Pressures on the Great - EPA Archives · Pressures on the Great Lakes Ecosystem Donna Myers United States Geological Survey. ... 975 978 980 982 984 6 8 991 993 995 Year PCBs (ng/g)

Pressures on the Great Pressures on the Great Lakes EcosystemLakes Ecosystem

Donna MyersDonna MyersUnited States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey

Major Pressures on the Great Major Pressures on the Great LakesLakes

NonNon--Native SpeciesNative SpeciesToxic ContaminantsToxic ContaminantsExcessive NutrientsExcessive NutrientsPhysical ProcessesPhysical Processes

Cumulative Number of NonCumulative Number of Non--native native Species Introduced since the Species Introduced since the

1830’s1830’s

Release Mechanisms for NonRelease Mechanisms for Non--Native SpeciesNative Species

Sea LampreySea Lamprey

Lampricide TreatmentLampricide Treatment

Sea Lamprey TrapSea Lamprey Trap

Toxic Contaminants: How much is Toxic Contaminants: How much is in the aquatic food web?in the aquatic food web?

Contaminants in:Contaminants in:youngyoung--ofof--year year spottailspottail shiners shiners whole fishwhole fishcolonial nesting colonial nesting waterbirdswaterbirdssnapping turtle snapping turtle eggseggs

OrganochlorineOrganochlorine PesticidesPesticides

DDTDDTDDE, DDDDDE, DDD

HexachlorobenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHeptachlor Heptachlor epoxideepoxideDieldrinDieldrinMirexMirex

PCBs: PCBs: organochlorineorganochlorinecompoundscompounds

Found in Transformers Found in Transformers (as seen here)(as seen here)

Contaminants in YContaminants in Y--OO--Y Y SpottailSpottailShinersShiners

Total DDT Levels in Juvenile Spottail Shiners from Lake Erie at

Leamington

050

100150200250300

1975

1979

1982

1985

1988

1992

Year

Tota

l DD

T (n

g/g)

PCB Levels in Juvenile Spottail Shiners from Lake Erie at

Leamington

0200400600800

1000120014001600

1975

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1991

1993

1995

Year

PCB

s (n

g/g)

Mirex Levels in Juvenile Spottail Shiners from Lake Ontario at the

Credit River

01020304050

1976

1979

1982

1987

1989

1992

1996

Year

Mire

x (n

g/g)

Mirex Levels in Juvenile Spottail Shiners from Lake Ontario at the

Credit River

01020304050

1976

1979

1982

1987

1989

1992

1996

Year

Mire

x (n

g/g)

PCB Levels in Juvenile Spottail Shiners from Lake Erie at

Leamington

0200400600800

1000120014001600

1975

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1991

1993

1995

Year

PCBs

(ng/

g)

Total DDT Levels in Juve nile Spottail Shiners from Lake Erie at

Leamington

050

100150200250300

1975

1979

1982

1985

1988

1992

Year

Tota

l DD

T (n

g/g)

Lake OntarioLake Ontario

Lake ErieLake Erie

Lake SuperiorLake Superior

Lake HuronLake Huron

0

10

20

30

1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000Year

PCB

(ug/

g)PCBs in Lake Michigan Whole Lake TroutPCBs in Lake Michigan Whole Lake Trout

0

1

2

3

4

1977 1984 1991 1998Year

PCB

(ug/

g)PCBs in Lake Erie Whole WalleyePCBs in Lake Erie Whole Walleye

DDE in Herring Gull eggs, Toronto DDE in Herring Gull eggs, Toronto Harbor, 1974 Harbor, 1974 –– 20012001

(concentrations in parts per million)(concentrations in parts per million)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

Year

Con

cent

rati

on

(ug/

g, w

et w

eigh

t)

PCBs in Herring Gull Eggs, 1999 PCBs in Herring Gull Eggs, 1999 and 2001and 2001

0

10

20

30

40

50

W. L. S

uperi

or

E. L.

Supe

rior

Green B

ay, L

. Mich

igan

Northe

rn L.

Michiga

n

Sagina

w Bay,

L. Hu

ron

North C

hann

el, L.

Huron

South

ern L.

Huron

Detroit

R.W. L

. Erie

E. L.

Erie

Niagara

R.

Hamilto

n Hrbr

., L. O

ntario

Toron

to Hrbr

., L. O

ntario

E. L.

Ontario

St. La

wrence

R.

Site (arranged W to E)

Conc

entr

atio

n(p

pm, w

et w

eigh

t)

1999 2001

Total PCB concentrations (parts per Total PCB concentrations (parts per million) in Snapping Turtle eggs from million) in Snapping Turtle eggs from

selected sites and yearsselected sites and years

1984 1989-91 1998-99 2001Algonquin Pk. (Reference) 0.187 0.018 0.02 0.02St. Clair NWA, (Lake St. Clair) 1.095 - - -Turkey Creek, Detroit River - - - 1.832Wheatley Harbor, Erie - - - 0.413Rondeau Provincial Park , Erie 1.093 0.617 -Cootes Paradise, Ontario 1.315 3.575 2.956 -Lynde Creek, Ontario - 1.43 - -Akwesasne, St. Lawrence 0.869 3.946 6.373 -

YEARSite

Toxic Contaminants: How Toxic Contaminants: How much is in the environment?much is in the environment?

Contaminants in sediment coresContaminants in sediment coresToxic chemical concentrations in Toxic chemical concentrations in waterwaterAtmospheric deposition of toxic Atmospheric deposition of toxic chemicalschemicals

Sediment Quality Index (SQI) Sediment Quality Index (SQI) Scores Scores –– 1997 Samples1997 SamplesLake and BasinLake and Basin SQI ScoreSQI Score

ErieErieWesternWestern 8585CentralCentral 8686EasternEastern 9595

OntarioOntarioNiagaraNiagara 6767MississaugaMississauga 6666RochesterRochester 7070KingstonKingston 8787

Scale: 0 = Poor, 100 = ExcellentScale: 0 = Poor, 100 = Excellent

SQI scores for Five Areas of SQI scores for Five Areas of Concern in the U.S.Concern in the U.S.

SITE Lake SQI Score

Buffalo River, NY Erie 93

Saginaw River and Harbor, MIMichigan 58

Ashtabula River and Harbor, OHErie 36

Sheboygan River and Harbor, WI Michigan 29

Grand Calumet River / Indiana Harbor, IN Michigan 25

Scale: 0 = Poor, 100 = ExcellentScale: 0 = Poor, 100 = Excellent

DieldrinDieldrin (pesticide) concentrations in (pesticide) concentrations in Great Lakes Waters 1997 Great Lakes Waters 1997 -- 20002000

Legend (ng/L)< 0.15

0.15 – 0.200.20 +

PCBs in atmosphericPCBs in atmosphericdepositiondeposition

10

100

1000

10000

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Year

Conc

entra

tion

(ppt

)

Chicago

Atmospheric Concentrations of Atmospheric Concentrations of HexachlorocyclohexaneHexachlorocyclohexane

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000Year

Con

cent

rati

on (

pg/m

3 )

Lake SuperiorLake MichiganLake ErieLake HuronLake OntarioAll Sites Decrease

Atmospheric Deposition of Five Atmospheric Deposition of Five Organochlorine CompoundsOrganochlorine Compounds

(mass deposited per year(mass deposited per year))

-3200-2800-2400-2000-1600-1200

-800-400

0400800

12001600

kg/y

r

a -H CH lindane d ie l dr i n p ,p′-DDT sum-PCB

1992 1994 19951993 1996 1997 1998

Excessive NutrientsExcessive Nutrients

Phosphorus Phosphorus concentrationsconcentrations

Superior

OntarioMichigan

Eastern Erie

WesternErie

Huron

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (

ug/L

)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

Central Erie

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

Central Erie

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000Yea rs

TP(u

g/L

)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 20001970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TP (u

g/L)

Physical ProcessesPhysical Processes

Extent of hardened shorelineExtent of hardened shorelineEffect of water level fluctuationsEffect of water level fluctuationsClimate change Climate change –– Ice on the Great Ice on the Great LakesLakes

Extent of Hardened ShorelineExtent of Hardened Shoreline

Effect of Water Level Effect of Water Level FluctuationsFluctuations

Climate Change Climate Change –– Ice on the Great LakesIce on the Great Lakes

Documents

Pressures on the Great - EPA Archives · Pressures on the Great Lakes Ecosystem Donna Myers United States Geological Survey. ... 975 978 980 982 984 6 8 991 993 995 Year PCBs (ng/g)