs that are contained within their food.

  10. Ground water resources of southeastern Oakland County, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ferris, J.G.; Burt, E.M.; Stramel, G.J.; Crosthwaite, E.G.

    1954-01-01

    The area covered by this report comprises a square which measures three townships on a side and enclose 318 square miles in southeastern Oakland County. The investigation of the ground-water resources of this area was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Detroit Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission, the Michigan Department of Conservation, and the Michigan Water Resources Commission.In 1950 the population of this nine-township area exceeded 341,000, or more than 86 percent of the total population of Oakland County. This county ranks third in the state in number of industrial establishments and workers and is fifteenth in agricultural importance. Its numerous lakes and rolling uplands contribute to its top rank in the state in the number of recreational enterprises in rural or suburban areas.The climate is moderately humid. The average annual precipitation is 30 inches and the mean air temperature is 47.2° F. Snowfall averages 38 inches in the November-April interval. The growing season averages 151 days.The regional land surface slopes from northwest to southeast and has a total relief of 360 feet. Pitted outwash plains and morainal hills that are more than 1,000 feet above sea level in the northwest corner of the area give way southeastward to a sequence of terminal moraines and intervening till plains in the middle part. These give way to the broad lake plains that cover the southeastern third of the area.The area lies on the southeast edge of the Michigan Basin and the bedrock is composed of northwest dipping strata of the Devonian and Mississippian systems. The Antrim shale, of Lake Devonian and early Mississippian age, is the oldest formation cropping out beneath the mantle of glacial Berea sandstone, and Sunbury shale overlie the Antrim and are overlain by the Coldwater shale, their areas of outcrop beneath the drift lying successively farther northwest. These formations are of early Mississippian age.Throughout the area the

  11. Population structure of Cladophora-borne Escherichia coli in nearshore water of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Byappanahalli, M.N.; Whitman, R.L.; Shively, D.A.; Ferguson, J.; Ishii, S.; Sadowsky, M.J.

    2007-01-01

    We previously reported that the macrophytic green alga Cladophora harbors high densities (up to 106 colony-forming units/g dry weight) of the fecal indicator bacteria,Escherichia coli and enterococci, in shoreline waters of Lake Michigan. However, the population structure and genetic relatedness of Cladophora-borne indicator bacteria remain poorly understood. In this study, 835 E. coli isolates were collected fromCladophora tufts (mats) growing on rocks from a breakwater located within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in northwest Indiana. The horizontal fluorophore enhanced rep-PCR (HFERP) DNA fingerprinting technique was used to determine the genetic relatedness of the isolates to each other and to those in a library of E. coli DNA fingerprints. While the E. coli isolates from Cladophora showed a high degree of genetic relatedness (⩾92% similarity), in most cases, however, the isolates were genetically distinct. The Shannon diversity index for the population was very high (5.39). Both spatial and temporal influences contributed to the genetic diversity. There was a strong association of isolate genotypes by location (79% and 80% for lake- and ditch-side samplings, respectively), and isolates collected from 2002 were distinctly different from those obtained in 2003. Cladophora-borne E. coli isolates represented a unique group, which was distinct from other E. coli isolates in the DNA fingerprint library tested. Taken together, these results indicate that E. coli strains associated with Cladophora may be a recurring source of indicator bacteria to the nearshore beach.

  12. Detection of Genetic Markers of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Lake Michigan and Determination of Their Relationship to Escherichia coli Densities Using Standard Microbiological Methods

    PubMed Central

    Bower, Patricia A.; Scopel, Caitlin O.; Jensen, Erika T.; Depas, Morgan M.; McLellan, Sandra L.

    2005-01-01

    Lake Michigan surface waters impacted by fecal pollution were assessed to determine the occurrence of genetic markers for Bacteroides and Escherichia coli. Initial experiments with sewage treatment plant influent demonstrated that total Bacteroides spp. could be detected by PCR in a 25- to 125-fold-higher dilution series than E. coli and human-specific Bacteroides spp., which were both found in similar dilution ranges. The limit of detection for the human-specific genetic marker ranged from 0.2 CFU/100 ml to 82 CFU/100 ml culturable E. coli for four wastewater treatment plants in urban and rural areas. The spatial and temporal distributions of these markers were assessed following major rain events that introduced urban storm water, agricultural runoff, and sewage overflows into Lake Michigan. Bacteroides spp. were detected in all of these samples by PCR, including those with <1 CFU/100 ml E. coli. Human-specific Bacteroides spp. were detected as far as 2 km into Lake Michigan during sewage overflow events, with variable detection 1 to 9 days postoverflow, whereas the cow-specific Bacteroides spp. were detected in only highly contaminated samples near the river outflow. Lake Michigan beaches were also assessed throughout the summer season for the same markers. Bacteroides spp. were detected in all beach samples, including 28 of the 74 samples that did not exceed 235 CFU/100 ml of E. coli. Human-specific Bacteroides spp. were detected at three of the seven beaches; one of the sites demonstrating positive results was sampled during a reported sewage overflow, but E. coli levels were below 235 CFU/100 ml. This study demonstrates the usefulness of non-culture-based microbial-source tracking approaches and the prevalence of these genetic markers in the Great Lakes, including freshwater coastal beaches. PMID:16332817

  13. Survey of larval fish in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie, 1975 and 1976. Final report, 1975-1978

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Waybrant, R.C.; Shauver, J.M.

    1979-08-01

    Surveys in 1975 and 1976 in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie assessed the relative abundance and distribution of larval fish. Seasonal fluctuations, patterns of distribution, and depth preferences were noted for the 24 larval fish taxa identified. Special emphasis was placed on four target species, walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), white bass (Morone chrysops) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Of these 4 species only yellow perch and white bass were found more than occasionally. Of the remaining 20 species collected during the study only 5 were regularly captured. The northern and southern extremes of the study areamore » held many more fish than the central portion. The 0- to 12-ft depth zone had the largest concentrations of larval fish and concentrations gradually decreased as the depth increased.« less

  14. 33 CFR 165.T09-0166 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock... Areas Ninth Coast Guard District § 165.T09-0166 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan.... waters of the Des Plaines River located between mile marker 286.0 (Brandon Road Lock and Dam) and mile...

  15. 78 FR 48311 - Special Local Regulations; Regattas and Marine Parades in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-08

    ... Zone AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is amending special local regulations for annual regattas and marine parades in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone. This rule is intended to provide for the safety of life and property on navigable waters immediately prior to, during...

  16. Status of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Michigan, 2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, David M.; Farha, Steven A.; O'Brien, Timothy P.; Ogilvie, Lynn; Claramunt, Randall M.; Hanson, Dale

    2014-01-01

    Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 1992-1996 and 2001-2013 to estimate pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan. Midwater trawling during the surveys as well as target strength provided a measure of species and size composition of the fish community for use in scaling acoustic data and providing species-specific abundance estimates. The 2013 survey consisted of 27 acoustic transects (546 km total) and 31 midwater trawl tows. Mean prey fish biomass was 6.1 kg/ha (relative standard error, RSE = 11%) or 29.6 kilotonnes (kt = 1,000 metric tons), which was similar to the estimate in 2012 (31.1 kt) and 23.5% of the long-term (18 years) mean. The numeric density of the 2013 alewife year class was 6% of the time series average and this year-class contributed 4% of total alewife biomass (5.2 kg/ha, RSE = 12%). Alewife ≥age-1 comprised 96% of alewife biomass. In 2013, alewife comprised 86% of total prey fish biomass, while rainbow smelt and bloater were 4 and 10% of total biomass, respectively. Rainbow smelt biomass in 2013 (0.24 kg/ha, RSE = 17%) was essentially identical to the rainbow smelt biomass in 2012 and was 6% of the long term mean. Bloater biomass in 2013 was 0.6 kg/ha, only half the 2012 biomass, and 6% of the long term mean. Mean density of small bloater in 2013 (29 fish/ha, RSE = 29%) was lower than peak values observed in 2007-2009 and was 23% of the time series mean. In 2013, pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan was similar to Lake Huron, but pelagic community composition differs in the two lakes, with Lake Huron dominated by bloater.

  17. 33 CFR 165.904 - Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone. 165.904 Section 165.904 Navigation and Navigable Waters... Guard District § 165.904 Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor—Safety and Security Zone... entrance of the harbor connecting coordinates 41°51′09″ N, 087°36′36″W and 41°51′11″ N, 087°36′22″ W. (b...

  18. 33 CFR 165.904 - Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone. 165.904 Section 165.904 Navigation and Navigable Waters... Guard District § 165.904 Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor—Safety and Security Zone... entrance of the harbor connecting coordinates 41°51′09″ N, 087°36′36″ W and 41°51′11″ N, 087°36′22″ W. (b...

  19. 33 CFR 165.904 - Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... & Burnham Park Harbor-Safety and Security Zone. 165.904 Section 165.904 Navigation and Navigable Waters... Guard District § 165.904 Lake Michigan at Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor—Safety and Security Zone... entrance of the harbor connecting coordinates 41°51′09″ N, 087°36′36″W and 41°51′11″ N, 087°36′22″ W. (b...

  20. Availability of water in Kalamazoo County, southwestern Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Allen, William Burrows; Miller, John B.; Wood, Warren W.

    1972-01-01

    Kalamazoo County comprises an area of 572 square miles in the southwestern part of Michigan. It includes parts of the Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Paw Paw River basins, which drain into Lake Michigan. The northern two-thirds of the county is drained by the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries. A small area in the western piart of the county is drained by the Paw Paw River, and the rest, by tributaries of the St. Joseph River. Glacial deposits, containing sand and gravel, form an upper aquifer and a lower aquifer underlying large parts of the county. Areas of high transmissibility and thick saturated deposits are sufficiently localized to be considered as separate ground-water reservoirs having limited areal extent and definite hydrologic boundaries. Ground-water runoff from the basins constitutes a large part of the streamflow. Hydrograph separation shows that ground-water runoff composed 65 and 73 percent of the discharge of Kalamazoo River at Comstock and 75 and 79 percent of the discharge of Portage River near Vicksburg in 1965 and 1966, respectively. Based on the hydrologic budgets for the same years, ground-water recharge was 9.1 and 9.0 inches in the Kalamazoo River basin and 12.2 and 11.6 inches in the St. Joseph River basin. Ground-water recharge in the Kalamazoo River basin extrapolated for the 34-year period 1933-66 ranged from 4 to 13 inches and averaged 9 inches. In the St. Joseph River basin average recharge was about 9 inches for the same period. There is a wide range in runoff in the county. Augusta Creek, Portage Creek near Kalamazoo, and Gourdneck Creek have the highest annual runoff and maintain high yields even during periods of deficient precipitation. Spring Brook also reflects large ground-water contributions to streamflow. Storage in these basins could provide additional water during low flows for municipal and industrial needs. The primary use of lakes in the county is for recreational and esthetic purposes. Maintaining lake levels is therefore

  1. Impacts of Precipitation on Pathogens and a Fecal Indicator in a Tributary and Near-Coastal Area of Lake Michigan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zepp, R. G.; Molina, M.; Cyterski, M.; Whelan, G.; Parmar, R.; Wolfe, K.; Villegas, E. N.; Corsi, S. R.; Borchardt, M.

    2013-12-01

    The Great Lakes have over 100 tributaries contributing a variety of pollutants, including pathogens. This loading results in contamination of near coastal sites on the lakes by pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria, such as enterococci. Here, we present data, relationships and modeling tools for evaluating exposure to microorganisms in Lake Michigan near Manitowoc, WI and in the Manitowoc River, a tributary that flows into Lake Michigan at Manitowoc. Increased precipitation and subsequent runoff during a basin-wide storm in June 2011 caused an order of magnitude increase in riverine discharge, a 100-fold increase in enterococci densities and a doubling of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the river. CDOM is a UV-protective substance that decreases UV inactivation of enterococci and most pathogens. Water samples were collected at four riverine sites including at a USGS gage station with large-volume pathogen sampling equipment, one beach site at Lake Michigan and at a nearby stormwater outflow. Potential sources of microbial contamination include agricultural activities such as manure application and wastewater treatment effluent; therefore, additional samples were collected from the effluent stream of the Manitowoc Wastewater Treatment Facility and manure from spreading trucks. Pathogens measured included Campylobacter jejuni, E. coli O157:H7, Enterovirus - 5' UTR , Adenovirus Groups A , B, C, D, and F, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis. Meteorological data were also collected at nearby weather stations and water-quality data such as turbidity, temperature, conductivity, and chlorophyll were also measured. Three acoustic doppler current profilers were located between the river mouth and the beach to measure current movements. The data were analyzed using modeling infrastructure technologies (FRAMES, D4EM and SuperMUSE) coupled with hydrodynamic and water quality models (HSPF, WASP, HEC-RAS, FVCOM and MRA-IT) and the Virtual Beach 3.0 statistical

  2. Changes in Wisconsin's Lake Michigan salmonid sport fishery, 1969-1985

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Michael J.; Schultz, Paul T.; Lasee, Becky A.

    1990-01-01

    The modern sport fishery for salmonids in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan was begun during 1963-1969 with the stocking of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), brook trout (S. fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). The fishery grew rapidly during 1969-1985 as angler effort increased 10-fold, catch rate doubled, and catch increased 20-fold. The stocking and catch became increasingly dominated by chinook salmon, with coho salmon and lake trout of secondary importance and brown, rainbow, and brook trout of least importance. Trolling dominated the fishery, particularly by launched-boat anglers and, more recently, by moored-boat anglers. Charter boat trolling grew the most continuously and had the highest catch rates. The catch by trollers was dominated by chinook and coho salmon and lake trout. Pier, stream, and shore anglers fished less overall, but had catch rates that were similar to launched-boat anglers. The catch by pier and shore anglers was spread among chinook and coho salmon, and lake, brown and rainbow trout. The catch by stream anglers was dominated by chinook salmon. The percentage of stocked fish that were subsequently caught (catch ratio) was highest for fingerling chinook salmon (12.9%). Yearling brook trout, brown trout, coho salmon, lake trout, and rainbow trout had intermediate catch ratios (5.1-9.8%). Fingerling brook trout, brown trout, and lake trout had the lowest catch ratios (2.5-3.5%). The catch ratio for rainbow trout dropped from 9.8 to 5.1% after stocking with a different strain (the Shasta strain). Fingerling rainbow trout produced the lowest returns (<0.5%). We derived stocking recommendations for each species and life stage based on these catch ratios, and catch objectives based on maintaining catch levels recorded during 1983-1985.

  3. Water-quality assessment of the western Lake Michigan drainages; analysis of available information on nutrients and suspended sediment, water years 1971-90

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, D.A.

    1996-01-01

    To fulfill the goals of the NAWQA program, the USGS plans to examine 60 areas (study units) across the United States during full implementation of the program. In 1991, the NAWQA program went into full implementation with the intensive investigation of 20 of these study units; one of these study units is the Western Lake Michigan Drainages (WMIC) study unit.

  4. Depth distribution, diet, and overwinter growth of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in southeastern Lake Michigan sampled in December 1981 and March 1982

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eck, Gary W.; Wells, LaRue

    1986-01-01

    Lake trout were collected in graded-mesh gill nets and forage fishes were collected in trawls in mid December 1981 and late March 1982. The length ranges of 317 lake trout caught in December and 138 in March were 280-767 and 286-857 mm, and the age ranges I-XI and II-XIV, respectively. Three year classes (1977-79) made up almost 80% of the catches of lake trout in both sampling periods. Lake trout were most abundant at depth of 18 to 37 m in December (water temperatures, 5.5-6.8A?C) and at 2864 m in March (water temperatures, 1.0-1.3A?C). Fish of the 1977-79 year classes completed 9 to 24% of their annual growth in length, and 14 to 39% of their growth in weight, between mid December and late March. Lake trout ate mainly alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), especially young-of-the-year, in December, but primarily slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) in March, when alewives were mainly at depths of greater than those occupied by most lake trout. Other important food items were rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and, in deeper water, deepwater sculpins (Myoxocephalus thompsoni). Bloaters (Coregonus hoyi) were eaten only sparingly, although they were abundantly available in both sampling periods. Perhaps this species, which coevolved with the lake trout in Lake Michigan and was important in the native trout's diet, is better able to avoid capture by the trout than are the exotic alewife and rainbow smelt. It may not again become a major forage species unless the other food sources become scarce.

  5. Preliminary evaluation of a lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) bioenergetics model

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Pothoven, Steven A.; Schneeberger, Philip J.; O'Connor, Daniel V.; Brandt, Stephen B.

    2005-01-01

    We conducted a preliminary evaluation of a lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) bioenergetics model by applying the model to size-at-age data for lake whitefish from northern Lake Michigan. We then compared estimates of gross growth efficiency (GGE) from our bioenergetis model with previously published estimates of GGE for bloater (C. hoyi) in Lake Michigan and for lake whitefish in Quebec. According to our model, the GGE of Lake Michigan lake whitefish decreased from 0.075 to 0.02 as age increased from 2 to 5 years. In contrast, the GGE of lake whitefish in Quebec inland waters decreased from 0.12 to 0.05 for the same ages. When our swimming-speed submodel was replaced with a submodel that had been used for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Michigan and an observed predator energy density for Lake Michigan lake whitefish was employed, our model predicted that the GGE of Lake Michigan lake whitefish decreased from 0.12 to 0.04 as age increased from 2 to 5 years.

  6. Establishment of two invasive crustaceans (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) on the nearshore sands of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Horvath, Thomas G.; Whitman, Richard L.; Last, Laurel L.

    2001-01-01

    Benthic copepods (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) in the nearshore sediments of southern Lake Michigan appear to be dominated by two new invasive species. We report the first occurrence in North America of Schizopera borutzkyi Montschenko, a native to the Danube River delta, and Heteropsyllus nr. nunni, likely a new species that is morphologically similar to the marine species Heteropsyllus nunni and represents the first occurrence of this genus in freshwater. Schizopera borutzkyi is a euryhaline species occurring in shallow sands in its native habitat and in deeper sands (6-15 m) in southern Lake Michigan. Based on the absence of these species from previous studies, we suggest that they are recent introductions. Heteropsyllus nr. nunni dominated (55-100%) the harpacticoid abundance to depths of 9 m, but S. borutzkyi comprised 75% of the harpacticoid abundance at 15 m. Native harpacticoids were always greatly outnumbered by invasive harpacticoids in our samples, which suggests that the natives are being replaced rapidly or that the invasive species are finding unused resources. The ecological implications of these introductions are not known, but these invasions may represent continued 'invasional meltdown' in Lake Michigan.

  7. First report of Schistocephalus sp. (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) in slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus Richardson, 1836, from Lake Michigan, U.S.A.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    French, J. R. P.; Muzzall, P.M.

    2008-01-01

    Plerocercoids of Schistocephalus sp. (Diphyllobothriidae) were found in the body cavities of 2 (0.9%) of 209 slimy sculpins, Cottus cognatus, collected in September 2003 from Lake Michigan, south of Manistique, Michigan, U.S.A. Mean intensity was 1. The mean lengths and weights of these 2 thawed, relaxed plerocercoids were 67 and 72 mm and 427 and 554 mg, respectively. The number of segments in each plerocercoid was 113, and both plerocercoids showed upturned edges of the first segment. The identification of these plerocercoids to species is discussed, and the occurrence of Schistocephalus sp. in fish from the Great Lakes is summarized. This is the first report of Schistocephalus in slimy sculpin from Lake Michigan and the second report of Schistocephalus infecting fish from this lake.

  8. Measurement error associated with surveys of fish abundance in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Krause, Ann E.; Hayes, Daniel B.; Bence, James R.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Stedman, Ralph M.

    2002-01-01

    In fisheries, imprecise measurements in catch data from surveys adds uncertainty to the results of fishery stock assessments. The USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) began to survey the fall fish community of Lake Michigan in 1962 with bottom trawls. The measurement error was evaluated at the level of individual tows for nine fish species collected in this survey by applying a measurement-error regression model to replicated trawl data. It was found that the estimates of measurement-error variance ranged from 0.37 (deepwater sculpin, Myoxocephalus thompsoni) to 1.23 (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus) on a logarithmic scale corresponding to a coefficient of variation = 66% to 156%. The estimates appeared to increase with the range of temperature occupied by the fish species. This association may be a result of the variability in the fall thermal structure of the lake. The estimates may also be influenced by other factors, such as pelagic behavior and schooling. Measurement error might be reduced by surveying the fish community during other seasons and/or by using additional technologies, such as acoustics. Measurement-error estimates should be considered when interpreting results of assessments that use abundance information from USGS-GLSC surveys of Lake Michigan and could be used if the survey design was altered. This study is the first to report estimates of measurement-error variance associated with this survey.

  9. Mid Holocene lake level and shoreline behavior during the Nipissing phase of the upper Great Lakes at Alpena, Michigan, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thompson, T.A.; Lepper, K.; Endres, A.L.; Johnston, J.W.; Baedke, S.J.; Argyilan, E.P.; Booth, R.K.; Wilcox, D.A.

    2011-01-01

    The Nipissing phase was the last pre-modern high-water stage of the upper Great Lakes. Represented as either a one- or two-peak highstand, the Nipissing occurred following a long-term lake-level rise. This transgression was primarily an erosional event with only the final stage of the transgression preserved as barriers, spits, and strandplains of beach ridges. South of Alpena, Michigan, mid to late Holocene coastal deposits occur as a strandplain between Devils Lake and Lake Huron. The landward part of this strandplain is a higher elevation platform that formed during the final stage of lake-level rise to the Nipissing peak. The pre-Nipissing shoreline transgressed over Devils Lake lagoonal deposits from 6.4 to 6.1. ka. The first beach ridge formed ~ 6. ka, and then the shoreline advanced toward Lake Huron, producing beach ridges about every 70. years. This depositional regression produced a slightly thickening wedge of sediment during a lake-level rise that formed 20 beach ridges. The rise ended at 4.5. ka at the Nipissing peak. This peak was short-lived, as lake level fell > 4. m during the following 500. years. During this lake-level rise and subsequent fall, the shoreline underwent several forms of shoreline behavior, including erosional transgression, aggradation, depositional transgression, depositional regression, and forced regression. Other upper Great Lakes Nipissing platforms indicate that the lake-level change observed at Alpena of a rapid pre-Nipissing lake-level rise followed by a slower rise to the Nipissing peak, and a post-Nipissing rapid lake-level fall is representative of mid Holocene lake level in the upper Great Lakes. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  10. Evaluation of landslide hazards with ground-penetrating radar, Lake Michigan coast

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnhardt, Walter A.; Jaffe, Bruce E.; Kayen, Robert

    1999-01-01

    Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and boreholes were used to investigate a landslide-prone bluff at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the northeastern coast of Lake Michigan. Based on borehole observations, sediment underlying the area is homogeneous, consisting of well-sorted, medium to coarse sand. GPR penetrated up to 20 m deep in these sediments, revealing the late Quaternary stratigraphy in great detail. We define four units, or radar facies, based on criteria similar to those used in seismic stratigraphy. Directly beneath a landslide at Sleeping Bear Point (and nowhere else in this survey) is a deeply incised, channel-fill deposit that intersects the shoreline at a high angle. The buried channel is at least 10 m deep and 400 m wide, and it might be a subglacially carved feature of Pleistocene age. A prominent, planar unconformity marks the upper surface of the channel deposit, which is overlain by stratified beach and dune material. Several crosshole GPR surveys were performed in the vicinity of the landslide: 1) a constant offset profile (COP), 2) a multiple offset gather (MOG), and 3) a vertical radar profile (VRP). Tomographic analysis of these data determined the velocity structure of sandy sediment that underlie the failed bluff. Because GPR velocity is dependent on electrical properties, we use it as a proxy for geotechnical properties of the soils. Our working hypothesis is that the hidden channel may act as a conduit for pore water flow between upland regions and Lake Michigan, and thereby locally reduce soil strength and promote slope failure.

  11. TESTING A BEACH BACTERIA MODEL IN LAKE MICHIGAN AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Beach closures due to high bacterial concentrations deprive the public and disrupt the tourist industry. Almost half the Lake Michigan beaches are closed more than 10% of the time. In 1999 the six-mile long beach in Huntington Beach, California was closed in July and August. Due ...

  12. Depressions and other lake-floor morphologic features in deep water, southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colman, Steven M.; Foster, D.S.; Harrison, D.W.

    1992-01-01

    The most common features are subcircular depressions, commonly compound, that are irregularly distributed across the lake floor. The depressions are most common in the southern basin of the lake where lacustrine sediments are more than a few meters thick, corresponding to water depths greater than about 90 m. We have divided the depressions into three types on the basis of their internal structure seen in seismic-reflection profiles. The depressions show varying degrees of muting, ranging from fresh to completely buried, suggesting a range in the time of their formation. The origin of the depressions is problematic, but their structure suggests collapse and(or) subsidence. -from Authors

  13. Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study Post Audit: Integrated, Multi-media PCB Modeling and Forecasting for Lake Trout

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan (LM) Mass Balance Study was conducted to measure and model polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other anthropogenic substances to gain a better understanding of the transport, fate, and effects of these substances within the system and to aid managers in the env...

  14. Sediment Budget on the Indiana Shore at Burns Harbor, Lake Michigan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-15

    formation of the Indiana Dunes 146 20/03/2015 16 pp 3 National Lakeshore (Engel 1983, Franklin and Schaeffer 1983, Higgs 1995). The Harbor is a...shores of Lake Michigan,” University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL, 278 p. Higgs , S. (1995). “Eternal Vigilance: Nine Tales of Environmental

  15. Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Desorcie, Timothy J.; Kostich, Melissa Jean; Smith, Kelley R.; Adams, Jean V.

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12-m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The resulting data on relative abundance, size and age structure, and condition of individual fishes are used to estimate various population parameters that are in turn used by state and tribal agencies in managing Lake Michigan fish stocks. All seven established index transects of the survey were completed in 2012. The survey provides relative abundance and biomass estimates between the 5-m and 114-m depth contours of the lake (herein, lake-wide) for prey fish populations, as well as burbot, yellow perch, and the introduced dreissenid mussels. Lake-wide biomass of alewives in 2012 was estimated at 9 kilotonnes (kt, 1 kt = 1000 metric tonnes), which continues the trend of unusually low alewife biomass since 2004 but represented a 20% increase from the 2011 estimate. The age distribution of alewives larger than 100 mm was dominated (i.e., 84%) by age-2. Record low biomass was observed for several species, including bloater (0.4 kt), rainbow smelt (0.1 kt), deepwater sculpin (1.5 kt), and ninespine stickleback (0.01 kt). Slimy sculpin lake-wide biomass was 0.73 kt in 2012, which was the third consecutive year revealing a decline. Estimated biomass of round goby increased by 79% to 3 kt. Burbot lake-wide biomass (0.5 kt in 2012) has remained below 3 kt since 2001. Numeric density of age-0 yellow perch (i.e., < 100 mm) was only 2 fish per ha, which is indicative of a relatively poor year-class. Lake-wide biomass estimates of dreissenid mussels have continued to increase from 2010, from 12 to 95 kt in 2012. Overall, the total lake-wide prey fish biomass estimate (sum of alewife, bloater, rainbow smelt, deepwater sculpin, slimy sculpin, round goby, and ninespine stickleback) in 2012 was 15 kt, which represented the

  16. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN BYTHOTREPHES CEDERSTROEMI AND LEPTODORA KINDTII INFERRED FROM SEASONAL POPULATION ABUNDANCE PATTERNS IN LAKE MICHIGAMME, MICHIGAN, USA

    EPA Science Inventory


    Bythotrephes cederstroemi is a non-indigenous predaceous zooplankter invading North American freshwater lakes in the Great Lakes region. We present seasonal population abundance values for both Bythotrephes and Leptodora kindtii from Lake Michigamme, Michigan for the years ...

  17. Estimate of net trophic transfer efficiency of PCBs to Lake Michigan lake trout from their prey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.; Schmidt, Larry J.; Stedman, Ralph M.; Quintal, Richard T.; Begnoche, Linda J.; Passino-Reader, Dora R.

    1998-01-01

    Most of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) body burden accumulated by lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from the Laurentian Great Lakes is from their food. We used diet information, PCB determinations in both lake trout and their prey, and bioenergetics modeling to estimate the efficiency with which Lake Michigan lake trout retain PCBs from their food. Our estimates were the most reliable estimates to date because (a) the lake trout and prey fish sampled during our study were all from the same vicinity of the lake, (b) detailed measurements were made on the PCB concentrations of both lake trout and prey fish over wide ranges in fish size, and (c) lake trout diet was analyzed in detail over a wide range of lake trout size. Our estimates of net trophic transfer efficiency of PCBs to lake trout from their prey averaged from 0.73 to 0.89 for lake trout between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. There was no evidence of an upward or downward trend in our estimates of net trophic transfer efficiency for lake trout between the ages of 5 and 10 years old, and therefore this efficiency appeared to be constant over the duration of the lake trout's adult life in the lake. On the basis of our estimtes, lake trout retained 80% of the PCBs that are contained within their food.

  18. THE LAKE MICHIGAN MASS BALANCE PROJECT: QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN FOR MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents the quality assurance process for the development and application of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Models. The scope includes the overall modeling framework as well as the specific submodels that are linked to form a comprehensive synthesis of physical, che...

  19. Avian botulism type E in waterbirds of Lake Michigan, 2010–2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chipault, Jennifer G.; White, C. LeAnn; Blehert, David S.; Jennings, Susan K.; Strom, Sean M.

    2015-01-01

    During 2010 to 2013, waterbird mortality surveillance programs used a shared protocol for shoreline walking surveys performed June to November at three areas in northern Lake Michigan. In 2010 and 2012, 1244 total carcasses (0.8 dead bird/km walked) and 2399 total carcasses (1.2 dead birds/km walked), respectively, were detected. Fewer carcasses were detected in 2011 (353 total carcasses, 0.2 dead bird/km walked) and 2013 (451 total carcasses, 0.3 dead bird/km walked). During 3 years, peak detection of carcasses occurred in October and involved primarily migratory diving and fish-eating birds, including long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis; 2010), common loons (Gavia immer; 2012), and red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator; 2013). In 2011, peak detection of carcasses occurred in August and consisted primarily of summer residents such as gulls (Larus spp.) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). A subset of fresh carcasses was collected throughout each year of the study and tested for botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E). Sixty-one percent of carcasses (57/94) and 10 of 11 species collected throughout the sampling season tested positive for BoNT/E, suggesting avian botulism type E was a major cause of death for both resident and migratory birds in Lake Michigan. The variety of avian species affected by botulism type E throughout the summer and fall during all 4 years of coordinated surveillance also suggests multiple routes for bird exposure to BoNT/E in Lake Michigan.

  20. Yield and dynamics of destabilized chub (Coregonus spp.) populations in Lakes Michigan and Huron, 1950-84

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, Edward H.; Argyle, Ray L.; Payne, N. Robert; Holey, Mark E.

    1987-01-01

    Deepwater ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) or 'chubs' of Lake Michigan far surpassed those of Lake Huron in yield, population density, and resilience following severe depletion in the 1960s and 1970s, when the bloater (C. hoyi) composed more than 90% of the stocks. The population decline of bloaters in recent decades was mainly attributed to exploitation, to the depression of chub recruitment (e.g. from inferred predation on early life stage) by nonendemic alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and to complications arising from extreme female predominance that was best documented for Lake Michigan. The various interactions between bloaters and the nonendemic species, which were intensified after the loss of large predators to sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), would help to explain why a stock-recruitment relation was not shown for the Lake Michigan bloater. We hypothesize that reproductive inefficiency caused by a shift to strong female predominance in the bloater depresses recruitment and thus helps to regulate abundance. However, the low resilience that sex imbalance seems to impart makes the stock unstable when exploited. It should therefore be exploited conservatively during such periods. Also, the sex ratio and its direction of change appear to be important qualifiers when surplus production is estimated from stock size.

  1. Spatially explicit measures of production of young alewives in Lake Michigan: Linkage between essential fish habitat and recruitment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hook, Tomas O.; Rutherford, Edward S.; Brines, Shannon J.; Mason, Doran M.; Schwab, David J.; McCormick, Michael; Desorcie, Timothy J.

    2003-01-01

    The identification and protection of essential habitats for early life stages of fishes are necessary to sustain fish stocks. Essential fish habitat for early life stages may be defined as areas where fish densities, growth, survival, or production rates are relatively high. To identify critical habitats for young-of-year (YOY) alewives (Alosa pseud oharengus) in Lake Michigan, we integrated bioenergetics models with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to generate spatially explicit estimates of potential population production (an index of habitat quality). These estimates were based upon YOY alewife bioenergetic growth rate potential and their salmonine predators’ consumptive demand. We compared estimates of potential population production to YOY alewife yield (an index of habitat importance). Our analysis suggested that during 1994–1995, YOY alewife habitat quality and yield varied widely throughout Lake Michigan. Spatial patterns of alewife yield were not significantly correlated to habitat quality. Various mechanisms (e.g., predator migrations, lake circulation patterns, alternative strategies) may preclude YOY alewives from concentrating in areas of high habitat quality in Lake Michigan.

  2. Dioxin-like toxic potency in Forster's tern eggs from Green Bay, Lake Michigan, North America

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tillitt, D. E.; Kubiak, T.J.; Ankley, G.T.; Giesy, J.P.

    1993-01-01

    The endangered Forster's tern (Sternaforsteri) population on Green Bay, Wisconsin has exhibited symptoms of embryotoxicity, congenital deformities, and poor hatching success. The putative causal agents are planar halogenated hydrocarbons (PHH). The objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the toxic potency of PHHs in extracts of Forster's tern eggs taken from Green Bay, Lake Michigan and a reference site, Lake Poygan, WI; and 2) to compare the toxic potencies of the egg extracts with the reproductive data available from the same water bird colonies. The relative toxic potency of the egg extracts was assessed with the H4IIE bioassay system to obtain 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ). The average concentrations of TCDD-EQ in Forster's tern eggs were 214.5 pg/g and 23.4 pg/g from Green Bay and Lake Poygan, respectively. The bioassay results presented here concur with the biological effects and chemical analyses information from other studies on the same Forster's tern colonies.

  3. Decreased mortality of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon after bacterial kidney disease challenge: evidence for pathogen-driven selection?

    PubMed

    Purcell, Maureen K; Murray, Anthony L; Elz, Anna; Park, Linda K; Marcquenski, Susan V; Winton, James R; Alcorn, Stewart W; Pascho, Ronald J; Elliott, Diane G

    2008-12-01

    In the late 1960s, Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Green River, Washington, were successfully introduced into Lake Michigan. During spring from 1988 to 1992, large fish die-offs affecting Chinook salmon occurred in the lake. Multiple ecological factors probably contributed to the severity of the fish kills, but the only disease agent found regularly was Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease. In this study, survival after challenge by R. salmoninarum was compared between two Chinook salmon stocks: a Lake Michigan stock from Wisconsin (WI) and the progenitor stock from the Green River. We found that the WI stock had significantly greater survival than the Green River stock. Next, the WI and Green River stocks were exposed to the marine pathogen Listonella anguillarum (formerly Vibrio anguillarum), one of the causative agents of vibriosis; survival after this challenge was significantly poorer for the WI stock than for the Green River stock. A close genetic relationship between the Green River and WI stocks was confirmed by analyzing 13 microsatellite loci. These results collectively suggest that disease susceptibility of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon has diverged from that of the source population, possibly in response to pathogen-driven selection.

  4. Effects of alewife predation on zooplankton populations in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wells, LaRue

    1970-01-01

    The zooplankton populations in southeastern Lake Michigan underwent striking, size-related changes between 1954 and 1966. Forms that decline sharply were the largest cladocerans (Leptodora kindtii, Daphnia galeata, and D. retrocurva), the largest calanoid copepods (Limnocalanus macrurus, Epischura lacustris, and Diaptomus sicilis), and the largest cyclopoid copepod (Mesocyclops edax). Two of these, D. galeata and M. edax (both abundant in 1954), became extremely rare. Certain medium-sized or small species increased in numbers: Daphnia longiremis, Holopedium gibberum, Polyphemus pediculus, Bosmina longirostris, Bosmina coregoni, Ceriodaphnia sp., Cyclops bicuspidatus, Cyclops vernalis, and Diaptomus ashlandi. Evidence is strong that the changes were due to selective predation by alewives. The alewife was uncommon in southeastern Lake Michigan in 1954 but had increased to enormous proportions by 1966; there was a massive dieoff in spring 1967, and abundance remained relatively low in 1968. The composition of zooplankton populations in 1968 generally had shifted back toward that of 1954, although D. galeata and M. edax remained rare. The average size, and size at onset of maturity, of D. retrocurva decreased noticeably between 1954 and 1966 but increased between 1966 and 1968.

  5. Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study Post Audit: Integrated, Multi-media PCB Modeling and Forecasting for Lake Trout, Presentation

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Lake Michigan (LM) Mass Balance Study was conducted to measure and model polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other anthropogenic substances to gain a better understanding of the transport, fate, and effects of these substances within the system and to aid managers in the env...

  6. Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Desorcie, Timothy J.; Kostich, Melissa Jean; Armenio, Patricia M.; Adams, Jean V.

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12-m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The resulting data on relative abundance, size and age structure, and condition of individual fishes are used to estimate various population parameters that are in turn used by state and tribal agencies in managing Lake Michigan fish stocks. All seven established index transects of the survey were completed in 2013. The survey provides relative abundance and biomass estimates between the 5-m and 114-m depth contours of the lake (herein, lake-wide) for prey fish populations, as well as burbot, yellow perch, and the introduced dreissenid mussels. Lake-wide biomass of alewives in 2013 was estimated at 29 kilotonnes (kt, 1 kt = 1000 metric tonnes), which was more than three times the 2012 estimate. However, the unusually high standard error associated with the 2013 estimate indicated no significant increase in lake-wide biomass between 2012 and 2013. Moreover, the age distribution of alewives remained truncated with no alewife exceeding an age of 5. The population of age-1 and older alewives was dominated (i.e., 88%) by the 2010 and 2012 year-classes. Record low biomass was observed for deepwater sculpin (1.3 kt) and ninespine stickleback (0.004 kt) in 2013, while bloater (1.6 kt) and rainbow smelt (0.2 kt) biomasses remained at low levels. Slimy sculpin lake-wide biomass was 0.32 kt in 2013, marking the fourth consecutive year of a decline. The 2013 biomass of round goby was estimated at 10.9 kt, which represented the peak estimate to date. Burbot lake-wide biomass (0.4 kt in 2013) has remained below 3 kt since 2001. Numeric density of age-0 yellow perch (i.e., < 100 mm) was only 1 fish per ha, which is indicative of a relatively poor year-class. Lake-wide biomass estimate of dreissenid mussels in 2013 was 23.2 kt

  7. Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2008

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Holuszko, Jeffrey D.; Desorcie, Timothy J.; Adams, Jean V.

    2009-01-01

    The Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12-m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The resulting data on relative abundance, size structure, and condition of individual fishes are used to estimate various population parameters that are in turn used by state and tribal agencies in managing Lake Michigan fish stocks. All seven established index transects of the survey were completed in 2008. The survey provides relative abundance and biomass estimates between the 5-m and 114-m depth contours of the lake (herein, lake-wide) for prey fish populations, as well as burbot, yellow perch, and the introduced dreissenid mussels. Lake-wide biomass of alewives in 2008 was estimated at 8.27 kilotonnes (kt) (1 kt = 1000 metric tons), which was the smallest biomass estimate in the entire time series and 29% lower than the 2007 estimate. Lake-wide biomass of bloater in 2008 was estimated at 3.33 kt, which was the lowest estimate since 1977 and 38% lower than the 2007 estimate. Rainbow smelt lake-wide biomass equaled 0.89 kt, which was only 0.01 kt higher than 2007, which is the lowest estimate in the time series. Deepwater sculpin lake-wide biomass equaled 5.23 kt, which is the fourth straight year of declining biomass. The 2008 estimate is the second smallest in the time series, and 39% lower than the 2007 estimate. Slimy sculpin lake-wide biomass remained relatively high in 2008 (2.75 kt), increasing 25% over 2007. Ninespine stickleback lake-wide biomass equaled only 0.50 kt in 2008, which was 79% lower than the 2007 estimate. The final prey fish, exotic round goby, increased two orders of magnitude between 2007 and 2008, from 0.02 to 4.65 kt. Round gobies now represent 18% of the prey fish biomass. Burbot lake-wide biomass (0.91 kt in 2008) has remained fairly constant since 2002. Numeric density of age-0 yellow perch (i

  8. Relative importance of phosphorus, invasive mussels and climate for patterns in chlorophyll a and primary production in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, David M.; Lesht, Barry M.

    2015-01-01

    1. Lakes Michigan and Huron, which are undergoing oligotrophication after reduction of phosphorus loading, invasion by dreissenid mussels and variation in climate, provide an opportunity to conduct large-scale evaluation of the relative importance of these changes for lake productivity. We used remote sensing, field data and an information-theoretic approach to identify factors that showed statistical relationships with observed changes in chlorophyll a (chla) and primary production (PP). 2. Spring phosphorus (TP), annual mean chla and PP have all declined significantly in both lakes since the late 1990s. Additionally, monthly mean values of chla have decreased in many but not all months, indicating altered seasonal patterns. The most striking change has been the decrease in chla concentration during the spring bloom. 3. Mean chlorophyll a concentration was 17% higher in Lake Michigan than in Lake Huron, and total production for 2008 in Lake Michigan (9.5 tg year 1 ) was 10% greater than in Lake Huron (7.8 tg year 1 ), even though Lake Michigan is slightly smaller (by 3%) than Lake Huron. Differences between the lakes in the early 1970s evidently persisted to 2008. 4. Invasive mussels influenced temporal trends in spring chla and annual primary production. However, TP had a greater effect on chla and primary production than did the mussels, and TP varied independently from them. Two climatic variables (precipitation and air temperature in the basins) influenced annual chla and annual PP, while the extent of ice cover influenced TP but not chla or primary production. Our results demonstrate that observed temporal patterns in chla and PP are the result of complex interactions of P, climate and invasive mussels.

  9. Distribution and dynamics of nitrogen and microbial plankton in southern Lake Michigan during spring transition 1999-2000

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardner, Wayne S.; Lavrentyev, Peter J.; Cavaletto, Joann F.; McCarthy, Mark J.; Eadie, Brian J.; Johengen, Thomas H.; Cotner, James B.

    2004-03-01

    Ammonium and amino acid fluxes were examined as indicators of N and microbial food web dynamics in southern Lake Michigan during spring. Either 15NH4+ or a mixture of 15N-labelled amino acids (both at 4 μM N final concentration) was added to Lake Michigan water. Net fluxes were measured over 24 h under natural light and dark conditions using deck-top incubators and compared to microbial food web characteristics. Isotope dilution experiments showed similar light and dark NH4+ regeneration rates at lake (6 versus 5 nM N h-1) and river-influenced (20 versus 24 nM N h-1) sites. Ammonium uptake rates were similar to regeneration rates in dark bottles. Dark uptake (attributed mainly to bacteria) accounted for ˜70% of total uptake (bacteria plus phytoplankton) in the light at most lake sites but only ˜30% of total uptake at river-influenced sites in or near the St. Joseph River mouth (SJRM). Cluster analysis grouped stations having zero, average, or higher than average N-cycling rates. Discriminant analysis indicated that chlorophyll concentration, oligotrich ciliate biomass, and total P concentration could explain 66% of N-cycling rate variation on average. Heterotrophic bacterial N demand was about one third of the NH4+ regeneration rate. Results suggest that, with the exception of SJRM stations, bacterial uptake and protist grazing mediated much of the N dynamics during spring transition. Since NH4+ is more available to bacteria than NO3-, regenerated NH4+ may have a strong influence on spring, lake biochemical energetics by enhancing N-poor organic matter degradation in this NO3- -replete ecosystem.

  10. Cooperative water-resources monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rheaume, Stephen J.; Neff, Brian P.; Blumer, Stephen P.

    2007-01-01

    As part of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project, this report describes numerous cooperative water-resources monitoring efforts conducted in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin over the last 100 years. Cooperative monitoring is a tool used to observe and record changes in water quantity and quality over time. This report describes cooperative efforts for monitoring streamflows and flood magnitudes, past and present water-quality conditions, significant human-health threats, and flow-regime changes that are the result of changing land use. Water-resources monitoring is a long-term effort that can be made cost-effective by leveraging funds, sharing data, and avoiding duplication of effort. Without long-term cooperative monitoring, future water-resources managers and planners may find it difficult to establish and maintain public supply, recreational, ecological, and esthetic water-quality goals for the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin.

  11. 76 FR 63202 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-12

    ...-AA87 Security Zones; Captain of the Port Lake Michigan Zone AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: Based on a review of safety and security zones around critical infrastructure in the... Chicago Harbor & Burnham Park Harbor--Safety and Security Zone regulation and the Security Zones; Captain...

  12. Testing for synchrony in recruitment among four Lake Michigan fish species

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, David B.; Höök, Tomas O.; Troy, Cary D.; Liu, Wentao; Madenjian, Charles P.; Adams, Jean V.

    2017-01-01

    In the Great Lakes region, multiple fish species display intra-specific spatial synchrony in 28 recruitment success, with inter-annual climate variation hypothesized as the most likely driver. 29 In Lake Michigan, we evaluated whether climatic or other physical variables could also induce 30 spatial synchrony across multiple species, including bloater (Coregonus hoyi), rainbow smelt 31 (Osmerus mordax), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). The 32 residuals from stock-recruitment relationships revealed yellow perch recruitment to be correlated 33 with recruitment of both rainbow smelt (r = 0.37) and alewife (r = 0.36). Across all four species, 34 higher than expected recruitment occurred in 5 years between 1978 and 1987 and then switched 35 to lower than expected recruitment in 5 years between 1996 and 2004. Generalized additive 36 models revealed warmer spring and summer water temperatures and lower wind speeds 37 corresponded to higher than expected recruitment for the nearshore-spawning species, and 38 overall variance explained ranged from 14% (yellow perch) to 61% (alewife). For all species 39 but rainbow smelt, higher recruitment also occurred in extremely high or low years of the North 40 Atlantic Oscillation index. Future development of indices that describe the physical Great Lakes 41 environment could improve understanding of how climate can synchronize fish populations 42 within and across species.

  13. Sedimentary phosphorus cycling and a phosphorus mass balance for the Green Bay (Lake Michigan) ecosystem

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Klump, J.V.; Edgington, D. N.; Sager, P.E.; Robertson, Dale M.

    2011-01-01

    The tributaries of Green Bay have long been recognized as major sources of phosphorus in the Lake Michigan basin. The status of Green Bay as a sink or source of phosphorus for Lake Michigan proper has been less well defined. The bay receives nearly 70% of its annual load of phosphorus ( 700 metric tons (t) · year-1) from a single source: the Fox River. Most of this phosphorus is deposited in sediments accumulating at rates that reach 160 mg · cm-2 · year-1 with an average of 20 mg · cm-2 · year-1. The phosphorus content of these sediments varies from <5 to >70 µmol · g-1. Deposition is highly focused, with ~70% of the total sediment accumulation and at least 80% of the phosphorus burial occurring within 20% of the surface area of the bay. Diagenetic and stoichiometric models of phosphorus cycling imply that >80% of the phosphorus deposited is permanently buried. External phosphorus loading to the bay is combined with sediment fluxes of phophorus to arrive at a simple phosphorus budget. Green Bay acts as an efficient nutrient trap, with the sediments retaining an estimated 70-90% of the external phosphorus inputs before flowing into Lake Michigan.

  14. Microbial Communities and Fecal Indicator Bacteria Associated with Cladophora Mats on Beach Sites along Lake Michigan Shores

    PubMed Central

    Olapade, Ola A.; Depas, Morgan M.; Jensen, Erika T.; McLellan, Sandra L.

    2006-01-01

    A high biomasses of Cladophora, a filamentous green alga, is found mainly during the summer along the shores of Lake Michigan. In this study, the abundance and persistence of the fecal indicator bacterium Escherichia coli and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on Cladophora mats collected at Lake Michigan beaches were evaluated using both culture-based and molecular analyses. Additionally, 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing were used to examine the bacterial community composition. Overall, E. coli was detected in all 63 samples obtained from 11 sites, and the average levels at most beaches ranged from 2,700 CFU/100 g (wet weight) of Cladophora to 7,500 CFU/100 g of Cladophora. However, three beaches were found to have site average E. coli densities of 12,800, 21,130, and 27,950 CFU/100 g of Cladophora. The E. coli levels in the lake water collected at the same time from these three sites were less than the recommended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limit, 235 CFU/100 ml. E. coli also persisted on Cladophora mats in microcosms at room temperature for more than 7 days, and in some experiments it persisted for as long as 28 days. The SRB densities on Cladophora mats were relatively high, ranging from 4.4 × 106 cells/g (6.64 log CFU/g) to 5.73 × 106 cells/g (6.76 log CFU/g) and accounting for between 20% and 27% of the total bacterial counts. Partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene clones revealed a phylogenetically diverse community, in which the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides cluster and the low-G+C-content gram-positive bacteria were the dominant organisms, accounting for 40% and 12.8%, respectively, of the total clone library. These results further reveal the potential public health and ecological significance of Cladophora mats that are commonly found along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, especially with regard to the potential to harbor microorganisms associated with fecal pollution and odor-causing bacteria. PMID:16517640

  15. Microbial communities and fecal indicator bacteria associated with Cladophora mats on beach sites along Lake Michigan shores.

    PubMed

    Olapade, Ola A; Depas, Morgan M; Jensen, Erika T; McLellan, Sandra L

    2006-03-01

    A high biomasses of Cladophora, a filamentous green alga, is found mainly during the summer along the shores of Lake Michigan. In this study, the abundance and persistence of the fecal indicator bacterium Escherichia coli and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on Cladophora mats collected at Lake Michigan beaches were evaluated using both culture-based and molecular analyses. Additionally, 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing were used to examine the bacterial community composition. Overall, E. coli was detected in all 63 samples obtained from 11 sites, and the average levels at most beaches ranged from 2,700 CFU/100 g (wet weight) of Cladophora to 7,500 CFU/100 g of Cladophora. However, three beaches were found to have site average E. coli densities of 12,800, 21,130, and 27,950 CFU/100 g of Cladophora. The E. coli levels in the lake water collected at the same time from these three sites were less than the recommended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limit, 235 CFU/100 ml. E. coli also persisted on Cladophora mats in microcosms at room temperature for more than 7 days, and in some experiments it persisted for as long as 28 days. The SRB densities on Cladophora mats were relatively high, ranging from 4.4x10(6) cells/g (6.64 log CFU/g) to 5.73x10(6) cells/g (6.76 log CFU/g) and accounting for between 20% and 27% of the total bacterial counts. Partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene clones revealed a phylogenetically diverse community, in which the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides cluster and the low-G+C-content gram-positive bacteria were the dominant organisms, accounting for 40% and 12.8%, respectively, of the total clone library. These results further reveal the potential public health and ecological significance of Cladophora mats that are commonly found along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, especially with regard to the potential to harbor microorganisms associated with fecal pollution and odor-causing bacteria.

  16. Thiamine and fatty acid content of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Honeyfield, D.C.; Peters, A.K.; Jones, M.L.

    2008-01-01

    Nutritional status of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is inadequately documented. An investigation was conducted to determine muscle and liver thiamine content and whole body fatty acid composition in small, medium and large Chinook salmon. Muscle and liver thiamine concentrations were highest in small salmon, and tended to decrease with increasing fish size. Muscle thiamine was higher in fall than spring in large salmon. The high percentage of Chinook salmon (24-32% in fall and 58-71% in spring) with muscle thiamine concentration below 500 pmol/g, which has been associated with loss of equilibrium and death in other Great Lake salmonines, suggest that Chinook appear to rely less on thiamine than other Great Lakes species for which such low concentrations would be associated with thiamine deficiency (Brown et al. 2005b). A positive correlation was observed between liver total thiamine and percent liver lipids (r = 0.53, P < 0.0001, n = 119). In medium and large salmon, liver lipids were observed to be low in fish with less than 4,000 pmol/g liver total thiamine. In individuals with greater than 4,000 pmol/g liver thiamine, liver lipid increased with thiamine concentration. Individual fatty acids declined between fall and spring. Essential omega-3 fatty acids appear to be conserved as lipid content declined. Arachidonic acid (C20:4n6), an essential omega-6 fatty acid was not different between fall and spring, although the sum of omega-6 (Sw6) fatty acids declined over winter. Elevated concentrations of saturated fatty acids (sum) were observed in whole body tissue lipid. In summary, thiamine, a dietary essential vitamin, and individual fatty acids were found to vary in Lake Michigan Chinook salmon by fish size and season of the year.

  17. Status of Pelagic Prey Fishes in Lake Michigan, 2014

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, David M.; Farha, Steven A.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Hanson, Dale; O'Brien, Timothy P.

    2015-01-01

    Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 1992-1996 and 2001-2014 to estimate pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan. Midwater trawling during the surveys as well as target strength provided a measure of species and size composition of the fish community for use in scaling acoustic data and providing species-specific abundance estimates. The 2014 survey consisted of 27 acoustic transects (603 km total) and 31 midwater trawl tows. Four additional transects were sampled in Green Bay but were not included in lakewide estimates. Mean prey fish biomass was 6.5 kg/ha [31.7 kilotonnes (kt = 1,000 metric tons)], equivalent to 69.9 million pounds, which was similar to the estimate in 2013 (29.6 kt) and 25% of the long-term (19 years) mean. The numeric density of the 2014 alewife year-class was 3% of the time series average and was the lowest observed in the 19 years of sampling. This year-class contributed <1% of total alewife biomass (4.6 kg/ha). Alewife ≥age-1 comprised 99.5% of alewife biomass. Numeric density of alewife in Green Bay was more than three times that of the main lake. In 2014, alewife comprised 71% of total prey fish biomass, while rainbow smelt and bloater were 1% and 28% of total biomass, respectively. Rainbow smelt biomass in 2014 (0.08 kg/ha) was 66% lower than in 2013, 2% of the long-term mean, and lower than in any previous year. Bloater biomass in 2014 was 1.8 kg/ha, nearly three times more than the 2013 biomass, and 20% of the long-term mean. Mean density of small bloater in 2014 (122 fish/ha) was lower than peak values observed in 2007-2009 but was similar to the time series mean (124 fish/ha). In 2014, pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan was 71% of that in Lake Huron (all basins), where the community is dominated by bloater.

  18. Status of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Michigan, 2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Warner, David M.; O'Brien, Timothy P.; Farha, Steve A.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Hanson, Dale

    2012-01-01

    Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 1992-1996 and 2001-2012 to estimate pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan. Midwater trawling during the surveys as well as target strength provided a measure of species and size composition of the fish community for use in scaling acoustic data and providing species-specific abundance estimates. The 2012 survey consisted of 26 acoustic transects (576 km total) and 31 midwater tows. Mean total prey fish biomass was 6.4 kg/ha (relative standard error, RSE = 15%) or 31 kilotonnes (kt = 1,000 metric tons), which was 1.5 times the estimate for 2011 and 22% of the long-term mean. The increase from 2011 resulted from increased biomass of age-0 alewife, age-1 or older alewife, and large bloater. The abundance of the 2012 alewife year class was similar to the average, and this year-class contributed 35% of total alewife biomass (4.9 kg/ha, RSE = 17%), while the 2010 alewife year-class contributed 58%. The 2010 year class made up 89% of age-1 or older alewife biomass. In 2012, alewife comprised 77% of total prey fish biomass, while rainbow smelt and bloater were 4 and 19% of total biomass, respectively. Rainbow smelt biomass in 2012 (0.25 kg/ha, RSE = 17%) was 40% of the rainbow smelt biomass in 2011 and 5% of the long term mean. Bloater biomass was much lower (1.2 kg/ha, RSE = 12%) than in the 1990s, and mean density of small bloater in 2012 (191 fish/ha, RSE = 24%) was lower than peak values observed in 2007-2009. In 2012, pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan was similar to Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Prey fish biomass remained well below the Fish Community Objectives target of 500-800 kt, and key native species remain absent or rare.

  19. Decreased mortality of lake michigan chinook salmon after bacterial kidney disease challenge: Evidence for pathogen-driven selection?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Purcell, M.K.; Murray, A.L.; Elz, A.; Park, L.K.; Marcquenski, S.V.; Winton, J.R.; Alcorn, S.W.; Pascho, R.J.; Elliott, D.G.

    2008-01-01

    In the late 1960s, Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Green River, Washington, were successfully introduced into Lake Michigan. During spring from1988 to 1992, large fish die-offs affecting Chinook salmon occurred in the lake. Multiple ecological factors probably contributed to the severity of the fish kills, but the only disease agent found regularly was Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease. in this study, survival after challenge by R. salmoninarum was compared between two Chinook salmon stocks: a Lake Michigan stock from Wisconsin (WI) and the progenitor stock from the Green River. We found that the WI stock had significantly greater survival than the Green River stock. Next, the WI and Green River stocks were exposed to the marine pathogen Listonella anguillarum (formerly Vibrio anguillarum), one of the causative agents of vibriosis; survival after this challenge was significantly poorer for the WI stock than for the Green River stock. A close genetic relationship between the Green River and WI stocks was confirmed by analyzing 13 microsatellite loci. These results collectively suggest that disease susceptibility of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon has diverged from that of the source population, possibly in response to pathogen-driven selection. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

  20. Holocene paleoclimatic evidence and sedimentation rates from a core in southwestern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colman, Steven M.; Jones, Glenn A.; Forester, R.M.; Foster, D.S.

    1990-01-01

    Preliminary results of a multidisciplinary study of cores in southwestern Lake Michigan suggest that the materials in these cores can be interpreted in terms of both isostatically and climatically induced changes in lake level. Ostracodes and mollusks are well preserved in the Holocene sediments, and they provide paleolimnologic and paleoclimatic data, as well as biogenic carbonate for stable-isotope studies and radiocarbon dating. Pollen and diatom preservation in the cores is poor, which prevents comparison with regional vegetation records. New accelerator-mass spectrometer 14C ages, from both carbon and carbonate fractions, provide basin-wide correlations and appear to resolve the longstanding problem of anomalously old ages that result from detrital organic matter in Great Lakes sediments. Several cores contain a distinct unconformity associated with the abrupt fall in lake level that occurred about 10.3 ka when the isostatically depressed North Bay outlet was uncovered by the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet. Below the unconformity, ostracode assemblages imply deep, cold water with very low total dissolved solids (TDS), and bivalves have ?? 18O (PDB) values as light as - 10 per mil. Samples from just above the unconformity contain littoral to sublittoral ostracode species that imply warmer, higher-TDS (though still dilute) water than that inferred below the unconformity. Above this zone, another interval with ?? 18O values more negative than - 10 occurs. The isotopic data suggest that two influxes of cold, isotopically light meltwater from Laurentide ice entered the lake, one shortly before 10.3 ka and the other about 9 ka. These influxes were separated by a period during which the lake was warmer, shallower, but still very low in dissolved solids. One or both of the meltwater influxes may be related to discharge from Lake Agassiz into the Great Lakes. Sedimentation rates appear to have been constant from about 10 ka to 5 ka. Bivalve shells formed between about

  1. Hydrogeologic Framework of Bedrock Units and Initial Salinity Distribution for a Simulation of Groundwater Flow for the Lake Michigan Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lampe, David C.

    2009-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey is assessing groundwater availability in the Lake Michigan Basin. As part of the assessment, a variable-density groundwater-flow model is being developed to simulate the effects of groundwater use on water availability throughout the basin. The hydrogeologic framework for the Lake Michigan Basin model was developed by grouping the bedrock geology of the study area into hydrogeologic units on the basis of the functioning of each unit as an aquifer or confining layer within the basin. Available data were evaluated based on the areal extent of coverage within the study area, and procedures were established to characterize areas with sparse data coverage. Top and bottom altitudes for each hydrogeologic unit were interpolated in a geographic information system for input to the model and compared with existing maps of subsurface formations. Fourteen bedrock hydrogeologic units, making up 17 bedrock model layers, were defined, and they range in age from the Jurassic Period red beds of central Michigan to the Cambrian Period Mount Simon Sandstone. Information on groundwater salinity in the Lake Michigan Basin was compiled to create an input dataset for the variable-density groundwater-flow simulation. Data presented in this report are referred to as 'salinity data' and are reported in terms of total dissolved solids. Salinity data were not available for each hydrogeologic unit. Available datasets were assigned to a hydrogeologic unit, entered into a spatial database, and data quality was visually evaluated. A geographic information system was used to interpolate salinity distributions for each hydrogeologic unit with available data. Hydrogeologic units with no available data either were set equal to neighboring units or were vertically interpolated by use of values from units above and below.

  2. Lake trout rehabilitation in Lake Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eshenroder, Randy L.; Payne, N. Robert; Johnson, James E.; Bowen, Charles; Ebener, Mark P.

    1995-01-01

    Efforts to restore lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Huron after their collapse in the 1940s were underway in the early 1970s with completion of the first round of lampricide applications in tributary streams and the stocking of several genotypes. We assess results of rehabilitation and establish a historical basis for comparison by quantifying the catch of spawning lake trout from Michigan waters in 1929-1932. Sixty-eight percent of this catch occurred in northern waters (MH-1) and most of the rest (15%) was from remote reefs in the middle of the main basin. Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) increased in the early 1980s in the main basin and depressed spawning populations of lake trout. This increase was especially severe in northern waters and appeared to be associated with untreated populations in the St. Marys River. Excessive commercial fishing stemming from unresolved treaty rights also contributed to loss of spawning fish in northern Michigan waters. Seneca-strain lake trout did not appear to be attacked by sea lampreys until they reached a size > 532 mm. At sizes > 632 mm, Seneca trout were 40-fold more abundant than the Marquette strain in matched-planting experiments. Natural reproduction past the fry stage has occurred in Thunder Bay and South Bay, but prospects for self-sustaining populations of lake trout in the main basin are poor because sea lampreys are too abundant, only one side of the basin is stocked, and stocking is deferred to allow commercial gillnetting in areas where most of the spawning occurred historically. Backcross lake trout, a lake trout x splake (s. Fontinalis x s. Namaycush) hybrid, did not reproduce in Georgian Bay, but this genotype is being replaced with pure-strain lake trout, whose early performance appears promising.

  3. Egg fatty acid composition from lake trout fed two Lake Michigan prey fish species.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Honeyfield, D.C.; Fitzsimons, J.D.; Tillitt, D.E.; Brown, S.B.

    2009-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that there were significant differences in the egg thiamine content in lake trout Salvelinus namaycush fed two Lake Michigan prey fish (alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and bloater Coregonus hoyi). Lake trout fed alewives produced eggs low in thiamine, but it was unknown whether the consumption of alewives affected other nutritionally important components. In this study we investigated the fatty acid composition of lake trout eggs when females were fed diets that resulted in different egg thiamine concentrations. For 2 years, adult lake trout were fed diets consisting of four combinations of captured alewives and bloaters (100% alewives; 65% alewives, 35% bloaters; 35% alewives, 65% bloaters; and 100% bloaters). The alewife fatty acid profile had higher concentrations of arachidonic acid and total omega-6 fatty acids than the bloater profile. The concentrations of four fatty acids (cis-13, 16-docosadienoic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids) were higher in bloaters than in alewives. Although six fatty acid components were higher in lake trout eggs in 2001 than in 2000 and eight fatty acids were lower, diet had no effect on any fatty acid concentration measured in lake trout eggs in this study. Based on these results, it appears that egg fatty acid concentrations differ between years but that the egg fatty acid profile does not reflect the alewife-bloater mix in the diet of adults. The essential fatty acid content of lake trout eggs from females fed alewives and bloaters appears to be physiologically regulated and adequate to meet the requirements of developing embryos.

  4. PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), Nitro-PAHs, Hopanes and Steranes Biomarkers in Sediments of Southern Lake Michigan, USA

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Lei; Chernyak, Sergei M.; Batterman, Stuart A.

    2014-01-01

    PAHs in the Great Lakes basin are of concern due to their toxicity and persistence in bottom sediments. Their nitro derivatives, nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), which can have stronger carcinogenic and mutagenic activity than parent PAHs, may follow similar transport routes and also are accumulated in sediments. Limited information exists regarding the current distribution, trends and loadings of these compounds, especially NPAHs, in Lake Michigan sediments. This study characterizes PAHs, NPAHs, and biomarkers steranes and hopanes in surface sediments collected at 24 offshore sites in southern Lake Michigan. The ΣPAH14 (sum of 14 compounds) ranged from 213 to 1291 ng/g dry weight (dw) across the sites, levels that are 2 to 10 times lower than those reported 20 to 30 years earlier. Compared to consensus-based sediment quality guidelines, PAH concentrations suggest very low risk to benthic organisms. The ΣNPAH5 concentration ranged from 2.9 to 18.6 ng/g dw, and included carcinogenic compounds 1-nitropyrene and 6-nitrochrysene. ΣSterane6 and ΣHopane5 concentrations ranged from 6.2 to 36 and 98 to 355 ng/g dw, respectively. Based on these concentrations, Lake Michigan is approximately receiving 11, 0.16, 0.25 and 3.6 metric tons per year (t/yr) of ΣPAH14, ΣNPAH5, ΣSterane6 and ΣHopane5, respectively. Maps of OC-adjusted concentrations display that concentrations decline with increasing off-shore distance. The major sources of PAHs and NPAHs are pyrogenic in nature, based on diagnostic ratios. Using chemical mass balance models, sources were apportioned to emissions from diesel engines (56±18%), coal power plants (27±14%), coal-tar pavement sealants (16±11%), and coke ovens (7±12%). The biomarkers identify a combination of petrogenic and biogenic sources, with the southern end of the lake more impacted by petroleum. This first report of NPAHs levels in sediments of Lake Michigan reveals several carcinogenic compounds at modest concentrations, and a need for further work

  5. Surface-water quality at fixed sites in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages, Wisconsin and Michigan, and the effects of natural and human factors, 1993-95

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Richards, K.D.; Sullivan, D.J.; Stewart, J.S.

    1998-01-01

    Streamwater samples were collected from April 1993 through July 1995 at 11 fixed sites in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages Study Unit of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Water samples were collected monthly at all Fixed Sites, and an additional two to four samples were collected each year during periods of high flow. Streamflow was monitored continuously at the Fixed Sites for the duration of the study period. This report describes field techniques used to collect the water samples, and the analytical methods used for laboratory analyses, statistical analyses of the data, and an attempt to determine the effect of natural and anthropogenic factors on concentrations of nutrients and selected major ions and suspended solids. Locations of eight of the Fixed Sites were selected to represent areas with unique combinations of land use/land cover, surficial deposits, and bedrock geology and are referred to as 'indicator sites.' The remaining three sites were located near the mouths of major rivers and are referred to as 'integrator sites.' The integrator sites represent a large part of the total flow from the Study Unit to Green Bay and western Lake Michigan, and drain various combinations of land use, bedrock, and surficial deposits. These data indicate that land use and surficial deposits may be the primary factors affecting nitrate and total phosphorus concentrations in this Study Unit. Median concentrations of nitrate at the forested sites were less than the National Median Concentration (NMC), and those at urban fixed sites were similar to the NMC. Median nitrate concentrations at the Tomorrow River, North Branch Milwaukee River, and Duck Creek agricultural indicator sites were twice the NMC, but median concentrations at the remaining agricultural indicator sites were similar to the NMC. Nitrate concentrations at one agricultural indicator site exceeded the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant

  6. Ground-water flow and quality near the Upper Great Lakes connecting channels, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gillespie, J.L.; Dumouchelle, D.H.

    1989-01-01

    The Upper Great Lakes connecting channels are the St. Marys, St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, and Lake St. Clair. The effect of ground water on the connecting channels is largely unknown, and the controls on its movement and quality are undefined. Geologic, hydrologic, and environmental conditions near the channels have been examined.for this investigation. Included in the study area is a 50-mile reach of channel beginning at Whitefish Bay and extending to Neebish Island, and a 90-mile reach of channel between Port Huron and Pointe Mouillee in Lake Erie. Glacial deposits, which transmit most ground water to the channels, range from less than 100 feet in thickness in the southern part of the St. Clair-Detroit River area to more than 250 feet in thickness in the northern part. Marine seismic surveys were used at some locations to determine the thickness of deposits. Glacial deposits in the St. Marys River area range from less than 10 feet to more than 300 feet in thickness. Permeable bedrock in the southern reach of the Detroit River area and throughout most of the St. Marys River area may contribute substantial amounts of water to the channels. Total ground-water discharge to the channels, by area, is estimated as follows! St. Marys area, 76 cubic feet per second; St. Clair area, 11 cubic feet per second; Lake St. Clair area, 46 cubic feet per second; and Detroit area, 54 cubic feet per second. Analyses of water from 31 wells, 25 of which were installed by the U.S. Geological Survey, were made for organic compounds, trace metals, and other substances. Volatile hydrocarbons, and base neutral, acid extractable, and chlorinated neutral compounds were not detectable in water at most locations. Concentrations of trace metals, however, were higher than common in natural waters at some locations.

  7. Declines in deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii energy density associated with the disappearance of Diporeia spp. in lakes Huron and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, S.A.; Hondorp, D.W.; Nalepa, T.F.

    2011-01-01

    The deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii is a glacial relict in the Laurentian Great Lakes that primarily consumes two glacial relict crustaceans, Mysis relicta and Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin were collected in Lake Michigan off Little Sable Point (in 2001) and Muskegon, Michigan (in 2001 and 2009), and in Lake Huron off Harbor Beach, Michigan (in 2007) for energy density and diet analyses. These sites and years represented differences in available prey. In Lake Michigan, energy densities of deepwater sculpin in 2001 were similar to those reported in 1969-1971. In contrast, energy content declined at least 26% at Muskegon between 2001 and 2009. Overall, energy density was 31-34% higher at a site with abundant Diporeia spp. compared with two sites without Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin diets consisted primarily of M. relicta at all sites, but included 10-17% (dry mass) Diporeia spp. at sites where this crustacean was still abundant. Food biomass in stomachs was higher at sites with abundant Diporeia spp. than at those without Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin energy density and food biomass in stomachs were similar between two sites without Diporeia spp. despite differences in abundance of remaining prey, M. relicta. Declines in deepwater sculpin energy density suggest the potential for further effects on other species and changes in the flow of energy through the food web of the Great Lakes. Published 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  8. Lake Michigan: Man's effects on native fish stocks and other biota

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wells, LaRue; McLain, Alberton L.

    1973-01-01

    Exploitation was largely responsible for the changes in Lake Michigan fish stocks before the invasion of the smelt, and probably before the invasion of the sea lamprey. The lamprey and alewife, however, have exerted a greater impact than the fishery on native fish populations in recent decades. Accelerated eutrophication and other pollution, although important, have not equalled the other factors in causing changes in native fish populations.

  9. ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN BASIN: INFLUENCE OF THE CHICAGO/GARY URBAN AREA

    EPA Science Inventory

    The relative importance of the Chicago/Gay urban area was investigated to determine its impact on atmospheric mercury (Hg) concentrations and wet deposition in the Lake Michigan basin. Event wet-only precipitation, total particulate, and vapor phase samples were collected for ...

  10. A previously unrecognized path of early Holocene base flow and elevated discharge from Lake Minong to Lake Chippewa across eastern Upper Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Loope, Walter L.; Jol, Harry M.; Fisher, Timothy G.; Blewett, William L.; Loope, Henry M.; Legg, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    It has long been hypothesized that flux of fresh meltwater from glacial Lake Minong in North America's Superior Basin to the North Atlantic Ocean triggered rapid climatic shifts during the early Holocene. The spatial context of recent support for this idea demands a reevaluation of the exit point of meltwater from the Superior Basin. We used ground penetrating radar (GPR), foundation borings from six highway bridges, a GIS model of surface topography, geologic maps, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service soils maps, and well logs to investigate the possible linkage of Lake Minong with Lake Chippewa in the Lake Michigan Basin across eastern Upper Michigan. GPR suggests that a connecting channel lies buried beneath the present interlake divide at Danaher. A single optical age hints that the channel aggraded to 225 m as elevated receipt of Lake Agassiz meltwater in the Superior Basin began to wane <10.6 ka. The large supply of sediment required to accommodate aggradation was immediately available at the channel's edge in the littoral shelves of abandoned Lake Algonquin and in distal parts of post-Algonquin fans. As discharge decreased further, the aggraded channel floor was quickly breached and interbasin flow to Lake Chippewa was restored. Basal radiocarbon ages on wood from small lakes along the discharge path and a GIS model of Minong's shoreline are consistent with another transgression of Minong after ca. 9.5 ka. At the peak of the latter transgression, the southeastern rim of the Superior Basin (Nadoway Drift Barrier) failed, ending Lake Minong. Upon Minong's final drop, aggradational sediments were deposited at Danaher, infilling the prior breach.

  11. Long-term elemental dry deposition fluxes measured around Lake Michigan with an automated dry deposition sampler

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shahin, U. Yi, S.M.; Paode, R.D.; Holsen, T.M.

    2000-05-15

    Long-term measurements of mass and elemental dry deposition (MG, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, and Pb) were made with an automated dry deposition sampler (Eagle II) containing knife-edge surrogate surfaces during the Lake Michigan Mass Balance/Mass Budget Study. Measurements were made over a roughly 700-day period in Chicago, IL; in South Haven and Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI; and over Lake Michigan on the 68th Street drinking water intake cribs from December 1993 to October 1995. Average mass fluxes in Chicago, South Haven, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the 68th Street crib weremore » 65, 10, 3.6, and 12 mg m{sup {minus}2} day{sup {minus}1}, respectively. Primarily crustal elemental fluxes were significantly smaller than the mass fluxes but higher than primarily anthropogenic elemental fluxes. For example, the average elemental flux of Al in Chicago, South Haven, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the 68th Street crib were 1.0, 0.34, 0.074, and 0.34 mg m{sup {minus}2}day{sup {minus}1}, respectively. The average Pb fluxes in Chicago, South Haven, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the 68th Street crib were 0.038, 0.023, 0.035, and 0.032 mg m{sup {minus}2}day{sup {minus}1}, respectively. The measured fluxes at the various sites were used to calculate the dry deposition loadings to the lake. These estimated fluxes were highest for Mg and lowest for Cd.« less

  12. Coordinated aircraft and ship surveys for determining impact of river inputs on great lakes waters. Remote sensing results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raquet, C. A.; Salzman, J. A.; Coney, T. A.; Svehla, R. A.; Shook, D. F.; Gedney, R. T.

    1980-01-01

    The remote sensing results of aircraft and ship surveys for determining the impact of river effluents on Great Lakes waters are presented. Aircraft multi-spectral scanner data were acquired throughout the spring and early summer of 1976 at five locations: the West Basin of Lake Erie, Genesee River - Lake Ontario, Menomonee River - Lake Michigan, Grand River - Lake Michigan, and Nemadji River - Lake Superior. Multispectral scanner data and ship surface sample data are correlated resulting in 40 contour plots showing large-scale distributions of parameters such as total suspended solids, turbidity, Secchi depth, nutrients, salts, and dissolved oxygen. The imagery and data analysis are used to determine the transport and dispersion of materials from the river discharges, especially during spring runoff events, and to evaluate the relative effects of river input, resuspension, and shore erosion. Twenty-five LANDSAT satellite images of the study sites are also included in the analysis. Examples of the use of remote sensing data in quantitatively estimating total particulate loading in determining water types, in assessing transport across international boundaries, and in supporting numerical current modeling are included. The importance of coordination of aircraft and ship lake surveys is discussed, including the use of telefacsimile for the transmission of imagery.

  13. Chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet from ice-walled lake deposits

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Curry, B.; Petras, J.

    2011-01-01

    A revised chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the south-central Laurentide Ice Sheet is presented based on radiocarbon ages of plant macrofossils archived in the sediments of low-relief ice-walled lakes. We analyze the precision and accuracy of 15 AMS 14C ages of plant macrofossils obtained from a single ice-walled lake deposit. The semi-circular basin is about 0.72km wide and formed of a 4- to 16-m-thick succession of loess and lacustrine sediment inset into till. The assayed material was leaves, buds and stems of Salix herbacea (snowbed willow). The pooled mean of three ages from the basal lag facies was 18 270??50 14C a BP (21 810cal. a BP), an age that approximates the switch from active ice to stagnating conditions. The pooled mean of four ages for the youngest fossil-bearing horizon was 17 770??40 14C a BP (21 180cal. a BP). Material yielding the oldest and youngest ages may be obtained from sediment cores located at any place within the landform. Based on the estimated settling times of overlying barren, rhythmically bedded sand and silt, the lacustrine environment persisted for about 50 more years. At a 67% confidence level, the dated part of the ice-walled lake succession persisted for between 210 and 860cal. a (modal value: 610cal. a). The deglacial age of five moraines or morainal complexes formed by the fluctuating margin of the Lake Michigan lobe have been assessed using this method. There is no overlap of time intervals documenting when ice-walled lakes persisted on these landforms. The rapid readvances of the lobe during deglaciation after the last glacial maximum probably occurred at some point between the periods of ice-walled lake sedimentation. ?? 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, 2002-03

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weaver, T.L.; Blumer, S.P.; Crowley, S.L.

    2008-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into a continuing agreement to collect water-level altitudes (hereafter referred to as water levels) at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, USGS has operated four continuous water-level recorders, installed from 1988 to 1991 on wells in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant, and Lake Townships (fig. 1) and summarized the data collected in an annual or bi-annual report. The agreement was altered in 2003, and beginning January 1, 2004, only the wells in Fairhaven and Lake Townships will have continuous water-level recorders, while the wells in Grant and Bingham Townships will revert to quarterly measurement status. USGS has also provided training for County or Huron Conservation District personnel to measure the water level, on a quarterly basis, in 23 wells. USGS personnel regularly accompany County or Huron Conservation District personnel to provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made. Water-level data collected from the 23 quarterly-measured wells is also summarized in the annual or bi-annual report. In 1998, the USGS also completed a temporal and spatial analysis of the monitoring well network in Huron County (Holtschlag and Sweat, 1998).The altitude of Lake Huron and precipitation are good indicators of general climatic conditions and, therefore, provide an environmental context for groundwater levels in Huron County. Figure 2 shows the mean-monthly water-level altitude of Lake Huron, averaged from measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at sites near Essexville and Harbor Beach, and monthly precipitation measured in Bad Axe (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2002-04; Danny Costello, NOAA hydrologist, written commun., 2003-04). In March 2003, a new low-water level for the period of this study was measured in

  15. Complex postglacial recolonization inferred from population genetic structure of mottled sculpin Cottus bairdii in tributaries of eastern Lake Michigan, U.S.A.

    PubMed

    Homola, J J; Ruetz, C R; Kohler, S L; Thum, R A

    2016-11-01

    This study used analyses of the genetic structure of a non-game fish species, the mottled sculpin Cottus bairdii to hypothesize probable recolonization routes used by cottids and possibly other Laurentian Great Lakes fishes following glacial recession. Based on samples from 16 small streams in five major Lake Michigan, U.S.A., tributary basins, significant interpopulation differentiation was documented (overall F ST = 0·235). Differentiation was complex, however, with unexpectedly high genetic similarity among basins as well as occasionally strong differentiation within basins, despite relatively close geographic proximity of populations. Genetic dissimilarities were identified between eastern and western populations within river basins, with similarities existing between eastern and western populations across basins. Given such patterns, recolonization is hypothesized to have occurred on three occasions from more than one glacial refugium, with a secondary vicariant event resulting from reduction in the water level of ancestral Lake Michigan. By studying the phylogeography of a small, non-game fish species, this study provides insight into recolonization dynamics of the region that could be difficult to infer from game species that are often broadly dispersed by humans. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  16. Mesoscale spiral vortex embedded within a Lake Michigan snow squall band - High resolution satellite observations and numerical model simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lyons, Walter A.; Keen, Cecil S.; Hjelmfelt, Mark; Pease, Steven R.

    1988-01-01

    It is known that Great Lakes snow squall convection occurs in a variety of different modes depending on various factors such as air-water temperature contrast, boundary-layer wind shear, and geostrophic wind direction. An exceptional and often neglected source of data for mesoscale cloud studies is the ultrahigh resolution multispectral data produced by Landsat satellites. On October 19, 1972, a clearly defined spiral vortex was noted in a Landsat-1 image near the southern end of Lake Michigan during an exceptionally early cold air outbreak over a still very warm lake. In a numerical simulation using a three-dimensional Eulerian hydrostatic primitive equation mesoscale model with an initially uniform wind field, a definite analog to the observed vortex was generated. This suggests that intense surface heating can be a principal cause in the development of a low-level mesoscale vortex.

  17. Arsenic in ground water in Tuscola County, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haack, Sheridan K.; Rachol, Cynthia M.

    2000-01-01

    Previous studies of ground-water resources in Michigan by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicate that in several counties in the southeastern part of the State the concentrations of arsenic in ground water may exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 50 micrograms per liter [µg/L]. This MCL was established in 1986. The Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996, requires USEPA to revise this standard in 2000. In June 2000, the USEPA proposed a revised MCL of 5 µg/L. In 1996, the USGS, in cooperation with the MDEQ and the Health Departments of Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola and Washtenaw counties, began a study of the factors controlling arsenic occurrence and concentrations in ground water in southeastern Michigan. This study is one of four USGS Drinking Water Initiative projects throughout the United States.

  18. Food of alewives, yellow perch, spottail shiners, trout-perch, and slimy and fourhorn sculpins in southeastern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wells, LaRue

    1980-01-01

    Stomachs of 1,064 alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), 1,103 yellow perch (Perca flavescens), 246 spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius), 288 trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus), 454 slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus), and 562 fourhorn sculpins (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) from Lake Michigan were examined for food contents. Fish were sampled primarily from March to November and nearly all were caught at the bottom in the southeastern part of the lake near Saugatuck, Michigan. Depths of capture (m) were: alewives, 5 to 110; yellow perch, 5 to 26; spottail shiners, 5 to 31; trout-perch, 9 to 46; slimy sculpins, 31 to 91; and fourhorn sculpins, 73 to 110. Alewives, particularly those less than 140 mm long, fed chiefly on zooplankton; Pontoporeia usually constituted most of the rest of the food, although Mysis and immature midges were occasionally eaten in considerable quantity. Yellow perch ate primarily Pontoporeia, fish eggs, Mysis, and crayfish; Pontoporeia was consumed most heavily by perch less than 250 mm long and those in relatively deep water, fish (mainly slimy sculpins) by those 200 mm long or longer, Mysis by those in deep water, and crayfish by those on rocky bottom. Spottail shiners fed most commonly on immature midges, Pontoporeia, zooplankton, fingernail clams, and (in July only) fish eggs; immature midges were eaten mainly by shiners in shallow water; and Pontoporeia by those in deeper areas. The diet of trout-perch was strongly dominated by Pontoporeia and immature midges. Slimy sculpins ate Pontoporeia almost exclusively. Fourhorn sculpins fed almost entirely on Mysis and Pontoporeia; Pontoporeia was particularly important in the diet of the larger fish.

  19. Contaminant trends in lake trout and walleye from the Laurentian Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    DeVault, David S.; Hesselberg, Robert J.; Rodgers, Paul W.; Feist, Timothy J.

    1996-01-01

    Trends in PCBs, DDT, and other contaminants have been monitored in Great Lakes lake trout and walleye since the 1970s using composite samples of whole fish. Dramatic declines have been observed in concentrations of PCB, ΣDDT, dieldrin, and oxychlordane, with declines initially following first order loss kinetics. Mean PCB concentrations in Lake Michigan lake trout increased from 13 μg/g in 1972 to 23 μg/g in 1974, then declined to 2.6 μg/g by 1986. Between 1986 and 1992 there was little change in concentration, with 3.5 μg/g observed in 1992. ΣDDT in Lake Michigan trout followed a similar trend, decreasing from 19.2 μg/g in 1970 to 1.1 μg/g in 1986, and 1.2 μg/g in 1992. Similar trends were observed for PCBs and ΣDDT in lake trout from Lakes Superior, Huron and Ontario. Concentrations of both PCB and ΣDDT in Lake Erie walleye declined between 1977 and 1982, after which concentrations were relatively constant through 1990. When originally implemented it was assumed that trends in the mean contaminant concentrations in open-lake fish would serve as cost effective surrogates to trends in the water column. While water column data are still extremely limited it appears that for PCBs in lakes Michigan and Superior, trends in lake trout do reasonably mimic those in the water column over the long term. Hypotheses to explain the trends in contaminant concentrations are briefly reviewed. The original first order loss kinetics used to describe the initial decline do not explain the more recent leveling off of contaminant concentrations. Recent theories have examined the possibilities of multiple contaminant pools. We suggest another hypothesis, that changes in the food web may have resulted in increased bioaccumulation. However, a preliminary exploration of this hypothesis using a change point analysis was inconclusive.

  20. Evaluation of potential impacts on Great Lakes water resources based on climate scenarios of two GCMs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lofgren, B.M.; Quinn, F.H.; Clites, A.H.; Assel, R.A.; Eberhardt, A.J.; Luukkonen, C.L.

    2002-01-01

    The results of general circulation model predictions of the effects of climate change from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (model CGCM1) and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office's Hadley Centre (model HadCM2) have been used to derive potential impacts on the water resources of the Great Lakes basin. These impacts can influence the levels of the Great Lakes and the volumes of channel flow among them, thus affecting their value for interests such as riparians, shippers, recreational boaters, and natural ecosystems. On one hand, a hydrological modeling suite using input data from the CGCM1 predicts large drops in lake levels, up to a maximum of 1.38 m on Lakes Michigan and Huron by 2090. This is due to a combination of a decrease in precipitation and an increase in air temperature that leads to an increase in evaporation. On the other hand, using input from HadCM2, rises in lake levels are predicted, up to a maximum of 0.35 m on Lakes Michigan and Huron by 2090, due to increased precipitation and a reduced increase in air temperature. An interest satisfaction model shows sharp decreases in the satisfaction of the interests of commercial navigation, recreational boating, riparians, and hydropower due to lake level decreases. Most interest satisfaction scores are also reduced by lake level increases. Drastic reductions in ice cover also result from the temperature increases such that under the CGCM1 predictions, most of Lake Erie has 96% of its winters ice-free by 2090. Assessment is also made of impacts on the groundwater-dependent region of Lansing, Michigan.

  1. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, January 1995 through December 1995

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sweat, M.J.

    1996-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into an agreement to continue collecting water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, the USGS has provided training and instrumentation for County personnel to measure, on a quarterly basis, the depth to water below the land surface in selected wells. The agreement includes the operation of continuous water-level recorders installed on four wells in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant and Lake Townships (fig. 1). County personnel make quarterly water-level measurements of 22 other wells. Once each year, County personnel are accompanied by USGS personnel who provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made.

  2. Potential Reservoirs and Risk Factors for VHSV IVb in an Enzootic System: Budd Lake, Michigan.

    PubMed

    Throckmorton, Elizabeth; Brenden, Travis; Peters, Amber K; Newcomb, Tammy J; Whelan, Gary E; Faisal, Mohamed

    2017-03-01

    Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus genotype IVb (VHSV IVb) has caused major, sporadic fish die-offs in the Laurentian Great Lakes region of North America since 2005. Presently, factors affecting VHSV IVb persistence in enzootic systems are not well understood. Even with annual surveillance, the virus can go undetected for several years after an outbreak before again re-emerging, which suggests that the virus is maintained in the system either below detectable levels or in untested reservoirs. The aim of this study was to identify potential reservoirs of VHSV IVb in Budd Lake, Michigan; VHSV IVb was first detected in Budd Lake in 2007 but remained undetected until 2011. Additionally, we explored the susceptibility of naive fish introduced into a water body enzootic for VHSV IVb by stocking age-0 Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides at varying densities into enclosures in the lake. The virus was not detected among samples of the fishes Notropis spp. and Lepomis spp., cylindrical papershell mussels Anodontoides ferussacianus, leeches (subclass Hirudinea), sediment, or water. However, the virus was successfully isolated from amphipods (family Hyalellidae) and Largemouth Bass held in the enclosures. Our finding of VHSV IVb in Hyalellidae amphipods in combination with other research that has detected the virus in Diporeia spp., a large benthic amphipod important as a food resource to Great Lake fishes, suggests that benthic macroinvertebrates are a reservoir for VHSV IVb in infected systems. If there are environmental reservoirs for VHSV IVb in infected systems, they are likely unevenly distributed. Findings of this study add to our understanding of the seemingly complex ecology of this deadly and economically detrimental virus. Received February 22, 2016; accepted October 16, 2016.

  3. Occurrence of Escherichia coli and Enterococci in Cladophora (Chlorophyta) in Nearshore Water and Beach Sand of Lake Michigan†

    PubMed Central

    Whitman, Richard L.; Shively, Dawn A.; Pawlik, Heather; Nevers, Meredith B.; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.

    2003-01-01

    Each summer, the nuisance green alga Cladophora (mostly Cladophora glomerata) amasses along Lake Michigan beaches, creating nearshore anoxia and unsightly, malodorous mats that can attract problem animals and detract from visitor enjoyment. Traditionally, elevated counts of Escherichia coli are presumed to indicate the presence of sewage, mostly derived from nearby point sources. The relationship between fecal indicator bacteria and Cladophora remains essentially unstudied. This investigation describes the local and regional density of Escherichia coli and enterococci in Cladophora mats along beaches in the four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan) bordering Lake Michigan. Samples of Cladophora strands collected from 10 beaches (n = 41) were assayed for concentrations of E. coli and enterococci during the summer of 2002. Both E. coli and enterococci were ubiquitous (up to 97% occurrence), with overall log mean densities (± standard errors) of 5.3 (± 4.8) and 4.8 (± 4.5) per g (dry weight). E. coli and enterococci were strongly correlated in southern Lake Michigan beaches (P < 0.001, R2 = 0.73, n = 17) but not in northern beaches (P = 0.892, n = 16). Both E. coli and enterococci survived for over 6 months in sun-dried Cladophora mats stored at 4°C; the residual bacteria in the dried alga readily grew upon rehydration. These findings suggest that Cladophora amassing along the beaches of Lake Michigan may be an important environmental source of indicator bacteria and call into question the reliability of E. coli and enterococci as indicators of water quality for freshwater recreational beaches. PMID:12902262

  4. Characterization and statistical modeling of bacterial (Escherichia coli) outflows from watersheds that discharge into Southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Olyphant, G.A.; Thomas, Joan; Whitman, R.L.; Harper, D.

    2003-01-01

    Two watersheds in northwestern Indiana were selected for detailed monitoring of bacterially contaminated discharges (Escherichia coli) into Lake Michigan. A large watershed that drains an urbanized area with treatment plants that release raw sewage during storms discharges into Lake Michigan at the outlet of Burns Ditch. A small watershed drains part of the Great Marsh, a wetland complex that has been disrupted by ditching and limited residential development, at the outlet of Derby Ditch. Monitoring at the outlet of Burns Ditch in 1999 and 2000 indicated that E. coli concentrations vary over two orders of magnitude during storms. During one storm, sewage overflows caused concentrations to increase to more than 10,000 cfu/100 mL for several hours. Monitoring at Derby Ditch from 1997 to 2000 also indicated that E. coli concentrations increase during storms with the highest concentrations generally occurring during rising streamflow. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 60% of the variability in measured outflows of E. coli from Derby Ditch (n = 88) could be accounted for by a model that utilizes continuously measured rainfall, stream discharge, soil temperature and depth to water table in the Great Marsh. A similar analysis indicated that 90% of the variability in measured E. coli concentrations at the outlet of Burns Ditch (n = 43) during storms could be accounted for by a combination of continuously measured water-quality variables including nitrate and ammonium. These models, which utilize data that can be collected on a real-time basis, could form part of an Early Warning System for predicting beach closures.

  5. Estimation of a Historic Mercury Load Function for Lake Michigan using Dated Sediment Cores

    EPA Science Inventory

    Box cores collected between 1994 and 1996 were used to estimate historic mercury loads to Lake Michigan. Based on a kriging spatial interpolation of 54 Pb-210 dated cores, 228 metric tons of mercury are stored in the lake’s sediments (excluding Green Bay). To estimate the time ...

  6. Observations of cocooned Hydrobaenus (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tucker, Taaja R.; Hudson, Patrick L.; Riley, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    Larvae of the family Chironomidae have developed a variety of ways to tolerate environmental stress, including the formation of cocoons, which allows larvae to avoid unfavorable temperature conditions, drought, or competition with other chironomids. Summer cocoon formation by younger instars of the genus Hydrobaenus Fries allows persistence through increased temperatures and/or intermittent dry periods in arid regions or temporary habitats, but this behavior was not observed in the Great Lakes until the current study. Cocoon-aestivating Hydrobaenus sp. larvae were found in benthic grab samples collected in 2010–2013 near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Lake Michigan with densities up to 7329/m2. The aestivating species was identified as Hydrobaenus johannseni (Sublette, 1967), and the associated chironomid community was typical for an oligotrophic nearshore system. Hydrobaenus cocoon formation in the Great Lakes was likely previously unnoticed due to the discrepancies between the genus' life history and typical benthos sampling procedures which has consequences for describing chironomid communities where Hydrobaenus is present.

  7. Lipid concentrations in Lake Michigan fishes: Seasonal, spatial, ontogenetic, and long-term trends

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Madenjian, Charles P.; Elliott, Robert F.; DeSorcie, Timothy J.; Stedman, Ralph M.; O'Connor, Daniel V.; Rottiers, Donald V.

    2000-01-01

    Lipid concentrations were measured in seven species of fish from several locations in Lake Michigan during spring, summer, and fall in 1994 to 1995. Adult alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and age-2 coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibited pronounced seasonal changes in lipid content. Adult alewives averaged 7.4% lipid, on a wet weight basis, during spring (May), 2.6% in summer (July), and 12.2% in fall (late September through October). Spring lipid concentration was low in age-2 coho salmon, averaging only 1.9%, then increased to 7.8% during summer and decreased to 4.5% by fall. In contrast, lipid content in adult bloater (Coregonus hoyi) was relatively constant with respect to season, ranging between 10.6% and 12.4% during the year. Lipid concentration increased with fish size for all species except rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Although deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsoni) were considerably larger than slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) (mean total length of 117 mm vs 68 mm), mean lipid content of deepwater sculpin (7.6%) was only slightly higher than that for slimy sculpin (6.6%). Comparison of lipid concentrations from this study with previous studies indicated that lipid concentration in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and alewives in Lake Michigan did not change significantly from 1969–1971 to 1994–1995. Lipid concentration in large (about 250 mm total length) adult bloaters near Saugatuck (along the southeastern shore of the lake) decreased from 23.3% in 1980 to 11.9% in 1986, but showed no significant change between 1986 and 1994–1995.

  8. SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLING OF SESTON IN GRAND TRAVERSE BAY, LAKE MICHIGAN. (R825151)

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study describes the biogeochemical cycling of seston in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan. Seston was characterized by carbon and nitrogen elemental and isotopic abundances. Fluorescence, temperature, light transmittance, and concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen we...

  9. Science as a fundamental framework for shaping policy discussions regarding the use of groundwater in the State of Michigan: A case study

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Steinman, A.D.; Nicholas, J.R.; Seelbach, P.W.; Allan, J.W.; Ruswick, F.

    2011-01-01

    The availability and use of freshwater is a growing concern in the United States and around the globe. Despite apparently abundant water resources, several conflicts over water use have emerged in the Great Lakes region and the State of Michigan. These conflicts resulted in state legislation that both addresses water withdrawal from the Great Lakes Basin and requires the State of Michigan to begin a process to address the sustainability of water resources. The former resulted in Michigan's support of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Compact, whereas the latter resulted in the formation of a Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council. This paper focuses primarily on the Council, describing its formation, and the products it generated. In particular, we focus on the development of indicators of sustainable use of water, the creation of a water withdrawal assessment process to determine if a proposed withdrawal will create an adverse resource impact in the state, and how the lessons learned in Michigan may be applied to other units of government addressing similar issues. Attention is also given to the Compact, as it provides important context for the Council's formation. ?? IWA Publishing 2011.

  10. Michigan Water Year 2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blumer, S.P.; Whited, C.R.; Ellis, J.M.; Minnerick, R.J.; LeuVoy, R.L.

    2006-01-01

    This volume of the annual hydrologic data report of Michigan is one of a series of annual reports that document hydrologic data gathered from the U.S. Geological Survey's surface- and ground-water data-collection networks in each state, Puerto Rico, and the Trust Territories. These records of streamflow, ground-water levels, and quality of water provide the hydrologic information needed by State, local, and Federal agencies, and the private sector for developing and managing our Nation's land and water resources.

  11. Age, growth, spawning season, and fecundity of the trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) in southeastern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    House, Robert; Wells, LaRue

    1973-01-01

    Growth of trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) in the first 2 years of life was somewhat slower in southeastern Lake Michigan (average length at end of second year, 83 mm) than in Lower Red Lake, Minnesota (90 mm), but considerably faster than in Lake Superior (58 mm); size differences in later years were slightly less pronounced. Young fish began growing earlier in the year (some before June 20) than older ones (as late as August). Females tended to live longer than males, as they do in Lower Red Lake and Lake Superior. Trout-perch spawned from late June or early July until late September, somewhat later than in Lower Red Lake (May to August) or Lake Erie (June to August). Fecundity was similar to that in Lake Erie; mature females 94-146 mm long contained from 126 to 1329 yolked eggs.

  12. Benthic invertebrates of fixed sites in the western Lake Michigan drainages, Wisconsin and Michigan, 1993-95

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lenz, Bernard N.; Rheaume, S.J.

    2000-01-01

    This report describes the variability in family-level benthic-invertebrate population data and the reliability of the data as a water-quality indicator for 11 fixed surface-water sites in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Benthic-invertebrate-community measures were computed for the following: number of individuals, Hilsenhoff’s Family-Level Biotic Index, number and percent EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricoptera), Margalef’s Diversity Index, and mean tolerance value. Relations between these measures and environmental setting, habitat, and of chemical water quality are examined. Benthic-invertebrate communities varied greatly among fixed sites and within individual streams among multiple-reach and multiple-year sampling. The variations between multiple reaches and years were sometimes larger than those found between different fixed sites. Factors affecting benthic invertebrates included both habitat and chemical quality. Generally, fixed-site streams with the highest diversity, greatest number of benthic invertebrates, and those at which community measures indicated the best water quality also had the best habitat and chemical quality. Variations among reaches are most likely related to differences in habitat. Variations among years are most likely related to climatic changes, which create variations in flow and/or chemical quality. The variability in the data analyzed in this study shows how benthic invertebrates are affected by differences in both habitat and water quality, making them useful indicators of stream health; however, a single benthic-invertebrate sample alone cannot be relied upon to accurately describe water quality of the streams in this study. Benthic-invertebrate data contributed valuable information on the biological health of the 11 fixed sites when used as one of several data sources for assessing water quality.

  13. Water-use data-collection programs and regional data base of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin states and provinces; a comparison of withdrawal-data programs by water-use category and by state and province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Snavely, D.S.

    1986-01-01

    As a result of the Great Lakes Charter (signed by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, and Wisconsin), the Geological Survey worked with a committee of the Council of Great Lakes Governors to document the water use data collection programs in the Basin. These programs are described for public water supply; supplies for domestic, irrigation, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and mining uses; and supplies for powerplants. Frequency of collection, trigger levels, storage methods, and legislative framework are described. A regional water use data base was designed to store withdrawal, diversion, and consumptive use data on a drainage basin basis. The data base will be used to decide the advisability of proposed water diversion and consumptive use projects as part of a water management strategy. Data base formats, requirements, and methods of data transmittal from each area are described. Methods for acquiring missing data are suggested. The data base will be housed by the Great Lakes Commission, Ann Arbor, Michigan. (USGS)

  14. Rainbow trout embryotoxicity of a complex contaminant mixture extracted from Lake Michigan lake trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, P.J.; Tillitt, D.E.

    1996-01-01

    Persistent Hydrophobic contaminants such as poly chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and biphenyl congeners are present in aquatic systems, and are known to produce adverse effects in fish. Reproductive failure in fish populations has been observed in aquatic systems contaminated with persistent hydrophobic compounds. In order to mimic maternal transfer of environmental contaminants to newly fertilized fish eggs, a complex environmental extract was tested for embryotoxicity in a nanoinjection bioassay with embryos of rainbow trout. The extract was obtained from whole adult lake trout collected from Lake Michigan in 1988. The tissue extraction involved blending and dehydration with sodium sulfate, column extraction, dialysis separation, reactive cleanup and, finally, high-performance gel permeation chromatography. Egg gram-equivalent doses (g tissue/g egg normalized for egg % lipid) of the final extract (0.02, 0.10, 0.20, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 10.0, 20.0 eggEQ) were injected into newly fertilized rainbow trout eggs using triolein as the vehicle. The extract of the lake trout was embryotoxic to rainbow trout, with an LD50 of 35 eggEQ, based on total cumulative mortality. Gross physical abnormalities characteristic of dioxin exposure, such as hemorrhaging, yolk-sac edema and craniofacial deformities, were observed and showed significant dose-related increases. Sublethal effects in the rainbow trout, such as delayed time to hatch, mild hemorrhaging and moderate yolk-sac edema, resulted from estimated total PCB exposure as low as 8.8 ng/g, and this may have significant implications on Great Lakes lake trout fry and juvenile mortality.

  15. Proceedings of Workshop on Priority Great Lakes Environmental Research Initiatives (Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, Michigan, October 10-11, 1974).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinsak, Arthur P., Ed.

    This publication contains the proceedings of a workshop held in Ann Arbor, Michigan to identify the priority Great Lakes environmental research initiatives. The five major objectives of the workshop include the determination of research initiatives, opportunities for university research communities to discuss and recommend future research…

  16. Status of beech bark disease establishment and research in Michigan

    Treesearch

    Therese M. Poland; Deborah G. McCullough; Toby R. Petrice; Nathan W. Siegert

    2003-01-01

    Beech bark disease was first discovered in Michigan in spring 2000 in Ludington State Park on the shore of Lake Michigan in the lower peninsula. Soon thereafter it was found in the upper peninsula of Michigan in the Bass Lake campground.

  17. Ground-Water Levels in Huron County, Michigan, 2004-05

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weaver, T.L.; Crowley, S.L.; Blumer, S.P.

    2006-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into a continuing agreement to measure water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, USGS has operated four continuous water-level recorders, installed from 1988 to 1991 on wells in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant, and Lake Townships (fig. 1) and summarized the data collected in an annual or bi-annual report. The agreement was altered in 2003, and beginning January 1, 2004, only the wells in Fairhaven and Lake Townships retained continuous waterlevel recorders, while the wells in Grant and Bingham Townships reverted primarily to periodic or quarterly measurement status. USGS also has provided training for County or Huron Conservation District personnel to measure the water level, on a quarterly basis, in 25 wells. USGS personnel regularly accompany County or Huron Conservation District personnel to provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made. Water-level data collected from the 25 periodically or quarterly-measured wells is summarized in an annual or bi-annual report. In 1998, the USGS also completed a temporal and spatial analysis of the monitoring well network in Huron County (Holtschlag and Sweat, 1998).The altitude of Lake Huron and precipitation are good indicators of general climatic conditions and, therefore, provide an environmental context for ground-water levels in Huron County. Figure 2 shows the mean-monthly water-level altitude of Lake Huron, averaged from measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at sites near Essexville or Harbor Beach, or both (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2003-05), and monthly precipitation measured in Bad Axe (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2003-05). In March 2003, a new low-water level for the period from 1991 through 2005 was measured in Lake Huron

  18. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, March 1993 through December 1994

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sweat, M.J.

    1995-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan. In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into an agreement to continue collecting water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, the USGS provided training and instrumentation for County personnel to measure, on a quarterly basis, the depth to water below the land surface in selected wells. The program included the operation of continuous water-level recorders installed on four wells, in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant and Lake townships (figure 1). County personnel make quarterly water-level measurements on 22 other wells (figure 1). Once each year, County personnel are accompanied by USGS personnel who provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made.Two of the wells with recorders are completed in the Marshall aquifer (H5r and H25Ar), one is completed in the glacio-fluvial aquifer (H2r), and one is completed in the Saginaw aquifer (H9r). Hydrographs are presented for each of the four wells with water level recorders (figures 3, 4, 6, and 8). Hydrographs of quarterly water-level measurements and range of water levels during the period October, 1988 to January, 1990 (the original project period) are shown in figures 5, 7, 9, and 10 and quarterly water levels are presented in tables 1 through 4.Figure 2 shows the monthly-mean water-level elevation of Lake Huron, as measured at Harbor Beach and Essexville, and monthly-mean precipitation as recorded at Bad Axe, for the period October, 1988 through December, 1994. In general, Lake Huron water-level elevation were at or near record lows in late 1989, and near record highs in late 1993. Precipitation throughout the period was generally within the normal range.

  19. The influence of ice on southern Lake Michigan coastal erosion

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnes, P.W.; Kempema, E.W.; Reimnitz, E.; McCormick, M.

    1994-01-01

    Coastal ice does not protect the coast but enhances erosion by displacing severe winter wave energy from the beach to the shoreface and by entraining and transporting sediment alongshore and offshore. Three aspects of winter ice in Lake Michigan were studied over a 3-year period and found to have an important influence on coastal sediment dynamics and the coastal sediment budget: (1) the influence of coastal ice on shoreface morphology, (2) the transport of littoral sediments by ice, and (3) the formation of anchor and underwater ice as a frequent and important event entraining and transporting sediment. The nearshore ice complex contains a sediment load (0.2 - 1.2 t/m of coast) that is roughly equivalent to the average amount of sand eroded from the coastal bluffs and to the amount of sand ice- rafted offshore to the deep lake basin each year. -from Authors

  20. A Mercury Transport and Fate Model for Mass Budget Assessment of Mercury Cycling in Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    A mercury mass balance model was developed to describe and evaluate the fate, transport, and biogeochemical transformations of mercury in Lake Michigan. Coupling with total suspendable solids (TSS) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the mercury transport and fate model simulates...

  1. Geomorphology of the Chippewa River delta of Glacial Lake Saginaw, central Lower Michigan, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connallon, Christopher B.; Schaetzl, Randall J.

    2017-08-01

    We introduce, characterize, and interpret the geomorphic history of a relict, Pleistocene-aged delta of the Chippewa River in central Lower Michigan. The broad, sandy Chippewa delta developed into various stages of Glacial Lake Saginaw, between ca. ≈ 17 and 15 ka·BP (calibrated ages). Although the delta was first identified in 1955 on a statewide glacial geology map, neither its extent nor its Pleistocene history had been previously determined. The delta is typically forested, owing to its wet, sandy soils, which stand out against the agricultural fields of the surrounding, loamy lake plain sediments. The delta heads near the city of Mt Pleasant and extends eastward onto the Saginaw Lowlands, i.e., the plain of Glacial Lake Saginaw. Data from 3285 water well logs, 180 hand augered sites, and 185 points randomly located in a GIS on two-storied (sand over loam) soils were used to determine the extent, textural properties, and thickness of the delta. The delta is ≈ 18 km wide and ≈ 38 km long and is sandy throughout. Deltaic sediments from neighboring rivers that also drained into Glacial Lake Saginaw merge with the lower Chippewa delta, obscuring its boundary there. The delta is thickest near the delta's head and in the center, but thins to 1-2 m or less on its eastern margins. Mean thicknesses are 2.3-2.9 m, suggestive of a thin sediment body, frequently impacted by the waves and fluctuating waters of the lakes. Although beach ridges are only weakly expressed across the delta because of the sandy sediment, the coarsest parts of the delta are generally coincident with some of these inferred former shorezones and have a broad, incised channel that formed while lake levels were low. The thick upper delta generally lies above the relict shorelines of Glacial Lakes Saginaw and Arkona (≈ 17.1 to ≈ 16 ka·BP), whereas most of the thin, distal delta is associated with Glacial Lake Warren (≈ 15 ka·BP). Together, these data suggest that the Chippewa delta formed

  2. Evaluation of ERTS data for certain oceanographic uses. [sunglint, algal bloom, water temperature, upwelling, and turbidity of Great Lakes waters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strong, A. E. (Principal Investigator)

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. (1) Sunglint effects over water can be expected in ERTS-1 images whenever solar elevations exceed 55 deg. (2) Upwellings were viewed coincidently by ERTS-1 and NOAA-2 in Lake Michigan on two occasions during August 1973. (3) A large oil slick was identified 100 km off the Maryland coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Volume of the oil was estimated to be least 200,000 liters (50,000 gallons). (4) ERTS-1 observations of turbidity patterns in Lake St. Clair provide circulation information that correlates well with physical model studies made 10 years ago. (5) Good correlation has been established between ERTS-1 water color densities and NOAA-2 thermal infrared surface temperature measurements. Initial comparisons have been made in Lake Erie during March 1973.

  3. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, 2004-05

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weaver, T.L.; Crowley, S.L.; Blumer, S.P.

    2006-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into a continuing agreement to measure water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, USGS has operated four continuous water-level recorders, installed from 1988 to 1991 on wells in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant, and Lake Townships (fig. 1) and summarized the data collected in an annual or bi-annual report. The agreement was altered in 2003, and beginning January 1, 2004, only the wells in Fairhaven and Lake Townships retained continuous waterlevel recorders, while the wells in Grant and Bingham Townships reverted primarily to periodic or quarterly measurement status. USGS also has provided training for County or Huron Conservation District personnel to measure the water level, on a quarterly basis, in 25 wells. USGS personnel regularly accompany County or Huron Conservation District personnel to provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made. Water-level data collected from the 25 periodically or quarterly-measured wells is summarized in an annual or bi-annual report. In 1998, the USGS also completed a temporal and spatial analysis of the monitoring well network in Huron County (Holtschlag and Sweat, 1998). The altitude of Lake Huron and precipitation are good indicators of general climatic conditions and, therefore, provide an environmental context for ground-water levels in Huron County. Figure 2 shows the mean-monthly water-level altitude of Lake Huron, averaged from measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at sites near Essexville or Harbor Beach, or both (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2003-05), and monthly precipitation measured in Bad Axe (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2003-05). In March 2003, a new low-water level for the period from 1991 through 2005 was measured in Lake Huron

  4. Age and growth of the kiyi, Leucichthys kiyi Koelz, in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Deason, Hilary J.; Hile, Ralph

    1947-01-01

    Ages were determined and individual growth histories were calculated from the examination and measurement of the scales of 1,649 kiyis captured at seven localities in Lake Michigan in 1931 and 1932. The numbers of individuals employed for the investigation of other phases of the life history (such as length-frequency distributions, length-weight relationship, and sex ratio) varied according to the amount of data available or required. Age-group IV was dominant in the 1931 collections from Racine, Port Washington, and Kewaunee, Wisconsin, and age-group V dominated the 1932 samples from the Fox Islands and from three localities southward of Manistique, Michigan. A trend was noticeable toward an increase in average age from south to north. Among the explanations suggested for the observed differences in age composition were: Variation with latitude in the natural span of life; differences in fishing intensity; fluctuations in the strength of year classes (to account possibly for the shift in the dominant age group from 1931 to 1932). The oldest male kiyi belonged to the VII group and the oldest female was a member of the X group. The possible distorting effects of such factors as gear selection traceable to differences in the mesh sizes of nets fished in 1931 and 1932, selection by nets on the basis of the condition (K) of the fish, and local variations in fishing intensity and hence in the selective destruction of rapidly growing individuals in the fishery were held to be sufficiently great to render doubtful the significance of most of the observed local differences in growth rate. Kiyis from all samples were combined to determine the general growth in length. The growth in weight of the Fox Islands fish, however, was considered separately as these fish were consistently lighter than kiyis of corresponding length from other localities. The Lake Michigan kiyi grows slowly, with the females growing slightly more rapidly than the males. The grand average calculated

  5. Evaluation of ERTS data for certain oceanographic uses. [upwelling, water circulation, and pollution in Great Lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strong, A. E. (Principal Investigator)

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Upwelling along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan was occurring during the 3 and 21 August 1973 visits by ERTS-1. The NOAA-2 VHRR thermal-IR data are being digitized for comparison. Early indications are that these upwellings induced a calcium carbonate precipitate to form in the surface waters. It is most pronounced in the MSS-4 channel. On the lake bottom this jell-like sediment is known as marl and adds to the eutrophication of the lake. This phenomenon may help to explain the varve-like nature of bottom cores that have been observed in the Great Lakes.

  6. Recent changes in Lake Michigan's fish community and their probable causes, with emphasis on the role of the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eck, Gary W.; Wells, LaRue

    1987-01-01

    Deepwater ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) or "chubs" of Lake Michigan far surpassed those of Lake Huron in yield, population density, and resilience following severe depletion in the 1960s and 1970s, when the bloater (C. hoyi) composed more than 90% of the stocks. The population decline of bloaters in recent decades was mainly attributed to exploitation, to the depression of chub recruitment (e.g. from inferred predation on early life stages) by nonendemic alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and to complications arising from extreme female predominance that was best documented for Lake Michigan. The various interactions between bloaters and the nonendemic species, which were intensified after the loss of large predators to sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), would help to explain why a stock–recruitment relation was not shown for the Lake Michigan bloater. We hypothesize that reproductive inefficiency caused by a shift to strong female predominance in the bloater depresses recruitment and thus helps to regulate abundance. However, the low resilience that sex imbalance seems to impart makes the stock unstable when exploited. It should therefore be exploited conservatively during such periods. Also, the sex ratio and its direction of change appear to be important qualifiers when surplus production is estimated from stock size.

  7. Landscape scale measures of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) bioenergetic growth rate potential in Lake Michigan and comparison with angler catch rates

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hook, T.O.; Rutherford, E.S.; Brines, Shannon J.; Geddes, C.A.; Mason, D.M.; Schwab, D.J.; Fleischer, G.W.

    2004-01-01

    The relative quality of a habitat can influence fish consumption, growth, mortality, and production. In order to quantify habitat quality, several authors have combined bioenergetic and foraging models to generate spatially explicit estimates of fish growth rate potential (GRP). However, the capacity of GRP to reflect the spatial distributions of fishes over large areas has not been fully evaluated. We generated landscape scale estimates of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) GRP throughout Lake Michigan for 1994-1996, and used these estimates to test the hypotheses that GRP is a good predictor of spatial patterns of steelhead catch rates. We used surface temperatures (measured with AVHRR satellite imagery) and acoustically measured steelhead prey densities (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus) as inputs for the GRP model. Our analyses demonstrate that potential steelhead growth rates in Lake Michigan are highly variable in both space and time. Steelhead GRP tended to increase with latitude, and mean GRP was much higher during September 1995, compared to 1994 and 1996. In addition, our study suggests that landscape scale measures of GRP are not good predictors of steelhead catch rates throughout Lake Michigan, but may provide an index of interannual variation in system-wide habitat quality.

  8. Investigation of thiamine and PCB association with early life stage fry mortality in lake trout from northwestern Lake Michigan in 1996-1998

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Honeyfield, Dale C.; Beltman, Dong; Holey, Mark; Edsall, Carol C.

    2005-01-01

    Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) eggs were collected from 72 females near Sturgeon Bay, WI in northwestern Lake Michigan from 1996, 1997, and 1998 to determine the relationships between egg thiamine and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations with egg fertilization and hatch, prevalence of abnormal fry, and fry mortality. Fry mortality consistent with early mortality syndrome (EMS) was observed in eggs from 33% of the females in 1996, 25% in 1997, and 28% in 1998. Among egg lots exhibiting EMS, fry mortality averaged 95% in 1996, 63% in 1997 and 77% in 1998 compared to 2% or less in lots that did not exhibit EMS. Expression of EMS was strongly correlated with egg thiamine concentrations; egg lots with less than approximately 1 nmol/g total thiamine consistently exhibited high rates of EMS, whereas egg batches with greater than 1.5 nmol/g showed little or no incidence of EMS among swim-up fry. Egg thiamine concentration was not related to fertilization rate, egg hatch, or the prevalence of abnormal fry. There was no relationship between egg concentrations of PCBs or tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) equivalents (from PCBs, dioxins, and furans) and any of the egg or fry viability measurements, including EMS. We concluded that fry mortality observed in Lake Michigan lake trout in 1996-1998 was not caused by the toxicity of PCBs, dioxins, and furans, but is due to low egg thiamine concentrations.

  9. Swimming performance of young lake trout after chronic exposure to PCBs and DDE

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rottiers, Donald V.; Bergstedt, Roger A.

    1981-01-01

    Swimming performance was measured in fry of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) exposed to PCB's, DDE, and a combination of these two contaminants in both food and water at concentrations equal to, and 5 and 25 times higher than, levels found in Lake Michigan water and plankton. Fry were tested after about 50, 110, and 165 days of exposure. We measured swimming performance by forcing the fry to swim through a continuous series of incrementally increased velocities until the fish were exhausted. Although we observed significant differences in swimming performance between a few test groups, we detected no relation between swimming performance of the fry and exposure to PCB's or DDE, or both, at the concentrations tested. Inasmuch as swimming performance apparently was not affected by the levels of contamination by PCB's and DDE in Lake Michigan, impairment of swimming by these contaminants cannot account for the failure of lake trout reproduction in Lake Michigan.

  10. Comparing Physics Scheme Performance for a Lake Effect Snowfall Event in Northern Lower Michigan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molthan, Andrew; Arnott, Justin M.

    2012-01-01

    High resolution forecast models, such as those used to predict severe convective storms, can also be applied to predictions of lake effect snowfall. A high resolution WRF model forecast model is provided to support operations at NWS WFO Gaylord, Michigan, using a 12 ]km and 4 ]km nested configuration. This is comparable to the simulations performed by other NWS WFOs adjacent to the Great Lakes, including offices in the NWS Eastern Region who participate in regional ensemble efforts. Ensemble efforts require diversity in initial conditions and physics configurations to emulate the plausible range of events in order to ascertain the likelihood of different forecast scenarios. In addition to providing probabilistic guidance, individual members can be evaluated to determine whether they appear to be biased in some way, or to better understand how certain physics configurations may impact the resulting forecast. On January 20 ]21, 2011, a lake effect snow event occurred in Northern Lower Michigan, with cooperative observing and CoCoRaHS stations reporting new snow accumulations between 2 and 8 inches and liquid equivalents of 0.1 ]0.25 h. The event of January 21, 2011 was particularly well observed, with numerous surface reports available. It was also well represented by the WRF configuration operated at NWS Gaylord. Given that the default configuration produced a reasonable prediction, it is used here to evaluate the impacts of other physics configurations on the resulting prediction of the primary lake effect band and resulting QPF. Emphasis here is on differences in planetary boundary layer and cloud microphysics parameterizations, given their likely role in determining the evolution of shallow convection and precipitation processes. Results from an ensemble of seven microphysics schemes and three planetary boundary layer schemes are presented to demonstrate variability in forecast evolution, with results used in an attempt to improve the forecasts in the 2011 ]2012

  11. Potential effects of climate change on the growth of fishes from different thermal guilds in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kao, Yu-Chun; Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Lofgren, Brent M.; Perroud, Marjorie

    2015-01-01

    We used a bioenergetics modeling approach to investigate potential effects of climate change on the growth of two economically important native fishes: yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a cool-water fish, and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), a cold-water fish, in deep and oligotrophic Lakes Michigan and Huron. For assessing potential changes in fish growth, we contrasted simulated fish growth in the projected future climate regime during the period 2043-2070 under different prey availability scenarios with the simulated growth during the baseline (historical reference) period 1964-1993. Results showed that effects of climate change on the growth of these two fishes are jointly controlled by behavioral thermoregulation and prey availability. With the ability of behavioral thermoregulation, temperatures experienced by yellow perch in the projected future climate regime increased more than those experienced by lake whitefish. Thus simulated future growth decreased more for yellow perch than for lake whitefish under scenarios where prey availability remains constant into the future. Under high prey availability scenarios, simulated future growth of these two fishes both increased but yellow perch could not maintain the baseline efficiency of converting prey consumption into body weight. We contended that thermal guild should not be the only factor used to predict effects of climate change on the growth of a fish, and that ecosystem responses to climate change should be also taken into account.

  12. "Data like a movie instead of a photo” - continuous water sensor data collection, 2015 Lake MI CSMI

    EPA Science Inventory

    During the 2015 Lake Michigan CSMI effort we collected continuous undulating tow and autonomous glider data including conductivity, temperature, depth, fluorescence, and backscatter across the northern half of Lake Michigan. During the same period, we also collected discreet vert...

  13. Large-scale modeled contemporary and future water temperature estimates for 10774 Midwestern U.S. Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Winslow, Luke A.; Hansen, Gretchen J. A.; Read, Jordan S.; Notaro, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Climate change has already influenced lake temperatures globally, but understanding future change is challenging. The response of lakes to changing climate drivers is complex due to the nature of lake-atmosphere coupling, ice cover, and stratification. To better understand the diversity of lake responses to climate change and give managers insight on individual lakes, we modelled daily water temperature profiles for 10,774 lakes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for contemporary (1979–2015) and future (2020–2040 and 2080–2100) time periods with climate models based on the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, the worst-case emission scenario. In addition to lake-specific daily simulated temperatures, we derived commonly used, ecologically relevant annual metrics of thermal conditions for each lake. We include all supporting lake-specific model parameters, meteorological drivers, and archived code for the model and derived metric calculations. This unique dataset offers landscape-level insight into the impact of climate change on lakes.

  14. Large-scale modeled contemporary and future water temperature estimates for 10774 Midwestern U.S. Lakes

    PubMed Central

    Winslow, Luke A.; Hansen, Gretchen J.A.; Read, Jordan S; Notaro, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Climate change has already influenced lake temperatures globally, but understanding future change is challenging. The response of lakes to changing climate drivers is complex due to the nature of lake-atmosphere coupling, ice cover, and stratification. To better understand the diversity of lake responses to climate change and give managers insight on individual lakes, we modelled daily water temperature profiles for 10,774 lakes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for contemporary (1979–2015) and future (2020–2040 and 2080–2100) time periods with climate models based on the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, the worst-case emission scenario. In addition to lake-specific daily simulated temperatures, we derived commonly used, ecologically relevant annual metrics of thermal conditions for each lake. We include all supporting lake-specific model parameters, meteorological drivers, and archived code for the model and derived metric calculations. This unique dataset offers landscape-level insight into the impact of climate change on lakes. PMID:28440790

  15. Large-scale modeled contemporary and future water temperature estimates for 10774 Midwestern U.S. Lakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Winslow, Luke A.; Hansen, Gretchen J. A.; Read, Jordan S.; Notaro, Michael

    2017-04-01

    Climate change has already influenced lake temperatures globally, but understanding future change is challenging. The response of lakes to changing climate drivers is complex due to the nature of lake-atmosphere coupling, ice cover, and stratification. To better understand the diversity of lake responses to climate change and give managers insight on individual lakes, we modelled daily water temperature profiles for 10,774 lakes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for contemporary (1979-2015) and future (2020-2040 and 2080-2100) time periods with climate models based on the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, the worst-case emission scenario. In addition to lake-specific daily simulated temperatures, we derived commonly used, ecologically relevant annual metrics of thermal conditions for each lake. We include all supporting lake-specific model parameters, meteorological drivers, and archived code for the model and derived metric calculations. This unique dataset offers landscape-level insight into the impact of climate change on lakes.

  16. Diet shifts by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes in northern Lake Michigan in response to ecosystem changes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, David B.; Davis, Bruce M.; Chriscinske, Margret Ann; Keeler, Kevin M.; Mychek-Londer, Justin G.

    2015-01-01

    In Lake Michigan, diets of planktivorous and benthivorous fishes have varied over the past decades, in part owing to food web changes. To update diet information and compare them to a similar effort in 1994–1995, we analyzed the diets of seven benthivorous and planktivorous fish species collected along two northern Lake Michigan transects that spanned nearshore (18 m), intermediate (46 m), and offshore (91, 110, 128 m) bottom depths during spring, summer, and autumn of 2010. Calanoid copepods (e.g., Limnocalanus macrurus, Leptodiaptomus sicilis, and Senecella calanoides) comprised a majority of the diets in at least one season for all sizes of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), bloater (Coregonus hoyi), and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Similarly, Mysis diluviana was the highest proportion in at least one season for large sizes of alewife, bloater, and rainbow smelt, as well as slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii). The diets of the remaining two species, ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) and round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), were dominated by herbivorous cladocerans or dreissenid mussels, respectively. Interspecific diet overlap was minimal at 18 and 46 m. In offshore waters, however, overlap was relatively high, driven by frequent consumption of Mysis. Relative to 1994–1995, 2010 diets revealed increased feeding on calanoid copepods and Mysis, with corresponding declining consumption of Diporeia spp. and herbivorous cladocerans. Relative diet weight was also higher in 1994–1995 than in 2010 for small and large bloater and both sculpin species. We hypothesize that the shifts in diets are reflective of community-level changes in invertebrate prey availability.

  17. Climate change projections for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) recruitment in the 1836 Treaty Waters of the Upper Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lynch, Abigail J.; Taylor, William W.; Beard, T. Douglas; Lofgren, Brent M.

    2015-01-01

    Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is an ecologically, culturally, and economically important species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lake whitefish have been a staple food source for thousands of years and, since 1980, have supported the most economically valuable (annual catch value ≈ US$16.6 million) and productive (annual harvest ≈ 7 million kg) commercial fishery in the upper Great Lakes (Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior). Climate changes, specifically changes in temperature, wind, and ice cover, are expected to impact the ecology, production dynamics, and value of this fishery because the success of recruitment to the fishery has been linked with these climatic variables. We used linear regression to determine the relationship between fall and spring air temperature indices, fall wind speed, winter ice cover, and lake whitefish recruitment in 13 management units located in the 1836 Treaty Waters of the Upper Great Lakes ceded by the Ottawa and Chippewa nations, a culturally and commercially important region for the lake whitefish fishery. In eight of the 13 management units evaluated, models including one or more climate variables (temperature, wind, ice cover) explained significantly more variation in recruitment than models with only the stock–recruitment relationship, using corrected Akaike's Information Criterion comparisons (ΔAICc > 3). Isolating the climate–recruitment relationship and projecting recruitment with the Coupled Hydrosphere-Atmosphere Research Model (CHARM) indicated the potential for increased lake whitefish recruitment in the majority of the 1836 Treaty Waters management units. These results can inform adaptive management strategies by providing anticipated implications of climate on lake whitefish recruitment.

  18. Are the Laurentian Great Lakes a CO2 Source or Sink?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez, J.; Townsend-Small, A.

    2016-12-01

    As concentrations of CO2 increase in our atmosphere, large bodies of water are prone to an accompanying increase in CO2. Accruing CO2 sinking into the Great Lakes can create more acidic waters, which is detrimental to the healthy growth of organisms producing calcium carbonate skeletons - a phenomenon that has been confirmed in modern oceans. Recent estimates suggests that Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior are sources of atmospheric CO2, while Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are CO2 sinks, although this is based largely on water volume and little research has been done to validate these predictions. Water samples were collected aboard the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System RV Blue Heron and the Canadian Coast Guard RV Limnos from Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Erie during the summer of 2016. Alkalinity and pCO2 were analyzed in lab to further calculate dissolved concentrations and fluxes of CO2, providing more information to resolve whether the Great Lakes are a CO2 source or sink. Additional work involves sampling all five of the Great lakes throughout the year to determine any seasonal trends in CO2. 13C-DIC will also be measured in order to differentiate methane oxidation and respiration to the CO2 pool.

  19. Estimated Withdrawals and Other Elements of Water Use in the Great Lakes Basin of the United States in 2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mills, Patrick C.; Sharpe, Jennifer B.

    2010-01-01

    . Combined withdrawals for mining, irrigation, domestic, aquaculture, and livestock use (in order of decreasing rate) were 1.63 Bgal/d, or only 5 percent of total withdrawals; the withdrawals were distributed almost equally between surface-water and groundwater sources. Withdrawals for each of these uses, except livestock, increased almost continuously during 1985-2005. Withdrawals for mining increased 103 percent and for irrigation 94 percent during 1985-2005; livestock withdrawals decreased 25 percent from their peak in 1990. The number of irrigated acres increased 56 percent since 1985, totaling 750,000 acres in 2005. No use of reclaimed wastewater for industrial or irrigation applications was reported; however, sources of information regarding its use were sparse. Within the basin, the Lake Michigan watershed accounted for 15.0 Bgal/d, or 49 percent, of total water withdrawals for 2005; an estimated 12.3 Bgal/d was withdrawn directly from Lake Michigan. The State of Michigan accounted for 38 percent of total water withdrawals, representing the largest surface-water withdrawals (primarily for thermoelectric power use) and groundwater withdrawals (primarily for public supply and self-supplied domestic use). A disproportionately large percentage of surface-water withdrawals (6 percent, 1.80 Bgal/d) were in Illinois, given this state represents less than 1 percent of the land area of the basin. Ninety percent of the Illinois population served by the water withdrawn from Lake Michigan for public supply resides outside the basin. Within land-based HUCs, the Lower Maumee (04100009) of Ohio accounted for the largest total withdrawal and total surface-water withdrawal (about 0.75 Bgal/d). The St. Joseph (04050001) of Michigan and Indiana accounted for the largest total groundwater withdrawal (0.25 Bgal/d).

  20. Implementation of local grid refinement (LGR) for the Lake Michigan Basin regional groundwater-flow model

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoard, C.J.

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey is evaluating water availability and use within the Great Lakes Basin. This is a pilot effort to develop new techniques and methods to aid in the assessment of water availability. As part of the pilot program, a regional groundwater-flow model for the Lake Michigan Basin was developed using SEAWAT-2000. The regional model was used as a framework for assessing local-scale water availability through grid-refinement techniques. Two grid-refinement techniques, telescopic mesh refinement and local grid refinement, were used to illustrate the capability of the regional model to evaluate local-scale problems. An intermediate model was developed in central Michigan spanning an area of 454 square miles (mi2) using telescopic mesh refinement. Within the intermediate model, a smaller local model covering an area of 21.7 mi2 was developed and simulated using local grid refinement. Recharge was distributed in space and time using a daily output from a modified Thornthwaite-Mather soil-water-balance method. The soil-water-balance method derived recharge estimates from temperature and precipitation data output from an atmosphere-ocean coupled general-circulation model. The particular atmosphere-ocean coupled general-circulation model used, simulated climate change caused by high global greenhouse-gas emissions to the atmosphere. The surface-water network simulated in the regional model was refined and simulated using a streamflow-routing package for MODFLOW. The refined models were used to demonstrate streamflow depletion and potential climate change using five scenarios. The streamflow-depletion scenarios include (1) natural conditions (no pumping), (2) a pumping well near a stream; the well is screened in surficial glacial deposits, (3) a pumping well near a stream; the well is screened in deeper glacial deposits, and (4) a pumping well near a stream; the well is open to a deep bedrock aquifer. Results indicated that a range of 59 to 50 percent of the

  1. Ground-water contamination and legal controls in Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Deutsch, Morris

    1963-01-01

    The great importance of the fresh ground-water resources of Michigan is evident because 90 percent of the rural and about 70 percent of the total population of the State exclusive of the Detroit metropolitan area are supplied from underground sources. The water-supply and public-health problems that have been caused by some cases of ground-water contamination in the State illustrate the necessity of protecting this vital resource.Manmade and natural contaminants, including many types of chemical and organic matter, have entered many of the numerous aquifers of the State. Aquifers have been contaminated by waste-laden liquids percolating from the surface or from the zone of aeration and by direct injection to the aquifer itself. Industrial and domestic wastes, septic tanks, leaking sewers, flood waters or other poor quality surface waters, mine waters, solids stored or spread at the surface, and even airborne wastes all have been sources of ground-water contamination in Michigan. In addition, naturally occurring saline waters have been induced into other aquifers by overpumping or unrestricted flow from artesian wells, possibly by dewatering operations, and by the deepening of surface stream channels. Vertical migration of saline waters through open holes from formations underlying various important aquifers also has spoiled some of the fresh ground waters in the State. In spite of the contamination that has occurred, however, the total amount of ground water that has been spoiled is only a small part of the total resource. Neither is the contamination so widespread as that of the surface streams of Michigan.Overall legal authority to control most types of ground-water contamination in the State has been assigned by the Michigan Legislature to the Water Resources Commission, although the Department of Conservation and the Health Department also exercise important water-pollution control functions. The Michigan Supreme Court, in an important case upholding the power

  2. Vertical migration and nighttime distribution of adult bloaters in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    TeWinkel, Leslie M.; Fleischer, Guy W.

    1999-01-01

    The vertical migration and nighttime vertical distribution of adult bloaters Coregonus hoyi were investigated during late summer in Lake Michigan using acoustics simultaneously with either midwater or bottom trawling. Bloaters remained on or near bottom during the day. At night, bloaters were distributed throughout 30-65 m of water, depending on bottom depth. Shallowest depths of migration were not related to water temperature or incident light. Maximum distances of migration increased with increasing bottom depth. Nighttime midwater densities ranged from 0.00 to 6.61 fish/1,000 mA? and decreased with increasing bottom depth. Comparisons of length distributions showed that migrating and nonmigrating bloaters did not differ in size. However, at most sites, daytime bottom catches collected a greater proportion of larger individuals compared with nighttime midwater or bottom catches. Mean target strengths by 5-m strata indicated that migrating bloaters did not stratify by size in the water column at night. Overall, patterns in frequency of empty stomachs and mean digestive state of prey indicated that a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night. Bloater diet composition indicated both midwater feeding and bottom feeding. In sum, although a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night, bloaters were not limited to feeding at this time. This research confirmed that bloaters are opportunistic feeders and did not fully support the previously proposed hypothesis that bloater vertical migration is driven by the vertically migrating macroinvertebrate the opossom shrimp Mysis relicta.

  3. Landsat Thematic Mapper monitoring of turbid inland water quality

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lathrop, Richard G., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    This study reports on an investigation of water quality calibration algorithms under turbid inland water conditions using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) multispectral digital data. TM data and water quality observations (total suspended solids and Secchi disk depth) were obtained near-simultaneously and related using linear regression techniques. The relationships between reflectance and water quality for Green Bay and Lake Michigan were compared with results for Yellowstone and Jackson Lakes, Wyoming. Results show similarities in the water quality-reflectance relationships, however, the algorithms derived for Green Bay - Lake Michigan cannot be extrapolated to Yellowstone and Jackson Lake conditions.

  4. Detection of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in near-shore habitats of southern Lake Michigan.

    PubMed

    Ferguson, Patrick J; Bernot, Melody J; Doll, Jason C; Lauer, Thomas E

    2013-08-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been documented throughout the United States freshwaters but research has focused largely on lotic systems. Because PPCPs are designed to have a physiological effect, it is likely that they may also influence aquatic organisms. Thus, PPCPs may negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. The objectives of this research were to quantify PPCP abundance in near-shore habitats of southern Lake Michigan and identify factors related to PPCP abundance. Stratified sampling was conducted seasonally at four southern Lake Michigan sites. All sites and depths had measurable PPCP concentrations, with mean individual compound concentrations of acetaminophen (5.36 ng/L), caffeine (31.0 ng/L), carbamazepine (2.23 ng/L), cotinine (4.03 ng/L), gemfibrozil (7.03 ng/L), ibuprofen (7.88 ng/L), lincomycin (4.28 ng/L), naproxen (6.32 ng/L), paraxanthine (1,7-dimethylxanthine; 46.2 ng/L), sulfadimethoxine (0.94 ng/L), sulfamerazine (0.92 ng/L), sulfamethazine (0.92 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (26.0 ng/L), sulfathiazole (0.92 ng/L), triclocarban (5.72 ng/L), trimethoprim (5.15 ng/L), and tylosin (3.75 ng/L). Concentrations of PPCPs varied significantly among sampling times and locations (river mouth vs offshore), with statistical interactions between the main effects of site and time as well as time and location. Concentrations of PPCPs did not differ with site or depth. Temperature, total carbon, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, and ammonium concentrations were related to total pharmaceutical concentrations. These data indicate that PPCPs are ubiquitous and persistent in southern Lake Michigan, potentially posing harmful effects to aquatic organisms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. ERTS computer compatible tape data processing and analysis. Appendix 1: The utility of imaging radars for the study of lake ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Polcyn, F. C.; Thomson, F. J.; Porcello, L. J.; Sattinger, I. J.; Malila, W. A.; Wezernak, C. T.; Horvath, R.; Vincent, R. K. (Principal Investigator); Bryan, M. L.

    1972-01-01

    There are no author-identified significant results in this report. Remotely sensed multispectral scanner and return beam vidicon imagery from ERTS-1 is being used for: (1) water depth measurements in the Virgin Islands and Upper Lake Michigan areas; (2) mapping of the Yellowstone National Park; (3) assessment of atmospheric effects in Colorado; (4) lake ice surveillance in Canada and Great Lakes areas; (5) recreational land use in Southeast Michigan; (6) International Field Year on the Great Lakes investigations of Lake Ontario; (7) image enhancement of multispectral scanner data using existing techniques; (8) water quality monitoring of the New York Bight, Tampa Bay, Lake Michigan, Santa Barbara Channel, and Lake Erie; (9) oil pollution detection in the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico southwest of New Orleans, and Santa Barbara Channel; and (10) mapping iron compounds in the Wind River Mountains.

  6. High resolution mapping of NO2 column densities along the western shore of Lake Michigan and the Los Angeles Basin during May/June 2017

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Judd, L. M.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.; Kowalewski, M. G.; Szykman, J.; Swap, R.; Abuhassan, N.; Cede, A.; Valin, L.; Williams, D.; Stanier, C. O.

    2017-12-01

    The airborne Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) UV/VIS mapping spectrometer was used to make measurements for the Lake Michigan Ozone Study (LMOS) along the western shore of Lake Michigan and for the Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) in the Los Angeles Basin during May and June 2017. This instrument has the capability of retrieving NO2 column densities at sub-urban spatial scales (nominally 250 m x 250 m) and is being used as a testbed for future geostationary air quality retrievals. LMOS was a multi-agency collaborative observational effort to better understand ozone pollution along Lake Michigan's western shore, where coastal monitors exceed current ozone standards. With 21 science flights during the 5-week campaign period, GeoTASO acquired data for constraining emissions along the western coast of Lake Michigan and observed how these emissions dispersed and influenced the local air quality. During SARP flights, GeoTASO was used to map the Los Angeles Basin five times over two days, observing NO2 Differential Slant Column densities (DSCs) ranging from over 50x1015 molecules cm-2 down to GeoTASO's detection limit ( 1.5x1015 molecules cm-2 at 250 m x 250 m). This work presents the spatial distribution of preliminary NO2 DSCs observations over both research areas, and shows how this it changed at hourly to multi-day timescales under varying meteorological conditions. Both LMOS and SARP included coincident column NO2 measurements from networks of ground-based Pandora spectrometers specifically set up for these campaigns, and a comparison of coincident observations will be shown. Consistent features were observed throughout these flights, including continual emission `hot-spots' and the redistribution of NO2 plumes by land-water circulations. One goal of this work is to investigate how the fine spatial features observed (e.g. power plant plumes) will be depicted in satellite observations at coarser spatial resolutions. These

  7. PAHs, NITRO-PAHs, HOPANES, AND STERANES IN LAKE TROUT FROM LAKE MICHIGAN

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Lei; Chernyak, Sergei M.; Batterman, Stuart A.

    2015-01-01

    The present study examines concentrations and risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), steranes, and hopanes in lake trout collected in Lake Michigan. A total of 74 fish were collected in 2 seasons at 3 offshore sites. The total PAH concentration (Σ9PAH) in whole fish ranged from 223 pg/g to 1704 pg/g wet weight, and PAH concentrations and profiles were similar across season, site, and sex. The total NPAH (Σ9NPAH) concentrations ranged from 0.2 pg/g to 31 pg/g wet weight, and carcinogenic compounds, including 1-nitropyrene and 6-nitrochrysene, were detected. In the fall, NPAH concentrations were low at the Illinois site (0.2–0.5 pg/g wet wt), and site profiles differed considerably; in the spring, concentrations and profiles were similar across sites, possibly reflecting changes in fish behavior. In the fall, the total sterane (Σ5Sterane) and total hopane (Σ2Hopane) levels reached 808 pg/g and 141 pg/g wet weight, respectively, but concentrations in the spring were 10 times lower. Concentrations in eggs (fall only) were on the same order of magnitude as those in whole fish. These results demonstrate the presence of target semivolatile organic compounds in a top predator fish, and are consistent with PAH biodilution observed previously. Using the available toxicity information for PAHs and NPAHs, the expected cancer risk from consumption of lake trout sampled are low. However, NPAHs contributed a significant portion of the toxic equivalencies in some samples. The present study provides the first measurements of NPAHs in freshwater fish, and results suggest that additional assessment is warranted. PMID:24764175

  8. Water-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rose, W.J.; Garn, H.S.; Goddard, G.L.; Marsh, S.B.; Olson, D.L.; Robertson, Dale M.

    2007-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The locations of water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 2006 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the period October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006 is called 'water year 2006.' The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during non-frozen periods are included for all lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes: location of the lake, area of the lake's watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published in another volume: 'Water Resources Data-Wisconsin, 2006.' Water-resources data, including stage and discharge data at most streamflow-gaging stations, are available through the World Wide Web on the Internet. The Wisconsin Water Science Center's home page is at http://wi.water.usgs.gov/. Information on the

  9. Influence of PCBs in water on uptake and elimination of DDT and DDE by lake trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hesselberg, Robert J.; Nicholson, Lawrence W.

    1981-01-01

    Researchers predicted that several hundred years would be required before DDT (1,1,1 trichloro-2,2-bis [P-chlorophyl] ethane) and its metabolites were likely to decrease to nondetectable levels in Lake Michigan. But following the ban on DDT in 1970, residues of total DDT in Lake Michigan lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) declined rapidly from 10.5µg/g in 1970 to 5.7 µg/g in 1976. During this period, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were being detected in lake trout tissues at about 20 µg/g. It was hypothesized that the high level of PCBs being accumulated by fish may have influenced uptake and elimination of DDT and DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis [p-chlorophenyl] ethylene) by fish. To test this hyphophesis, fingeriing lake trout were exposed to various combinations of DDT, DDE (100 ng/liter), and PCBs (100 and 500 ng/liter) in water for 12 weeks. After DDT and DDe exposures were completed, exposure to PCBs was continued for an additional 16 weeks to measure any effect PCBs may have on the elimination of DDT and DDE by fish. Accumulation and elimination rates of DDT and DDE were compared. It was found that PCBs did not influence the accumulation or elimination rates of DDT or DDE in lake trout and therefore should not have had a major influence on the decline of DDT in lake trout.

  10. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, 2006-07

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weaver, T.L.; Blumer, S.P.; Fuller, L.M.

    2008-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into a continuing agreement to measure water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, USGS initially operated four continuous water-level recorders, installed from 1988 to 1991 on wells in Bingham (H5r), Fairhaven (H9r), Grant (H2r), and Lake Townships (H25Ar) and summarized the data collected in an annual or bi-annual report (fig. 1). The agreement was altered in 2003, and beginning January 1, 2004, only wells H9r and H25Ar retained continuous water-level recorders, while wells H2r and H5r reverted to quarterly or periodic measurement status due to budget constraints. The decision of which two wells to discontinue was based on an analysis of the intrinsic value to Huron County of data from each well. Well H2r was selected for periodic measurement at that time because it is completed in the glacial aquifer, which is absent in much of Huron County and well H5r, which is completed in the Marshall aquifer, was selected because the water level in the well is often perturbed as a result of pumpage from nearby production wells and does not always reflect baseline conditions within the aquifer. USGS also has provided training for County or Huron Conservation District personnel to measure the water level in 24 of the wells on a quarterly basis. USGS personnel accompany County or Huron Conservation District personnel on a semi-annual basis to provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made. Water-level data collected from the wells is summarized in an annual or bi-annual report. The altitude of Lake Huron and precipitation are good indicators of general climatic conditions and, therefore, provide an environmental context for groundwater levels in Huron County. Figure 2 shows the meanmonthly water-level altitude of Lake Huron, averaged from

  11. Water quality and hydrology of the Silver River Watershed, Baraga County, Michigan, 2005-08

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weaver, Thomas L.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Rachol, Cynthia M.; Ellis, James M.

    2010-01-01

    The Silver River Watershed comprises about 69 square miles and drains part of northeastern Baraga County, Michigan. For generations, tribal members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community have hunted and fished in the watershed. Tribal government and members of Keweenaw Bay Indian Community are concerned about the effect of any development within the watershed, which is rural, isolated, and lightly populated. For decades, the area has been explored for various minerals. Since 2004, several mineral-exploration firms have been actively investigating areas within the watershed; property acquisition, road construction, and subsurface drilling have taken place close to tributary streams of the Silver River. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, conducted a multi-year water-resources investigation of the Silver River Watershed during 2005-08. Methods of investigation included analyses of streamflow, water-quality sampling, and ecology at eight discrete sites located throughout the watershed. In addition, three continuous-record streamgages located within the watershed provided stage, discharge, specific conductance, and water-temperature data on an hourly basis. Water quality of the Silver River Watershed is typical of many streams in undeveloped areas of Upper Michigan. Concentrations of most analytes typically were low, although several exceeded applicable surface-water-quality standards. Seven samples had concentrations of copper that exceeded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality standards for wildlife, and one sample had concentrations of cyanide that exceeded the same standards. Concentrations of total mercury at all eight sampling sites exceeded the Great Lakes Basin water-quality standard, but the ratio of methylmercury to total mercury was similar to the 5 to 10 percent found in most natural waters. Concentrations of arsenic and chromium in bed sediments were near the threshold-effect concentration. A qualitative

  12. Model Forecasts of Atrazine in Lake Michigan in Response to Various Sensitivity and Potential Management Scenarios

    EPA Science Inventory

    For more than forty years, the herbicide atrazine has been used on corn crops in the Lake Michigan basin to control weeds. It is usually applied to farm fields in the spring before or after the corn crop emerges. A version of the WASP4 mass balance model, LM2-Atrazine, was used...

  13. Nutrient additions by waterfowl to lakes and reservoirs: predicting their effects on productivity and water quality

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manny, Bruce A.; Johnson, W.C.; Wetzel, R.G.

    1994-01-01

    Lakes and reservoirs provide water for human needs and habitat for aquatic birds. Managers of such waters may ask whether nutrients added by waterfowl degrade water quality. For lakes and reservoirs where primary productivity is limited by phosphorus (P), we developed a procedure that integrates annual P loads from waterfowl and other external sources, applies a nutrient load-response model, and determines whether waterfowl that used the lake or reservoir degraded water quality. Annual P loading by waterfowl can be derived from a figure in this report, using the days per year that each kind spent on any lake or reservoir. In our example, over 6500 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and 4200 ducks (mostly mallards, Anas platyrhynchos) added 4462 kg of carbon (C), 280 kg of nitrogen (N), and 88 kg of P y-1 to Wintergreen Lake in southwestern Michigan, mostly during their migration. These amounts were 69% of all C, 27% of all N, and 70% of all P that entered the lake from external sources. Loads from all external sources totaled 840 mg P m-2 y-1. Application of a nutrient load-response model to this concentration, the hydraulic load (0.25 m y-1), and the water residence time (9.7 y) of Wintergreen Lake yielded an average annual concentration of total P in the lake of 818 mg m-3 that classified the lake as hypertrophic. This trophic classification agreed with independent measures of primary productivity, chlorophyll-a, total P, total N, and Secchi disk transparency made in Wintergreen Lake. Our procedure showed that waterfowl caused low water quality in Wintergreen Lake.

  14. Time trends (1983-1999) for organochlorines and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) from Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chernyak, Sergei M.; Rice, Clifford P.; Quintal, Richard T.; Begnoche, Linda J.; Hickey, James P.; Vinyard, Bryan T.

    2005-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Service Great Lakes Science Center has archived rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) collected from the early 1980s to the present. These fish were collected to provide time- and site-dependent contaminant residue data needed by researchers and managers to fill critical data gaps regarding trends and behavior of persistent organic contaminants in the Great Lakes ecosystem. In the present study, data are presented for concentrations of several organochlorine (OC) contaminants in the archived smelt, including DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxaphene, and chlordanes in Lakes Michigan and Huron (MI, USA) and in Lake Superior (MN, USA). The trends for all the OCs were declining as a first-order decay over the sampled time series (1983/1985–1993/1999) with the exception of toxaphene in Lake Superior and PCBs at the Charlevoix/Little Traverse Bay site in Lake Michigan. Concentration of the emerging contaminant, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), also was traced from its apparent entry into this ecosystem in approximately 1980 until 1999. Time trends for the PBDEs were increasing exponentially at all sites, with concentration-doubling times varying from 1.58 to 2.94 years.

  15. Wave Height and Water Level Variability on Lakes Michigan and St Clair

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-10-01

    Observations: http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/sose/glwx_activity.html 4. NASA Atlas of Extratropical Storm Tracks: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/stormtracks...term meteorological, ice, wave, and water level measurements. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Base flood elevation Coastal flood Extratropical storms Great...Box 1027 Detroit, MI 48231-1027 ERDC/CHL TR-12-23 ii Abstract The Great Lakes are subject to coastal flooding as a result of severe storms

  16. Environmental baseline study of the Huron River Watershed, Baraga and Marquette Counties, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Woodruff, Laurel G.; Weaver, Thomas L.; Cannon, William F.

    2010-01-01

    This report summarizes results of a study to establish water-quality and geochemical baseline conditions within a small watershed in the Lake Superior region. In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a survey of water-quality parameters and soil and streambed sediment geochemistry of the 83 mi2 Huron River Watershed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Streamflow was measured and water-quality samples collected at a range of flow conditions from six sites on the major tributaries of the Huron River. All water samples were analyzed for a suite of common ions, nutrients, and trace metals. In addition, water samples from each site were analyzed for unfiltered total and methylmercury once during summer low-flow conditions. Soil samples were collected from 31 sites, with up to 4 separate samples collected at each site, delineated by soil horizon. Streambed sediments were collected from 11 sites selected to cover most of the area drained by the Huron River system. USGS data were supplemented with ecological assessments completed in 2006 by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality using a modified version of their Great Lakes Environmental Assessment Section procedure 51, and again during 2008 using volunteers under supervision of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Results from this study define a hydrological, geological, and environmental baseline for the Huron River Watershed prior to any significant mineral exploration or development. Results from the project also serve to refine the design of future regional environmental baseline studies in the Lake Superior Basin.

  17. Evaluating the negative effect of benthic egg predators on bloater recruitment in northern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bunnell, David B.; Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Diana, James S.; Stott, Wendylee; Madenjian, Charles P.

    2012-01-01

    As the only extant deepwater cisco in Lake Michigan, bloater is currently at record low levels of abundance.  Several mechanisms to regulate their recruitment have been proposed, including skewed sex ratios, predation on their larvae by adult alewife, and climatic factors during early life history stages, but none has unequivocal support.  In this research, we evaluated an alternative mechanism of egg predation that was supported by an inverse relationship between bloater recruitment and biomass of slimy sculpin, which are known to be effective egg predators.  To that end, we used a combination of field sampling, laboratory experiments, and modeling to estimate the proportion of bloater eggs consumed by sculpins each year between 1973 and 2008.  Monthly field sampling between January through May 2009-2010 (when bloater eggs were incubating) offshore of Frankfort (Michigan), Sturgeon Bay (Wisconsin), Two Rivers (Wisconsin), and Muskegon (Michigan) provided benthivore diets for subsequent laboratory processing.  Identification and enumeration of stomach contents and subsequent genetic analyses of eggs revealed that the mean proportion of bloater eggs in slimy sculpin diets (N = 1016) equaled 0.04.  Bloater eggs also were consumed by deepwater sculpins (N = 699) at a slightly lower mean proportion (0.02), and only one round goby diet among 552 enumerated revealed a bloater egg.  Based on the diet results, we developed daily ration models to estimate consumption for both deepwater and slimy sculpins.  We conducted feeding experiments to estimate gastric evacuation (GEVAC) for water temperatures ranging 2-5 °C, similar to those observed during egg incubation.  GEVAC rates equaled 0.0115/ h for slimy sculpin and 0.0147/h for deepwater sculpin, and did not vary between 2.7 and 5.1 °C for either species or between prey types (Mysis relicta and fish eggs) for slimy sculpin.  Index of fullness [(g prey/g fish weight)100%] was estimated from sculpins sampled in

  18. Mobility of 137Cs in freshwater lakes: A mass balance and diffusion study of Lake St. Clair, Southeast Michigan, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jinlong; Baskaran, Mark; Niedermiller, John

    2017-12-01

    Cesium-137 is one of the most widely utilized anthropogenic radionuclides, both as a tracer and chronometer in the environment. Its application as an effective chronometer requires a thorough understanding of its geochemical behavior in aqueous systems. In this study, we collected and analyzed a suite of time-series water samples over a period of 8 months (April - November 2015), for particulate and dissolved 137Cs activities from a watershed in southeast Michigan, USA, using Cu2Fe(CN)6-coated cartridges developed to pre-concentrate dissolved 137Cs. We also conducted a series of laboratory experiments with the natural freshwater sediment samples and water with different chemical composition. There were seasonal variations of both particulate and dissolved 137Cs activities in the watersheds of Lake St. Clair. The distribution coefficients of 137Cs determined over a period of 8 months varied between 0.14 × 105 and 6.1 × 105 mL g-1 (mean: 2.9 × 105 mL g-1). The annual input and export flux of total 137Cs activity via rivers into and out of Lake St. Clair were calculated to be 3.6 × 1010 Bq and 1.6 × 1010 Bq, respectively. The amount of 137Cs derived by diffusion from interstitial pore water to the water column was estimated to be 0.30 × 1010 Bq (8.3% of the total input flux) which is similar to the percentage of 137Cs desorption (13%-20%) from sediment placed in oxic soft water system over a period of 30-106 days. For the same concentrations of NH4+, Mn2+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+ and Sr2+ in a distilled water, our lab work showed that the sediment-sorbed 137Cs is displaced by ions in the order NH4+ > Mn2+ > K+ > Mg2+ ≈ Ca2+ > Na+ > Sr2+. In laboratory studies, 137Cs sorbed onto sediment was found to be less mobile in oxic soft water (Kd: 2.0 × 103 mL g-1) and more mobile in anoxic soft water (Kd: 0.2 × 103 mL g-1). In a hard water system, however, there is no significant difference in Kd values for both oxic and anoxic conditions. The sequence of Kd values is

  19. Estimate of ground water in storage in the Great Lakes basin, United States, 2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Coon, William F.; Sheets, Rodney A.

    2006-01-01

    Hydrogeologic data from Regional Aquifer System Analyses (RASA) studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Great Lakes Basin, United States, during 1978-95, were compiled and used to estimate the total volume of water that is stored in the many aquifers of the basin. These studies focused on six regional aquifer systems: the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana; the Silurian- Devonian aquifers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; the surficial aquifer system (aquifers of alluvial and glacial origin) found throughout the Great Lakes Basin; and the Pennsylvanian sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers and the Mississippian sandstone aquifer in Michigan. Except for the surficial aquifers, all of these aquifer systems are capable of yielding substantial quantities of water and are not small aquifers with only local importance. Individual surficial aquifers, although small in comparison to the bedrock aquifers, collectively represent large potential sources of ground water and therefore have been treated as a regional system. Summation of ground-water volumes in the many regional aquifers of the basin indicates that about 1,340 cubic miles of water is in storage; of this, about 984 cubic miles is considered freshwater (that is, water with dissolved-solids concentration less than 1,000 mg/L). These volumes should not be interpreted as available in their entirety to meet water-supply needs; complete dewatering of any aquifer is environmentally undesirable. The amount of water that is considered available on the basis of water quality and environmental, economic, and legal constraints has not been determined. The effect of heavy pumping in the Chicago, Ill., and Milwaukee, Wis., areas, which has caused the regional ground-water divide in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system to shift westward, has been included in the above estimates. This shift in the ground-water divide has increased the amount of water in storage in the

  20. Water-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes, Water Year 2007

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wisconsin Water Science Center Lake-Studies Team: Rose, W. J.; Garn, H.S.; Goddard, G.L.; Marsh, S.B.; Olson, D.L.; Robertson, Dale M.

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The locations of water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 2007 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the period October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2007 is called 'water year 2007.' The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during non-frozen periods are included for all lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes: location of the lake, area of the lake?s watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published in another volume: 'Water Resources Data-Wisconsin, 2007.'

  1. Analysis of Enterococci and Bacteriodales Fecal Indicator Bacteria in a Lake Michigan Tributary by Real-Time Quantitative PCR

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Salt Creek watershed in northwest Indiana drains into Lake Michigan near several heavily used recreational beaches. This study aimed to investigate the levels of fecal indicator bacteria, enterococci and Bacteroidales, in Salt Creek using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) an...

  2. Kame deltas provide evidence for a new glacial lake and suggest early glacial retreat from central Lower Michigan, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaetzl, Randall J.; Lepper, Kenneth; Thomas, Sarah E.; Grove, Leslie; Treiber, Emma; Farmer, Alison; Fillmore, Austin; Lee, Jordan; Dickerson, Bethany; Alme, Kayleigh

    2017-03-01

    In association with an undergraduate Honors Seminar at Michigan State University, we studied two small kame deltas in north-central Lower Michigan. These recently identified deltas provide clear evidence for a previously unknown proglacial lake (Glacial Lake Roscommon) in this large basin located in an interlobate upland. Our first goal was to document and characterize the geomorphology of these deltas. Because both deltas are tied to ice-contact ridges that mark the former position of the retreating ice margin within the lake, our second goal was to establish the age of one of the deltas, thereby constraining the timing of ice retreat in this part of Michigan, for which little information currently exists. Both deltas are composed of well-sorted fine and medium sands with little gravel, and have broad, nearly flat surfaces and comparatively steep fronts. Samples taken from the upper 1.5 m of the deltas show little spatial variation in texture, aside from a general fining toward their outer margins. Gullies on the outer margins of both deltas probably postdate the formation of the deltas proper; we suggest that they formed by runoff during a permafrost period, subsequent to lake drawdown. We named the ice lobe that once covered this area the Mackinac Lobe, because it had likely advanced into the region across the Mackinac Straits area. Five of six optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from one of the deltas had minimal scatter and were within ± 1000 years of one another, with a mean age of 23.1 ± 0.4 ka. These ages suggest that the Mackinac Lobe had started to retreat from the region considerably earlier than previously thought, even while ice was near its maximum extent in Illinois and Indiana, and the remainder of Michigan was ice-covered. This early retreat, which appears to coincide with a short-lived warm period indicated from the Greenland ice core, formed an "opening" that was at least occasionally flooded. Thick and deep, fine-textured deposits

  3. Status of the deepwater cisco population of Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, Stanford H.

    1964-01-01

    The species and size composition and the abundance of the cisco (Leucichthys spp.) population of Lake Michigan have undergone drastic changes since the sea lamprey became established in the 1940's. The changes were measured by the catches of gill nets of identical specifications fished at the same seasons, depths, and locations in 1930-32, 1954-55, and 1960-61. The two largest ciscoes (johannae and nigripinnis), exploited heavily in a highly selective fishery from the midnineteenth century to the early 1900's, were only sparsely represented in the catch in the 1930's and were absent from catches of the comparison surveys in 1954-55 and 1960-61. The species of intermediate size (alpenae, artedi, kiyi, reighardi, and zenithicus) constituted about two-thirds of the cisco stocks of the deepwater zone in the 1930's but declined to 23.9 and 6.4 percent in the 1950's and 1960's, respectively. Major causes of change were the increased fishing pressure and sea lamprey predation that accompanied the disappearance of the lake trout. The small, slow-growing cisco (hoyi) - the primary food of lake trout - which was not fished intensively, and was too small to suffer greatly from sea lamprey predation, increased from 31.0 percent of the catch in the 1930's to 76.1 percent in the 1950's and 93.6 percent in the 1960's. Consequences of the extreme imbalance of the cisco population have been a reduction in mean size of all species, extension of the range of the very abundant hoyi (formerly most abundant in moderately shallow areas) to almost all depths and sections of the lake, and possibly introgressive hybridization among the various species. The primary change in the fishery has been a shift from gill nets to more extensive use of trawls which can take the now abundant smaller fish.

  4. A shift in bloater consumption in Lake Michigan between 1993 and 2011 and its effects on Diporeia and Mysis prey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, Steven A.; Bunnell, David B.

    2016-01-01

    Bioenergetics modeling was used to determine individual and population consumption by Bloater Coregonus hoyi in Lake Michigan during three time periods with variable Bloater density: 1993–1996 (high), 1998–2002 (intermediate), and 2009–2011 (low). Despite declines in Bloater abundance between 1993 and 2011, our results did not show any density-dependent compensatory response in annual individual consumption, specific consumption, or proportion of maximum consumption consumed. Diporeia spp. accounted for a steadily decreasing fraction of annual consumption, and Bloater were apparently unable to eat enough Mysis diluviana or other prey to account for the loss of Diporeia in the environment. The fraction of production of both Diporeia and Mysis that was consumed by the Bloater population decreased over time so that the consumption-to-production ratio for Diporeia + Mysis was 0.74, 0.26, and 0.14 in 1993–1996, 1998–2002, and 2009–2011, respectively. Although high Bloater numbers in the 1980s to 1990s may have had an influence on populations of Diporeia, Bloater were not the main factor driving Diporeia to a nearly complete disappearance because Diporeia continued to decline when Bloater predation demands were lessening. Thus, there appears to be a decoupling in the inverse relationship between predator and prey abundance in Lake Michigan. Compared with Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, the other dominant planktivore in the lake, Bloater have a lower specific consumption and higher gross conversion efficiency (GCE), indicating that the lake can support a higher biomass of Bloater than Alewife. However, declines in Bloater GCE since the 1970s and the absence of positive responses in consumption variables following declines in abundance suggest that productivity in Lake Michigan might not be able to support the same biomass of Bloater as in the past.

  5. Water resources of the Flint area, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wiitala, Sulo Werner; Vanlier, K.E.; Krieger, Robert A.

    1964-01-01

    sand and gravel also fill some of the valleys in the bedrock surface and yield moderate to large supplies of water. Production from public supply wells tapping the drift aquifers in the area ranges from about 50 to 1,200 gpm. The water from the drift aquifer is hard or very hard and commonly contains objectionable amounts of iron.The Saginaw formation is a source of water to wells supplying some of the small communities and industries in the county. The Saginaw, which is the uppermost bedrock formation in the area, underlies most of the county. It is composed of layers of sandstone, shale, and limestone and some beds of coal. The formation is composed principally of sandstone in some areas of the county, and shale in others. Production from wells tapping the Saginaw ranges from a few to about 500 gpm. The water produced is generally moderately hard or hard and commonly contains objectionable amounts of chloride. The quality of the water limits its development for water supply. Overdrafts from the Saginaw result in a lowering of the piezometric surface and commonly cause an upward migration of water high in chloride.The Michigan and Marshall formations are generally not sources of fresh water where they are overlain by the Saginaw formation. In the southern and eastern parts of the county where they are overlain by glacial deposits, they are a source of water of good quality. The quantity of water obtainable from these formations is not fully known. However, the Marshall may be a source of large supplies of water in the southeastern part of the county.An ample supply of water is available in lakes, ponds, and streams in the metropolitan area of Flint to meet requirements for domestic, sanitary, and firefighting use in civil defense emergencies. The extent of emergency use of water from these sources would depend upon the pumping, distribution, and treatment facilities available. Enough private industrial and commercial, and public wells are present in the area normally

  6. Foreshore sand as a source of Escherichia coli in nearshore water of a Lake Michigan beach.

    PubMed

    Whitman, Richard L; Nevers, Meredith B

    2003-09-01

    Swimming advisories due to excessive Escherichia coli concentrations are common at 63rd Street Beach, Chicago, Ill. An intensive study was undertaken to characterize the source and fate of E. coli in beach water and sand at the beach. From April through September 2000, water and sand samples were collected daily or twice daily at two depths on three consecutive days per week (water samples, n = 1,747; sand samples, n = 858); hydrometeorological conditions and bird and bather distributions were also recorded. E. coli concentrations in sand and water were significantly correlated, with the highest concentration being found in foreshore sand, followed by those in submerged sediment and water of increasing depth. Gull contributions to E. coli densities in sand and water were most apparent on the day following gull activity in a given area. E. coli recolonized newly placed foreshore sand within 2 weeks. Analysis of variance, correlation, cluster analyses, concentration gradients, temporal-spatial distribution, demographic patterns, and DNA fingerprinting suggest that E. coli may be able to sustain population density in temperate beach sand during summer months without external inputs. This research presents evidence that foreshore beach sand (i) plays a major role in bacterial lake water quality, (ii) is an important non-point source of E. coli to lake water rather than a net sink, (iii) may be environmentally, and perhaps hygienically, problematic, and (iv) is possibly capable of supporting an autochthonous, high density of indicator bacteria for sustained periods, independent of lake, human, or animal input.

  7. A Microbial Signature Approach to Identify Fecal Pollution in the Waters Off an Urbanized Coast of Lake Michigan

    PubMed Central

    Newton, Ryan J.; Bootsma, Melinda J.; Morrison, Hilary G.; Sogin, Mitchell L.

    2014-01-01

    Urban coasts receive watershed drainage from ecosystems that include highly developed lands with sewer and stormwater infrastructure. In these complex ecosystems, coastal waters are often contaminated with fecal pollution, where multiple delivery mechanisms that often contain multiple fecal sources make it difficult to mitigate the pollution. Here, we exploit bacterial community sequencing of the V6 and V6V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to identify bacterial distributions that signal the presence of sewer, fecal, and human fecal pollution. The sequences classified to three sewer infrastructure-associated bacterial genera, Acinetobacter, Arcobacter, and Trichococcus, and five fecal-associated bacterial families, Bacteroidaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae, served as signatures of sewer and fecal contamination, respectively. The human fecal signature was determined with the Bayesian source estimation program SourceTracker, which we applied to a set of 40 sewage influent samples collected in Milwaukee, WI, USA to identify operational taxonomic units (≥97 % identity) that were most likely of human fecal origin. During periods of dry weather, the magnitudes of all three signatures were relatively low in Milwaukee's urban rivers and harbor and nearly zero in Lake Michigan. However, the relative contribution of the sewer and fecal signature frequently increased to >2 % of the measured surface water communities following sewer overflows. Also during combined sewer overflows, the ratio of the human fecal pollution signature to the fecal pollution signature in surface waters was generally close to that of sewage, but this ratio decreased dramatically during dry weather and rain events, suggesting that nonhuman fecal pollution was the dominant source during these weather-driven scenarios. The qPCR detection of two human fecal indicators, human Bacteroides and Lachno2, confirmed the urban fecal footprint in

  8. Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2014

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Robertson, Dale M.

    2017-05-25

    IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a database for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The locations of water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 2014 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the periodOctober 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014, is called “water year 2014.”The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during nonfrozen periods are included for many lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes the location of the lake, area of the lake’s watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published online at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis.Water-resources data, including stage and discharge data at most streamflow-gaging stations, are available online. The Wisconsin Water Science Center’s home page is at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/wisconsin-water-science-center. Information

  9. Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Keeler, Kevin M.; Bunnell, David B.; Diana, James S.; Adams, Jean V.; Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Warner, David M.; Yule, Daniel; Vinson, Mark

    2015-01-01

    The ability of planktivorous fishes to exert top-down control on Bythotrephes potentially has far-reaching impacts on aquatic food-webs, given previously described effects of Bythotrephes on zooplankton communities. We estimated consumption of Bythotrephes by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes, using bioenergetics and daily ration models at nearshore (18 m), intermediate (46 m), and offshore (110 m) depths along one western Lake Superior transect (April, and September-November) and two northern Lake Michigan transects (April, July, September). In Lake Superior, consumption (primarily by cisco Coregonus artedi) exceeded Bythotrephes production at all offshore sites in September-November (up to 396% of production consumed) and at the intermediate site in November (842%) with no evidence of consumption nearshore. By comparing Bythotrephes biomass following months of excessive consumption, we conservatively concluded that top-down control was evident only at the offshore site during September-October. In Lake Michigan, consumption by fishes (primarily alewife Alosa pseudoharengus) exceeded production at nearshore sites (up to 178%), but not in deeper sites (< 15%). Evidence for top-down control in the nearshore was not supported, however, as Bythotrephes never subsequently declined. Using generalized additive models, temperature, and not fish consumption, not zooplankton prey density, best explained variability in Bythotrephes biomass. The non-linear pattern revealed Bythotrephes to increase with temperature up to 16 °C, and then decline between 16 and 23 °C. We discuss how temperature likely has direct negative impacts on Bythotrephes when temperatures near 23 °C, but speculate that predation also contributes to declining biomass when temperatures exceed 16 °C.

  10. 90% Below 10m: Summer Biomass and Productivity are Invisible to Satellites and Surface Transects in Modern Lake Michigan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuhel, R. L.; Aguilar, C.

    2013-12-01

    Deep biomass maxima, often identified through in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence profiles (DCM or deep chlorophyll maximum), have been common 'forever' in Lake Michigan. Usually present in the upper thermocline zone of 15-25m, summer DCM populations were characteristically dominated by diatoms. Increased light transmission in quagga mussel (QM) engineered Lake Michigan waters now has enabled phytoplankton to proliferate in discrete layers as deep as 50m. Instances of multiple fluorescence maxima and transmission minima, often not coincident, document the habitat diversity available in clear, often sequentially stratified offshore waters and MidLake Reef Complex locations. Phytoplankton population structure has also changed, and diatoms have become a much smaller component of algal biomass. Discrete layers of chromatically adapted picoplankton now dominate the deepest biomass maxima. Photosynthetic characteristics differ substantially among leading edge, principal biomass or fluorescence, and deep trailing edge populations. Saturation coefficients are often as low as 25 uEin/m2/sec, or 1% of midday summer surface radiance. In vivo fluorescence is only loosely related to biomass, which is greatest in shallower zones of beam transmission minima. On a daily basis, areal primary productivity post-QM is less than half of previous levels, and seasonality has been muted. Spring bloom enhancement no longer exists, and the depth zone of maximum productivity is 10-20m deeper than during the diatom epoch. Altered phytoplankton community structure and decreased productivity left strong signals in biogeochemical time series measurements. A clear discontinuity in silicate cycling indicates dampened diatom productivity and consequently lower silica loss through deposition and burial. Porewater analysis pre- and post-QM shows evidence of reduced organic sedimentation overall, with an especially strong signal in decreased potential silicate efflux. Biogeochemical consequences include

  11. Notable decomposition products of senescing Lake Michigan Cladophora glomerata

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Peller, Julie R.; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.; Shively, Dawn A.; Sadowsky, Michael J.; Chun, Chan Lan; Whitman, Richard L.

    2013-01-01

    Massive accumulations of Cladophora, a ubiquitous, filamentous green alga, have been increasingly reported along Great Lakes shorelines, negatively affecting beach aesthetics, recreational activities, public health and beachfront property values. Previously, the decomposition byproducts of decaying algae have not been thoroughly examined. To better understand the negative consequences and potential merit of the stranded Cladophora, a three month mesocosm study of the dynamic chemical environment of the alga was conducted using fresh samples collected from southern Lake Michigan beaches. Typical fermentation products, such as organic acids, sulfide compounds, and alcohols were detected in the oxygen–deprived algae. Short chain carboxylic acids peaked on day seven, in correspondence with the lowest pH value. Most low molecular mass carbon compounds were eventually consumed, but 4-methylphenol, indole, and 3-methylindole were detected throughout the incubation period. Natural oils were detected in fresh and decomposing algae, indicating the stable nature of these compounds. The mesocosm experiment was validated by directly sampling the fluid within decomposing Cladophora mats in the field; many of the same compounds were found. This study suggests that the problematic Cladophora accumulations may be harvested for useful byproducts, thereby reducing the odiferous and potentially harmful mats stranded along the shorelines.

  12. Embryotoxicity of Great Lakes lake trout extracts to developing rainbow trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wright, Peggy J.; Tillitt, Donald E.

    1999-01-01

    Planar halogenated hydrocarbons (PHHs), such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls are present in aquatic systems, and are known to produce adverse effects in fish. This study investigated the embryotoxicity of PHH mixtures through the nanoinjection of environmental extracts into newly fertilized eggs from two strains of rainbow trout. Organic extracts were obtained from whole adult lake trout collected from Lake Michigan in 1988 and Lake Superior in 1994. The graded doses of the final extracts used for injection were quantified as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin toxic-equivalents (TEQs) based on the concentrations of dioxins, furans and non-o-PCBs in each, and as equivalent amounts found in the eggs of the original lake trout (eggEQ). Total TEQs in the lake trout were 14.7 pg TEQ/g in the Lake Michigan sample and 7.3 pg TEQ/g in the Lake Superior sample. The extract of the Lake Michigan lake trout was embryotoxic to rainbow trout; LD50 values were 35 eggEQ (15–90, 95% F.L.) in the Arlee strain and 14 eggEQ (5–99, 95% F.L.) in the Erwin strain of rainbow trout. The LD50 values of the Lake Michigan extract in either of these strains of rainbow trout fall within the actual range of TCDD LD50values based on TEQs. This indicates that an additive model of toxicity is appropriate to quantify PHHs in relation to early life stage mortality in fish. Gross lesions characteristic of exposure to PHHs (i.e. yolk-sac edema, craniofacial deformities, and hemorrhaging) increased in a dose-related manner. The lowest observable adverse effect concentrations (LOAEC) for these gross lesions and cumulative mortalities suggests that current concentrations of PHHs in lake trout from Lake Michigan are above a threshold for adverse effects and these compounds may have implications on the lack of recruitment in certain Great Lakes lake trout populations.

  13. A mercury transport and fate model (LM2-mercury) for mass budget assessment of mercury cycling in Lake Michigan

    EPA Science Inventory

    LM2-Mercury, a mercury mass balance model, was developed to simulate and evaluate the transport, fate, and biogeochemical transformations of mercury in Lake Michigan. The model simulates total suspended solids (TSS), disolved organic carbon (DOC), and total, elemental, divalent, ...

  14. 76 FR 65609 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-24

    ... Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforcement of regulation. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road....S. Army Corps of Engineers' dispersal barrier maintenance operations. During the enforcement period...

  15. DEVELOPMENT OF INDICATORS OF EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE TO SEDIMENT AND HABITAT ALTERATION IN LAKE MICHIGAN COASTAL RIVERINE WETLANDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Measures are being assessed to quantify the relationship of land-use in upstream watersheds to the habitat and biota in downstream coastal wetlands. Twenty-two sites were randomly drawn from a pool of 125 identified as riverine coastal wetlands along the shore of Lake Michigan. W...

  16. Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, January 1996 through December 1996

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sweat, M.J.

    1997-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan (Sweat, 1991). In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into an agreement to continue collecting water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, the USGS has provided training and instrumentation for County personnel to measure, on a quarterly basis, the depth to water below the land surface in selected wells. The agreement includes the operation of continuous water-level recorders installed on four wells in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant and Lake Townships (fig. 1). County personnel make quarterly water-level measurements of 22 other wells. Once each year, County personnel are accompanied by USGS personnel who provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made.Precipitation and the altitude of Lake Huron are good indicators of general climatic conditions and, therefore, provide an environmental context for ground-water levels in Huron County. Figure 2 shows the mean monthly water-level altitude of Lake Huron, averaged from measurements made by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at two sites, and mean monthly precipitation as recorded in Huron County, for the period October 1988 through December 1996. In general, Lake Huron water levels in 1996 were about the same as they were from 1992-94 (NOAA, 1988-96). Precipitation was generally within the normal range, but was lower than 1993 or 1994. Rainfall during May, June, and July was, cumulatively, about 8.5 inches less in 1995 than in 1994.Hydrographs are presented for each of four wells with water-level recorders. Quarterly water-level measurements and range of water levels during 1996 for the other 22 wells are shown graphically and tabulated.In general, water levels in the glaciofluvial aquifer reflect seasonal variations, with maximum depths to water occurring in late summer and early fall and minimum depths to water occurring in late winter and early

  17. Impacts of Changing Precipitation on Natural Organic Matter and Microorganisms in Lakes and Reservoirs

    EPA Science Inventory

    Changes in watershed hydrology affect runoff of natural organic matter and contaminants that can in turn have important effects on water quality in lakes. We analyzed data obtain at lakes, reservoirs, and nearby riverine tributaries in Wisconsin (Lake Michigan), the Poconos, and ...

  18. Examination of the watershed-wide distribution of Escherichia coli along southern Lake Michigan: An integrated approach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Whitman, R.L.; Nevers, M.B.; Byappanahalli, M.N.

    2006-01-01

    Recent research has highlighted the occurrence of Escherichia coli in natural habitats not directly influenced by sewage inputs. Most studies on E. coli in recreational water typically focus on discernible sources (e.g., effluent discharge and runoff) and fall short of integrating riparian, nearshore, onshore, and outfall sources. An integrated “beachshed” approach that links E. coli inputs and interactions would be helpful to understand the difference between background loading and sewage pollution; to develop more accurate predictive models; and to understand the differences between potential, net, and apparent culturable E. coli. The objective of this study was to examine the interrelatedness of E. colioccurrence from various coastal watershed components along southern Lake Michigan. The study shows that once established in forest soil, E. coli can persist throughout the year, potentially acting as a continuous non-point source of E. colito nearby streams. Year-round background stream loading of E. coli can influence beach water quality. E. coli is present in highly variable counts in beach sand to depths just below the water table and to distances at least 5 m inland from the shore, providing a large potential area of input to beach water. In summary, E. coliin the fluvial-lacustrine system may be stored in forest soils, sediments surrounding springs, bank seeps, stream margins and pools, foreshore sand, and surface groundwater. While rainfall events may increase E. coli counts in the foreshore sand and lake water, concentrations quickly decline to prerain concentrations. Onshore winds cause an increase in E. coli in shallow nearshore water, likely resulting from resuspension of E. coli-laden beach sand. When examining indicator bacteria source, flux, and context, the entire “beachshed” as a dynamic interacting system should be considered.

  19. The role of the U.S. Geological Survey in Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting in Illinois, 1984-2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, Kevin K.; Duncker, James J.; Jackson, P. Ryan

    2012-01-01

    The State of Illinois' annual withdrawl from Lake Michigan is limited by a U.S. Supreme Court decree. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for monitoring flows in the Chicago area waterway system (CAWS) as part of the Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting (LMDA) overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District. Every five years, the USGS streamgage practices in the CAWS are reviewed by a committee of practicing engineers and academics to ensure that the best engineering practices are implemented in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court decree and as part of LMDA. This report provides a perspective on the role of the USGS in LMDA from 1984 to 2010 including the responses to the review committees. Six technical review committees have been convened by the U.S. Corps of Engineers to evaluate the key components of LMDA especially the USGS streamgages within the CAWS. Any changes in streamgaging practices at CAWS gaging stations require detailed analysis to ensure the change will not adversely affect the ability of the USGS to accurately monitor flows.

  20. Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area photographed from Skylab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1973-08-05

    SL3-83-0152 (July-September 1973) --- A near vertical view of the metropolitan Detroit, Michigan area is seen in this Skylab 3 Earth Resources Experiments Package S190-B (five-inch Earth terrain camera) photograph taken from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. The 25-mile long Detroit River drains the smaller body of water (Lake St. Clair) and flows southwestward separating Detroit from Windsor, Ontario, and empties into Lake Erie. The Detroit River handles a great deal of Great Lakes barge and ship traffic. Major streets and thoroughfares radiating from the city are clearly visible. Fighting Island is the highly reflective, white area located almost in the center of the picture. This high reflectivity is caused by the functional use of the island-disposal ponds for chemical salts. Sedimentation and/or pollution patterns in the area provide interesting visual phenomena for speculation and analysis. Distinct and rather unique cultivated field patterns can be observed south and east of Windsor, Ontario. This is a direct result of an English survey and land tenure system which was utilized when the area was settled. New areas of residential development are fairly easy to differentiate from older, established residential areas. Vegetation and extent of area coverage can be determined. The Oakland County Planning Commission and the Federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation working closely with Irv Sattinger of the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (University of Michigan) are presently processing and analyzing photographic and Multispectral scanner data to determine its usefulness for recreation and open space site studies for this area. Photo credit: NASA

  1. Biogeochemical phosphorus mass balance for Lake Baikal, southeastern Siberia, Russia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Callender, E.; Granina, L.

    1997-01-01

    Extensive data for Lake Baikal have been synthesized into a geochemical mass balance for phosphorus (P). Some of the P budget and internal cycling terms for Baikal have been compared to similar terms for oligotrophic Lake Superior, mesotrophic Lake Michigan and the Baltic Sea, and the Ocean. Lake Baikal has a large external source of fluvial P compared to the Laurentian upper Great Lakes and the Ocean. The major tributary to Lake Baikal has experienced substantial increases in organic P loading during the past 25 years. This, coupled with potential P inputs from possible phosphorite mining, may threaten Baikal's oligotrophic status in the future. Water-column remineralization of particulate organic P is substantially greater in Lake Baikal than in the Laurentian Great Lakes. This is probably due to the great water depths of Lake Baikal. There is a gradient in P burial efficiency, with very high values (80%) for Lake Baikal and Lake Superior, lower values (50%) for Lake Michigan and the Baltic Sea, and a low value (13%) for the Ocean. The accumulation rate of P in Lake Baikal sediments is somewhat greater than that in the Laurentian upper Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea, and much greater than in the Ocean. Benthic regeneration rates are surprisingly similar for large lacustrine and marine environments and supply less than 10% of the P utilized for primary production in these aquatic environments.

  2. Residues of DDT in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reinert, Robert E.; Bergman, Harold L.

    1974-01-01

    Concentrations of DDT residues were higher in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from southern Lake Michigan in 1966–70 (average 18.1 ppm in fish 558–684 mm long) than in lake trout of the same size-class from Lake Superior in 1968–69 (4.4 ppm), and higher in adult coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from Lake Michigan in 1968–71 (averages for different year-classes, 9.9–14.0 ppm) than in those from Lake Erie in 1969 (2.2 ppm). Residues were significantly higher in lake trout from southern Lake Michigan than in those from the northern part of the lake. In lakes Michigan and Superior, the levels increased with length of fish and percentage oil. In Lake Michigan coho salmon, the residues remained nearly stable (2–4 ppm) from September of the 1st yr of lake residence through May or early June of the 2nd yr, but increased three to four times in the next 3 mo. Residues in Lake Erie coho salmon did not increase during this period, which preceded the spawning season. Although the concentrations of total residues in whole, maturing Lake Michigan coho salmon remained unchanged from August 1968 until near the end of the spawning season in January 1969, the residues were redistributed in the tissues of the spawning-run fish; concentrations in the loin and brain were markedly higher in January than in August. This relocation of DDT residues accompanied a marked decrease in the percentage of oil in the fish, from 13.2 in August to 2.8 in January. Concentrations of residues were relatively high in eggs of both lake trout (4.6 ppm) and coho salmon (7.4–10.2 ppm) from Lake Michigan. The percentage composition of the residues (p,p′DDE, o,p′/DDT, p,p′DDT, and p,p′DDT) did not differ significantly with life stage, size, age, or locality, or date of collection of lake trout or coho salmon.

  3. Three air quality studies: Great Lakes ozone formation and nitrogen dry deposition; and Tucson aerosol chemical characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, Theresa

    The Clean Air Act of 1970 was promulgated after thousands of lives were lost in four catastrophic air pollution events. It authorized the establishment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards or (NAAQS) for six pollutants that are harmful to human health and welfare: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, ozone and sulfur dioxide. The Clean Air Act also led to the establishment of the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to set and enforce regulations. The first paper in this dissertation studies ozone in the Lake Michigan region (Foley, T., Betterton, E.A., Jacko, R., Hillery, J., 2011. Lake Michigan air quality: The 1994-2003 LADCO Aircraft Project (LAP). Atmospheric Environment 45, 3192-3202.) The Chicago-Milwaukee-Gary metropolitan area has been unable to meet the ozone NAAQS since the Clean Air Act was implemented. The Lake Michigan Air Directors' Consortium (LADCO) hypothesized that land breezes transport ozone precursor compounds over the lake, where a large air/water temperature difference creates a shallow conduction layer, which is an efficient reaction chamber for ozone formation. In the afternoon, lake breezes and prevailing synoptic winds then transport ozone back over the land. To further evaluate this hypothesis, LADCO sponsored the 1994-2003 LADCO Aircraft Project (LAP) to measure the air quality over Lake Michigan and the surrounding areas. This study has found that the LAP data supports this hypothesis of ozone formation, which has strong implications for ozone control strategies in the Lake Michigan region. The second paper is this dissertation (Foley, T., Betterton, E.A., Wolf, A.M.A., 2012. Ambient PM10 and metal concentrations measured in the Sunnyside Unified School District, Tucson, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 43, 67-76) evaluated the airborne concentrations of PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or less) and eight metalloids and metals

  4. Assessment of phytoplankton resources suitable for bigheaded carps in Lake Michigan derived from remote sensing and bioenergetics

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Anderson, Karl R.; Chapman, Duane C.; Wynne, Tim T.; Paukert, Craig P.

    2017-01-01

    We used bioenergetic simulations combined with satellite-measured water temperature and estimates of algal food availability to predict the habitat suitability of Lake Michigan for adult silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis). Depending on water temperature, we found that bigheaded carp require ambient algal concentrations between 1 and 7 μg chlorophyll/L or between 0.25 × 105 and 1.20 × 105 cells/mL Microcystis to maintain body weight. When the bioenergetics model is forced with the observed average annual temperature cycle, our simulations predicted silver carp bioenergetics predicted annual weight change ranging from 9% weight loss to 23% gain; bighead carp ranged from 68 to 177% weight gain. Algal concentrations b4 μg chlorophyll/L and b200,000 cells/mL were below the detection limits of the remote sensing method. However, all areas with detectable algae have sufficient concentrations of algal foods for bigheaded carp weight-maintenance and growth. Those areas are predominately along the nearshore areas.

  5. Annual variation in habitat-specific recruitment success: Implications from an individual-based model of Lake Michigan alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hook, T.O.; Rutherford, E.S.; Croley, T.E.; Mason, D.M.; Madenjian, C.P.

    2008-01-01

    The identification of important spawning and nursery habitats for fish stocks can aid fisheries management, but is complicated by various factors, including annual variation in recruitment success. The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is an ecologically important species in Lake Michigan that utilizes a variety of habitats for spawning and early life growth. While productive, warm tributary mouths (connected to Lake Michigan) may contribute disproportionately more recruits (relative to their habitat volume) to the adult alewife population than cooler, less productive nearshore habitats, the extent of interannual variation in the relative contributions of recruits from these two habitat types remains unknown. We used an individual-based bioenergetics simulation model and input data on daily temperatures to estimate alewife recruitment to the adult population by these different habitat types. Simulations suggest that nearshore lake habitats typically produce the vast majority of young alewife recruits. However, tributary habitats may contribute the majority of alewife recruits during years of low recruitment. We suggest that high interannual variation in the relative importance of habitats for recruitment is a common phenomenon, which should be considered when developing habitat management plans for fish populations. ?? 2008 NRC.

  6. Impact of Climate Change on Lake Erie Drinking Water Quality—An Initial Assessment with Remote Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liou, L.

    2012-12-01

    A changing climate in the Lake Erie region appears to be having direct impacts on the quality of Lake Erie's drinking water. A dramatic increase in the size and duration of harmful algal blooms (HABs), changes in chlorophyll (Chl) levels and related primary production (PP), prominent sediment plumes, and nearshore production of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are likely being impacted by warmer winters, more intense storms, and reduced ice extent, amongst other meteorological factors. Hypoxia, another major drinking water issue in the lake, is exacerbated by HABs and nearshore SAV. A Michigan Tech research team (Shuchman, Sayers, Brooks) has recently been developing algorithms to derive HAB extents, Chl levels, PP, sediment plume extents, and nearshore SAV maps for the Great Lakes. Inputs have primarily been derived from MODIS Aqua imagery from the NASA Oceancolor website; investigations in the capability of VIIRS imagery to provide the same critical data are being pursued. Remote sensing-derived ice extent and thickness spatial data are also being analyzed. Working with Liou and Lekki of the NASA Glenn Research Center, the study team is deriving algorithms specifically for Lake Erie and integrating them into an analysis of the lake's changing trends over the last 10 years (2002-2012) to improve understanding of how they are impacting the area's water quality, especially for customers dependent on Lake Erie drinking water. This analysis is tying these remote sensing-derived products to climate-driven meteorological factors to enable an initial assessment of how future changes could continue to impact the region's drinking water quality.

  7. Lake Superior, Duluth, MN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    This view shows the west end of Lake Superior and Duluth, MN (47.0N, 91.0W). Portions of Minnesota, Michigan and Ontario, Canada are in the scene. The Duluth metropolitan area is at the west end of the lake. The discoloration plume in the water at Duluth is the result of tailings from the iron ore smelters that process the iron ore from the nearby open pit mines seen near the upper left corner of the photo.

  8. Estimation of shallow ground-water recharge in the Great Lakes basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neff, B.P.; Piggott, A.R.; Sheets, R.A.

    2006-01-01

    This report presents the results of the first known integrated study of long-term average ground-water recharge to shallow aquifers (generally less than 100 feet deep) in the United States and Canada for the Great Lakes, upper St. Lawrence, and Ottawa River Basins. The approach used was consistent throughout the study area and allows direct comparison of recharge rates in disparate parts of the study area. Estimates of recharge are based on base-flow estimates for streams throughout the Great Lakes Basin and the assumption that base flow in a given stream is equal to the amount of shallow ground-water recharge to the surrounding watershed, minus losses to evapotranspiration. Base-flow estimates were developed throughout the study area using a single model based on an empirical relation between measured base-flow characteristics at streamflow-gaging stations and the surficial-geologic materials, which consist of bedrock, coarse-textured deposits, fine-textured deposits, till, and organic matter, in the surrounding surface-water watershed. Model calibration was performed using base-flow index (BFI) estimates for 959 stations in the U.S. and Canada using a combined 28,784 years of daily streamflow record determined using the hydrograph-separation software program PART. Results are presented for watersheds represented by 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC, U.S.) and tertiary (Canada) watersheds. Recharge values were lowest (1.6-4.0 inches/year) in the eastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan; southwest of Green Bay, Wisconsin; in northwestern Ohio; and immediately south of the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lake Ontario. Recharge values were highest (12-16.8 inches/year) in snow shadow areas east and southeast of each Great Lake. Further studies of deep aquifer recharge and the temporal variability of recharge would be needed to gain a more complete understanding of ground-water recharge in the Great Lakes Basin.

  9. Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 1996

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to provide information about the physical and chemical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected includes measurements of lake stage and in-lake water quality. Graphs of Secchi depths, surface totalphosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentrations versus time are included for lakes with two or more years of data. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes: location of the lake, drainage area of the lake's watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published in another volume: "Water Resources Data-Wisconsin, 1996."

  10. Using a Hydrodynamic and Biogeochemical Model to Investigate the Effects of Nutrient Loading from a Wastewater Treatment Plant into Lake Michigan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khazaei, B.; Bravo, H.; Bootsma, H.

    2017-12-01

    There is clear evidence that excessive nutrient, in particular phosphorus (P), loading into Lake Michigan has produced significant problems, such as algal blooms, hypoxia, and reduced water quality. Addressing those problems requires understanding the transport and fate of P in the lake. The dominance of mixing and dispersion processes on the P transport has been demonstrated, yet recent research has shown the remarkable influence of dreissenid mussels and Cladophora on water clarity and the P budget. Since mussels and Cladophora tend to concentrate near the coastlines, nearshore-offshore P exchange is of a big importance. In this research, a computer model was developed to simulate the P cycle by incorporating the biogeochemical processes relevant to the transport of P into a 3D high-resolution hydrodynamic model. The near-bottom biogeochemical model consists of three linked modules: Cladophora, mussel, and sediment storage modules. The model was applied to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District South Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, between June and October of 2013 and 2015, as a case study. The plant outfall introduces a point source of P into the study domain—the nearshore zone of Lake Michigan adjacent to Milwaukee County. The model was validated against field observations of water temperature, dissolved phosphorus (DP), particulate phosphorus (PP), Cladophora biomass, and P content. The model simulations showed reasonably good agreement with field measurements. Model results showed a) different temporal patterns in 2013 and 2015, b) a larger range of fluctuations in DP than that in PP, and c) that the effects of mussels and Cladophora could explain the differences in patterns and ranges. PP concentrations showed more frequent spikes of concentration in 2013 due to resuspension events during that year because of stronger winds. The model is being applied as a management tool to test scenarios of nutrient loading to determine effluent P limits for the

  11. Water quality of Lake Austin and Town Lake, Austin, Texas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andrews, F.L.; Wells, F.C.; Shelby, W.J.

    1988-01-01

    Lake Austin and Town Lake are impoundments on the Colorado River in Travis County, central Texas, and are a source of water for municipal industrial water supplies, electrical-power generation, and recreation for more than 500,000 people in the Austin metropolitan area. Small vertical temperature variations in both lakes were attributed to shallow depths in the lakes and short retention times of water in the lakes during the summer months. The largest areal variations in dissolved oxygen generally occur in Lake Austin during the summer as a result of releases of water from below the thermocline in Lake Travis. Except formore » iron, manganese, and mercury, dissolved concentrations of trace elements in water collected from Lake Austin and Town Lake did not exceed the primary or secondary drinking water standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Little or no effect of stormwater runoff on temperature, dissolved oxygen, or minor elements could be detected in either Lake Austin or Town Lake. Little seasonal or areal variation was noted in nitrogen concentrations in Lake Austin or Town lake. Total phosphorus concentrations generally were small in both lakes. Increased concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were detected after storm runoff inflow in Town Lake, but not in Lake Austin; densities of fecal-coliform bacteria increased in Lake Austin and Town Lake, but were substantially greater in Town Lake than in Lake Austin. 18 refs., 38 figs., 59 tabs.« less

  12. Life history of lake herring of Green Bay, Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, Stanford H.

    1956-01-01

    concentrated within 30 feet of the surface in late May, moved to deeper water in June, and were restricted to depths greater than 30 feet in July when temperatures in shallower water became unfavorably high (greater than 18A?C.). In October, lake herring were again at all depths but were most abundant near the surface.

  13. NEW RECORDS AND RANGE EXTENSIONS FOR SEVERAL CHIRONOMID GENERA IN LAKE SUPERIOR

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent USEPA investigations of Lake Superior benthos in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan waters have resulted in the discovery of six uncommon genera of Chironomidae. Five new records of genera for Lake Superior and five significant Nearctic range extensions are reported. New r...

  14. Water Quality and Plankton in the United States Nearshore Waters of Lake Huron

    EPA Science Inventory

    We conducted an intensive survey for the US nearshore of Lake Huron along a continuous segment (523 km) from Port Huron Michigan to Detour Passage. A depth contour of 20 m was towed with a CTD, fluorometer, transmissometer, and laser optical plankton counter (LOPC). The continu...

  15. Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water years 2012–2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Robertson, Dale M.

    2017-05-25

    IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The locations of water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 2012 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the period October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012, is called “water year 2012.”The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during non-frozen periods are included for all lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes: location of the lake, area of the lake’s watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published online at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis.Water-resources data, including stage and discharge data at most streamflow-gaging stations, are available online. The Wisconsin Water Science Center’s home page is at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/wisconsin-water-science-center. Information on

  16. Institute on Outdoor Education for the Handicapped. (Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center, Clear Lake, Dowling, Michigan, June 1969).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Battle Creek Public Schools, MI.

    In early June 1969, 55 special education and physical education teachers and experts in outdoor education met for a week at the Battle Creek Public Schools' outdoor education center, Clear Lake Camp (Michigan). The participants shared in the camping activities of children from Battle Creek classes for the physically and mentally handicapped, deaf,…

  17. Simulated impacts of climate change on phosphorus loading to Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A.; Christiansen, Daniel E.; Lorenz, David J

    2016-01-01

    Phosphorus (P) loading to the Great Lakes has caused various types of eutrophication problems. Future climatic changes may modify this loading because climatic models project changes in future meteorological conditions, especially for the key hydrologic driver — precipitation. Therefore, the goal of this study is to project how P loading may change from the range of projected climatic changes. To project the future response in P loading, the HydroSPARROW approach was developed that links results from two spatially explicit models, the SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes (SPARROW) transport and fate watershed model and the water-quantity Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). PRMS was used to project changes in streamflow throughout the Lake Michigan Basin using downscaled meteorological data from eight General Circulation Models (GCMs) subjected to three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Downscaled GCMs project a + 2.1 to + 4.0 °C change in average-annual air temperature (+ 2.6 °C average) and a − 5.1% to + 16.7% change in total annual precipitation (+ 5.1% average) for this geographic area by the middle of this century (2045–2065) and larger changes by the end of the century. The climatic changes by mid-century are projected to result in a − 21.2% to + 8.9% change in total annual streamflow (− 1.8% average) and a − 29.6% to + 17.2% change in total annual P loading (− 3.1% average). Although the average projected changes in streamflow and P loading are relatively small for the entire basin, considerable variability exists spatially and among GCMs because of their variability in projected future precipitation.

  18. Density-dependent recruitment of the bloater (Coregonus hoyi) in Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, Edward H.; Eck, Gary W.

    1992-01-01

    Density-dependent recruitment of the bloater (Coregonus hoyi) in Lake Michigan during and after recovery of the population in about 1977-1983 was best reflected in the fit of the Beverton-Holt recruitment function to age -1 and -2 recruits and estimated eggs of parents surveyed with trawls. A lower growth rate and lower lipid content of bloaters at higher population densities and no evidence of cannibalism supported the conclusion that recruitment is resource limited when alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) abundance is low. Predation on larvae by alewives was indicated in earlier studies as the probable cause of depressed recruitment of bloaters before their recovery, which coincided with declining alewife abundance. This negative interaction masked any bloater stock-recruitment relation in the earlier period.

  19. 33 CFR 165.901 - Great Lakes-regulated navigation areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... waters of Lake Huron known as South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and Cheboygan, Michigan; bounded by a line north from Cheyboygan Crib Light (LL-1340) at 45°39′48″ N, 84°27′36″ W; to Bois Blanc Island... western tangent of Bois Blanc Island at 45°48′42″ N, 84°35′30″ W. (2) The waters of Lake Huron between...

  20. 33 CFR 165.901 - Great Lakes-regulated navigation areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... waters of Lake Huron known as South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and Cheboygan, Michigan; bounded by a line north from Cheyboygan Crib Light (LL-1340) at 45°39′48″ N, 84°27′36″ W; to Bois Blanc Island... western tangent of Bois Blanc Island at 45°48′42″ N, 84°35′30″ W. (2) The waters of Lake Huron between...

  1. 33 CFR 165.901 - Great Lakes-regulated navigation areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... waters of Lake Huron known as South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and Cheboygan, Michigan; bounded by a line north from Cheyboygan Crib Light (LL-1340) at 45°39′48″ N, 84°27′36″ W; to Bois Blanc Island... western tangent of Bois Blanc Island at 45°48′42″ N, 84°35′30″ W. (2) The waters of Lake Huron between...

  2. 33 CFR 165.901 - Great Lakes-regulated navigation areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... waters of Lake Huron known as South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and Cheboygan, Michigan; bounded by a line north from Cheyboygan Crib Light (LL-1340) at 45°39′48″ N, 84°27′36″ W; to Bois Blanc Island... western tangent of Bois Blanc Island at 45°48′42″ N, 84°35′30″ W. (2) The waters of Lake Huron between...

  3. Influences on Bythotrephes longimanus life-history characteristics in the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, Steven A.; Vanderploeg, Henry A.; Warner, David M.; Schaeffer, Jeffrey S.; Ludsin, Stuart A.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Nalepa, Thomas F.

    2012-01-01

    We compared Bythotrephes population demographics and dynamics to predator (planktivorous fish) and prey (small-bodied crustacean zooplankton) densities at a site sampled through the growing season in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Although seasonal average densities of Bythotrephes were similar across lakes (222/m2 Erie, 247/m2 Huron, 162/m2 Michigan), temporal trends in abundance differed among lakes. In central Lake Erie where Bythotrephes' prey assemblage was dominated by small individuals (60%), where planktivorous fish densities were high (14,317/ha), and where a shallow water column limited availability of a deepwater refuge, the Bythotrephes population was characterized by a small mean body size, large broods with small neonates, allocation of length increases mainly to the spine rather than to the body, and a late summer population decline. By contrast, in Lake Michigan where Bythotrephes' prey assemblage was dominated by large individuals (72%) and planktivorous fish densities were lower (5052/ha), the Bythotrephes population was characterized by a large mean body size (i.e., 37–55% higher than in Erie), small broods with large neonates, nearly all growth in body length occurring between instars 1 and 2, and population persistence into fall. Life-history characteristics in Lake Huron tended to be intermediate to those found in Lakes Michigan and Erie, reflecting lower overall prey and predator densities (1224/ha) relative to the other lakes. Because plasticity in life history can affect interactions with other species, our findings point to the need to understand life-history variation among Great Lakes populations to improve our ability to model the dynamics of these ecosystems.

  4. Chemical whitings and chlorophyll distributions in the Great Lakes as viewed by Landsat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strong, A. E.

    1978-01-01

    A chemical precipitation of calcium carbonate, or whiting, was first observed by satellite in Lake Michigan during August 1973. Since that initial observation similar events have been noted in Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario with imagery from Landsat, Skylab, and NOAA satellites. By the use of Landsat multispectral data together with NOAA thermal infrared data, it has been observed that whitings occur several meters below the lake surface in relatively warm water. They are most vividly displayed during and after periods of upwelling. As the epilimnetic waters become supersaturated with Ca(+2) ions during summer, a triggering mechanism (presumably biological or physical) initiates the whiting, which may continue for several months. The effects on the biota of the euphotic zone when this milky cloud is present in the upper layers are poorly understood. However, Great Lakes circulation studies are taking advantage of these natural dye tracers.

  5. Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water years 2008−2011

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Olson, Daniel L.; Robertson, Dale M.; Goddard, Gerald L.

    2016-09-30

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series.The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes during water years 2008–2011. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the period October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008 is called "water year 2008." Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are presented in this report for water years from 2008–2011. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during non-frozen periods are included for all lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes: location of the lake, area of the lake’s watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are available via the "USGS Annual Water Data Report" Web site: http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/.

  6. Current and historical concentrations of poly and perfluorinated compounds in sediments of the northern Great Lakes - Superior, Huron, and Michigan.

    PubMed

    Codling, Garry; Hosseini, Soheil; Corcoran, Margaret B; Bonina, Solidea; Lin, Tian; Li, An; Sturchio, Neil C; Rockne, Karl J; Ji, Kyunghee; Peng, Hui; Giesy, John P

    2018-05-01

    Current and historical concentrations of 22 poly- and perfluorinated compounds (PFASs) in sediment collected from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan in 2011 and Lake Huron in 2012 are reported. The sampling was performed in two ways, Ponar grabs of surface sediments for current spatial distribution across the lake and dated cores for multi-decadal temporal trends. Mean concentrations of the sum of PFASs (∑PFASs) were 1.5, 4.6 and 3.1 ng g -1 dry mas (dm) in surface sediments for Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, respectively. Of the five Laurentian Lakes, the watersheds of Superior and Huron are the less densely populated by humans, and concentrations observed were typically less and from more diffuse sources, due to lesser urbanization and industrialization. However, some regions of greater concentrations were observed and might indicate more local, point sources. In core samples concentrations ranged from lakes with concentrations typically increasing with time. Distributions of PFASs within dated cores largely corresponded with increase in use of PFASs, but with physiochemical characteristics also affecting distribution. Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) with chain lengths >7 that include perfluoro-n-octane sulfonate (PFOS) bind more strongly to sediment, which resulted in more accurate analyses of temporal trends. Shorter-chain PFASs, such as perfluoro-n-butanoic acid which is the primary replacement for C8 PFASs that have been phased out, are more soluble and were identified in some core layers at depths corresponding to pre-production periods. Thus, analyses of temporal trends of these more soluble compounds in cores of sediments were less accurate. Total elemental fluorine (TF) and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) indicated that identified PFASs were not a significant fraction of fluorine containing compounds in sediment (<0.01% in EOF). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Feeding ecology of pelagic larval Burbot in Northern Lake Huron, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    George, Ellen M.; Roseman, Edward F.; Davis, Bruce M.; O'Brien, Timothy P.

    2013-01-01

    Burbot Lota lota are a key demersal piscivore across the Laurentian Great Lakes whose populations have declined by about 90% in recent decades. Larval Burbot typically hatch in the early spring and rely on abundant crustacean zooplankton prey. We examined the stomach contents of larval Burbot from inshore (≤15 m) and offshore sites (37 and 91 m) in northern Lake Huron, Michigan. Concurrent zooplankton vertical tows at the same sites showed that the prey community was dominated by calanoid copepods, dreissenid mussel veligers, and rotifers. Burbot consumed mostly cyclopoid copepods, followed by copepod nauplii and calanoid copepods. Chesson's index of selectivity was calculated and compared among sites and months for individual Burbot. According to this index, larval Burbot exhibited positive selection for cyclopoid copepods and copepod nauplii and negative selection for calanoid copepods, cladocerans, rotifers, and dreissenid veligers. This selectivity was consistent across sites and throughout the sampling period. Burbot displayed little variation in their prey preferences during the larval stage, which suggests that the recent shifts in zooplankton abundance due to the invasion of the predatory zooplankter Bythotrephes longimanus and competition from invasive Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax could negatively impact larval Burbot populations.

  8. Fin degeneration of young-of-the-year Alosa pseudoharengus (Clupeidae) in southern Lake Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, Edward H.; Norden, Carroll R.

    1970-01-01

    Young-of-the-year alewives, Alosa pseudoharengus, with extremely shortened caudal fins were observed at four locations in southern Lake Michigan between 1964 and 1968. Some of the fins appeared stunted or underdeveloped, but microscopic examination revealed a deterioration of the fins and not an ontogenetic abnormality. Deterioration of the caudal fin was frequently accompanied by degeneration of the dorsal and anal fins. Degenerate fins were not found on other species nor on older alewives, with the exception of one known yearling alewife at Waukegan and possibly a few of the larger fish at Milwaukee.

  9. Budget analysis of Escherichia coli at a southern Lake Michigan Beach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thupaki, P.; Phanikumar, M.S.; Beletsky, D.; Schwab, D.J.; Nevers, M.B.; Whitman, R.L.

    2010-01-01

    Escherichia coli (EC) concentrations at two beaches impacted by river plume dynamics in southern Lake Michigan were analyzed using three-dimensional hydrodynamic and transport models. The relative importance of various physical and biological processes influencing the fate and transport of EC were examined via budget analysis and a first-order sensitivity analysis of model parameters. The along-shore advective fluxofEC(CFU/m2·s)was found to be higher compared to its crossshore counterpart; however, the sum of diffusive and advective components was of a comparable magnitude in both directions showing the importance of cross-shore exchange in EC transport. Examination of individual terms in the EC mass balance equation showed that vertical turbulent mixing in the water column dominated the overall EC transport for the summer conditions simulated. Dilution due to advection and diffusion accounted for a large portion of the total EC budget in the nearshore, and the net EC loss rate within the water column (CFU/m3·s) was an order of magnitude smaller compared to the horizontal and vertical transport rates. This result has important implications for modeling EC at recreational beaches; however, the assessment of the magnitude of EC loss rate is complicated due to the strong coupling between vertical exchange and depth-dependent EC loss processes such as sunlight inactivation and settling. Sensitivity analysis indicated that solar inactivation has the greatest impact on EC loss rates. Although these results are site-specific, they clearly bring out the relative importance of various processes involved.

  10. Water-Quality Data, Huron County, Michigan 2004

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    ecoregion VII, EPA 822-B-00-018: U.S. Environ - mental Protection Agency, 93 p. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Quality Crite- ria: U.S...U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000a, and American Public Health Association, 1998, as well as the standard field procedures documented by the... environmental samples (Bird and others, 2001). Figure 1. Map showing surface-water and ground-water sampling locations in Huron County, Michigan KINDE ELKTON

  11. Lake whitefish diet, condition, and energy density in Lake Champlain and the lower four Great Lakes following dreissenid invasions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Herbst, Seth J.; Marsden, J. Ellen; Lantry, Brian F.

    2013-01-01

    Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis support some of the most valuable commercial freshwater fisheries in North America. Recent growth and condition decreases in Lake Whitefish populations in the Great Lakes have been attributed to the invasion of the dreissenid mussels, zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussels D. bugensis, and the subsequent collapse of the amphipod, Diporeia, a once-abundant high energy prey source. Since 1993, Lake Champlain has also experienced the invasion and proliferation of zebra mussels, but in contrast to the Great Lakes, Diporeia were not historically abundant. We compared the diet, condition, and energy density of Lake Whitefish from Lake Champlain after the dreissenid mussel invasion to values for those of Lake Whitefish from Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Lake Whitefish were collected using gill nets and bottom trawls, and their diets were quantified seasonally. Condition was estimated using Fulton's condition factor (K) and by determining energy density. In contrast to Lake Whitefish from some of the Great Lakes, those from Lake Champlain Lake Whitefish did not show a dietary shift towards dreissenid mussels, but instead fed primarily on fish eggs in spring, Mysis diluviana in summer, and gastropods and sphaeriids in fall and winter. Along with these dietary differences, the condition and energy density of Lake Whitefish from Lake Champlain were high compared with those of Lake Whitefish from Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario after the dreissenid invasion, and were similar to Lake Whitefish from Lake Erie; fish from Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario consumed dreissenids, whereas fish from Lake Erie did not. Our comparisons of Lake Whitefish populations in Lake Champlain to those in the Great Lakes indicate that diet and condition of Lake Champlain Lake Whitefish were not negatively affected by the dreissenid mussel invasion.

  12. Evidence that PCBs are approaching stable concentrations in Lake Michigan fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stow, Craig A.; Carpenter, Stephen R.; Eby, Lisa A.; Amrhein, James F.; Hesselberg, Robert J.

    1995-01-01

    We examined PCB concentration data for seven species of Lake Michigan fishes to determine what trends were apparent °20 yr after PCB restrictions became effective. Total PCB concentrations in all seven species, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), and bloater chub (Coregonus hoyi) declined and appeared to stabilize in the mid-to-late 1980s. Concentrations in two species, chinook and coho salmon, appear to have increased slightly since the late 1980s. All species are currently well below the high PCB levels that existed when PCB use was curtailed in the 1970s. We believe stabilizing concentrations are the result of large pools of PCBs that are being recycled in the environment. Atmospheric and sediment PCB inputs to the lake probably constitute current PCB sources. Increasing concentrations in chinook and coho salmon are likely the result of changing growth dynamics caused by alterations in the mid-trophic levels of the food web. Median stable PCB concentrations estimated in this analysis are below the current FDA action level of 2 mg/kg, but not appreciably below this threshold. Improvements beyond these levels may result if management practices that maximize fish growth rates are implemented. Detection of future improvements in PCB levels may require samples in the range of 1000-2000 fish because of the high variability in PCB concentrations among individuals.

  13. An integrated assessment for wind energy in Lake Michigan coastal counties.

    PubMed

    Nordman, Erik; VanderMolen, Jon; Gajewski, Betty; Isely, Paul; Fan, Yue; Koches, John; Damm, Sara; Ferguson, Aaron; Schoolmaster, Claire

    2015-04-01

    The benefits and challenges of onshore and offshore wind energy development were assessed for a 4-county area of coastal Michigan. Economic, social, environmental, and spatial dimensions were considered. The coastal counties have suitable wind resources for energy development, which could contribute toward Michigan's 10% renewable energy standard. Wind energy is cost-effective with contract prices less than the benchmark energy price of a new coal-fired power plant. Constructing a 100 MW wind farm could have a $54.7 million economic impact. A patchwork of township-level zoning ordinances regulates wind energy siting. Voluntary collaborations among adjacent townships standardizing the ordinances could reduce regulatory complexity. A Delphi Inquiry on offshore wind energy in Lake Michigan elicited considerable agreement on its challenges, but little agreement on the benefits to coastal communities. Offshore turbines could be acceptable to the participants if they reduced pollution, benefited coastal communities, involved substantial public participation, and had minimal impact on property values and tourism. The US Coast Guard will take a risk-based approach to evaluating individual offshore developments and has no plans to issue blanket restrictions around the wind farms. Models showed that using wind energy to reach the remainder of the 10% renewable energy standard could reduce SO2 , NOx , and CO2 pollution by 4% to 7%. Turbines are highly likely to impact the area's navigational and defense radar systems but planning and technological upgrades can reduce the impact. The integrated assessment shows that responsible wind energy development can enhance the quality of life by reducing air pollution and associated health problems and enhancing economic development. Policies could reduce the negative impacts to local communities while preserving the benefits to the broader region. © 2015 SETAC.

  14. Energy density of bloaters in the upper Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pothoven, Steven A.; Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Gorman, Owen T.; Roseman, Edward F.

    2012-01-01

    We evaluated the energy density of bloaters Coregonus hoyi as a function of fish size across Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior in 2008–2009 and assessed how differences in energy density are related to factors such as biomass density of bloaters and availability of prey. Additional objectives were to compare energy density between sexes and to compare energy densities of bloaters in Lake Michigan between two time periods (1998–2001 and 2008–2009). For the cross-lake comparisons in 2008, energy density increased with fish total length (TL) only in Lake Michigan. Mean energy density adjusted for fish size was 8% higher in bloaters from Lake Superior than in bloaters from Lake Huron. Relative to fish in these two lakes, small (175 mm TL) bloaters had higher energy density. In 2009, energy density increased with bloater size, and mean energy density adjusted for fish size was about 9% higher in Lake Michigan than in Lake Huron (Lake Superior was not sampled during 2009). Energy density of bloaters in Lake Huron was generally the lowest among lakes, reflecting the relatively low densities of opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana and the relatively high biomass of bloaters reported for that lake. Other factors, such as energy content of prey, growing season, or ontogenetic differences in energy use strategies, may also influence cross-lake variation in energy density. Mean energy density adjusted for length was 7% higher for female bloaters than for male bloaters in Lakes Michigan and Huron. In Lake Superior, energy density did not differ between males and females. Finally, energy density of bloaters in Lake Michigan was similar between the periods 2008–2009 and 1998–2001, possibly due to a low population abundance of bloaters, which could offset food availability changes linked to the loss of prey such as the amphipods Diporeia spp.

  15. Water resources of the Detroit area, Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wisler, Chester Owen; Stramel, G.J.; Laird, Leslie Bostwick

    1952-01-01

    The water used for all purposes in the Detroit area is obtained from three sources: Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, their tributary streams and inland lakes, and ground water. During 1950 Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River provided 2,896 million gallons per day (mgd), or 98.3 percent of the total usage of 2,949 mgd. Tributary streams and inland lakes supplied about 10 mgd, or 0.3 percent, and ground water contributed43 mgd, or 1.4 percent of the total. These rates of use represent the following percentages of the total supply available from each source: From Lake St. Clair and Detroit River, 2.5 percent; from tributary streams, 1.2 percent; from ground water, probably about 15 percent.Of the above total usage, about 2,500 mgd was raw water that was drawn directly from the Detroit River by adjacent industrial plants, used for cooling, processing, and other similar purposes, and immediately returned to the river. Of the remaining 449 mgd, 383 mgd was drawn from Lake St. Clair by the Detroit Department of Water Supply and, after purification, was distributed for domestic and commercial use throughout Detroit and its environs; 23 mgd was obtained from additional surface stream supplies; and 43 mgd was derived from wells.An abundant supply of raw water may be obtained from the Detroit River. The practicability of its utilization at any particular site is beyond the scope of this report.The Detroit Department of Water Supply can supply potable water of good quality and in any reasonable quantity anywhere in the area which it serves. Throughout the remainder of the Detroit area the Detroit Department of Water Supply can supply any normal demand, if distribution and storage facilities are provided. In outlying areas where the main source of supply is ground water and tributary streams, the water is hard and contains greater amounts of dissolved solids.There will be no serious shortage of water supplies at their source in the foreseeable future although local

  16. An evaluation of ERTS data for oceanographic uses through Great Lakes studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strong, A. E. (Principal Investigator); Stumpf, H. G.

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Prevailing wind direction on Lake Michigan is southwesterly, although during winter northwesterly stresses are common. Along the western shore the current favors a northward direction. ERTS-1 observations indicate that the southward-flowing current along the Michigan shoreline of the thumb is only reversed by southerly resultant wind stress. Along the Canadian shoreline, a northward current was observed north of Kettle Point. ERTS-1 data also reveal that a preferred southward-flowing current is found along the Detroit shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Eastward flow of surface water from the shallow western basin of Lake Erie into the middle basin is most obvious during northwesterly and northerly wind stresses. The reverse wind direction especially east and southeasterly, appear to hold the effluents from the Detroit and Maumee Rivers in the western basin. Across-lake winds from the north and south induce eddy-like circulation in surface waters of Lake Ontario. Counterclockwise alongshore flow persists in the western basin under most wind conditions.

  17. Estimation of lake water - groundwater interactions in meromictic mining lakes by modelling isotope signatures of lake water.

    PubMed

    Seebach, Anne; Dietz, Severine; Lessmann, Dieter; Knoeller, Kay

    2008-03-01

    A method is presented to assess lake water-groundwater interactions by modelling isotope signatures of lake water using meteorological parameters and field data. The modelling of delta(18)O and deltaD variations offers information about the groundwater influx into a meromictic Lusatian mining lake. Therefore, a water balance model is combined with an isotope water balance model to estimate analogies between simulated and measured isotope signatures within the lake water body. The model is operated with different evaporation rates to predict delta(18)O and deltaD values in a lake that is only controlled by weather conditions with neither groundwater inflow nor outflow. Comparisons between modelled and measured isotope values show whether the lake is fed by the groundwater or not. Furthermore, our investigations show that an adaptation of the Craig and Gordon model [H. Craig, L.I. Gordon. Deuterium and oxygen-18 variations in the ocean and the marine atmosphere. In Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperature, Spoleto, E. Tongiorgi (Ed.), pp. 9-130, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Laboratorio di Geologia Nucleare, Pisa (1965).] to specific conditions in temperate regions seems necessary.

  18. Analysis of Water-Quality Trends for Selected Streams in the Water Chemistry Monitoring Program, Michigan, 1998-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoard, C.J.; Fuller, Lori M.; Fogarty, Lisa R.

    2009-01-01

    In 1998, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Geological Survey began a long-term monitoring program to evaluate the water quality of most watersheds in Michigan. Major goals of this Water-Chemistry Monitoring Program were to identify streams exceeding or not meeting State or Federal water-quality standards and to assess if constituent concentrations reflecting water quality in these streams were increasing or decreasing over time. As part of this program, water-quality data collected from 1998 to 2005 were analyzed to identify potential trends. Sixteen water-quality constituents were analyzed at 31 sites across Michigan, 28 of which had sufficient data to analyze for trends. Trend analysis on the various water-quality data was done using the uncensored Seasonal Kendall test within the computer program ESTREND. The most prevalent trend detected throughout the state was for chloride. Chloride trends were detected at 8 of the 28 sites; trends at 7 sites were increasing and the trend at 1 site was decreasing. Although no trends were detected for various nitrogen species or phosphorus, these constituents were detected at levels greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for nutrients in water. The results of the trend analysis will help to establish a baseline to evaluate future changes in water quality in Michigan streams.

  19. Status of coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fleischer, Guy W.

    1992-01-01

    The post-glacial coregonine assemblage in the Great Lakes included several species of the genera Prosopium and Coregonus. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and competition with various exotic fish species severely reduced coregonine abundance and altered their distribution by the mid to latter part of the 20th century. Most of the original Coregonus species, some which were endemic to the Great Lakes, are now extinct or are extremely rare. The prevailing coregonines are mostly benthic and deep-water species, contrasted to the original assemblage dominated by pelagic, nearshore species. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) populations have recovered and now support record fisheries in Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. Bloaters (C. hoyi) have recovered to dominate the planktivorous fish community in Lake Michigan and are rapidly increasing in Lake Huron. The recent resurgence in some coregonine populations are linked to declines in exotic fish populations and favorable climatic changes. The reduced diversity of the coregonines may explain the dominance of the remaining species. The stability of this simplified coregonine community is uncertain but the existing coregonines have demonstrated resiliency.

  20. Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations in Lake Superior and their restoration in 1959-1993

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Michael J.; Peck, James W.; Schorfhaar, Richard G.; Selgeby, James H.; Schreiner, Donald R.; Schram, Stephen T.; Swanson, Bruce L.; MacCallum, Wayne R.; Burnham-Curtis, Mary K.; Curtis, Gary L.; Heinrich, John W.; Young, Robert J.

    1995-01-01

    Naturally-reproducing populations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have been reestablished in most of Lake Superior, but have not been restored to 1929-1943 average abundance. Progress toward lake trout restoration in Lake Superior is described, management actions are reviewed, and the effectiveness of those actions is evaluated; especially stocking lake trout as a tool for building spawning stocks, and subsequently, populations of wild recruits. Widespread destruction of lake trout stocks in the 1950s due to an intense fishery and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) predation resulted in lower overall phenotypic diversity than was previously present. Stocking of yearling lake trout, begun in the 1950s, produced high densities of spawners that reproduced wherever inshore spawning habitat was widespread. Sea lampreys were greatly reduced, beginning in 1961, using selective chemical toxicants and barrier dams, but continue to exert substantial mortality. Fishery regulation was least effective in Wisconsin, where excessive gillnet effort caused high by-catch of lake trout until 1991, and in eastern Michigan, where lake trout restoration was deferred in favor of a tribal fishery for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in 1985. Restoration of stocks was quicker in offshore areas where remnant wild lake trout survived and fishing intensity was low, and was slower in inshore areas where stocked lake trout reproduced successfully and fishing intensity was high. Inshore stocks of wild lake trout are currently about 61 % of historic abundance in Michigan and 53% in Wisconsin. Direct comparison of modern and historic abundances of inshore lake trout stocks in Minnesota and Ontario is impossible due to lack of historic stock assessment data. Stocks in Minnesota are less abundant at present than in Michigan or Wisconsin, and stocks in Ontario are similar to those in Michigan. Further progress in stock recovery can only be achieved if sea lampreys are depressed and if