NOAA Great Lakes Seminar Series: 2007 Past Seminars

Tuesday
October 23

"Invaders from the Sea" shows how organisms transported in ballast water by ships have caused biological and economic havoc around the world. The film captures the impact of this issue using examples of three harmful organisms, which have been transported to new areas in ships' ballast water: North American comb jelly, Golden mussel (Limnoperma fortunei), and Toxic Algae (Red Tides). It also highlights the progress made by IMO and the maritime industry in addressing this issue and the measures which can be taken to prevent the spread of harmful organisms.

This documentary was produced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in co-operation with the BBC and the shipping industry and was filmed by the BBC Wildvision. It won 1st place (gold) for the Best UN Feature Film at the 3rd UN Film Festival in April 2007. (49 minutes).

Tuesday
September 25

Title: "Genetic and molecular approaches for assessing health of Great Lakes birds"

Speaker: Dr. Jessica Head
Environment Canada
National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa

Abstract:
The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) has monitored the health of colonial fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes for over 30 years. Annual surveys conducted by CWS biologists have provided us with a continuous record of reproductive success and environmental contaminant levels in herring gull eggs since the early 1970s. More recently, molecular and biochemical techniques with practical applications to wildlife health assessment have become an important part of the monitoring program. In this talk, I will review basic concepts of molecular genetics, and then describe relevant ongoing research by our group in this field. Molecular techniques for determining sex, chronological age and contaminant sensitivity in birds will be discussed. In each case, our work has led to collaborative projects which use molecular biological methods to address questions in avian ecology and population health assessment.

Tuesday,
September 18

Title: "Nutrient loading to Lake Michigan: a mass balance assessment"

Speaker: Dr. Haejin Han (Jinny)
Post-doctoral Fellow
University of Michigan
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Abstract:
I estimated nitrogen (N) loading to 25 watersheds of the Lake Michigan Basin (LMB) from 1920 to 2002 to examine temporal and spatial variation in net anthropogenic N inputs (NANI) in relation to land use, climate, and agricultural practices and to explore how well NANI and climate are able to predict temporal and spatial variation in river export of total N. Based on my accounting of net anthropogenic N inputs (NANI) due to fertilizer application, crop fixation, net atmospheric deposition, and net trade of N as food and feed, total NANI to the entire LMB increased nearly three-fold over the 20th Century. Watersheds with intense corn production in the eastern LMB experienced the largest (about six-fold) increase. Prior to 1944, temporal variation in total NANI to all watersheds was determined by changes in newly fixed N originating within the LMB, rather than new N inputs imported from outside the basin. However, from 1950 onward, total NANI to the LMB was increasingly influenced by a variety of types of transported or traded N, and the relative importance of individual N sources subsequently became more heterogeneous across watersheds. By the late 20th Century, atmospheric N deposition was the major input to forested regions, crop N fixation was the largest input to agricultural watersheds of western LMB, and fertilizer N application dominated agricultural watersheds of the eastern LMB.

To determine how well riverine export of total N (TN) can be predicted from N inputs to the land, I compared linear and log-linear regression models predicting riverine TN exports for 18 selected watersheds over five census years from 1974 -1992, using a number of different N budgeting approaches. Various assumptions and computational details influenced model fit and prediction errors, and statistical relationships were improved, especially for small watersheds with diverse land use and farming practices, in response to specific model adjustments. NANI estimation procedures that account for seasonal fluctuations in livestock populations, and estimate crop N fixation using crop yield methods rather than area harvested, resulted in stronger models. A non-linear regression model that simultaneously incorporated spatial and temporal data for the preferred NANI model as well as annual runoff was able to account for 87% of the variation in riverine TN exports over time and space. This model, based on a more detailed description of N sources and losses and annual runoff, and incorporating both temporal and spatial variation, was found to have lower bias and higher precision in the prediction of riverine TN exports.

Wednesday
August 15

Speaker: Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, Dean,
University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment

Wednesday
August 1

Title: "Improving educators’ capacity to teach about the Great Lakes" & "Communicating for Sustainability: Insights from Psychology"

Speaker: Dr. Michaela Zint, Associate Professor of Environmental Education & Communication, School of Natural Resources and Environment & School of Education, University of Michigan

Abstracts:
"Improving educators’ capacity to teach about the Great Lakes"
This short presentation will consist of an overview of a web-based resource I created to help teachers identify curricula they can use to teach about the Great Lakes and related issues http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/teachers/). I will briefly describe the various features of the site, how it was developed, and present select evaluation results. Teachers often ask natural scientists to assist them in their efforts to teach about environmental issues such as those confronting the Great Lakes. This site is one scientists can refer them to for relevant teaching resources.

"Communicating for Sustainability: Insights from Psychology"
Most of us who care deeply about certain issues want to foster changes in the behavior of others. For example, those of us concerned about climate change want individuals to adopt behaviors that reduce C02 emissions. This presentation will attempt to correct misperceptions many individuals have about how to best foster behavior change and offer alternative suggestions.

Wednesday
July 25

Title: "Mid twenty-first century coastal restoration in a post-apocalyptic world"

Speaker: Dr. Mark Ford, Executive Director
Coalition to Restore Coastal LA

Abstract:
Restoration in coastal Louisiana has always been a challenge, both logistically and financially. However, since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, restoration has become more complicated and much more expensive. Though the basic tools used to restore the landscape are the same, most restoration is now tied to protection measures, meaning the enhancement or construction of massive levee systems. In addition, various planning efforts are underway, efforts that are not as integrated as they should be at parish (local government), state and federal level. Very little funding is dedicated at this time to any of the restoration or protection projects being proposed. Complicating things further are changes in the population, insurance concerns, land loss, in addition to the financial elements, all of which have leapt to levels not expected for decades.

Non-governmental organizations are engaged in the process of restoration planning, crafting legislative language which we hope will result in authorizations and appropriations for needed projects, and the coordinating of local, state, and federal efforts at a much greater level than before the storm of 2005. There is a sense of urgency to restore the landscape. Some believe that within 10 years restoration as we currently know it will no longer be affordable and within those same 10 years we will pass a tipping point where there will no longer enough of the existing landscape to be able to do meaningful restoration in coastal Louisiana. Our challenge, and our mission, is to restore coastal Louisiana to a sustainable condition.

Friday
July 13

Speaker: Dr. Young Jae Ro
Department of Oceanography, Chungnam National University, Taejon, Republic of Korea

Abstract:
This study describes the history of the realtime monitoring experiences in the Kangjin Bay, South Sea, Korea in terms of the system components and its implementation and maintenance, data quality control and analysis and oceanographic applications.

The system consists of three major parts: a data logger with an array of sensors for water quality, current and meteorological conditions; a wireless data communication device equipped with cdma module; and a local power source (solar panel and battery).

The system has been operating continuously starting from early 2001 and the data array is published on the web page (http://oceaninfo.co.kr) on a realtime basis. The data quality is controlled and checked both in realtime and delayed mode to ensure the best possible quality.

Time series of numerous oceanographic parameters are being produced and analyzed for scientific and practical applications including the generation of realtime warning messages. From short term to intra-annual periods, variability of oceanic conditions such as water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, current, and many others are analyzed in term of spectra and multiple correlation. These data are also utilized for numerical model initialization and validation. Ultimately the data array will be a basis for comprehensive understanding of the local ecosystem dynamics. One important application now being emphasized is the generation mechanism of the anoxia in the Kangjin Bay in summer season.

Tuesday
July 3

Fishermen, anglers, and even biologists often utter phrases like “There is no fish in this area in spring” or “when the wind comes from the north…”. We describe and analyze the vertical and horizontal distribution of fish in relation to water temperature, wind direction and fish size in a bay in the northern Baltic Sea using data from biweekly acoustic surveys made through spring to autumn for two consecutive years. The pelagic fish community in this bay is dominated by clupeids, i.e. herring and sprat. The seasonal dynamics in vertical distribution patterns were consistent between years and varied with temperature structure. Fish showed clear horizontal patchiness, but horizontal distributions were not significantly related to wind directions.

Thursday
June 21

Title:"Individual contributions to population structure and dynamics"

Speaker: Dr. Christopher Chizinski
Texas Tech University

Abstract:
Population-level processes are partially determined by individual-level energetics. We utilized two modeling approaches to gain an understanding of the contribution provided by individuals to population structure and dynamics. We developed a bioenergetics model to explore whether growth predictions could be accounted by resource partitioning among female, male, and immature inland silverside Menidia beryllina. Model simulations provide evidence that differences in food habits are unable to account for the observed disparity in growth. Instead, we suggest that energy utilization differs among maturity states and we recommend the development of a two-stage bioenergetics model that includes a reproductive-allocation component. We developed a dynamic population-matrix model to investigate alternative management practices on the alleviation of stunting in white perch Morone americana. Model simulations provide evidence that an intense biomass removal is needed for substantial change in maximum size of stunted white perch. Additionally, a one-time thinning of the population is likely not sufficient to sustain a non-stunted population. These two approaches provide insights about the substantial effects that resource limitation and reproductive effort has on population structure.

Thursday
June 21

Speaker: Dr. Stephan Lozano
Ecologist, NOAA-GLERL

Abstract:
Dreissenids are successful invaders in the Great Lakes. There is ample evidence that dreissenids have made a major impact on the Great Lakes. The benthic filter feeders are capable of attaching to both soft and hard substrates and filter large portions of the nearshore waters. The conceptual model of a nearshore phosphorus shunt has been used to describe the consequences of ecosystem engineering by dreissenids in the nearshore. In my presentation, I will describe the status of invasive dreissenid mussels and the native amphipods, Diporeia ssp. in Lake Ontario over the last 20 years. The two most common hypotheses for the decline of Diporeia in the Great Lakes are food limitation and a toxin/pathogen associated with dreissenid pseudofeces. The Diporeia decline in deep waters preceded the expansion of D. bugensis to these depths and suggests that shallow dreissenid populations remotely influence profundal habitats. This pattern of decline is consistent with mechanisms that act from some distance including nearshore dreissenid grazing and downslope transport of pseudofeces.

Tuesday
June 19

Speaker: Dr. Brent Murry
Postdoctoral Research Specialist, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Thursday
June 14

Speaker: Dr. Kyle J. Hartman
Associate Professor, Wildlife & Fisheries Program,
West Virginia University

Abstract:
Appalachian headwater streams are high gradient, cold water systems historically dominated by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). These systems are subject to many anthropogenic and natural perturbations such as acid deposition, acid mine drainage, sedimentation and deforestation, and floods and drought. In 1998 we began studying various aspects of the ecology and population dynamics of brook trout. Among these studies included development of bioenergetic models for brook trout, evaluation of suspended and deposited sediment upon feeding and reproductive success, habitat use, and manipulative studies. These studies improved our understanding of brook trout ecology. However, large scale changes in habitat quality and brook trout populations have occurred since the early 1900’s, yet little data is available detailing habitat and population responses over time. Therefore, in 2002 we initiated a long-term study of 25 headwater streams in West Virginia to study the spatial and temporal variability of stream habitat and brook trout populations in the Central Appalachian Mountains. Such long-term studies are needed to identify limiting and controlling factors of brook trout in this region and the relative impacts of each upon overall population resilience. Our analyses have discovered strong stock-recruit relationships in the most productive geologies, while other factors such as habitat and water quality appear to limit populations in most other geologies. Stable populations occur where habitat is most stable. Knowledge of these factors within the context of land-use practices and determination of the habitat attributes controlling the abundance of all life stages of brook trout will enable better land-use and restoration guidelines to be established for the region.

Monday
June 4

Speaker: Dr. Nick Aladin
Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia

Abstract:
The Aral Sea was the 4th largest lake in the world by water surface area in 1960. At that time its area was 67,499 km2 (Large Aral 61,381 km2, Small Aral 6,118 km2) and its volume was 1,089 km3 (Large Aral 1,007 km3, Small Aral 82 km3). The Aral Sea was +53.4 m above ocean level with maximum depth 69 m. It was a slightly saline lake with average salinity about 10 g/l. The Aral Sea was inhabited by about 12 species of fishes and about 150 species of free-living invertebrates excluding Protozoa and small-size Metazoa. Since 1960 the Aral Sea has steadily become shallower, owing overwhelmingly to water withdrawals upstream for irrigation. In January 2006 the Aral was around 17000 km2 (25% of 1960), with a volume of 108 km3 (10% of 1960). The Large Aral was 14,325 km2 (23% of 1960) and had a volume around 81 km3 (8% of 1960). Salinity of the Large Aral ranged from 70+ to more than 100 g/l. The values for the Small Aral were 3000+ km2 (~50% of 1960), 21 km3 (~26% of 1960), and average salinity about 13 g/l.

Prior to the 1920s, the following aboriginal free-living animals were present: Fishes – 12, Coelenterata – 1, Turbellaria – 12, Rotatoria – 58, Oligohaeta – 10, Cladocera – 14, Copepoda – 7, Harpacticoida – 15, Ostracoda – 11, Malacostraca – 1, Hydracarina – 7, Bivalvia – 9, Gastropoda – 3. Total – 160. Protozoa and some other small Metazoa are not included. Due to intended and accidental introductions that started in the 1920s, the number of free-living animals grew. In the Aral Sea the following new fishes and invertebrates introduced by man appeared: fishes – 21, Mysidacea – 5, Decapoda – 3, Copepoda – 3, Polychaeta – 1, Bivalvia – 4. Total – 37.

Until 1961 the shape and salinity of the Aral Sea hadn’t changed significantly since the middle of the 19th century. Since the end of 1980’s, when the level dropped by about 13 m and reached about +40 m, the Aral Sea divided into the Large and Small Aral with area 40,000 km2 (60% of 1960); volume 333 km3 (33% of 1960); salinity 30 g/l (3 times higher than in 1960). In both new lakes salinity increased and under these new conditions the following free-living animals survived: Fishes – 10; Rotatoria – 3; Cladocera – 2; Copepoda – 2; Ostracoda – 1; Decapoda – 2; Bivalvia – 2; Gastropoda – >2; Polychaeta – 1. Total: >25.

Since the Aral Sea division its volume has decreased from 1000 km3 to 400 km3 by year 2001 and to 108 km3 by year 2005 with the Large Aral Sea volume (2005) at 85 km3 and the Small Aral Sea volume (2005) at 23 km3. After the Aral Sea division salinity in the Large Aral continued to rise and reached 90 g/l (western part) and 160 g/l (eastern part) in 2005, while in the Small Aral it decreased and reached 17 g/l in 2005.

Four main approaches for conservation and rehabilitation of Aral Sea and its ecosystems were discussed in Geneva in September 1992 (UNEP meeting) and have since been initiated:
1. Conservation and rehabilitation of Small Aral;
2. Conservation and rehabilitation of Large Aral;
3. Conservation and rehabilitation of delta and deltaic water bodies of Syr Darya;
4. Conservation and rehabilitation of delta and deltaic water bodies of Amu Darya.

Tuesday
May 15

Title: "Ramblings about algae - Part Two"

Speaker: Dr. Gary Fahnenstiel, Senior Ecologist
NOAA-GLERL Lake Michigan Field Station
Muskegon, MI

Abstract:
Algae influence water quality. In this presentation we will examine two ways algae influence water quality in the Great Lakes. The first is through the introduction of new algae into the Great Lakes via the ballast water and sediment of NOBOB ships. Using experimental approaches we will examine the potential of NOBOB ships as vectors for the introduction of non-indigenous algae. The second way algae influence water quality is by the production of toxins in nuisance blooms, particularly cyanobacteria blooms. We will examine the factors influencing the production of the toxin microcystin by the algal, Microcystis, in the Great Lakes.

Video archive:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/fahnenstiel/20070515a.wmv (intro)
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/fahnenstiel/20070515.wmv
(seminar)
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/fahnenstiel/20070515.ppt
(slides)

Wednesday
April 11

Title: "Linking environmental changes in the Great Lakes to economic values: invasive sea lamprey and habitat restoration"

Speaker: Dr. Frank Lupi, Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural Economics
and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Michigan State University

Abstract:
The presentation will discuss economic methods for valuing changes in ecosystem services from the Great Lakes with an emphasis on recreational services. The ability to link environmental changes to economic values can help inform policy and management decisions in the Great lakes. For example, what are the economic benefits of ecological restoration in the Great lakes? What are the potential economic costs of aquatic invasive species? The economic valuation methods that can help address these questions will be illustrated using results from the author's previous efforts to link economic values for recreational fishing to environmental changes in the Great Lakes. These applications revealed that benefits for sea lamprey control efforts exceeded costs, and in a separate case study, hydropower relicensing that resulted in improved spawning habitats in Great Lake tributaries was found to yield economic benefits that exceeded costs. Economic valuation models that are currently being constructed will be introduced to highlight opportunities for future research collaborations.

Thursday
March 22

Title: "Hindcasting of estuarine bathymetric change with a tidal-timescale sediment transport model"

Speaker: Neil Kamal Ganju, Hydraulic Engineer
U.S. Geological Survey, Sacramento, CA

Abstract:
Geomorphic evolution of estuarine habitats and landscapes over decadal timescales is sensitive to sediment supply from the watershed as well as estuarine hydrodynamics. Sediment supply to Suisun Bay, California is subject to natural as well as anthropogenic influence, beginning with the drastic input of sediment during the hydraulic mining period of the late 19th century. Today sediment supply is declining due to reduction of the hydraulic mining sediment pulse, reservoir storage, and land use practices. The Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) was previously developed for Suisun Bay and calibrated to tidal-timescale sediment dynamics, as well as annual sediment fluxes. These calibration steps verify the suitability of the model for evaluating seasonal and year-to-year sediment transport trends, but give no validation of the resulting geomorphic patterns. The evolution of channels, shoals, and mudflats must also be simulated correctly for complete robustness of the model. We are now in the process of implementing the calibrated model for hindcasting bathymetric change for the period 1867-1990, during which five bathymetric surveys were made. Boundary conditions are idealized due to the lack of long-term boundary data, while computational efficiency is increased with modified time-stepping procedures.

Tuesday
March 20

Title: "Technology research and development in the marine instrumentation laboratory"

Speaker: Steven A. Ruberg, MSE
Observing Systems Researcher, NOAA-GLERL

Abstract:
Real-time observing systems are providing opportunities for environmental measurements not possible previously. Episodic events can be detected and used to initiate system sampling, high bandwidth applications such as fisheries acoustics can be operated in real-time minimizing data collection platform interference, and in situ instrumentation failures can be detected and repaired resulting in more reliable data collection. Observing system data is being integrated into regional, national and global scale systems that will benefit the public, decision makers and researchers. Advances in towed instrumentation and the use of sensors on remotely operated vehicles combined with visualization techniques are resulting in unprecedented insight into benthic and pelagic phenomenon. Integrated circuit micro-electro-mechanical systems are being developed that have the potential to dramatically decrease instrumentation cost and so increase spatial measurement density as well as the potential to provide new approaches to measurements of marine chemistry. This seminar will provide an overview of research and development projects in the Marine Instrumentation Laboratory at GLERL.

Video archive available:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/ruberg/20070320.wmv
PowerPoint:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/ruberg/20070320.pdf
ROV video clips:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/ruberg/20060914a.wmv
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/ruberg/20060914b.wmv

Tuesday
January 23

Title: "Making the connection between exposure and toxic response for aquatic organisms"

Speaker: Dr. Peter Landrum
Research Chemist, GLERL

Abstract:
Over the past decade or so, research has advanced to allow better understanding of the connection between the concentrations of contaminants in the external environment and the observed toxicity in aquatic organisms. Toxicity is a time-dose-response relationship based on the concentration of the compound at the receptor site. Thus, the toxic response depends on both the toxicokinetics (uptake, elimination, and biotransformation) and the toxicodynamics (rates of damage formation and damage repair). While most standard toxicity tests, that are the basis for risk assessments, are performed for specific durations, many exposures of aquatic organisms occur through pulsed exposures with differing durations, amplitudes and recovery periods. To better interpret the expected response and to take into account recovery periods, the temporal factors that control the response need to be established. This presentation will provide an overview of the models to establish the relationship between exposure and response, demonstrate the impact of biotransformation on the overall response relationship, and include insights into latent toxicity post exposure for aquatic organisms.

Video archive available:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/landrum/20070123a.wmv (intro)
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/landrum/20070123.wmv
PowerPoint:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/landrum/20070123.pdf

Thursday January 11

Title: "Hemimysis anomala - the newest Great Lakes invader"

Speaker: Steve Pothoven
Fishery Biologist, GLERL

Abstract:
Hemimysis anomala (G.O. Sars, 1907), a Ponto-Caspian crustacean (Mysidacea), was identified in November 2006 in the channel between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake. Large numbers of individuals formed aggregations averaging 1540 ± 333 individuals/m^2 . The population included females (63%), males (35%) and juveniles (2%), and some females were in a reproductive condition. Thus the population appears to be reproducing. It was stocked into water-bodies in southern part of the former Soviet Union to provide food for fish food and was first observed as an invader in the Kaunass reservoirs in the Baltic Sea basin (Lithuania) in 1962. It has since spread to other areas including the Baltic Sea proper (1992), River Rhine (1997), and the United Kingdom (2004). H. anomala is an omnivorous feeder, consuming both zooplankton and phytoplankton, has a high feeding rate and can switch feeding modes with ontogeny or as food availability changes. The species is found predominantly over hard bottom areas such as rocks or zebra mussel beds and is found less frequently over sandy or silty bottoms or in areas overgrown with aquatic vegetation. The hidden life-style of this species makes it difficult to assess its geographic distribution. Research is needed to assess 1) the distribution of H. anomala in the Great Lakes basin, and 2) the likely impacts on both the Great Lakes and inland lake ecosystems.

Video archive available:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/pothoven/20070111a.wmv intro
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/pothoven/20070111b.wmv
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/pothoven/20070111c.wmv Q&A
Slides:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/webcast/2007/pothoven/20070111.pdf

Wednesday
January 10

Title: " Development of the distributed eco-hydrological simulator DEHydroS with application in irrigation districts of the Yellow River basin"

Speaker: Dr. Yi Luo, Professor, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Abstract:
This talk presents the development of the Distributed Eco-Hydrological Simulator DEHydroS and its application in the irrigation districts of the Yellow river Basin. DEHydroS was developed from the CERES-wheat and maize, SWAT2000, and MODFLOW models. The first half of the talk will introduce how, in the DEHydroS, the crop ecological, hydrological, and groundwater processes coupling was realized. Irrigated agriculture plays an important role in the Yellow River basin. It is the largest water user and grain producer of the basin. Irrigation districts rely heavily upon the water supply from the Yellow River. However, as the discharge of the Yellow River has been decreasing and the competition for water among different uses has been increasing, the challenge to sustainable development of the irrigated agriculture in the basin is enormous. The second half of the talk will demonstrate applications of the DEHydroS model in the irrigation districts of the Yellow River . Finally, the problems and lessons learned will be discussed for modeling of irrigated agriculture in the Yellow River Basin.