Lake Erie CSMI:Assessment of Nutrient/Eutrophication

Dynamics in Western Lake Erie

Nutrient loading to the western basin of Lake Erie has been recognized as a pivotal component in the re-occurrence of harmful and nuisance algal blooms.

Objective: Improve current understanding of the roles of external and internal nutrient loading, especially as influenced by weather forcing events.

Project includes: in situ experiments laboratory studies modeling

Outputs and Outcomes: Nutrient mass budgets for the western basin Internal nutrient cycling budgets Improved understanding of the causes of algal blooms Training future scientists

Project Description

Participants Lead Investigator: Lake Erie Commission (Gail Hesse) Science coordinator: Tom Bridgeman Education and Outreach Coordinators: Jeff Reutter (Ohio Sea

Grant), Jan Ciborowski (U. Windsor)

Participating investigators Case Western Reserve: Gerald Matisoff Limnotech: Joe DePinto, Ed Verhamme The Ohio State University: Justin Chaffin, Matt Thomas & divers NCWQR: Laura Johnson, Rem Confesor, Pete Richards USGS - Great Lakes Science Center: Mary Anne Evans & divers U. Toledo: Ricky Becker, Christine Mayer, Youngwoo Seo, Song Qian

Three Subprojects Sub-Project 1: Quantifying the internal nutrient loads to the

water column in the western basin Benthic (bottom) chamber studies Lab-based sediment core incubations

Subprojects Sub-Project 2: : Evaluating the important factors of river

hydrology and/or seasonality of loads to harmful algal bloom formation and dynamics in the western basin of Lake Erie, including the effects of storm and other meteorological/climatological forcing events

Quantify N and P loads using: Bayesian Hierarchical SPARROW model (BH-SPARROW) fit for the Great

Lakes region SWAT models calibrated for the Maumee and Sandusky River basins

2009, Corn

2010, soy

2011, corn

2012, soy

HRU boundary

Subprojects Sub-Project 3: Developing a nutrient mass budget for the

western basin of Lake Erie which includes sub-watersheds AND overall modeling synthesis

Apply the Western Lake Erie Ecosystem Model: Use input data generated by Subprojects 1 and 2 Output transport and fate of Phosphorus

Western Lake Erie Ecosystem Model (WLEEM)

Hydrodynamic Sub-Model

EFDC Model

Sediment Transport Sub-Model

“Simulating Waves Nearshore” (SWAN)

Wind-WaveSub-Model

Nutrient & Eutrophication

Sub-Model (A2EM)

Shear Stress

Hydrodynamics•Water level•Current velocity

Water Quality Linkage•Flows•Suspended solids•Settling/ resuspension rates

Wind-Waves•Significant height•Direction•Frequency

•Current velocity

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