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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
2
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.
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
3
Blue-green Algae Bloomcirca 1970, Lake Erie
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
4
“I heard Lake Erie is the
place fish go to die.”
--Johnny Carson, 1976
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
5
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
6
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
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)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
7
General Sea Grant
•Part of National Sea Grant
Collge Program in NOAA
•32 programs every coastal
state
•Partnership of:
+ Government
+ Academia
+ Private Sector
•Focus on 3 E’s:
+ Environment
+ Economy
+ Education
•Accomplish through:
+ Research
+ Education
+ Outreach
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
8
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!
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
9
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.
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
10
10
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
11
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
12
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
13
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
14
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
15
Current Work—3
• Emerald Ash Borer
• Lake Erie Watersnakes
• Avian studies
• Dead Zone
• Aging gizzard shad and whitefish
• Ottolith studies
• Lots more
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
16
Gibraltar Island
Village of Put-in-BayOn SouthBass Island
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
17
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
18
Stone Laboratory:Ohio’s Lake Erie Laboratory
Since 1895
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
19
Campus
Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus
•Bayview Office
• Dining Hall
•Harborview House
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
20
Stone Cottage
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
21
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
22
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
23
Students Learn by Doing
Tell me, I forget.
Show me, I remember.
Involve me, I understand.
--Benjamin Franklin
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
24
Typical classroom;Not more than 16 students
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
25
Students Pulling in trawl
On stern ofBioLab
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
26
Entomology Class in Field
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
27
Field Zoology at Old Woman Creek
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
28
Glacial Grooves at Kelleys Island
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
29
Primary Workshop Season for Schools
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Jeffrey M. Reutter, Director
Science Cruise
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
31
Trawling for Fish
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
32
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
33
Examining Plankton Sample
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
34
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
35
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
36
How do I get involved?
• Friends of Stone Lab (FOSL)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
37
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
38
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
39
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
40
Lake Erie Cross Section
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
41
80:10:10 Rule
80% of water from upper lakes
10% from Lake Erie Tributaries
10% direct precipitation
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
42
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
43
Most agriculture of the Great Lakes.
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
44
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
45
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
46
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
47
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
48
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
49
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
50
Sediment Entering Lake Erie—4/2/08
50
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
51
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
52
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.
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
53
Nutrients and Phosphorus
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
54
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)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
55
Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus
Maumee
0.0
0.4
0.8
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Sandusky
-0.2
0.2
0.6
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Cuyahoga
-0.1
0.4
0.9
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Grand
-0.3
0.0
0.3
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Source: P. Richards, Heidelberg College
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
56
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
57
HABs(Harmful Algal Blooms):Western Basin Problem(I used to say this, but it is
no longer true.)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
58
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
59
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
60
60
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
61
61
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
62
HAB Requirements
Warm water (summer problem)
High phosphorus levels (and now high nitrogen)
Zebra/quagga mussels (remove competition)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
63
HABs:Western Basin ProblemBut Contribute to Oxygen Demand inthe Central Basin, i.e.the Dead Zone
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
64
Dead Zone:Central Basin Problem
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
65
Lake Erie Cross Section
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
66
Central Basin with Thermocline
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
67
Wind Tilting Thermocline
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
68
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!
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
69
Efforts to prevent/reduce CSOs will improve the Dead Zone and reducebeach closings!
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
70
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?
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
71
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.
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
72
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
73
Power Production Impacts
No Free Lunch
Wind
+ Bird Mortality
Coal or Nuclear
+ Cooling water impacts on fish
+ Mining impacts
+ Air pollution impacts
+ Volume of material—fuel and waste
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
74
Fish Impingement at Power Plants
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Mil
lio
ns
of
Fis
h I
mp
ing
ed /
Yea
r
Fish Impingement
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
MW
e (m
ean
)
Energy Output
Acme Bayshore Davis-Bessie
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
75
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
76
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
77
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)
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
78
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”
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
79
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
80
For more informationDr. Jeff Reutter, DirectorOhio Sea Grant and Stone Lab
Ohio State Univ.
1314 Kinnear Rd.
Col, Oh 43212
614-292-8949
www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/
Stone Laboratory
Ohio State Univ.
Box 119
Put-in-Bay, O 43456
614-247-6500
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
81
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!!
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
82
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
Ohio Sea Grant College Program
83
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