Research, Education, and Outreach Efforts on Critical Lake Erie Issues

Ohio Sea Grant College Program

Jeffrey M. Reutter, Director

Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab’s

Research, Education, and Outreach

Efforts on Critical Lake Erie Issues

Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter, Director

Lake Erie LaMP Public Forum, LaSalle, Michigan

12 March 2010

Most Important Lake In the World?• “Its our lake. I see it every day. It can’t be the most

important lake in the world.”

• Dead lake image of 60s and 70s.

• Poster child for pollution problems in this country.

• But, most heavily utilized of any of the Great Lakes.

• Shared by 4 states and 2 countries.

• Best example of ecosystem recovery in world.

Blue-green Algae Bloomcirca 1970, Lake Erie

“I heard Lake Erie is the

place fish go to die.”

--Johnny Carson, 1976

Today’s Talk

• Who we are

• What we do

• Some current research, education, and outreach

efforts

• Lake Erie 101

• Lake Erie’s most important issues

1895—F.T. Stone Laboratory

1970—Center for Lake Erie Area Research (CLEAR)

1978—Ohio Sea Grant College Program

1992—Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem

Research Consortium (GLAERC)

General Sea Grant

•Part of National Sea Grant

Collge Program in NOAA

•32 programs every coastal

•Partnership of:

+ Government

+ Academia

+ Private Sector

•Focus on 3 E’s:

+ Environment

+ Economy

+ Education

•Accomplish through:

+ Research

+ Education

+ Outreach

Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus

What is Stone Lab?

•Oldest freshwater field station in the nation, and

•Ohio’s Lake Erie Lab since 1895

• Island campus of OSU on Gibraltar Island, Lake Erie

•Research, education, and outreach laboratory

•A whole lot of fun!

Program Goals and Objectives:

• Improve science education, link research scientists

and managers, improve management decisions,

facilitate the development of collaborative research

projects to address management needs, enhance

public understanding of Great Lakes issues.

• Solve problems, prevent them from happening,

minimize their impact, protect human health, and

maximize the value of Lake Erie.

• Support the LaMP and the CSMI.

Institutional Setting

E. Gordon GeePresident

Bobby D. MoserVice President for Agricultural

Administration and University Outreach

Jeffrey M. ReutterDirector, Ohio Sea Grant College Program

Carol WhitacreSenior Vice President

For Research

Great Lakes Aquatic

Ecosystem Research Consortium

(GLAERC)

Center for Lake Erie

Area Research

(CLEAR)

F.T. Stone Laboratory

Columbus Office

Accomplishments-1

• SG—Over 420 projects, 450 grad students, 250+ investigators, 19 colleges and univ.

• 18 endowments at Stone Lab

• FOSL--Supported over 1000 scholarships and REUs at Stone Lab since 1983

• Over 100,000 students of all ages at Stone Lab since 1990

• 225 partnerships including Lake Erie Partnership

• Lake Erie Literacy Principles

• Participated in rebirth of Lake Erie

Accomplishments-2• Outreach--11.7 million hits/year on website

• Over 300 articles/year about our work in media

• 12 Ohio Sea Grant communication and extension specialists

+ Artificial Reefs—10 including 3 from old Cleve Municipal Stadium

+ State Legislature/Congressional Day—since 1982

+ Clean Marina Program—shrink wrap (1 million lbs.)—5 more states

+ Mentor Lagoons and Big Island Wetland

+ Tourism—marketing Lake Erie

• Walleye capital of the World

• Top 10 fishing spots in world

• Coastal property values and turbidity

• Shipwrecks and scuba diving

• Lake Erie Discussion Bd—80,000 hits/month

Current Work—1 • Leadership for LEMN, GLRRIN, CGLRM

• Some current research projects+ Sonication to remove PAH’s from sediment

+ Ecological impact of nanoparticles

+ Economic impact of birding

+ Leveraging natural amenities for sustainable development

+ Development of a high-resolution nearshore model for LE

+ New molecular test for active VHS infection in fish

+ Environmental tolerance of type A influenza virus isolated from waterfowl

+ Role of sediment in controlling the fate and toxicity of microcystin

Current Work—2• Understanding P and N limitation

• Phosphonate utilization by algae

• P, Microcystis, and sediment in NW Ohio, Maumee and

Sandusky Rivers, and W to E Basins—4 projects

(GLNPO, LEPF, Sea Grant, GLPF)

• Agriculture impacts on P loading—3 projects (GLNPO,

LEPF, GLPF)

• Much is coordinated through GLRRIN and LEMN

Current Work—3

• Emerald Ash Borer

• Lake Erie Watersnakes

• Avian studies

• Dead Zone

• Aging gizzard shad and whitefish

• Ottolith studies

• Lots more

Gibraltar Island

Village of Put-in-BayOn SouthBass Island

Stone Laboratory:Ohio’s Lake Erie Laboratory

Since 1895

Campus

Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus

•Bayview Office

• Dining Hall

•Harborview House

Stone Cottage

Improving Science Education in Ohio: Stone Laboratory Story

Education for all ages+ Field trips grades 4-adult

+ Intro courses open to superior HS students

+ Upper level courses for grad students

+ Teacher courses

Since 1990:+ Students from

• 107 colleges

• 360 high schools

Opportunities:• Courses—All ages

• Teaching

• Conferences

• Workshops and field trips

• Research

• REUs

• Visiting scientists

• Guest lectures and open houses

• Outreach and non-formal education

• Volunteer work weekends

Students Learn by Doing

Tell me, I forget.

Show me, I remember.

Involve me, I understand.

--Benjamin Franklin

Typical classroom;Not more than 16 students

Students Pulling in trawl

On stern ofBioLab

Entomology Class in Field

Field Zoology at Old Woman Creek

Glacial Grooves at Kelleys Island

Primary Workshop Season for Schools

Jeffrey M. Reutter, Director

Science Cruise

Trawling for Fish

Examining Plankton Sample

On Line Discussion Board

• Lake Erie Discussion Board

• Outreach tool for Lake Erie

fishing Qs

• Top program web page

• Input: free software, time of

extension staff

• Growth

• 2005: 11,000 hits/month

• 2008: 70,000 hits/month

How do I get involved?

• Friends of Stone Lab (FOSL)

Lake Erie Cross Section

80:10:10 Rule

80% of water from upper lakes

10% from Lake Erie Tributaries

10% direct precipitation

Great Lakes

Lake Superior: Most Water

Lake Huron: Longest shoreline

Lake Michigan: Largest US population

Lake Erie: Most productive and most fish—smallest volume

Lake Ontario: Largest Canadian population—smallest area

Most agriculture of the Great Lakes.

As a Result, Lake Erie Gets:

More sediment

More nutrients (fertilizers and sewage)

More pesticides

(The above 3 items are exacerbated by storms, which will be more frequent and severe due to global warming and climate change.)

And is still biologically, the most productive of the Great Lakes

50:2 Rule(Not exact, but instructive)

Lake Superior: 50% of the water and 2% of the fish

Lake Erie: 2% of the water and 50% of the fish

Lake Erie Stats

Drinking water for 11 million peopleOver 20 power plants300 marinas in Ohio aloneWalleye Capital of the World40% of all Great Lakes charter boats$1 billion sport fisheryOne of top 10 sport fishing locations in the worldOne of the largest freshwater commercial fisheries

in the world

Lake Erie’s Biggest Problems

+ Sedimentation/Water Clarity/Dredging

+ Nutrients and Phosphorus

+ HABs—Harmful Algal Blooms

+ Dead Zone

+ AIS—Aquatic Invasive Species

+ Climate Change/Lake Levels/Severe Storms

Sediment Entering Lake Erie—4/2/08

Impacts of Sedimentation

Water quality is reduced

Nutrients and contaminants enter the Lake attached to sediment particles

Can trace Maumee River sediments over Niagara Falls within one year

Maumee River is largest single source—should not allow open lake disposal where it is guaranteed to resuspend

Why does Lake Erie get the most

sediment?

Because it has the most agriculture in its basin.

Maumee River brings more sediment into Lake

Erie than all tributaries carry into Lake Superior,

and Lake Superior is 20 times larger in volume

than Lake Erie.

Nutrients and Phosphorus

Why does Lake Erie get most nutrients?

• Because it has the most agriculture in its basin.

• Few forests

• Wetlands gone

• Large human population—water treatment,

septic tanks, sewage treatment (or lack thereof)

Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus

Maumee

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Sandusky

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Cuyahoga

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Source: P. Richards, Heidelberg College

Impacts of Increased Phosphorus Concentrations

HABs+ Microcystis

+ Microcystin levels 60 times WHO

+ Cylindrospermopsis

Nuisance Algae Blooms+ Lyngbya—Western Basin Attached

+ Cladophora—Whole Lake Attached

Dead Zone

HABs(Harmful Algal Blooms):Western Basin Problem(I used to say this, but it is

no longer true.)

HAB Requirements

Warm water (summer problem)

High phosphorus levels (and now high nitrogen)

Zebra/quagga mussels (remove competition)

HABs:Western Basin ProblemBut Contribute to Oxygen Demand inthe Central Basin, i.e.the Dead Zone

Dead Zone:Central Basin Problem

Lake Erie Cross Section

Central Basin with Thermocline

Wind Tilting Thermocline

Nutrients and organic material in sewer discharges and CSOs contribute directly to HABs and the Dead Zone, but it is highly likely that non-point loading from agriculture is the predominant factor!

Efforts to prevent/reduce CSOs will improve the Dead Zone and reducebeach closings!

AISOver 180 species in Great Lakes

75% since Seaway opened

Zebra and quagga mussels

Phragmites and loosestrife

Round gobies

Next?—Silver Carp??

How do we close the door?

Because Lake Erie is the southernmost, shallowest, warmest, and most nutrient-enriched of the Great Lakes, it is likely that AIS will always present the greatest problem, and have the greatest impact, in Lake Erie.

Climate change is real and will make these problems worse!

• Warm water favors HABs

• Warm water increases oxygen depletion rates

• More severe storms will resuspend more sediment and increase erosion and sediment loading

• Lake levels uncertain

Power Production Impacts

No Free Lunch

+ Bird Mortality

Coal or Nuclear

+ Cooling water impacts on fish

+ Mining impacts

+ Air pollution impacts

+ Volume of material—fuel and waste

Fish Impingement at Power Plants

Fish Impingement

Energy Output

Acme Bayshore Davis-Bessie

The Forecast:Increased sedimentation—lower water clarity

(also means reduced coastal property values)

Lower Lake Levels

More nutrients—algal mats, flies, HABs and toxins

AIS—new one every 8 months

Dead Zone—bigger and longer lasting

Water treatment costs will increase

Lake Erie will continue to be the most important lake in the world

Reasonable Goals+ Elimination of beach closures and water quality

improvements

• CSO reductions will help

• Everything else will likely be worse for Water Quality

+ Elimination of Dead Zone

• Important to drinking water quality

• May not be possible

+ Elimination of HABs

• Very important to human health

• Can be achieved

• Will also improve Dead Zone and beaches

What Can You Do? IDon’t wait for someone else to solve the problem.

Be part of the solution. Join and support local environmental organizations, e.g.

• Friends of Stone Laboratory

• Bioneers

• Cleveland Museum of Natural History

• Cleveland Botanical Garden

• Lake Erie Nature and Science Center

• Great Lakes Science Center

• A watershed protection group

• A Remedial Action Plan (RAP)

What Can You Do? IISupport improvements to public sewer systems

that eliminate CSOs—your rates will increase!

Reduce runoff from your property

Reduce your carbon footprint

Reduce your water and electrical usage

Follow guidelines to prevent introduction of AIS

Become a “Clean Boater”

Dock your boat at a certified “Clean Marina”

What Can You Do? III

Make sure your septic tank is working properly

Be vocal and tell your elected officials to support environmental programs

Volunteer for beach and shoreline cleanups

Help protect and restore wetlands

Use buffer strips on your farm

For more informationDr. Jeff Reutter, DirectorOhio Sea Grant and Stone Lab

Ohio State Univ.

1314 Kinnear Rd.

Col, Oh 43212

614-292-8949

Reutter.1@osu.edu

www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/

Stone Laboratory

Ohio State Univ.

Box 119

Put-in-Bay, O 43456

614-247-6500

Results and Key Points from Discussion—1

• Managers should focus on bioavailable P, not total P

• P limitation of algae may be decreasing

• High N levels may be pushing algae away from

Anabaena and Aphanizomenon and toward Microcys.

• Implications

+ Algae is N limited

+ P loading has gone up so much that it is no longer limiting

+ REDUCING P LOADS SHOULD STILL BE GOAL!!

Results and Key Points from Discussion—2

• Increased turbidity from Maumee River sediment is

advantageous to harmful algal blooms (Microcystis sp.)

• Microcystis is found in sediment prior to bloom and

sediments may be acting as a source

• Microcystis concentrations were highest in Aug., but found as

early as April

• Lyngbya concentrations highest in June – Aug and at 2-4 m

depths

• Many forms of Microcystis—not always producing toxin

Results and Key Points from Discussion—3• Stratification of P in soil samples is important

• Direct runoff of surface applied P is a factor

• In the CB and EB and looking from nearshore to offshore: P concentrations go down, we are P-limited, and there may be more P in sediment of CB than WB

• STP is a good indicator of P transport risk

• Phosphonate can be used by algae

• Changes in STP in last decade:+ Input and output balanced in Ohio

+ STP levels have remained steady or gone down in most counties

+ Mercer County with many CAFO’s is a notable exception

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