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GLERL Updates Archive |
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Links in the archive are not updated - many may be broken over time. URLs which are not linked are no longer valid (retained as historical).
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December 12, 2005Contents 1. 2006 Proposals IFYLE
CEGLHH
Coastwatch
Fish
Invasive Species
Other Biology
Contaminants/Chemistry
Physical Dynamics and Climate
Technology Development
2. New Reprints
3. CEGLHH - In the News 4. GLERL - In the News |
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November 21, 2005Contents: 1. Internal Proposal Review Sea Grant staff are invited to review GLERL proposals for 2006. Project proposals will be available for review November 18-30 at http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/biz/mgt/prop/cy06/. {contact Rochelle for Passwordl}. Project presentations will be made December 6 and 7, 2005 at GLERL. If you are interested in attending the presentations or formally submitting comments, please contact Rochelle. Please also cc me on any direct correspondence with the PI's relative to these proposals. 2. GLERL in the News - Ten Threats: Dead Zones in the Lakes One of the Ten Threats to the Great Lakes is nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution might be part of the reason why some shallow areas in the Great Lakes are afflicted by so-called dead zones every summer. It was once thought that the problem was mostly solved. But, it's become worse in recent years. The Environmental Protection Agency's research ship, the Lake Guardian,
is tied up at a dock at the Port of Cleveland. Nathan Hawley and
his crew are loading gear, getting ready for a five day cruise to
check some equipment that measures a dead zone along the central
basin of Lake Erie. "What I have out here is a series of bottom-resting
moorings that are collecting time series data of currents and water
temperature and periodically we have to come out here and clean
them off and we take that opportunity to dump the data as well."
Hawley is gathering the data for scientists at several universities
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great
Lakes Environmental Research Lab. The information helps them measure
the behavior of the dead zone that occurs nearly every year in Lake
Erie…"What we're trying to do this year is get a more
comprehensive picture of how big this low-oxygen zone is and how
it changes with time over the year." One of the scientists
who'll be pouring over the data is Brian Eadie. He's a senior scientist
with NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. He says Lake
Erie's dead zone is a place where most life can't survive…"We're
talking about near the bottom where all or most of the oxygen has
been consumed so there's nothing for animals to breathe down there,
fish or smaller animals." Phosphorous was reduced to a third of what it had been. But Brian Eadie says since then something has changed. "The concentration of nutrients in the central basin the last few years has actually been going up. We don't understand why that's happening." Eadie says there are some theories. Wastewater from sewage plants might be meeting pollution restrictions, but as cities and suburbs grow, there's just a lot more of it getting discharged. More volume means more phosphorous. It could be that tributaries that are watersheds for farmland are seeing increased phosphorous. Or it could be that the invasive species, zebra mussel, has dramatically altered the ecology of the lakes. More nutrients might be getting trapped at the bottom, feeding bacteria that use up oxygen instead of the nutrients getting taken up into the food chain. Whatever is happening, environmentalists are hopeful that the scientists figure it out soon. State and federal agencies and several universities are looking at the Lake Erie dead zone to try to figure out what's going on there. 3. GLERL in the News - Big burp theory holds water Biologists confirmed the lake released an aquatic burp of naturally occurring gases that wafted a foul odor over Erie County after powerful wind gusts tore through the region last week and upset the lake. "The lake is still in the process of mixing," said Jim Grazio, a biologist for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. "It's not likely, but there's potential it could happen again." Grazio said it was "scientifically exciting" to prove the hypothesized burp, or premature overturn of the upper and lower layers of Lake Erie caused by the day's forceful winds last Thursday. The overturn of the lake allowed for the release of trapped hydrogen sulfide, a gas with a rotten egg smell, and methane, an odorless gas, Grazio said. He said their release, which residents described as smelling like raw sewage and gasoline, did not pose any health dangers to Erie County residents. The Erie County Department of Health reported no word of residents sick or hospitalized after last week's gas release. "In high concentrations, the gases can be dangerous," Grazio said. "But the concentration in the Great Lakes doesn't reach a dangerous level." Grazio said an experimental National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration buoy stationed 15 miles north of Cleveland produced real time data from its water quality sensors that helped pinpoint the overturn. He said the buoy's sensors can determine temperatures, wind speed, direction and lake oxygen levels, among other things. Steve Ruberg, observing systems researcher with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., a branch of NOAA, said the $100,000 real time experimental buoy is in developmental stages. The research laboratory placed the 4-foot diameter buoy in the water briefly in 2003 and returned it to the lake in June this year to monitor the action of the lake. Ruberg said the experimental buoy performed well and the sensors revealed a low level of oxygen in the lake at the time of the overturn. The buoy can be used for a multitude of scientific conclusions, but in last week's case it helped in another way. "Another purpose in this case is that it helped people understand where that bad smell was coming from," Ruberg said. Grazio said the lake overturns each spring and fall. While the overturn is normal, the powerful release of gases is not, he said. "What is different this year?" Grazio said. "There's a lot of active research going on to find that out." And the smelly overturn wasn't the only odd occurrence, Grazio said. At the exact time of the release of the gases, the water temperature of the lake was equal at top and bottom in the mid-60s range, while the bottom is typically much cooler than the surface. Grazio said he has never experienced a foul smelling overturn in his seven years as a biologist with the DEP and neither had many of his colleages. "It certainty was a memorable day on Lake Erie, wasn't it?" Grazio said. 4. CEGLHH co-hosts Beach Health Research Needs Workshop Along with EPA, USGS and the Great Lakes Beach Management Association, the NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health co-sponsored a "Beach Health Research Needs Workshop" on November 4 following the joint meeting of the Great Lakes Beach Association and the Lake Michigan: State of the Lake conferences. Workshop attendance exceeded expectations, with more than 50 individuals registered to participate. Breakout groups on Forecasting, Monitoring, and Policy helped to answer the question "How can EPA, NOAA, and USGS research program(s) help state and local agencies accomplish their recreational water quality goals, related specifically to beach closures?" A report on the outcomes of the workshop is in development. 5. Diporeia Workshop 6. NOAA Great Lakes Seminar Series at GLERL New in the video archive http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/news/seminars/pastseminars.html * "Biotechnology development for monitoring coastal water
quality" Dr. Kelly Goodwin, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic &
Meteorological Laboratories - by REQUEST ONLY (offline) Upcoming seminars: * November 21 -1:00 pm "Challenges for pollution control
technologies: from Superfund to emerging contaminants" Dr.
Peter Adriaens, University of Michigan Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and Natural Resources and Environment |
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October 19, 2005Contents 1. GLERL Annual Proposal Review The purpose of the proposals is to provide the scientific rationale and requested resources for internal GLERL projects and to provide information about planned research activities and committed GLERL resources for externally funded projects. Relevance to ecosystem forecasting will be a major criterion for evaluation of proposals. High priority will be given to multi-PI, interdisciplinary, integrated proposals that are relevant to one or more of the GLERL themes and the theme of Ecosystem Forecasting (e.g. Lake Erie, Great Lakes and Human Health). For the Lake Erie (IFYLE) program, resources will be provided for data analyses. No new IFYLE field work is expected for IFYLE for 2006. Sea Grant staff are invited to review these proposals. Project proposals will be available for review November 18-30 at http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/biz/mgt/prop/cy06/. {contact Rochelle for Password}. Project presentations will be made December 6 and 7, 2005 at GLERL. If you are interested in attending the presentations or formally submitting comments, please contact Rochelle. Please also cc me on any direct correspondence with the PI's relative to these proposals. 2. New Microbiologist Dr. Juli Dyble has accepted our microbiologist position. She will start as a permanent P.I. in early January and will participate in the GLERL proposal presentations in December. 3. GLERL Researchers receive Outstanding Scientific Paper Award NOAA announced the recipients of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Outstanding Scientific Paper Awards for 2004. Awards for the OAR Outstanding Scientific Papers are made in each of the three areas: Climate, Ecosystems, and Weather and Water. A GLERL research team received the only award in the Ecosystems category for the following paper: Henry A. Vanderploeg, Thomas F. Nalepa, David J. Jude, Edward L. Mills, Kristen T. Holeck, James R. Liebig, Igor A Grigorovich, and Henn Ojaveer. 2002. Dispersal and ecological Impacts of Pronto-Caspian Species in the Great Lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59: 1209-1228. 4. New Reprints
5. NOAA Great Lakes Seminar Series Many are video taped for the archive (Past Seminars) -- if you want to know whether a particular seminar will be videotaped (or request that it be) contact Rochelle Sturtevant. Latest additions to the archive:
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September 16, 2005Contents 1. NCRAIS - AIS Database Summit In response, NOAA's National Center for Research on Aquatic Invasive Species (NCRAIS) organized an Aquatic Invasive Species Database Summit involving the three federal agencies listed above plus the NISC and the IJC, as a first step in assuring coordination across federally-sponsored programs at the national scale. Participants included program managers and technical support personnel for 10 current on-line databases. The Summit was funded by NOAA-NCCOS and was hosted by Ohio Sea Grant at Stone Laboratory September 12-14. Findings and recommendations of the Summit Working Group will be published later this month. These include specific recommendations intended to minimize overlap in data gathering processes, formally distinguish missions to minimize potential for future overlap, create a single 'metaportal' for user access, maximize efficiency of database searching though use of distributed database technologies and create new products possible only through the use of combined databases. 2. New Reprints - Ballast, Hydrology, Zooplankton, Quagga mussels Bailey, S.A., K. Nandakumar, I.C. Duggan, C.D.A. vanOverdijk, T.H. JOHENGEN, D.F. REID, and H.J. MacIsaac. In situ hatching of invertebrate diapausing eggs from ships’ ballast sediment. Diversity and Distributions 11:453-460 (2005). CROLEY, T.E. II. Recent Great Lakes evaporation model estimates. Proceedings of the 2005 World Water and Environmental Resources Congress: Impact of Global Climate Change. May 15-19, 2005, Anchorage, AK. Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050015.pdf CROLEY, T.E. II. Improving hydrological forecasts for IJC Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Study. Final Report: Improving Hydrological Forecasts, Project 2: Forecasting Review. 58 pp. (2002). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/20020022.pdf CROLEY, T.E. II, and C. He. Great Lakes spatially distributed watershed model of water and materials runoff. Proceedings of the International Conference on Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China. June 27, 2005, 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050017.pdf He, C., and T.E. CROLEY, II. Development of a 2-D large basin operational hydrologic model. Proceedings of the Workshop on Modeling and Control for Participatory Planning and Managing Water Systems. September 29-October 1, 2004, Venice, Italy. International Federation for Automatic Control, 12 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fullttext/2004/20040034.pdf He, C., and T.E. CROLEY, II. Estimating nonpoint source pollution loadings in the Great Lakes watershed. Proceedings of the International Conference on Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China. June 27, 2005, 12 pp. (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050016.pdf PEACOR, S.D., K.L. PANGLE, AND H.A. VANDERPLOEG. Behavior response of Lake Michigan Daphnia mendotae to Mysis relicta. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:144-154 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/20050014.pdf Zhulidov, A.V., D.A. Zhulidov, D.F. Pavlov, T.F. NALEPA, and T.V. Gurtovaya. Expansion of the invasive bivalve mollusk Dreissena bugensis (quagga mussel) in the Don and Volga River basins: revisions based on archived specimens. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology 5(2):127-133 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050013.pdf 3. NOAA Great Lakes Seminar Series New video archives...http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/news/seminars/pastseminars.html
Coming this fall...
Watch http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/news/seminars/
for abstracts. Contact Rochelle Sturtevant for more information. |
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August 12, 2005Contents 1. GLERL in the News - Newest Lake Erie 'dead zone' brings horror
story for fish near Sandusky __________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. GLERL in the News - Newest Lake Erie 'dead zone' brings horror
story for fish near Sandusky In a dead zone, there is so little oxygen along the lake bottom that fish cannot survive. Scientists have monitored the phenomenon in Lake Erie's central basin from Ashtabula to Cleveland for years, but 70 miles west, in the Sandusky sub-basin, the problem has worsened to the point that there is no oxygen at all. "Anything lower than four parts of oxygen per thousand is problematic," said Stuart Ludsin, lead scientist on the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's Lake Erie project. "Around Sandusky, it's between zero and one parts per thousand in several spots." To make matters worse, the dead zone arrived earlier than usual this year. Typically, oxygen levels are especially low in mid to late August; researchers discovered the low levels near Sandusky on June 29. Recent tests indicate that there are about six parts oxygen per thousand in the lake's central basin. Lake Erie's "dead zone" near here is expected to return in August, but scientists are more concerned about another such zone that is much closer to Toledo. The oxygen level is a cause for concern in late summer because of the physical attributes of the lake, scientists said. The Sandusky sub-basin - near where Sandusky Bay empties into Lake Erie - is deeper than the western basin, which takes in oxygen when the wind creates water movement. But the sub-basin and the central basin are not as deep as the eastern basin, which naturally maintains a sizeable oxygen layer along the bottom. Another part of the oxygen-depletion problem has to do with excess algae along the lake floor. Algae feed on phosphorus and other nutrients that enter the lake through falling rain or the runoff from rivers or sewage overflows, Mr. Ludsin said. Still, researchers said they do not fully understand what causes oxygen depletion. That question is at the heart of a six-month, multimillion dollar study involving 35 scientists from several universities as well as the United States and Canadian governments. "All our theories look very good on paper, but this is the first major study of its kind, so it's an opportunity to answer a lot of these questions," said Mike Quigley, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ecologist based in Ann Arbor. Even more important than the causes of the dead zone, Mr. Ludsin said, are the effects it has on the ecosystem that surrounds Lake Erie. The researchers hypothesize that the lake's fish population will decrease, upsetting the food chain from the microscopic level up to the humans who eat fish from the lake. During the day, many species of fish cluster in schools along the bottom of the lake, where temperatures are cool, predators few, and plankton abundant. If the oxygen level is too low, fish have to move toward the surface of the water or horizontally out of the dead zone, abandoning the habitat in which they thrive. "Nobody has made a good link between the oxygen level and the fish population," Mr. Ludsin said. "The number of eggs depends on the size of the fish, and if they're out of their ideal conditions they may not grow as big." To study the effects of the dead zone, engineers designed equipment capable of measuring the number and size of fish, the presence of the plankton that the predator fish feed upon, and the temperature of the water at different depths. NOAA engineer Steve Ruberg designed a "tow-yo," an electronic device towed by a boat that travels in wave patterns to quantify different factors. "We can watch the measurements at the very bottom as well as closer to the top," he said. When the study ends in October, Mr. Ludsin and his staff will report their findings to the departments of natural resources in Ohio, Michigan, and Canada. If their research indicates a clear link between low oxygen levels and decreased fish populations, they will focus on controlling the factors they can. "Right now we have no way of controlling the oxygen levels," Mr. Ludsin said. "The only way to do anything is to figure out what causes it." 2. New Reprints - Ice, Fish ASSEL, R.A. Great Lakes ice cover climatology update: winters 2003, 2004, and 2005. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-135. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 21 pp. (2005). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-135/tm-135.pdf Dobiesz, N.E., D.A. McLeish, R.L. Eshenroder, J.R. Bence, L.C.Mohr, M.P. Ebener, T.F. NALEPA, A.P. Woldt, J.E. Johnson, R.L. Argyle, and J.C. Makarewicz. Ecology of the Lake Huron fish community, 1970-1999. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 62:1432-1451 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050012.pdf |
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July 18, 2005Contents 1. CEGLHH/GLERL ECOHAB - HAB Event Response Project Launches
Website A new Web site, created by the NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health, serves as an electronic field guide to the types, locations and habits of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. "This is another way that NOAA can protect and monitor our water resources, while better understanding the effect of environmental factors on human health and well-being, and provide products that citizens can use," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "Armed with this information, residents and visitors can make better decisions this summer when they use the beaches for recreational purposes." Algae are microscopic plant-like organisms that live in water. When certain conditions are present, such as high nutrient or light levels, these organisms can reproduce rapidly, producing what is called a bloom. A harmful algal bloom contains toxins, other noxious chemicals or pathogens, which can cause the death of nearby fish, foul coastlines and produce harmful conditions for marine life and humans. The new site provides public access to screening data generated by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (which houses CEGLHH) research on algae blooms and places these data in the context of international public health guidelines. The focus of this research project is to determine the factors controlling microcystin production and to develop methods for determining the location and extent of blooms from satellite imagery. A Frequently Asked Questions section provides information in easy-to-understand language. Suggestions are also offered on ways to keep individuals and their pets or livestock safe. "These data are primarily for our research work into the dynamics of algal blooms in the Great Lakes," said Stephen Brandt, director of the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Center for Human Health and the Great Lakes. "But we also thought that it would be helpful to make these data available to the public so they can make decisions." The data come from a project that will be taking samples this summer from Bear Lake and Muskegon Lake on Michigan's west coast, Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron and western Lake Erie. Using satellite images, scientists can see a "probable bloom" and send a sampling team to that area. Check it out at: NOAA
Great Lakes Harmful Algal Bloom Event Response 2. GLERL In the News 3. Recent Reprints Hondorp, D.W., S.A. Pothoven, and S.B. Brandt. Influence of Diporeia density on diet composition, relative abundance, and energy density of planktivorous fishes in southeast Lake Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134:588-601 (2005). Moore, D.W., R. Baudo, J.M. Conder, P.F. Landrum, V.A. McFarland, J.P. Meador, R.N. Millward, J.P. Shine, and J.Q. Word. Bioaccumulation in the assessment of sediment quality: uncertainty and potential application. In Use of Sediment Quality Guidelines and Related Tools for the Assessment of Contaminated Sediments. R.J. Wenning, G.E. Batley, C.G. Ingersoll, and D.W. Moore (Eds.). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, pp. 429-495 (2005). Word, J.Q., B.B. Albrecht, M.L. Anghera, R. Baudo, S.M. Bay, D.M. DiToro, J.L. Hyland, C.G. Ingersoll, P.F. Landrum, E.R. Long, J.P. Meador, D.W. Moore, T.P. OcConnor, and J.P. Shine. Predictive ability of sediment quality guidelines. In Use of Sediment Quality Guidelines and Related Tools for the Assessment of Contaminated Sediments. R.J. Wenning, G.E. Batley, C.G. Ingersoll, and D.W. Moore (Eds.). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, pp. 121-161 (2005). |
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June 17, 2005Contents 1. Sea Grant Educator and Outreach Coordinator, GLERL Center
of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health/Michigan Sea Grant Position #: 1428 Sea Grant Educator and Outreach Coordinator, GLERL
Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health/Michigan Sea
Grant Available: August 1, 2005 Starting Salary Range: Commensurate with training & Experience ($35K - $55K) APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Apply by using the web employment process
at: BACKGROUND AND POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: The primary responsibility of the Coordinator will be to manage all stakeholder involvement with Center activities. The Coordinator will build on existing communications networks for Great Lakes human health issues - leveraging existing relationships within and through the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, as well as resources of other networks such as the GLHHN. The Coordinator will seek to broaden the client base for water quality and human health related water quality forecasts to include more medical, drinking water, water treatment, and beach management constituencies. The Coordinator will create and work with a Technical Advisory Board for the Center which will meet at least annually to advise the Center on priority research and user needs and appropriate outreach strategies for delivering research results to key user groups. During the first two years of the program, the coordinator will conduct a detailed needs assessment for water quality forecasting needs related to human health and the Great Lakes. The Coordinator will work with the GLHHN to conduct focused workshops on topics central to the Center's core areas of excellence and a training institute that will team-teach short courses on related topics. These courses will be targeted to educate health professionals, municipal officials, and other key user groups and decision makers about the mechanisms that directly affect water quality and how water quality forecasting can be used to improve safety within their communities. Additional Center outreach tools will include a website and newsletter. Content of these will include, but not be limited to, outlines and results of Center research projects, products of the focused stakeholder workshops, and test-bed forecasts. As the results of Center research become available, the coordinator will work with Center partners to develop appropriate outreach and extension strategies and forecasting products that will be useful to stakeholders. QUALIFICATIONS: Desirable Qualifications: ADMINISTRATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: The agent resides at GLERL and coordinates day-to-day activities with the Center Director. Candidate selection, program planning, and the development of annual plans of work will be coordinated with, and approved by, the "Program Advisory/Oversight Committee" composed of the Center Steering Committee, the Sea Grant Extension Program Leader and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Extension Agent at GLERL. FURTHER INFORMATION: Rochelle Sturtevant, Ph.D. John D. Schwartz, Ph.D. Michigan State University Extension employment opportunities are open to eligible/qualified persons without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodations. To apply for this job posting, please go to the WEB Application
Procedure 2. Harmful Algal Bloom Event Response Website A new website (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/seagrant/GLWL/Algae/HAB/EventResponse/EventResponse.html), created by NOAA’s Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health, provides public access to screening data generated by NOAA-GLERL research on algae blooms and places this data in the context of international public health guidelines. The focus of this research project is to determine the factors controlling microcystin production and to develop methods for determining the location and extent of blooms from satellite imagery. Portions of the site serve as an electronic field guide to the types, locations, and habits of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. A Frequently Asked Question section provides information in easy-to-understand language. Suggestions are also offered on ways to keep individuals and their pets or livestock safe. “These data are primarily for our research work into the dynamics of algal blooms in the Great Lakes,” said Stephen Brandt, director of NOAA’s Great Lakes Research Laboratory and the Center for Human Health and the Great Lakes. “But we also thought that it would be helpful to make this data available to the public so they can make decisions.” The data come from a project that will be taking samples this summer from Bear Lake and Muskegon Lake on Michigan’s west coast, Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron and western Lake Erie. Using satellite images, scientists can see a “probable bloom” and send a sampling team to that area. 3. New Reprints
4. GLERL in the News: Ice |
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June 1, 2005Another time-senistive mid-course update -- please help advertise these opportunities to suitable candidates... Contents 1. Physical – Biological Modeler We seek an enthusiastic research scientist to examine physical-biological coupling in Great Lakes and coastal ecosystems. The candidate will be expected to develop, coupled, spatially-explicit models of Great Lakes ecological and physical dynamics, with particular emphasis on ecosystem forecasting, e.g., episodes of hypolimnetic hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and fish production and recruitment. The approach would involve coupling multiple state-variable ecological models with 3-d hydrodynamic, hydrologic, and/or sediment dynamics models. Experience with the Princeton Ocean Model or similar numerical hydrodynamic models and biological processes and/or larval recruitment / phytoplankton transport models is required. The individual will present results in peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations and grow the program by submitting research proposals. This is a full time permanent federal position at the GS-13 level with a starting salary of $77,161. The position will remain open until 09/30/05; however, the position may be filled before that date. Applications received by June 30, 2005 will be given first consideration. Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis thereafter until the closing date. This position is posted on the U.S. Department of Commerce website:
< 2. Distinguished Visiting Scholar - Great Lakes and Human Health The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) seeks a Distinguished Visiting Scholar to work at the interface of Great Lakes and Human Health. The NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health is a multi-disciplinary research center which focuses on understanding the inter-relationships between the Great Lakes ecosystem, water quality and human health. The Center will focus on using ecosystem forecasting to minimize risks to human health in coastal environments in three main areas: · Water Quality The ecosystem processes affecting water quality, beach closings, and harmful algal blooms are all similar. Land-use and meteorological processes and events in the watershed determine the sources and loadings of bacteria and nutrients to the lakes. These processes, particularly hydrodynamics, will determine the fate and probability of transport of this material to beaches, drinking water intakes, and regions of harmful algal bloom generation. Defining and forecasting these relationships is the primary research focus of the Center. (See http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Centers/HumanHealth/). We seek an enthusiastic Distinguished Scientist to help build NOAA’s
capacity in this field by providing specialized training, new research
approaches or other expertise, spending 2-15 months on-site at GLERL
and actively participating with NOAA scientists on collaborative
work. A full program description can be found at If interested, please contact Stephen.B.Brandt@noaa.gov. 3. Great Lakes Research Investigator Program UM-NOAA Appointments 1. Statistical Modeling and Forecasting Use large spatial and
temporal databases to formulate models that statistically forecast
conditions (e.g. algal blooms, beach closings, physical hazards,
fish recruitment, water quality) in the Great Lakes. 2. Ecological Toxicology Address the impacts of toxicants at the individual, population and ecological levels of the Great Lakes. The studies can include both legacy and emerging chemicals of concern. The main effort will be to develop forecasting tools through collaboration with GLERL scientists. (Peter.Landrum@noaa.gov) 3. Watershed Hydrology Apply theoretical and applied hydrologic principals to produce spatially explicit watershed and open lake forecasts of water and material (nutrients, sediment, pollutants, etc.) movement. A background in linking water motion forecasts with soil, nutrients or contaminants is highly desired. (Tom.Croley@noaa.gov) 4. Near-shore Coastal Hydrodynamics and Particle Transport Study
how hydrodynamic processes in the near shore zone (such as the complex
interactions between nonlinear waves, breaking-induced turbulence,
infragravity waves, mean currents, bottom ripples, sand bars and
the turbulent boundary layer at the seabed) affect the transport
of dissolved and suspended materials in the near shore regions of
the Great Lakes for the purpose of operational predictions of near
shore water quality. Applications would include predictions of the
fate of tributary loads as well as the simulation of non-point 5. Coastal Observation Apply Coastal Observing systems (e.g. Real-time Buoy-deployed chemical, biological, physical sensors and or remote sensing) to study and forecast physical or biological processes in Great Lakes ecosystems. (Steve.Ruberg@noaa.gov, Stephen.B.Brandt@noaa.gov) 6. Environmental Toxicologist Study potential of cyanobacterial
toxin exposures to human health and food webs. Initially focus on
microcystin and determine concentrations in edible fish tissue and
the dynamics of fish exposure including the temporal concentrations
and the time to recovery. In addition, the work will examine the
potential impact of cyanobacterial toxins on fisheries populations
and the potential of other cyanobacterial toxins for transfer through
this route of exposure for human exposure. This work will be collaborative
with the NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health. 7. Fish Ecology Study the distribution, habitats, feeding ecology and bioenergetics of fishes in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay using underwater acoustics and spatial bioenergetics modeling. (Stephen.B.Brandt@noaa.gov) UM-USGS Appointments 8. Fish thiamine deficiency Thiamine deficiency in Great Lakes salmonids results in early life stage mortality and has secondary negative effects collectively referred to as Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC). We are seeking candidates to work on the identification of trophic pathways associated with TDC in Great Lakes salmonids and characterization of fish diets using fatty acid profile analysis. This research will contribute to understanding the spatial and temporal variation in TDC, and will identify factors that influence the occurrence and severity of TDC in the Great Lakes. (sriley@usgs.gov). 9. Beach Bacterial Contamination Studies of interactions of hydro-meteorological
and ambient conditions with indicator For more information, including a full description of these areas
of interest and individual contacts, visit |
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May 16, 2005Contents The NOAA-OHHI has supported the development of a Weather Channel special on oceans and human health. This was a partnership between TWC and NOAA, and is tailored for TWC viewership. According to TWC, the area of health and environment is of great interest to their viewership. For TV purposes the show is called "Troubled Waters." NOAA will receive copies with the title "Our Oceans, Our Health" for our use in outreach and education activities. On Thursday February, 17th, Producer Ann Jones of Atlas Media and a video crew visited GLERL to shoot interviews with Steve Brandt, Dave Schwab and Steve Ruberg on planned activities of our new Great Lakes and Human Health Center as well as B roll of activities around the lab. We are pleased that both VADM Lautenbacher and Dr. Spinrad are featured. While many of the OHHI topics are covered, some important aspects did not end up in the show, and we are looking for ways to highlight those in other venues. Below are the planned air dates and times (EDT). 5/16 7.30pm Hope you enjoy the show! 2. GLERL in the News - 'No Ballast on Board' Doesn't Mean 'No
Organisms on Board' Lead authors of the report, Thomas Johengen of the University of Michigan and David Reid of the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, worked with scientists from the University of Windsor (Canada), Old Dominion University and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as a Canadian ship operations expert. The team surveyed 103 NOBOB vessel crews about their management practices and boarded 42 of those vessels to enter and sample residual water and sediment in 82 ballast tanks. "A diverse group of phytoplankton (small, floating plant life) and invertebrate biota (eggs, larvae) was found in the residual unpumpable ballast water and sediments, including dozens of non-indigenous species not reported in the Great Lakes," said Reid, who is the director of the NOAA Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. "The results of our microbial, phytoplankton and invertebrate analyses confirm that NOBOB vessels are vectors for non-indigenous species introductions to the Great Lakes Basin." Other findings of the study include an improvement in ballast management practices over the past 20 years by the shipping industry, a need for further assessment to determine if the microbial pathogens pose a human health risk and the evidence that saltwater flushing seems to decrease the number of organisms and the accumulation of sediment. The study also concluded that, when performed, ballast water exchange "can be highly effective for reducing the concentration of organisms entrained with coastal ballast water," but that "potential benefits to the Great Lakes attributed to 'salinity shock' should be regarded with caution," because of the wide range of salinity tolerances found in nature. The Great Lakes NOBOB Assessment and Ballast Water Exchange Study was a $1.9 million, three-year effort funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, NOAA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. NOBOB Full Report - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/nobob/ 3. GLERL in the News - IFYLE A research effort has begun to study the “dead zone” – a region of low oxygen – that occurs during the late summer/early fall in the central basin of Lake Erie. The two-year project – called the International Field Years on Lake Erie – will involve 10 research vessels, 14 observation moorings and scientists from both the U.S. and Canada. Researchers hope to characterize the magnitude and timing of oxygen depletion– or hypoxia – in the lake, in hopes of forecasting when future events will occur. They will also assess the impact of invasive species on the lake’s ecosystem. "Since Lake Erie is the most heavily impacted of the Great Lakes, it posed the most critical subject for the lake-wide scope of the study," said Stephen Brandt, director of the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Lab. "Much of what we learn in this study can be applied to solve problems elsewhere in the Great Lakes as well." 4. Job Posting - GLERL/CILER Webmaster 5. CEGLHH - Distinguished Scholars in Oceans and Human Health |
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May 4, 2005sending a mid-term report this month since the student opportunities piece is time sensitive.... Contents GLERL in the News - IFYLE Press Release NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) in collaboration with researchers in the U.S. and Canada will lead one of the largest, most comprehensive Lake Erie research field programs. The two-year project, entitled International Field Years on Lake Erie (IFYLE), starts this week and includes a series of ship cruises involving up to 10 research vessels, as well as field and laboratory work. Fourteen observation moorings will be deployed in the lake to continuously collect data. The project will continue through mid-October. “It is important to focus our research to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to guide management and protection efforts of Lake Erie,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., under secretary for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “This comprehensive look will help us protect and better manage this great lake.” Research will be conducted in Lake Erie’s three basins: western, central and eastern. Researchers will try to understand better the impact of Lake Erie’s “dead zone” – an area of low oxygen in the lake’s central basin during late summer/early fall—on the food web in this region, including fish. Ship cruises of 14-23 days per month will be subdivided into multiple legs, with different teams of scientists collecting different data each time. “Since Lake Erie is the most heavily impacted of the Great Lakes, it posed the most critical subject for the lake-wide scope of the study,” said Dr. Stephen Brandt, director of GLERL, located in Ann Arbor, Mich. “Much of what we learn in this study can be applied to solve problems elsewhere in the Great Lakes as well.” The whole-lake research effort will focus primarily on effects of oxygen depletion (hypoxia/anoxia) on food-web interactions and fish production in the central basin, as well as the causes of harmful algal blooms in the west basin. “The study is unique in that it will assess the impact of reduced Lake Erie dissolved oxygen levels on food web dynamics and corresponding ecological consequences, including impact of fish stock abundance and production,” said Dr. Stuart Ludsin, a GLERL scientist coordinating the study. Study participants are seeking to: * Develop models to characterize and understand the magnitude,
timing and extent of hypoxia in central Lake Erie; “The development of ecological forecasting capabilities, as well as deployment of a real-time observing system network across Lake Erie, are right in step with NOAA’s strategic goals and we are eager to use such new approaches and technology to gain valuable insight into the dynamics of the Lake Erie ecosystem,” said Brandt. Two major partners in the effort are the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and the National Sea Grant College Program. More than 15 universities from seven states and Canada are involved. Other partners include the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, Ohio Sea Grant, New York Sea Grant, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Environment Canada (Canadian Centre for Inland Waters), Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, International Joint Commission Council of Great Lakes Research Managers, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and U.S. Geological Survey. Ludsin said that the project will work closely with the Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) and the Lake Erie Millennium Group. NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand atmospheric and climate variability and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine resources. Related Articles NOAA Homepage - 10 ships to ply Lake Erie to study ailing central basin: Focus
of researchers will be on food chain Scientists delve into Lake Erie dead zone: They'll study oxygen
depletion, its effects 2) New Reprints - Sediments, Diporeia Kerfoot, W.C., S.L. Harting, J. Jeong, J.A. ROBBINS, and R. Rossmann. Local, regional, and global implications of elemental mercury in metal (copper, silver, gold, and zinc) ores: insights from Lake Superior sediments. Journal of Great Lakes Research 30(Supplement 1):162-184 (2004). Scharold, J.V., S.J. LOZANO, and T.D. Corry. Status of the amphipod Diporeia spp. in Lake Superior, 1994-2000. Journal of Great Lakes Research 30(Supplement 1):360-368 (2004). 3) Student Opportunities Available immediately: Full-time summer, part-time flexible during the academic year. Duty station: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor Michigan. Occasional travel may be required. Provide staff support for the Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health. Work independently on development of outreach materials relating to CEGLHH issues and research projects including development of fact sheets, brochures and web pages. Facilitate interaction of CEGLHH with the Great Lakes Human Health Network including participation in regular conference calls and facilitation of meetings, seminars, and workshops. Proficiency with design and/or web development software (e.g., Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Frontpage, Publisher, etc) highly desired, should have a science background preferably in Great Lakes or marine science or human health issues and demonstrated training or experience in journalism and/or communications. Experience in communication of scientific concepts to non-technical audiences preferred. Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program AGENCY: Office of Education and Sustainable Development (OESD), Office of the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (USEC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. DATES: Applications for the Ernest F. Hollings scholarship program will be available on April 22, 2005. Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. e.d.t. May 23, 2005. ADDRESSES: Applications for the Earnest F. Hollings scholarship
program will be available through ORISE at FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: NOAA/Hollings Scholarship, Oak
Ridge Institute for Science and Education, telephone: 865-576-3424
or NOAA/OESD at Background The Ernest F. Hollings scholarship program was established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Pub. L. 108-447). The purposes of the program include: (1) To increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities; (2) to increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy; (3) to recruit and prepare students for public service careers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other natural resource and science agencies at the Federal, state and local levels of government; and (4) to recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States. Hollings scholarship program will provide selected undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to a maximum of $8,000) for full-time study during the 9-month academic year; a 10-week, full-time internship position ($650/week) during the summer at a NOAA or partner facility; and, if reappointed, academic assistance (up to a maximum of $8,000) for full-time study during a second 9-month academic year. The internship between first and second years of award provides ``hands-on'' multi-disciplinary educational training experience involving Scholars in NOAA-related scientific, research, technological, policy, management, and education activities. Awards will also include a housing subsidy for scholars who do not reside at home during the summer internship and travel expenses for attendance and participation at a Hollings scholarship program conference at the completion of the internship. The Hollings Scholarship program will consider applications from all eligible students including those that have received scholarship awards from other NOAA undergraduate scholarship programs. If selected as Hollings scholars, the program awards to students that have received awards from other NOAA undergraduate scholarship program will be adjusted based on the benefits of that other award for all years in which the award periods of the scholarship programs overlap. The total benefits during the coinciding award periods from the combined NOAA undergraduate scholarship programs in each award category (i.e., academic assistance, internship, housing subsidy, and travel expenses) shall not exceed the maximum benefits allowed under the Hollings program unless this level of support is provided in whole under the other NOAA scholarship award. The Hollings scholarship program internship requirement will also be waived if the scholar is obligated to a summer internship through a previous award from another NOAA undergraduate scholarship program. Funding Availability Eligibility Evaluation Criteria Selection Process Selection Factors |
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April 15, 2005Contents _________________________________________________________________ 1) International Field Years - Lake Erie Project List:
2) 2005 NOAA Administrator Awards - David Schwab 3) GLERL 6-Month Publication Update 4) New Reprints -- Ice, contaminants, ballast treatments, and freak waves ASSEL, R.A. Great Lakes weekly ice cover statistics. NOAA Technical
Memorandum GLERL-133. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory,
Ann Arbor, MI, 27 pp. (2005). GOSSIAUX, G.C., and P.F. LANDRUM. Toxicokinetics and tissue distributions
of non-polar contaminants from aqueous and dietary exposures for
the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus. Greenberg, M.S., G.A. Burton, Jr., P.F. LANDRUM, M.T. Leppanen, and J.V.K. Kukkonen. Desorption kinetics of fluoranthene and trifluralin from Lake Huron and Lake Erie, USA sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24(1):31-99 (2005). Lee, J.-S., and J.-H. LEE. Influence of acid volatile sulfides and simultaneously extracted metals on the bioavailability and toxicity of a mixture of sediment-associated Cd, Ni, and Zn to polychaetes Neanthes arenaceodentata. Science of the Total Environment 338:229-241 (2005). Lin, E.-B., and P.C. LIU. A discrete wavelet analysis of freak waves in the ocean. Journal of Applied Mathematics 2004:5:379-394 (2004). SANO, L.L., A.M. KRUEGER, and P.F. LANDRUM. Chronic toxicity of glutaraldehyde: differential sensitivity of three freshwater organisms. Aquatic Toxicology 71:283-296 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050003.pdf 5) NOAA Great Lakes Seminar Series at GLERL Several new seminars in the video archive http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/news/seminars/pastseminars.html including:
Upcoming seminar agenda available at http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/news/seminars/ ... be sure to let me know if you want me to tape something specific. |
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March 15, 2005Contents: 1) International Field Year on Lake Erie (IFYLE) 40 proposals for Lake Erie research programs were recieved in response to GLERL's IFYLE RFP. Proposals are officially out for 'fast-track' review, with the review panel scheduled to meet March 24-25. Several supporting documents are available on GLERL's website - including a list of GLERL PI research plans for Lake Erie. Go to http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/erie/ for the main IFYLE webpage and links to all supporting materials or directly to http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/erie/docs/GLERLPIplans200502.pdf for the GLERL research plans. 2) New Reprints - Lake Erie geomorphology Holcombe, T.L., L. A. Taylor, J. S. Warren, P. A. Vincent D. F. Reid, and C. E. Herdendorf. 2005. Lake-Floor Geomorphology of Lake Erie. Research Publication RP-3, NOAA, NESDIS/NGDC, World Data Center A for Marine Geology and Geophysics, incl. color plates, 26 pp. The complete publication, including plates, figures and tables,
in pdf format is available at Note: due to extensive use of color plates and images, there are ten files totaling ~29 Mb associated with the entire document. Some of the images are best viewed at high magnification due to complexity of colors. This new peer-reviewed research paper on the geomorphology of Lake
Erie has been published electronically as part of the NOAA National
Geophysical Data Center’s Research Publication (RP) series.
This publication is a product of the NOAA Great Lakes Bathymetry
Project ( Abstract 3) New Reprints - Alewife recruitment, Leptodora (predatory zooplankton) Madenjian, C. P. T.O. Hook, E.S. Rutherford, D.M. Mason, T.E. Croley II, E.B. Szalai, and J.R. Bence. Recruitment variability of alewives in Lake Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries Socieety 13:218-230 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050002.pdf Pichlova, R., A. Weber, and B. Gosser. Leptodora kindtii survival in the laboratory. Aquatic Ecology 38:537-546 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040031.pdf |
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February 15, 2005Contents: 1) International Field Year for Lake Erie – 2005 The National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in collaboration with the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the New York Sea Grant College Program, and NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) announce a rapid-response opportunity to obtain funding (up to $325,000) to join in a large-scale, international, multidisciplinary field-research program on Lake Erie during 2005. NOAA-GLERL has obtained NOAA funds for chartering research vessels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to match these funds with additional ship time so that the program will support approximately 90 days ($900,000 value) of research vessel time aboard the EPA’s R/V Lake Guardian from May through September on Lake Erie. In addition, the NOAA R/V Laurentian and R/V Cyclops also will be operating full-time in Lake Erie to support this large-scale Lake Erie research endeavor during May through October. In response, 1) National Sea Grant College Program has made available a total of $250,000 to support investigators who can contribute significantly to this research and who would benefit from free access to large research vessels; 2) Ohio Sea Grant will provide up to $25,000 for Ohio investigators to support small grants of up to $7,500 each; 3) New York Sea Grant will provide half of the funds (up to a total of $25,000) for New York investigators who propose successful projects; and 4) NOAA-GLERL will provide up to an additional $25,000 to support successful projects. Other collaborators in this effort include the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER) at the University of Michigan, as well as the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and U.S. Geological Survey, who will provide additional vessel support. Ohio Sea Grant/Stone Laboratory also has agreed to provide free access to the Gibraltar III, BioLab, and Erie Monitor in the west basin, in addition to reduced meal and housing rates for investigators staying at Stone Laboratory. Environment Canada (NWRI) also has partnered with NOAA to deploy 15 moorings across Lake Erie. This integrative research program seeks individuals whose research would complement NOAA’s efforts to understand and forecast 1) periodic low-oxygen (hypoxic/anoxic) events in Lake Erie's central basin, and 2) the influence of physical factors (e.g., oxygen availability, temperature, lake circulation) and food web (trophic) structure on fish production and/or invasive species persistence (and vice versa). Novel research concerning the formation of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in western Lake Erie also is encouraged. This research program is based upon a number of scientific planning efforts undertaken by the Lake Erie Millennium Network, NOAA-GLERL (e.g., Lake Erie Science Planning Workshop), Ohio Sea Grant, and the Lake Erie Commission and is designed to:
Ultimately, the information obtained through this collaborative, multidisciplinary research program would be used to enhance the ability of resource managers to understand and forecast variation in fish production, invasive species impacts, and hypoxia/anoxia in Lake Erie, and thereby improve decision-making. Research supported by this program is expected to focus primarily on three of the National Sea Grant College Program’s 11 thematic areas: fisheries, ecosystems and habitats, and aquatic invasive species. This program also will address four of the Great Lakes Governor’s nine priorities: protecting human health, non-point source pollution, aquatic invasive species, and restoring and protecting fish habitat. Although novel, relevant research investigations, regardless of discipline, are welcomed, we especially seek investigators with expertise and interests in: 1. Nutrient dynamics (e.g., Detroit River loading impacts, watershed
effects on nutrient availability, sediment-water nutrient flux), Investigators funded by this program will be involved in the research-planning process of this investigation, including hypothesis development, cruise sampling design, and data synthesis, beginning with an all PI meeting in late March/early April. All data collected will be centralized in a NOAA-GLERL Lake Erie database to facilitate data sharing among participating investigators. All reporting will be done through an Ohio Sea Grant electronic reporting system to minimize time requirements for principal investigators and to enhance our education and outreach efforts by allowing easy access by other investigators, the general public, managers, students, and the media. Additional background information about this program, including 1) a more detailed description of the conceptual research framework for this project, 2) a list of planned NOAA-GLERL Lake Erie projects for 2005, and 3) a description of the jointly planned NOAA-Environment Canada Lake Erie buoy (moorings) program, can be found at NOAA-GLERL’s Lake Erie Project website (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/erie/). PROPOSAL PROCESS WHO MAY APPLY: Individuals, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, State, local and Native American tribal governments, foreign governments, and international organizations are eligible. Foreign investigators are encouraged to have an American collaborator. Federal employees may participate as collaborators, but they may not be included in the budget. Federal employees and institutions are not eligible for compensation or budget items of any sort, and their contributions cannot be considered a source of cost-sharing. FUNDING AMOUNTS: Applications may be made for Federal funds of up to $50,000. Allocation of non-Federal matching funds, equal to at least one-third of the total budget (i.e., at least 50% of the Federal request; a $50,000 Federal request would require a $25,000 non-Federal match), must be specified. Matching funds, including in-kind hours, are encouraged. Small funding requests (less than $10,000) are strongly encouraged, and we also encourage investigators, both Federal and non-Federal, to apply who might simply need free access to a vessel. HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must adhere to the proposal and budget formats outlined below. This RFP also will be posted at: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/erie/. PROPOSAL AND BUDGET FORMAT: Margins must be one-inch on all sides, and a Times New Roman 12-point font should be used. The following elements must be included in the proposal package: 1. Cover Page (1-page maximum; include the following) LAKE ERIE PROJECT TIMELINE: DEADLINE AND CORRESPONDENCE: Five (5) copies of the proposal must be received no later than 5 PM on Monday, March 14 by: Ms. Laura Newlin, c/o Lake Erie Program, NOAA-GLERL, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 To verify that your proposal has been successfully delivered on time, contact Laura Newlin at Laura.Newlin@noaa.gov. All components of the proposal must be received before the March 14 deadline to be considered for this competition. For general information regarding this RFP or the Lake Erie Program, contact Stuart Ludsin (Stuart.Ludsin@noaa.gov), or visit NOAA-GLERL’s Lake Erie Program website, which will be frequently updated. We also encourage contacting NOAA-GLERL scientists ahead of time to discuss potential collaborations. Frequently Asked Questions will be posted as they come in. 2) New Reprints - steelhead, toxicity, freak waves Landrum, P.F., J.A. Steevens, M. McElroy, D.C. Gossiaux, J.S. Lewis, and S.D. Robinson. Time-dependent toxicity of Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene to Hyalella azteca. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24(1):211-218 (2005). Pinho, U.F., P.C. Liu, and C.E.P. Ribeiro. Freak waves at Campos Basin, Brazil. Geofizika 21:53-67 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040029.pdf 3) GLERL in the News - Most Great Lakes seiches are small and go unnoticed, but the phenomenon can trigger huge storm surges and tidal waves that quickly alter Great Lakes water levels. "A seiche is a smaller version of a tsunami, with a different cause. A seiche is caused by wind; tsunamis are caused by earthquakes," said David Schwab, a research oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes office in Ann Arbor. Tsunamis are born along the borders of the Earth's tectonic plates, where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. Because the Great Lakes are not situated near the edge of a tectonic plate, tsunamis cannot happen here, said Peter Wampler, assistant geology professor at Grand Valley State University. Schwab said most Great Lakes seiches only produce subtle changes in lake levels. But given the right weather conditions, a seiche can unleash huge storm surges that endanger human life and coastal structures. Schwab said seiches are most common in Lake Erie, which is shallower than the other Great Lakes and is often buffeted by southwest winds that cause water levels to fluctuate wildly at opposite ends of the lake, in Buffalo and Toledo. A seiche that struck Chicago without warning on a June morning in 1954 increased the lake's water level by 4 feet in just 30 minutes. The rising water was followed by a massive wave, 25 miles wide and as high as 20 feet in some areas, that swept dozens of people off piers. Eight people drowned. Schwab said the killer wave bounced off the Michigan coast before pounding Chicago, pushing water in some areas 100 feet inland of some beaches. Seiches can slosh back and forth across the Great Lakes for hours, depending on the weather conditions. For that reason, the National Weather Service recommends people use caution when swimming in the Great Lakes or venturing out on piers before or after a squall line passes through. The weather service issues seiche warnings when conditions are right for a storm surge on the lakes. Great Lakes levels are above long-term averages The Great Lakes and connecting waters are up to 16 inches deeper than they were last winter and projected to continue buoying spirits of boaters this summer. Erie, St. Clair and Ontario all are above long-term averages for the first time in several years according to federal data updated Friday. Lakes below their averages -- Huron, Michigan and Superior -- could reach or exceed that mark this summer for the first time in seven years. The lakes began inching up after 2001, when they dropped to the lowest levels in nearly 30 years. It was the rock-bottom point of a long-term up-and-down cycle that runs its course every few decades. Or at least maybe it was rock bottom. Whether the worst is over remains to be seen. "On those long-term graphs, sometimes we get a little hiccup at the bottom, where it goes up, then back down, said Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes research lab in Ann Arbor. So, it could go even lower than 2001? "It could," Sellinger said. "But at least it seems to be good news for this summer." Just how much higher the lakes will be this year depends on a complicated interplay of factors that scientists are leery of predicting with certainty. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projections estimate that levels on lakes Huron and Michigan could fall anywhere within a 16-inch range by mid-June. The high end of the range would put the levels back to summer's average, something that hasn't happened since 1998. On Lake St. Clair, the high-end estimate puts the June level at four inches above average; on lake Superior two inches above, and on Lake Erie five inches above. To be fair, the low-end estimates would put all those lakes below average, but even the Corps' most pessimistic estimate keeps the lakes' water higher than it was two summers ago. Two factors loom large in determining this summer's levels: cold and snow. The amount of snow that accumulates in the Great Lakes basin is one factor. But it's not enough just to get lots of it; the timing of snowmelt is critical. If snow melts while the ground is frozen, much of it evaporates as it puddles on top of frozen tundra. But if it melts gradually, as the ground thaws, it percolates into the groundwater, gradually feeding the lakes all spring long. Cold weather also is underrated when it comes to lake levels because cold makes ice. The more ice covering the lakes, the less water is robbed through evaporation to the atmosphere during the winter. Most of the bays and shorelines of lakes Michigan and Superior are iced over -- leaving roughly 85 to 90 percent of the surface ice-free, Sellinger said. That's typical for late January, so temperatures in February and March will have a big impact on evaporative loss. For information on Great Lakes water levels, visit http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/now/wlevels/. |
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February 2, 2005Summer Fellowships The announcement for the 2005 GLERL-CILER Summer Fellows Program
is on the GLERL , CILER and GLIN web sites -- http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pr/ssfp/2005/
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January 17, 2005Contents ...Now, with the diporeia disappearing, the whitefish are trying to consume zebra mussels. Whitefish aren't the only fish affected. Wisconsin's Lake Michigan perch population has crashed by about 90% in the last decade, and commercial harvests stopped on Lake Michigan in 1996, except for in the waters of Green Bay. There is debate about precisely why the perch are struggling. Overfishing is one likely reason, but mussels also could be a culprit because the diporeia-feeding juvenile perch may not be finding enough to eat. Another theory is the increased water clarity has boosted perch's vulnerability to predators. The drop in the diporeia could prove more devastating than the sea lamprey invasion of the 1950s, because the food chain is being attacked at its must vulnerable point - the bottom. "When you tear away the bottom of the food chain, everything that is above it is going to be disrupted," says Tom Nalepa, a research biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Zebra mussels have also been linked in some areas of the Great Lakes basin to outbreaks of a toxic blue-green algae called microcystis, which produces a poison deadly to pets and livestock, and in some cases humans. In the 1960s the shamrock-green film plagued Midwest waterways that were overloaded with nutrients from sewage spills and farm runoff. Pollution controls in the 1970s limited those outbreaks, but recent research from Michigan State University shows that zebra mussels are the likely culprit in what are becoming routine microcystis outbreaks in lakes Erie and Huron and inland lakes across the Upper Midwest. The mussels foster algae blooms because they tend to eat everything in the water but the microcystis; lab experiments show the mussels literally spitting out microcystis, which produce a toxin called microcystin. "They (mussels) selectively reject these toxic algae, so over time they're favoring these colonies," says Gary Fahnenstiel, a senior ecologist with NOAA. "The more zebra mussels you have in a body of water, the more likely you're going to find microcystis being abundant." In Michigan's Muskegon Lake, for example, tests taken this fall show microcystin levels were at times 10 times higher than the levels the World Health Organization considers safe for swimming - and more than 100 times beyond the WHO standards for drinking water. It appears that zebra mussels are actually undoing the pollution-control gains made a generation ago. There are also concerns that the toxins could be accumulating in fish, and may even become airborne. "I don't want to scare anybody, but it should be a cause for concern," says Fahnenstiel. 2) GLERL In the News - NOAA scientist: Close door on lake invaders In the two decades since zebra mussels were discovered in Lake St. Clair, efforts to keep more exotic species from invading the Great Lakes could be summed up in four words: All bark, no bite. Now, a leading Great Lakes scientist says, it's time to close the door to the "carriers" of those harmful creatures. ...the Great Lakes today are just as vulnerable to invasion by non-native species as they were in 1959, when completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway navigation projects opened the lakes to a global shipping network. A study set to be released next year will show that efforts to keep more exotics from entering the lakes have been a colossal failure. A Muskegon scientist who worked on that study said dramatic action is needed now to stop the army of non-indigenous species of fish, mussels and microorganisms marching into the Great Lakes. "It's time to close the Welland Canal," said Gary Fahnenstiel, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon. "This a simple problem with a simple solution," Fahnenstiel said. "We have a natural choke point and we can shut off the flow of exotics into the Great Lakes." Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened, ballast water from ships has accounted for 77 percent of new exotic species in the lakes, according to a Cornell University study. Though freighters are the No. 1 source of exotics entering the lakes, industry officials said banning foreign ships would devastate the region's economy by increasing the cost of transporting steel, grain and other bulk materials. Closing the Welland Canal would require ships to unload in Buffalo; that cargo would then have to be transported by rail or truck to other parts of the region. "It's somewhat of a simple response to say we need to close off the Great Lakes to oceangoing vessels. What economic impact are you going to have by closing off the Great Lakes to oceangoing vessels?" said Jim Weakly, president of the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers Association. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering enlarging the St. Lawrence Seaway to allow huge, oceangoing container ships to enter the Great Lakes. That could increase the risk of more exotic species entering the lakes. Fahnenstiel's study, a draft of which was obtained by The Chronicle, found several exotic species of algae living in foreign ships with empty ballast tanks. Some of these species thrived when put in fresh water. "There can be little doubt that residual sediment and water from ballast tanks of No-BOBs are a significant vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species into the Great Lakes," Fahnenstiel said in his report. Fahnenstiel isn't the first prominent scientist to suggest closing the Great Lakes to oceangoing freighters, known as "salties." In 2002, a scientist for the regulatory agency Environment Canada suggested stopping all salties in Montreal, where canals allow ships to bypass rapids that were a natural barrier between the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean ecosystems. That proposal was ridiculed by industry and went nowhere, said Ralph Smith, a biology professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Smith said stopping all salties in Montreal is the only sure way to protect all five Great Lakes from new invasive species lurking in the ballast tanks of foreign freighters. "It's just not physically possible to have no ballast water on board," Smith said. "And you can never exchange 100 percent of the ballast water." Some policy analysts said banning foreign ships won't keep non-native organisms imported to other parts of the United States from reaching the Great Lakes. The London-based International Maritime Organization, an arm of the United Nations, recently approved rules requiring all ships to exchange ballast water offshore to try to eliminate hitchhiking organisms. The IMO ballast water rules must still be approved by 30 countries and wouldn't take effect, at the earliest, until 2009 for new ships and 2014 for existing ships. Fahnenstiel said the Great Lakes can't afford to wait that long. He said preventing the introduction of more exotic species might save the Great Lakes from ecological ruin and would also benefit other parts of the country. "The Great Lakes are the poster child for exotic species; this is their North American beach head," Fahnenstiel said. 3) New Reprints - Ice, Perch, Fish, Invertebrates, Sediment
Transport, Forecasting Needs ASSEL, R.A. Computerized National Weather Service Great Lakes ice reports for winter seasons 1899-1970. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-130. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 31 pp. (2004). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-130 BELETSKY, D., D.J. SCHWAB, D. MASON, E. Rutherford, M.J. McCORMICK, H.A. VANDERPLOEG, and J. Janssen. Modeling the transport of larval yellow perch in Lake Michigan. Proceedings, Estuarine and Coastal Modeling, American Society of Civil Engineers Eighth International Conference, November 3-5, 2003, Monterey, CA. pp. 439-454 (2003). Green, S.A., and B.J. EADIE. Introduction to special section: Transport and transformation of biogeochemically important materials in coastal waters. Journal of Geophysical Research 109:C10S01, 2 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040026.pdf Kracker, L.M., L. Zhou, J.M. Jech, J.K. Horne, J.A. Tyler, and S.B. BRANDT. Spatial and temporal structure in fish distributions: A Lake Ontario case study. In State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) – Past, Present, and Future, M. Munawar (Ed.). Ecovision World Monograph Series, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, pp. 385-406 (2003). PEACOR, S.D., and E.E. Werner. Context dependence of nonlethal effects of a predator on prey growth. Israel Journal of Zoology 50:139-167 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fullext/2004/20040025.pdf Schuler, L.J., P.F. LANDRUM, and M.J. Lydy. Time-dependent toxicity of fluoranthene to freshwater invertebrates and the role of biotransformation on lethal body residues. Environmental Science and Technology 38:6247-6255 (2004). STURTEVANT, R. Great Lakes Ecological Forecasting Needs Assessment. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-131, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI. 60 pp. (2004). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-131 4) Staff News - NRC Postdoc Miguel Dionisio-Pires comes from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on "Interactions between mussels and toxic cyanobacteria." His thesis advisor was Dr. Ellen Van Donk, and he worked on eutrophic lakes in the Netherlands examining interactions between a mussels and other parts of the food web with harmful algal blooms (HABs). He will be working as an NRC postdoc with Hank Vanderploeg on interactions between dreissenids and HABs in Lake Erie as well as the role of mussels on nutrient cycle. Miguel began his tenure at GLERL on December 29, 2004 and will be here until December 2006. |
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