GLERL Electronic Newsletter: 2009 Updates

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• January 16, 2009
• February 16, 2009
• March 16, 2009
• April 15, 2009
• May 18, 2009
• June 12, 2009
• July 16, 2009
• August 14, 2009
• September 16, 2009
• October 15, 2009
• November 16, 2009

• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008

November 16, 2009

Contents
1) GLERL in the News
- Experimental Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast Bulletin For Lake Erie
- RV Storm
2) New Reprints
3) Web Hot Items
____________________________________________________________

1) GLERL in the News
Experimental Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast Bulletin For Lake Erie
Sonia Joseph from NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health is quoted...
"The experimental forecast incorporates data from various ocean-observing systems, including commercial and government satellite imagery obtained by NOAA’s National Ocean Service, coastal forecast modeling and field data by NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory scientists, and reports received from resource managers in the field. The information is then synthesized and interpreted to determine the current and future location and intensity of Microcystis blooms."

full article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917161736.htm

also
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091110/NEWS16/911100307&Template=printart

RV Storm
The 50' RV Storm recently acquired by GLERL is  now docked at LMFS. This article appeared last week when it was docked in Alpena.

http://www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/507023.html?nav=5004

2) New Reprints

Jaeger Miehls, A.L., D.M. MASON, K.A. Frank, A.E. Krause, S.D. PEACOR, and W.W. Taylor. Invasive species impacts on ecosystem structure and function: A comparison of Oneida Lake, New York, USA, before and after zebra mussel invasion. Ecological Modelling 220:3194-3209 (doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.07.020) (2009).

Jaeger Miehls, A.L., D.M. MASON, K.A. Frank, A.E. Krause, S.D. PEACOR, and W.W. Taylor. Invasive species impacts on ecosystem structure and function: A comparison of the Bay of Quinte, Canada, and Oneida Lake, USA before and after zebra mussel invasion. Ecological Modelling 220:3182-3193 (doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.07.013) (2009).

Lee, J.-H., C.A. STOW, and P.F. LANDRUM. Bayesian multilevel discrete interval hazard analysis to predict DDE mortality in Hyalella azteca based on body residues. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28:2458 (2009).

LIU, P.C., C.H. Wu, K.R. MacHutchon, and D.J. SCHWAB. An analysis of measurement from a 3D oceanic wave field. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 126:15-26 (doi:10.2495/CP090021) (2009).

3) Web Hot Items
Note - Food Web Fact Sheet series was recently taken down for editing...thanks to some of you catching errors...hope to have it back soon.

Lake Michigan Foodweb - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LMfoodweb.pdf

Great Lakes Water Levels - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/lakelevels/lakelevels.pdf

Lake Erie Foodweb - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LEfoodweb.pdf

Bloody Red Shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/hemimysis.pdf

Lake Huron Foodweb - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LHfoodweb.pdf

Holcombe, T.L., J.S. Warren, D.F. REID, W.T. Virden, and D.L. Divins. Small rimmed depression in Lake Ontario: An impact crater? Journal of Great Lakes Research 27(4):510-517 (2001). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2001/20010012.pdf

SANO, L.L., A.M. Krueger, and P.F. LANDRUM. Chronic toxicity of glutaraldehyde: differential sensitivity of three freshwater organisms. Aquatic Toxicology 283-296 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050003.pdf

Kohlberger, R.C., D. SCAVIA, and J.W. Wilkinson. Method for parameter sensitivity analysis in differential equation models. Water Resources Research 14(1):25-29 (1978). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/1978/19780006.pdf

TARAPCHAK, S.J., and C. Rubitschum. Comparisons of soluble reactive phoshorus and orthophosphorus concentrations at an offshore station in southern Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research 7(3):290-298 (1981). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/1981/19810004.pdf

Barbiero, R.P., T.F. NALEPA, and M.L. Tuchman. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos. In The State of Lake Huron in 1999. L.C. Mohr, and M.. Ebener (Eds.). Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Special Publication 05-02, Ann Arbor, MI. pp. 33-41 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050029.pdf

October 15, 2009

September 16, 2009

Contents
1) New Director Announced
2) Saginaw Bay Nowcast - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/sb/
3) New Reprint
4) GLERL in the News
5) Hot Items on the Web
6) Staff News - Congratulations!
________________________________________________________

1) New Director Announced
NOAA Press Release
Oceanographer to Lead NOAA Great Lakes Laboratory
A physical oceanographer who worked with satellites to generate climate, weather and water products for operational and research use, will be the director of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.  Marie Colton, Ph.D., who has been acting director since January, takes the permanent position on October 11.

"Our Great Lakes laboratory plays a major role in helping NOAA and the nation address freshwater issues, including climate change, water resource management, invasive species, and human health.  So we looked for someone with a broad range of experience and we were delighted that Dr. Colton was eager to continue," said Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA assistant administrator for oceanic and atmospheric research.

GLERL is one of seven NOAA research laboratories that are under NOAA's research office.  The laboratory is the only one to focus on the Great Lakes.

"This is an opportunity for me to return to the Midwest where I grew up and get back to Great Lakes issues," said Colton, who lives in Virginia.  "My priorities include developing ecological forecasts to predict changes such as harmful algal blooms, beach and water quality, and invasive species impacts."

Colton holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from the Florida Institute of Technology (1978, 1981) and a doctorate from the Naval Postgraduate School (1989). She did her dissertation research on Lake Ontario. 

During her career she has been an aerospace engineer at NASA, a physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory, an oceanographer at the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, and center director of NOAA's satellite service.  While serving as acting director of GLERL, Colton also worked as technical director for NOAA's Ocean Service, where she oversaw all of the science and technology enterprise from hydrographic mapping to ecology.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

A Message from the Director
"Thank you for the warm welcome I have received.  We've reached an extraordinary moment in Great Lakes history.  The importance of this natural resource has been elevated with President Obama's call for action in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  This initiative provides new opportunities for expanded research and requires stronger collaborations between all of our partners and the public.  I look forward to supporting this call to action for management of the Great Lakes." - Dr. Colton

2) Saginaw Bay Nowcast - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/sb/
Animations of the previous 48 hours (to present) conditions on Saginaw Bay now available.  These include winds, surface temperatures, surface water currents, vertically averaged currents and tracer concentration of the outflow from the Saginaw River.

3) New Reprint
WANG, H.-Y., and T.O. HOOK. Eco-genetic model to explore fishing-induced ecological and evolutionary effects on growth and maturation schedules. Evolutionary Applications 438-455 (2009). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2009/20090026.pdf

4) GLERL in the News
Sinkholes
Story on  the Lake Huron Sinkholes will be airing next Tuesday Sept. 15 @7pm Eastern It will be on website approximately 12 hours later (maybe sooner) if you would like to watch. www.discoverychannel.ca  You’ll have to navigate the site a bit: click on Daily Planet , click  once more on video and the previous night’s show will pop up.

HABs
"SkySentry Aerostat balloon to keep tabs on algae growth in Lake Erie, as Army takes notes"
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/08/skysentry_aerostat_balloon_to.html

GLERL's George Leshkevich is quoted.   Partners mentioned: NASA Glenn Research Center (work with George Leshkevich, doing algae bloom  "fly overs" to find spectral signature of algae) and University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center.

Shenehon
GLERL old timers (you know who you are) will appreciate the early image of the now retired RV Shenehon which gets a mention in the "Dynamic Great Lakes Blog"
http://barbara-spring.blogspot.com/2009/08/research-vessels-on-great-lakes.html

Water Temperatures
Just in case  the Ozaukee Press weekly is not "on your radar" check out this piece about Lake Michigan water temperatures released today 8/19/2009  (scroll down to "Just Plain Cold near the Lake....")
http://www.ozaukeepress.com/  GLERL's Dave Schwab is quoted.  GLERL CoastWatch data mentioned

Invasives
"Major Shipping Route Fosters a Plague of Sea Life"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/30/AR2009083002333.html
GLERL's Dave Reid is quoted.

5) Hot Items on the Web

522 downloads - Lake Michigan Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LMfoodweb.pdf

251 downloads - Great Lakes Water Levels
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/lakelevels/lakelevels.pdf

170 downloads - Holcombe, T.L., J.S. Warren, D.F. REID, W.T. Virden, and D.L. Divins. Small rimmed depression in Lake Ontario: An impact crater? Journal of Great Lakes Research 27(4):510-517 (2001).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2001/20010012.pdf

117 downloads - Lake Erie Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LEfoodweb.pdf

86 downloads - Bloody Red Shrimp (Hemimysis anomala)
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/hemimysis.pdf

63 downloads - NOAA Green Ship Initiative
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/GreenShip.pdf

52 downloads - Kohlberger, R.C., D. SCAVIA, and J.W. Wilkinson. A method for parameter sensitivity analysis in differential equation models. Water Resources Research 14(1):25-29 (1978). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/1978/19780006.pdf

47 downloads - LOFGREN, B.M. Global warming effects on Great Lakes water: More precipitation but less water? Proceedings, 18th Conference on Hydrology, 8th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society, Seattle, WA, January 11-15, 2004, 3 pp. (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040002.pdf

44 downloads - LIU, P.C., H.S. Chen, D.J. Doong, C.C. Kao, and Y.J.G. Hsu. Monstrous ocean waves during typhoon Krosa. Annales Geophysicae 26:1327-1329 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080018.pdf

44 downloads - NALEPA, T.F., D.L. FANSLOW, S.A. POTHOVEN, A.J. FOLEY, G.A. LANG, S.C. Mozley, and M.W. Winnell. Abundance and distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate populations in Lake Huron in 1972 and 2000-2003. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-140. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 33 pp. (2007). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-140/tm-140.pdf

6) Staff News - Congratulations!

• Gary Fahnenstiel: Healing Our Waters Lifetime Achievement Award
• Length of Service Awards
• Eugenia Lashbrook and John Lane –20 Years
• James Liebig and John Fenton –30 Years
• George Leshkevich and Henry Vanderploeg –35 Years
• David Reid –40 Years
  

August 14, 2009

Contents
1) New Reprints
2) Web Hot Items
3) GLERL in the News
4) GLERL / CILER in the news: NOSB third place trip
____________________________________________________________

1) New Reprints
Deal, C.J., M. Jin, and J. WANG. The significance of water column nitification in the southeastern Bering Sea. Chinese Journal of Polar Science 19(2):185-192 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080064.pdf

HU, H., and J. WANG. Modeling the ocean circulation in the Bering Sea. Chinese Journal of Polar Science 19(2):193-211 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080063.pdf

Jin, M., C.J. Deal, and J. WANG. A coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model for 1-D and 3-D applications in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Seas. Chinese Journal of Polar Science 19(2):218-229 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080065.pdf

LIU, P.C., H.S. Chen, D.-J. Doong, C.C. Kao, and Y.-J.G Hsu. Freaque waves during Typhoon Krosa. Annales Geophysicae 27:2633-2642 (2009). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2009/20090025.pdf

WANG, J., M. Jin, J. Takahashi, T. Suzuki, I.V. olyakov, K. Mozobata, M. Ikeda, F.J. Saucier, and M. Meier. Modeling Arctic Ocean heat transport and warming episodes in the 20th century caused by the intruding Atlantic water. Chinese Journal of Polar Science 19(2):159-167 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080061.pdf

WANG, J., K. Mizobata, H. HU, M. Jin, S. Zhang, W. Johnson, K. Shimada, and M. Ikeda. Modeling seasonal variations of ocean and sea ice circulation in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas: A model data fusion study. Chinese Journal of Polar Science 19(2):168-184 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080062.pdf

2) Web Hot Items
631 downloads - Lake Michigan Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LMfoodweb.pdf

242 downloads - Lake Erie Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LEfoodweb.pdf

224 downloads - Great Lakes Water Levels
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/lakelevels/lakelevels.pdf

106 downloads - Holcombe, T.L., J.S. Warren, D.F. REID, W.T. Virden, and D.L. Divins. Small rimmed depression in Lake Ontario: An impact crater? Journal of Great Lakes Research 27(4):510-517 (2001).
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2001/20010012.pdf

83 downloads - Kohlberger, R.C., D. SCAVIA, and J.W. Wilkinson. A method for parameter sensitivity analysis in differential equation models. Water Resources Research 14(1):25-29 (1978). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/1978/19780006.pdf

74 downloads - Bailey, S.A., I.C. Duggan, C.D.A. Vanoverdijk, T.H. JOHENGEN, D.F. REID, and J.J. MacIsaac. Salinity tolerance of diapausing eggs of freshwater zooplankton. Freshwater Biology 49:286-295 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040003.pdf

66 downloads - NOAA Green Ship Initiative
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/GreenShip.pdf

60 downloads - Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Centers/HumanHealth/docs/habs.pdf

40 downloads - Barbiero, R.P., T.F. NALEPA, and M.L. Tuchman. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos. In The State of Lake Huron in 1999. M.P. Ebener (Ed.). Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Spec. Pub. 05-02, pp. 33-41 (2005). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2005/20050029.pdf


3) GLERL in the News
Great Lakes water levels rebound after long slump
GLERL's Craig Stow and colleague Don Scavia director of the University of Michigan’s Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute are quoted
http://www.cantonrep.com/ohio/x931239007/Great-Lakes-water-levels-rebound-after-long-slump

Great Lakes: Amazing Change
Check out images of RV Laurentian, GLERL's Tom Nalepa, and quote from University of Michigan colleague Dave Jude
http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2009/07/story.php?id=7510

Invasive quaggas a growing threat
Quaggas and Lake Mead - Tom Nalepa is quoted
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31980811/ns/us_news-environment//

GLERL hosts COSEE Workshop
article written and workshop organized by summer fellow Ann Marshall
http://hotitems.oar.noaa.gov/storyDetail_org.php?sid=5759

Saginaw Bay 'dead zone' may explain muck problems
GLERL's Craig Stow and colleague Scott Peacor MSU are quoted
Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System surface water temperature map included
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/07/saginaw_bay.html#more

National Ocean Science Bowl Winners Grace Great Lakes Region
Cathy Darnell is quoted.
Written by summer fellow Elizabeth Klimas
http://hotitems.oar.noaa.gov/storyDetail_org.php?sid=5764

Up Close: GLERL's Hank Vanderploeg - 35 Years and Still Cutting Edge
written by summer fellow Liz Klimas
http://www.noaaworld.noaa.gov/people/aug2009_people_2.html

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration tests power-generating trailer
the power-generating trailer at LMFS ...
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/08/national_oceanographic_and_atm.html

4) GLERL / CILER in the news: NOSB third place trip
http://www.oceanleadership.org/2009/national-ocean-sciences-bowl-third-place-team-takes-awarded-trip/

Cranston High Teacher Steve Krous:

“Growing up in Rhode Island, the "Ocean State," I've had a natural bias in my teaching and coaching toward Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean,” said Krous. “But now, thanks to this trip, I've seen first-hand just how influential the Great Lakes are. This experience will dramatically change the way I teach coastal zone issues because I now have a large amount of case studies that I can use to better teach interdisciplinary science and problem-solving skills to my students.”  I think this is directly attributable to a guest lecture given by Gary Fahnenstiel at the LMFS. Gary came in while on vacation to talk with the group and give them a tour of the field station and his lab. Thanks Gary!

Contents
1) Tidbits

• COSEE Great Lakes
• MI Sea Grant - Softshore Engineering
• MI Sea Grant  - Fishtown
• MI Sea Grant - Grand Traverse Bay Mapping Project
• NY Sea Grant - Diving Partnerships
• NY Sea Grant - I FISH NY
• IL-IN Sea Grant - Lakeside Views: Teachers educate Sea Grant about classroom plants and animals
• OH Sea Grant - Aquatic Visitors Center a popular summer attraction
• OH Sea Grant - Boat Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program Hits Million-Pound Mark
• MI Sea Grant - Clean Marinas
• MN Sea Grant - Rip Currents
• MN Sea Grant - Beach Sweep 2009
  

2) Events

• National Sea Grant - Climate Change Network Workshop 2009
• PA Sea Grant - Science on the Water Tour
• MN Sea Grant - Land Conservation & Clean Water Summit 2009 
• MN Sea Grant - Great Minnesota Beach Sweep 2009 
• MI Sea Grant - Clean and Green Marinas
• WI Sea Grant - Lake Michigan State of the Lake and Great Lakes Beach Association Conference
• OH Sea Grant - Buckeye Island Hop planned
• OH Sea Grant - New Climate Change Webinar Series Begins with Cap and Trade Topic
• MN Sea Grant - World Maritime Day 2009
• NY Sea Grant - Teachers' Workshop: Exploring the Link between Invasive Species and the Erie Canal
• MI Sea Grant - Kayak Detroit: Paddling Through East Side Canals
• IL-IN Sea Grant - Coast Week Seminar
• MI Sea Grant - Lake Michigan Updates from Regional Fishery Workshops
  

3) MI Sea Grant - Wind Power Integrated Assessment Funded in West Michigan
4) NY Sea Grant - NOAA and Sea Grant Remind Beachgoers: Rip Currents Can Be a Threat
5) WI Sea Grant - Swimming in the Great Lakes? Look Out for Rip Currents
6) WI Sea Grant - Study Reveals Dynamic Wisconsin Climate, Past and Future
7) MI Sea Grant - Do anglers prefer more or bigger fish?
8) MI Sea Grant - CoastWatch Still Going Strong!
9) MI Sea Grant - Buoy Provides Wind and Temperature Data off Muskegon
10) MI Sea Grant - Grand Haven Nowcast Provides Grand River Plume Conditions
11) MI Sea Grant - Statewide River Levels at a Glance
12) MI Sea Grant - Toxic Algae Monitoring in Muskegon and Ottawa Counties
13) MI Sea Grant - 2009 Charter Study Update
14) MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Restoration Could Bring Jobs, Boost Economy
15) NY Sea Grant - Military TV Features Dune and River Steward Program
16) Staff News

• WI Sea Grant - Communications Manager Position
• NY Sea Grant - Researcher Awarded Top Honors from American Fisheries Society

______________________________________________________________________

1) Tidbits
COSEE Great Lakes
http://coseegreatlakes.net  has news and updates since summer. More will come! Please check in often to see how and what our program is doing!

MI Sea Grant - Softshore Engineering
The Detroit River softshore engineering projects were featured in Landscape & Hardscape Construction Magazine. It made the cover story and included the map that Todd put together!  http://www.lcmmagazine.com/toc.php

MI Sea Grant  - Fishtown
Fishtown in Leland, MI is featured on NOAA's new Coastal & Waterfront Smartgrowth web site under "Case Study" for Element 5:  Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place that capitalizes on the waterfront's heritage.  See here: http://coastalsmartgrowth.noaa.gov/elements/foster.html

MI Sea Grant - Grand Traverse Bay Mapping Project
Assisted by Michigan Sea Grant, NMC is conducting advanced hydrographic surveys of both east and west arms of Grand Traverse Bay and northern Lake Michigan this summer and again in 2010. 
http://www.km.kongsberg.com/ks/web/nokbg0238.nsf/AllWeb/F4F5D670781F6F4BC1257623004BD9FB?OpenDocument

NY Sea Grant - Diving Partnerships
NOAA's Coastal Services Magazine Profiles Our Great Lakes Diving Partnerships: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/glunderwater/article.asp?ArticleID=375

NY Sea Grant - I FISH NY
I FISH NY - has new lesson plans for teachers aligned with NYS Education Learning Standards: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/ifishny/a rticle.asp?ArticleID=384
NYSG: I FISH NY - Teachers/Educators

IL-IN Sea Grant - Lakeside Views: Teachers educate Sea Grant about classroom plants and animals

Source: lakesideviews.blogspot.com

Aquatic invasive species make their way into our waters through a variety of means. One is through classroom specimens that end up released into local... rivers and lakes when the class work is done.  http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=120761241574&h=FJ3Yr&u=OBZ7j&ref=nf

OH Sea Grant - Aquatic Visitors Center a popular summer attraction
The Aquatic Visitors Center on South Bass Island saw nearly 12,000 visitors this summer, the first under Ohio Sea Grant management in a partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The Center, a former state fish hatchery, offered programming for children each Saturday in addition to educational displays about the creatures that call Lake Erie home and free fishing off the dock for children under age 16.

OH Sea Grant - Boat Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program Hits Million-Pound Mark
The Boat Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program, a no-cost service sponsored by the Ohio Clean Marinas Program and Mondo Polymer Technologies Inc. and available all along the Ohio Lake Erie coastline, has now kept more than 1 million pounds of shrink-wrap plastic out of landfills. The plastic has been turned into nearly 150,000 guardrail spacer blocks—enough to line 200 miles of Ohio highways.  For more information about the program, visit http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/cleanmarinas/shrinkwrap/.

MI Sea Grant - Clean Marinas
The Graham Institute at U-M recently wrote an article about the Michigan Clean Marina effort for their newsletter. Full story: http://www.graham.umich.edu/outreach/e-newsletter_sept09.php#marinas

MN Sea Grant - Rip Currents
Do you know where Science of the Surf?s mystery rip current of the month (Sept 2009) is located?  Minnesota Sea Grant?s Jesse Schomberg does! See: http://www.scienceofthesurf.com/ripom.html

MN Sea Grant - Beach Sweep 2009
Minnesota Sea Grant staff and volunteers are cleaning up Lake Superior?s shoreline during the last week of September.  See: http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/news/2009/09/27

2) Events
National Sea Grant - Climate Change Network Workshop 2009
Climate Adaptation in Coastal Communities: A Network Approach to Outreach
Charleston, South Carolina, November 9 – 11, 2009
Purpose: Enhance the capacity of the Sea Grant Outreach Network to assist stakeholders in addressing climate change issues.
All Sea Grant staff are invited to participate.  Funding is available to assist one participant per Sea Grant program.
Full announcement and registration at: http://sgccnetwork.ning.com/page/sea-grant-climate-change

PA Sea Grant - Science on the Water Tour
September 17 6:30 to 8:00p.m.
start from Waterworks at Presque Isle State Park
Speaker: David Frew and Jerry Skrypzak
Topic: Tales and Faces of Erie’s Maritime History #2
A Science on the Water Family science cruise geared towards families, this 2.5 hour cruise on Lake Erie will explore the life in the lake.

MN Sea Grant - Land Conservation & Clean Water Summit 2009
September 24 - 25, 2009   8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318
Minnesota Sea Grant is an endorsing partner of the Land Conservation and Clean Water Summit 2009. The goals of the Summit are to:

• Help communities and natural resource professionals better manage land and water resources, and
• Maximize new funding and technical opportunities for conservation.

MN Sea Grant - Great Minnesota Beach Sweep 2009
September 27, 2009 - 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Sea Grant is a sponsor of the Great Minnesota Beach Sweep 2009. The beach sweep involves thousands of volunteers across Minnesota who will collect manmade debris from beaches, riverbanks, and streams in late September.  Minnesota Beach Sweep started 13 years ago in Duluth, Minn., when the Great Lakes Aquarium partnered with the Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC). Along with trash, volunteers also collect data about the debris, which becomes part of the global database and is used to enhance efforts to protect and restore global waterways. To join the Great Minnesota Beach Sweep of 2009 in Duluth, show up by 2 PM at Lester Park, Chester Park, or the Boy Scout Public Boat Access for Perch Lake (on the south end of Commonwealth Street, next to River Place Campground and Bait).
For more information, contact Margret Scott, Minnesota Beach Sweep Coordinator at 218.740.3473 ext. 1025; mscott@glaquarium.org.

MI Sea Grant - Clean and Green Marinas
Congresswoman Candice Miller will discuss the Clean Marina Program at a special program open house in Harrison Township Sept. 28. The open house will feature informational presentations, a chance to meet Michigan Clean Marina Program leaders, and tours of two certified Michigan Clean Marinas, MacRay and Belle Maer Harbors. Read full story

WI Sea Grant - Lake Michigan State of the Lake and Great Lakes Beach Association Conference
September 29-October 1 - Milwaukee, WI
http://aqua.wisc.edu/SOLM/Default.aspx?tabid=59

OH Sea Grant - Buckeye Island Hop planned
Spend a weekend on the Lake Erie islands at the Buckeye Island Hop, October 2 − 4, 2009, sponsored by the Ohio State University College of Biological Sciences Alumni Society and the Friends of Stone Laboratory. This annual event gives alumni and friends of Ohio State a chance to check out Gibraltar and South Bass islands, take part in an outdoor volunteer project, and meet new people. For more information, visit http://stonelab.osu.edu/events/island-hop/.

OH Sea Grant - New Climate Change Webinar Series Begins with Cap and Trade Topic
A new webinar series led by Ohio State University Extension and Ohio Sea Grant will begin this fall, starting with the webinar “Climate Change and Ohio’s Economy: Implications of Cap and Trade for Ohioans” on October 15 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. The webinar will provide the latest information on the:
·         Science of climate change, and potential implications for Ohio’s future climate
·         Status of federal climate change legislation in Congress
·         Role of cap and trade policies
·         Likely economic implications for Ohio consumers and businesses
·         Potential benefits to landowners through carbon sequestration offset provisions

Speakers will include OSU economists Brent Sohngen, Tom Blaine, and Tim Haab, as well as climatologist Ellen Mosley-Thompson and the Nature Conservancy’s Bill Stanley.  The webinar is free but space is limited. To reserve your spot, email Diana Lantz at Lantz.30@osu.edu. The Webinar series will continue throughout the fall.

MN Sea Grant - World Maritime Day 2009
On October 16, Minnesota Sea Grant and partners that include the Omnimax Theatre in Duluth, and the US Coast Guard will celebrate World Maritime Day with the public.  See: http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/news/2009/10/16

NY Sea Grant - Teachers' Workshop: Exploring the Link between Invasive Species and the Erie Canal

New York Sea Grant and the US Fish and Wildlife Service offered a free, day-long workshop for teachers (Grades 4-12) in Spencerport, NY on August 26 at the Spencerport Trolley Museum and aboard the Rose Lummis.

Teachers learned about the Erie Canal and invasive species and how they and their students can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species. The workshop was supported by COSEE Great Lakes.

For more info: Ellen George, elg7@cornell.edu, 716-645-3610

MI Sea Grant - Kayak Detroit: Paddling Through East Side Canals
Excerpt from article in Model D by Kelli B. Kavanaugh
A couple weeks ago, Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative and Creekside Community Development Corp. teamed with Wyandotte's Riverside Kayak Connection and Michigan Sea Grant to offer a kayak tour of the Detroit River and Creekside's canals...

Michigan Sea Grant is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Mary Bohling is its extension educator for Southeast Michigan. "We work with communities on a whole host of Great Lakes issues, from coastal tourism and interacting with water trails to invasive species management, soft shore engineering, habitat projects…anything to do with education and outreach on Great Lakes issues," she says.

As we paddle, she points out invasive plant species that grow in abundance and prime fish spawning areas. To her, kayaking -- which she has anecdotally noted increasing in popularity -- is one more way to raise awareness of issues near and dear to her heart. "Throughout Michigan in general, we take (the Great Lakes) for granted," she says. "It's a 'don't know what you've got until it's gone' kind of thing."

See complete story published by Model D:
http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/kayakdetroit91509.aspx

Model D is a weekly e-magazine and Web site devoted to showcasing the positive and sustained transformation of Detroit.

IL-IN Sea Grant - Coast Week Seminar
The Great Lakes and northwest Indiana landscapes will provide the backdrop for a Coast Week seminar at Purdue University Calumet. On Thursday, September 10, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Mark Reshkin will discuss the region’s geology and the history of human settlements, bringing the story up to today’s environmental concerns related to water. This talk is free and open to the public.

The seminar will touch on lake levels, climate change, water quality and quantity concerns, as well as ways that some environmental issues are being addressed. “In the end, I hope to convey that right now we are in a time of great problems, but also in a time of great opportunities,” said Reshkin, an Indiana University Northwest (IUN) professor emeritus of geology and public and environmental affairs. “With the Great Lakes initiative and other investments in the region, we can affect great change, but communities will need to work together in ways they haven’t in the past.”

In addition to his position at IUN, Reshkin has engaged in research for the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. He was also a senior scientist and chief of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Science Division.

The seminar is sponsored by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) and Purdue University Calumet. It is part of “Coast Week 2009: Discover Your Coast,” which is organized by the Lake Michigan Coastal Program, and takes place during the week of September 5-13. Coast Week features a wide variety of events to celebrate the diversity and splendor of the Lake Michigan Coastal Region.

“Wherever your interests lie, I’m sure there is an activity or two during Coast Week that you’ll find interesting and exciting,” commented Leslie Dorworth, IISG aquatic ecology specialist.

Mark Reshkin’s seminar will take place in the Student Union and Library Building on the Purdue University Calumet campus. If you would like more information, contact Dorworth at 219-989-2726 or dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu

MI Sea Grant - Lake Michigan Updates from Regional Fishery Workshops
Each spring, Michigan Sea Grant hosts Regional Fishery Workshops to bring anglers the latest information from
researchers with a variety of academic institutions in addition to state, federal, and tribal agencies. Our 2009 series
featured workshops at three Lake Michigan ports. Anglers were treated to a wealth of information at each workshop, and were given the opportunity to provide feedback.
• Quagga mussels now number 300-500 trillion and numbers are still increasing in waters over 300 ft deep. When water is mixed in spring, they impact the entire water column and have led to the disappearance of a spring algae bloom.
• Important native bottom-dwelling invertebrates have declined; a scud Diporeia has decreased from 15,000/m2 to 0/m2 , while our native opossum shrimp Mysis decreased from 100-500/m2 to 0-100/m2.
• The exotic bloody red shrimp Hemimysis has become very abundant near Milwaukee, but not in Michigan waters. Its effects are unknown at this point.
• The exotic spiny water flea Bythotrephes reached an all time high during 2008. This large zooplankter is hard for most fish to eat, collects on fishing lines, and eats smaller plankton.
• Biomass of young alewife doubled from 2007 to 2008 according to acoustic sampling, but was still lower than it was in the mid 1990s.
• Bottom trawls found large alewife and rainbow smelt at their lowest level since monitoring began in 1973. Round goby increased to 18% of prey biomass and are now found as deep as 360 feet.
• Yellow perch had good years for reproduction in 2005 and 2006 that are now providing good fishing, but 2007 and 2008 produced few young perch.
• Survival of stocked brown trout has been poor, with few fish showing up in angler catches. In Michigan waters, 621 browns were caught by charter boat anglers.
• A comparison of summer (Skamania) and winter run steelhead showed that returns to the big lake fishery were similar, but winter run (Michigan) fish were much more likely to contribute to river fisheries.
• Size of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon increased slightly from 2007 to 2008, probably in response to the 2006 stocking cut. Less than 0.5% of Chinooks displayed any sign of disease at weirs, indicating a healthy population. Natural reproduction now accounts for over 50% of Lake Michigan kings.
• Charter angler catch rate dropped slightly for Chinook salmon in 2008, but lake trout catch rate increased by 40%. Chinooks still accounted for 69% of the charter boat catch.
• In 2008, 14,226 charter trips were taken in Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. Although this is a decrease of 1,906 since 2007, long term trends are fairly stable. Lake Michigan accounted for 80% of trips in 2008.

3) MI Sea Grant - Wind Power Integrated Assessment Funded in West Michigan
Michigan Sea Grant awarded a total of $409,417 to researchers from universities around the state. The research
will focus on Michigan’s coastal and Great Lakes issues involving wind power and restoring natural river
flow in the Clinton River watershed. The funding will sustain three-year research projects and is contingent upon
annual appropriations from Congress. The grant funds are leveraged by an additional $254,457 from non-federal
sources, including state and university partners. A team of researchers led by Grand Valley State University’s
Dr. Erik Nordman was awarded $130,513 to explore potential conflicts that could arise if wind power facilities
were developed in coastal, tourism-dependent areas of Muskegon, Ottawa and Allegan counties. As with other
Integrated Assessments, this project will address pros and cons associated with various policy options.

4) NY Sea Grant - NOAA and Sea Grant Remind Beachgoers: Rip Currents Can Be a Threat

Heading to the beach this weekend? NOAA and Sea Grant are urging beachgoers to learn how to “Break the Grip” of rip currents before getting into the water. Rip currents are a potentially deadly threat -- accounting for more than 80 percent of lifeguard beach rescues. 

Rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water that pull swimmers away from the shore. They can occur at any of New York’s many beaches with breaking waves--from the ocean beaches of Coney Island or Jones Beach to the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. 

Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer and can easily overpower a victim. Panicked swimmers often fail trying to counter the current by swimming straight back to shore — putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue.

If caught in a rip current, don’t fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and then swim at an angle – away from the current – toward shore. New York Sea Grant coastal specialist Jay Tanski advises, “The best thing to do is to swim only where lifeguards are on duty unless you are experienced with identifying rip currents and know how to avoid them.” 

“Education is critical, especially for those who visit the beach infrequently and may be unfamiliar with this leading surf hazard,” says Timothy Schott, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Marine and Coastal Branch. “As part of the NOAA Rip Current Awareness campaign, we have developed bilingual English-Spanish signs to reach a wider audience with life-saving instructions on how to break the grip.”

"Rip currents can be killers. The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that the annual number of deaths due to rip currents on our nation's beaches exceeds 100,” says Peter Davis, president of the Gulf Coast Region of the United States Lifesaving Association and chief of the Galveston Island Beach Patrol.

NOAA offers the following safety tips:

• Swim at lifeguard-protected beaches.
  
  
• Never swim alone.
  
  
• Speak to on-duty lifeguards about rip currents and other expected water hazards.
  
  
• Many coastal National Weather Service offices issue Surf Zone Forecasts providing a three-tiered structure of low, moderate and high to describe the rip current risk. All National Weather Service offices forecasting a moderate to high risk of rip currents include this information their Hazardous Weather Outlook. These forecast products are available online at www.weather.gov.

More safety tips and educational materials can be downloaded at http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov.

NOAA Rip Currents Info 

NOAA/NPS Press Release '09 

Media: Newsday (July 31, 2009) 

Media: NY Times (Aug 19, 2009) 

Media: NY Daily News (Aug 19, 2009) 

5) WI Sea Grant - Swimming in the Great Lakes? Look Out for Rip Currents
Whether wading off a beach or training for a triathlon, Great Lakes swimmers need to beware of hazardous rip currents. These narrow, fast-moving channels of water can be just as dangerous as those at ocean beaches, overpowering even the strongest swimmers. Last summer, a Sheboygan teenager drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan when he was unable to return to shore. “Rip currents are a significant concern for swimmers at Great Lakes beaches,” said University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Water Safety Specialist James Lubner. “They can occur in many places, when waves push water up on beaches. That water then flows back toward the lake, sometimes forming a strong current.”

Not even the strongest swimmers can successfully swim directly against the current, but escaping from the current is possible if one knows how, Lubner said. “The key is to swim parallel to shore until you are out of the current, then swim at an angle away from the current and towards shore” he said. “The currents are relatively narrow streams of water moving straight away from shore. So swimming parallel to shore will get you out of the current quickly.” “The important thing is not to panic,” Lubner emphasized. He also cautioned swimmers and boaters to remember that the cold waters of the Great Lakes can sap a person’s energy quickly through hypothermia.

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute annually provides Great Lakes public beaches with free informational posters and brochures about rip currents in both English and Spanish. The brochure in English is available online at http://aqua.wisc.edu/publications/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=458 or in Spanish at http://aqua.wisc.edu/publications/PDFs/RipCurrents_sp.pdf.

6) WI Sea Grant - Study Reveals Dynamic Wisconsin Climate, Past and Future
If the future scenarios being churned out by the world’s most sophisticated computer climate models are on the mark, big changes are in store for Wisconsin’s weather during the next century.

Using a realistic estimate of future global carbon emissions, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are forecasting significantly warmer winters, altered patterns of precipitation and more severe weather events for the Badger state.

Those changes, according to the Wisconsin researchers, will be layered on a climate that, based on temperature and precipitation measurements from around the state over the past 60 years, has already warmed 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, and 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter.

“Looking into the future, we are anticipating that by 2050 Wisconsin will have an annual mean warming of between 4 and 9 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Dan Vimont, a UW-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, who, along with colleagues Chris Kucharik, David Lorenz and Michael Notaro, developed estimates of the state’s future climate as well as a chart of climate change in Wisconsin’s recent past.

The future climate projections were developed through the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies in support of the Wisconsin Initiative for Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), a partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and others to assess the potential impacts of climate change on Wisconsin industry, natural resources and human health. The new study was primarily funded by Wisconsin Focus on Energy.

“Wisconsin is not necessarily getting hotter, but it is getting less cold,” says Kucharik, a UW-Madison professor of agronomy and environmental studies. “The biggest changes we’ve seen over the last 60 years have been on the low end of the temperature scale, not the high end.”

For example, since 1950, the number of days each winter when the temperature fell below zero degrees Fahrenheit has diminished by five days in southern Wisconsin and by 12 to 18 days in northwest Wisconsin. The decline represents a 10 to 30 percent reduction in the frequency of very cold days.

However, for the future the models also show a doubling of the number of very hot summer days, those where temperatures exceed 90 degrees F, in the southern part of the state from an average of 12 to 25 by mid-century, and a near tripling from and average of five to 12 very hot days in the north.

Northern Wisconsin’s springs and winters will also likely be wetter than in the past, with precipitation expected to increase in that part of the state on average by 10 percent in the spring and 20 percent in the winter.

“The models don’t agree about precipitation changes in the summer, but there is a robust increase in winter precipitation,” says Vimont. “Combined with the enhanced winter warming, that also means we’ll see a big increase in rain events in mid-winter.”

The biggest climate shifts, both historic and projected, are in the spring and winter, according to the UW-Madison researchers.

“In the long run, especially for the southern part of the state, we’re going to see a shorter winter,” Vimont says, adding that it is possible that the state may see more freezing rain and less snow, especially in the south.

Moreover, very intense weather events, such as the 14-inch downpour that breached the shoreline of Lake Delton in 2008, are forecast to become even more intense and possibly more frequent, according to Kucharik and Vimont.

The Wisconsin researchers arrived at their projections using more than a dozen of the sophisticated models scientists use to forecast global climate change. They were programmed to assess future climate based on the A1B carbon emissions scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which portrays a future world of rapid economic growth, stable population, and rapid introduction of new and more efficient technology. The results, however, were tuned to a much finer resolution, a grid scale of eight kilometers, and can account for landforms and water as potential climate influences. The result is one of the most detailed and comprehensive regional climate projections for any state.

Vimont emphasizes that the projections for Wisconsin’s future climate are pegged to a range of potential outcomes as the data are intended to help working groups within WICCI develop strategies for adapting to a different climate. “We’ve done this in a way to reflect the range of possibilities for the future,” Vimont explains. “We’ve stayed very true to that. We’ve provided a very flexible database.”

The forecast of Wisconsin’s future climate was requested on behalf of WICCI in order to provide its various working groups with possibilities for the future. The various groups — which range from fisheries and forestry to human health and stormwater — need to have a feel for how climate might change in the future, say Kucharik and Vimont.

7) MI Sea Grant - Do anglers prefer more or bigger fish?

If the number of salmon in the Great Lakes increases, the size of individual salmon tends to decrease if the forage base remains the same. When given the choice, anglers at the Ludington workshop indicated that a balance of size and numbers is preferred. At other workshops, anglers who were not presented with a balanced option were split in their preference for size vs. number.

8) MI Sea Grant - CoastWatch Still Going Strong!
Surface water temperatures from across the Great Lakes are collected by NOAA Polar Orbiter satellites and made available in map format at the CoastWatch website, a cooperative effort of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Images are updated twice a day when conditions permit. Cloud cover can create the illusion of colder surface temperatures or prevent data collection, as indicated on maps. Big lake trollers find this site especially useful for locating scum lines produced at areas of rapid temperature change, and pier anglers can also benefit by using the site to monitor nearshore temperature changes caused by summer upwellings. Immediately after an upwelling, nearshore surface temperature can drop to the high 40s in late summer. This brings salmon and trout into shallow water, and perch fishing improves in days following an upwelling as the water warms. CoastWatch. 2009. Great Lakes Surface Water Temperatures. http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/

9) MI Sea Grant - Buoy Provides Wind and Temperature Data off Muskegon
On July 10, NOAA deployed a Realtime Coastal Observation Network (RECON) buoy in Lake Michigan near Muskegon. The buoy collects data on air temperature, water temperature, wind speed, and wind direction. Hourly updates are posted online; anglers can also create graphs of data using the Data Plots link. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. 2009. Realtime Coastal Observation Network (RECON) Station, Muskegon Buoy. http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/ res/recon/station-mkg.html (Appeared in West Michigan Angler News Courtesy of Dan O'Keefe)

10) MI Sea Grant - Grand Haven Nowcast Provides Grand River Plume Conditions
Questions regarding the role of Grand River water in causing beach closures at Grand Haven led to development of models that are used to predict conditions in Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Grand River. Currents, wind speeds, plume location (tracer concentration) and water temperatures are predicted based on realtime conditions and posted at the link below. Users can also view animations of predicted conditions for the last 48 hours for most parameters. Pier, surf, and boat anglers can use this site to provide a bird’s eye view of plume currents. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. 2009 Grand Haven Area Nowcast. http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/gh/ (Appeared in West Michigan Angler News Courtesy of Dan O'Keefe)

11) MI Sea Grant - Statewide River Levels at a Glance
River anglers are always looking for the latest information on water levels, which play a major role in determining timing of fish migration, location, and peak activity levels. Streamflow data (updated several times daily) are available
online for USGS gauging stations on streams statewide. Archival data are also available, allowing anglers to match
fishing records from years past with corresponding flow data. In addition to helping anglers catch fish, this can
save money and gas. Knowing the gage heights that allow safe wading or boating can save you a trip to the river if
realtime data indicate dangerous conditions. The statewide map at the link below shows which rivers are highest, and can be used to select alternate rivers for fishing if your favorite spot is too high to fish, or too low to interest migrating steelhead. Some stations, such as the Muskegon River below Croton Dam, also provide temperature and oxygen data useful for stream trout and steelhead anglers. Steelhead activity increases as temperature rises above 4°C (39°F), and stream trout become stressed at temperatures above 21°C (70°F). United States Geological Survey. 2009. Real-time Water Data for Michigan. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mi/nwis/rt
(Appeared in West Michigan Angler News Courtesy of Dan O'Keefe)

12) MI Sea Grant - Toxic Algae Monitoring in Muskegon and Ottawa Counties
Warm, nutrient rich water can provide ideal conditions for certain types of blue-green algae that produce a toxin called microcystin. This toxin can cause taste and odor problems in drinking water, give fish an unpleasant taste, and help dense blue-green algae blooms crowd out more desirable algae that form the base of the food chain. In high concentrations, it can also irritate the skin of swimmers. If swallowed in large quantities, water containing high toxin levels can cause more severe problems. For this reason, people should avoid letting their pets or livestock drink from waters containing algae blooms, and avoid swimming in such areas. Blue-green algae blooms often appear as a green, paint-like slick on the surface of still water or a windswept shoreline. During the summer of 2008, toxin levels exceeded World Health Organization recommendations for low risk recreational use in open waters of Muskegon Lake during late August. Muskegon County’s Bear Lake exceeded recommendations for moderate risk recreational use during much of the summer. This year, volunteers with Clean-up our River Environment (CORE) and the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council are working with Michigan Sea Grant and scientists with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory to monitor microcystin concentrations in Lake Macatawa, Spring Lake, and bayous of the Grand River. Samples are being collected once per week for the remainder of summer, and results are posted online each Friday (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Centers/HABS/index.html). Additional info on harmful algal blooms can be found at the link above. (Appeared in West Michigan Angler News Courtesy of Dan O'Keefe)

13) MI Sea Grant - 2009 Charter Study Update
Earlier this year, 277 charter captains were selected for invitation to participate in a study of Michigan’s charter fishing industry. This will be the first study since 1985 to estimate economic impacts of charter fishing based on client expenditures. It will also provide information relevant to marketing your business, as it addresses the criteria that customers use in determining their satisfaction with a charter fishing experience.

14) MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Restoration Could Bring Jobs, Boost Economy

In a recent Detroit News article, Michigan Sea Grant’s Lynn Vaccaro noted that restoration of the Great Lakes could mean cleaner waters, but also an economic boon for the state and region.

Congress recently discussed doubling its funding commitment to the Great Lakes, adding up to $475 million for restoration to deter invasive species, clean up polluted sites and create jobs – taking the total restoration funds close to $1 billion.

Vaccaro commented that investing in restoration is an investment in the region and particularly in Michigan.

She pointed out that 58 percent of the Great Lakes' U.S. shorelines are in Michigan, as are 44 percent of the contaminated "areas of concern" in U.S. feeder rivers and harbors. Drawing on an analysis by the Brookings Institution, Vaccaro predicts that if $475 million was appropriated annually over five years, about $2 billion to $4.3 billion in economic activity could be created in Michigan.

To read more about the connection between the Great Lakes economy and the health of the lakes, see: Report

15) NY Sea Grant - Military TV Features Dune and River Steward Program

On Friday, July 24, 2009, soldier-Drum TV reporter Sam Dillon aired his feature story developed from spending a day with the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewards. Drum TV is the military television station serving Fort Drum and the greater Watertown, NY, area. Dillon and NYSG's Steward Program Coordinator Mary Penney toured the public access resource areas along the Eastern shore of Lake Ontario and Dillon interviewed the 2009 Dune Stewards. His report was enhanced with scenic footage of the Salmon River Falls Unique Area and information from the Fort Drum recreational services staff about how to rent kayaks, canoes and motorized boats to enjoy the region’s natural resources.

16) Staff News
WI Sea Grant - Communications Manager Position
The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center (www.aqua.wisc.edu) has an opening for the full-time position of Communications Manager.  The ASC administers the UW Sea Grant Institute and UW Water Resources Institute, which support multidisciplinary research, education and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources.

Required degree and experience: Bachelor’s degree plus at least 5 years experience managing a communications or media relations team conveying scientific or technical subjects to wide audiences.  Preferred background: Master’s degree in a scientific field or in journalism, public relations, or related field plus at least 5 years experience communicating biological, aquatic or environmental science and research in higher education institutions.  

Application deadline is Sept. 30, 2009.  For details on how to apply and a detailed description of this position, please see the online position vacancy listing:  http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/pvl/pv_062660.html

Unless confidentiality is requested in writing, information regarding the names of applicants must be released upon request. Finalists cannot be guaranteed confidentiality.  UW-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

NY Sea Grant - Researcher Awarded Top Honors from American Fisheries Society

Dr. Paul Bowser, a New York Sea Grant-funded researcher, was the recipient of the S. F. Snieszko Distinguished Service Award. Bowser, a faculty member of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine since 1985, received the award at a presentation made during the 50th Western Fish Disease Workshop and AFS Fish Health Section Annual Meeting in Park City, Utah.

This is the highest honor given from the American Fisheries Society’s Fish Health Section and is a career achievement award for service and contributions to the field of aquatic animal health.The AFS, formed in 1870, is the world's oldest and largest organization dedicated to advancing fisheries science and conserving fisheries resources.

In a newly-funded two year New York Sea Grant study, Bowser and Dr. James Casey are examining the transmission process of VHSV, the virus that causes the fish disease, so that better bio-safety protocols and decontamination methods can be developed. “The virus destroys the cells that line the blood vessels (endothelial cells) in the fish and causes bleeding,” says Bowser. “Bleeding along wit other damage caused by the virus to internal organs, such as the heart, liver, spleen and kidneys, eventually kills the fish.” Over the last several years, significant mortalities have been reported in several Great Lakes fish species: muskellunge (a kind of pike), round gobies, gizzard shad, smallmouth bass and freshwater drum.

“This research is a perfect example of Sea Grant being on the forefront of an emerging issue and addressing research needs on how this disease is affecting Great Lakes fisheries,” adds NYSG Fisheries Specialist Dave MacNeill.

July 16, 2009

Contents
1) New Fact Sheet Series
2) NOAA - Postdoctoral Opportunity-Aquatic Invasive Species
3) Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program (GLHRP)
4) GLERL hosts Great Lakes Operational/Coastal Forecasting System Workshop
5) GLERL hosts OAR 2009 Management Conference
6) Science Branch Report
7) “Nowcasts” Increase Safety and Commerce by Providing Current Conditions of Saginaw Bay
8) Web Hot Items
9) GLERL in the News
- Spotlight on Saginaw Bay
- Saginaw Bay "Nowcasts" are featured in this weeks NOAA "Science Snippet"
- Saginaw Bay Research Initiative an Uncommon Collaboration Between Scientists, Resource Managers
- Lake Huron Sinkholes
- Great Lakes Environmental Research noted on Cleveland, OH WKYC news
- Google Earth Great Lakes Google
____________________________________________________________________________________


1) New Fact Sheet Series
The #1 download from the GLERL website, the Lake Michigan Food Web 2-pager, is now a full series.  Thanks largely to the efforts of 3 students - Rachel Nagy, Rushi Patel, and Ling Jie Gu - similar sheets are now available for each of the 5 Great Lakes plus Lake St. Clair.  Check them out at  http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/projects/food_web/food_web.html

2) NOAA - Postdoctoral Opportunity-Aquatic Invasive Species
AISP Postdoc announcement is now live on the CILER website. See
http://ciler.snre.umich.edu/postdoc_announcement.php

Please feel free to forward the following announcement text as broadly as possible to your colleagues
nationwide.

The University of Michigan Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER) has established a two-year postdoctoral invasive species research opportunity in support of NOAA’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program. This is a cooperative venture of the NOAA Aquatic Invasive Species Program (AISP)/National Center for Research on Aquatic Invasive Species (NCRAIS) and CILER. There are six potential NOAA host sites in the United States. Funding is available for one position. The position will be filled competitively. Both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens are eligible to apply. Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on August 10, 2009. Interested candidates should refer to the complete announcement at
http://ciler.snre.umich.edu/postdoc_announcement.php

3) Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program (GLHRP)

NOAA’s Habitat Program FY 2009 budget included an increase of $1.5 million for a Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program.  John Iliff, from the NMFS Office of Habitat Restoration visited GLERL in June, giving a brief summary of the program to GLERL staff ... for further information on the program visit the following link to his presentation slides ...
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/inhouse/misc/GLHRP.pdf

The Great Lakes Habitat Restoration program office was established in the FY2009 NOAA budget at GLERL as a cross-NOAA program involving three line offices, the National Ocean Service (NOS),  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Oceans and Atmospheric Research (OAR). With funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Program Office is now a reality and several important restoration projects have been selected to begin this year.  GLERL is funded to support one these projects with a benthos monitoring program in the Muskegon Lake project.

Information on the restoration projects can be found by zooming in on them at the following site:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/restorationatlas/recovery_map.html

Please join me in welcoming the first two official staff members of the GL Restoration Habitat Restoration Program Office to GLERL who will be staffing the Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program office.

Paula Bizot (room 318, phone 741-2272) is an environmental scientist and will serve as a Regional Resource Coordinator for the Great Lakes Habitat Restoration program.  Paula was involved in a NOAA restoration project for the Pribilof Islands 200 miles off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea.  She also worked for a number of years in the National Marine Sanctuaries office in Silver Spring.

Terry Heatlie (room 328, phone 741-2211) is a biologist and will serve as a Restoration Specialist.  Terry worked for a number of years as an environmental consultant and also with the Corps of Engineers as a biologist.  Terry will also be the technical monitor for NOAA's ARRA restoration projects in the Great Lakes. 

Also note that in September we expect the arrival of the Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program coordinator, who will oversee the implementation of the program.

4) GLERL hosts Great Lakes Operational/Coastal Forecasting System Workshop
The third annual GLOFS/GLCFS (Great Lakes Operational Forecasting System/Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System) workshop was held at GLERL June 17. This workshop brings together staff of both systems who work to transition products and information from GLCFS (the experimental-side of the system) to GLOFS (the operational side).

“When a model is accepted as operation it needs 24/7 support,” Dave Schwab, a physical oceanographer at GLERL, said. “There they are used for navigation planning, by water intake plant operators, for power generation. All products from this system are used to make operational decisions, so they need 24-hour support.”

Schwab said the transition has been taking place for three years, and from now on will be a continuous process as new products become operational. Representatives from NWS, NOS, and OAR were present.

“This process is a great example of cross-line office collaboration at the lowest level,” Schwab said.
More information: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/

5) GLERL hosts OAR 2009 Management Conference
OAR’s fifth annual Management Conference opened at the new Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory facility in Ann Arbor, MI, June 23, 2009.  Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research gave keynote remarks, and he was followed by Acting GLERL Director Dr. Marie Colton.

Dr. Spinrad’s message urged listeners to “Get out front and anticipate change.  I can guarantee you that the next five years will bring extraordinary changes in our work that we have not imagined.”  OAR’s most critical issue, he said, is connectivity between labs, programs, NOAA line offices, other federal agencies, the extramural research community and our constituents.

In her remarks, Dr. Colton suggested that change in scientific directions requires concurrent change in administrative and programmatic direction. “Nothing can be accomplished without the all around participation, and administrative, financial, management, and infrastructure processes are important to scientific success as a whole.”

Afterward, GLERL welcomed management conference participants on tours of the new facility which opened early 2009.  Scientists conducted presentations at stops on the tours. About 150 OAR and GLERL staff attended the morning’s event.

The remainder of the three-day conference was held at a nearby hotel.  Agenda items included management and administrative topics such as budgeting, planning, acquisitions and grants, property disposal, NOAA finance, workforce management, recruitment and rewarding excellence.

6) Science Branch Report

David Schwab had a meeting with Michigan DNR fish managers concerning the fish kill in Lake St Clair at the end of May.  He used his high resolution 3-D hydrodynamics model of the lake to address the question- “where did the dead fish come from”.  It was able to provide the best scientific guess as to the origin of the fish.  MI-DNR found this very helpful.  Another conclusion from the effort was the fish were forced on the beach due to an extreme wind event from the east.  This is atypical for this time of year.  This suggest that if the fish kill is an annual spring occurrence, dead fish are not likely to wash up on the beach each year.

June 12, 2009

Contents
1) GLRT in the News
2) GLERL In the News - Sinkholes
3) GLERL Hot Items (posted on NOAA Research web site)
4) New Reprints
5) Web Hot Items
6) Seminar - Changes in the Lake Michigan Food Web
7) GLERL in the News - Midges
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1) GLRT in the News
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090519/NEWS16/905190382/-1/NEWS

Press coverage of NOAA Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team Stakeholder Workshop at University of Toledo....
NOAA Director of Strategic Planning Paul Doremus is quoted

2) GLERL In the News - Sinkholes
Bizarre Anaerobic Ecosystems Discovered In Lake Huron 
by Muskegon Critic

 Share this on Twitter - Bizarre Anaerobic Ecosystems Discovered In Lake Huron [UPDATES]  //Create your sharelet with desired properties and set button element to false var object = SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title:'Bizarre Anaerobic Ecosystems Discovered In Lake Huron [UPDATES]', url:'http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/27/735625/-Bizarre-Anaerobic-Ecosystems-Discovered-In-Lake-Huron-[UPDATES]'}, {button:false, offsetLeft: -200}); //Output your customized button document.write(''); //Tie customized button to ShareThis button functionality. var element = document.getElementById("share"); object.attachButton(element); 

The Inland Seas Education Association will present a seminar that focuses on changes in the Lake Michigan food web at 7pm on Wednesday, June 10th, at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay . The program will be presented by Gary Fahnenstiel, senior ecologist at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory’s Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon , Michigan . This seminar is free and open to the public.

The quagga mussel invasion has resulted in tremendous, unprecedented changes in Lake Michigan over the past few years. Fahnenstiel will present results from 30 years of monitoring changes in plankton abundance and composition and will discuss the effect the quagga mussel invasion has had on the plankton population in Lake Michigan .

Gary Fahnensteil obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan in Aquatic Ecology, and has been employed by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory since 1982. Fahnenstiel has been the senior ecologist at the Lake Michigan field station of the NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory for the past 15 years.

The Inland Seas Education Association is a non-profit organization based in Suttons Bay , Michigan , dedicated to science education on the Great Lakes . Its shipboard and shore-side education programs are designed to inspire young people’s interest in science and to provide for the long-term stewardship of the Great Lakes . For further information contact the Inland Seas Education Association at (231) 271-3077 or on the web at www.schoolship.org.

May 18, 2009

Contents
1) GLERL at IAGLR
2) New Reprints
3) Web Hot Items
4) GLERL in the News
5) Position Announcement - Environmental Scientist - Office of Response and Restoration -  Ann Arbor, MI
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1) GLERL at IAGLR
Lots of presentations by GLERL scientists at the International Association of Great Lakes Research Conference in Toledo- hope you can join us May 18-22!

• ANDERSON, E.J., SCHWAB, D.J., and LANG, G.A., NOAA - Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, 4840 South State Rd., MI, 48108, US. 3D Hydrodynamic and Hydraulic Modeling of the Huron-Erie Corridor: Operational Forecasting System and Current Comparisons. A three-dimensional unstructured hydrodynamic model of the Huron-Erie Corridor (St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River) has been developed to provide operational nowcasts and forecasts of physical conditions and scenario testing for contaminant tracking in the system. Nowcasts are performed eight times per day and 48-hour forecasts are performed two times per day. Comparisons between model simulations and observed values show average differences of 3 cm for water levels and 12 cm/s for along-channel currents in the St. Clair River (compared to mean current values of 1.7 m/s). In addition, hindcasts of conditions using 1985 meteorology are compared with current observations at twelve mooring stations in Lake St. Clair. In general, the uncertainty in computed currents in the lake is much greater than in the rivers simply because of the associated uncertainty in boundary conditions. In the western and central regions of the lake, currents compare well with observations in both mean and timevariable flow (normalized Fourier norms range between 0.18 and 0.75). Currents in the eastern part of the lake are an order of magnitude smaller and yield higher uncertainty between computed and observed values (normalized Fourier norms range between 0.83 and 1.13). Keywords: Lake St. Clair, Hydrodynamic model, St. Clair River.
• AREND, K.1, HOOK, T.1, LUDSIN, S.A.2, RUCINSKI, D.K.3, BELETSKY, D.5, DEPINTO, J.V.3, SCAVIA, D.4, and SCHWAB, D.J.6, 1Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907; 2Aquatic Ecology Lab, Dept. of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43212; 3LimnoTech, 501 Avis Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 4School of Natural Resources and the Environment and Michigan Sea Grant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109; 5CILER - School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Michigan, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 6NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Comparing Effects of Hypolimnetic Hypoxia on Yellow Perch and Rainbow Smelt Habitat Suitability in Central Lake Erie. Recent increases in the extent and duration of hypoxia in Lake Erie’s central basin potentially threaten the production of economically and ecologically valuable fish species, such as yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). We used limnological hindcasts (1987-2005) to evaluate the negative effects of hypoxic conditions on yellow perch and rainbow smelt habitat quality. We generated spatio-temporally explicit estimates of bioenergetic growth rate potential (GRP) to identify inter-annual variability in the quality of yellow perch and rainbow smelt habitat. We expected hypoxia to have a greater negative impact on habitat quality for rainbow smelt compared to yellow perch due to species-specific differences in oxygen and temperature tolerances. Indeed, yellow perch demonstrate positive GRP values across a broader range of depths than rainbow smelt, which are less tolerant of warm, epilimnetic water temperatures and low, hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen levels. To assess whether hypoxia appears to have any population-level effects on recruitment of both species, we related annual indices of habitat quality to fisheries independent estimates of year-class strength and recruitment to the fishery. Keywords: Bioenergetics, Hypoxia, Lake Erie, Rainbow smelt, Yellow perch.
• BAI, X.1 and WANG, J.2, 1CILER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab., NOAA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. The Impacts of ENSO and AO on the Interannual Variability of the Great Lakes Ice Cover. The impacts of ENSO and AO on the Great Lakes ice cover were investigated using lake ice observations for winters 1963-2008 and NCEP reanalysis data. It is found that both ENSO and AO have impacts on the Great Lakes ice. During El Niño events, the Great Lakes tend to have less ice. Strong El Niño events are often associated with least ice cover. The impacts of La Niña events on the Great Lakes ice are insignificant. The Great Lakes tend to have less ice during +AO and more ice during -AO. The combination and interference of these two forcings complicate the relationship between the Great Lakes ice cover and ENSO (AO). When a winter is simultaneously during El Niño and +AO, the combined effects lead to mild winter. When a winter is during La Niña and -AO, the combined effects lead to severe winter. When a winter is simultaneously during El Niño and –AO, ice conditions on the Great Lakes depend on strengthen of these two forcings. When a winter is during La Niña and +AO, as the impacts of La Niña events on the Great Lakes are insignificant, the Great Lakes is dominated by +AO, leading to mild winter. These two states reinforce the asymmetric response of the Great Lakes regional climate to ENSO. The combination and interference of effects of both ENSO and AO should be considered to predict ice variability on the Great Lakes. Keywords: Climates, Ice, Atmospheric circulation.
• BELETSKY, D.1 and SCHWAB, D.J.2, 1CILER, SNRE, University of Michigan, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI; 2NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI. Climatological Circulation in Lake Michigan. Maps of climatological circulation in Lake Michigan are presented for the first time. They are based on ten years continuous modeling of lake hydrodynamics from 1998-2007 using observed meteorological data as the forcing function. Model results show a remarkably stable large-scale cyclonic circulation pattern during both stratified and unstratified conditions. Lakeaveraged mean current speed is about 2 cm/s, but currents can reach 10 cm/s in some locations. The model results are confirmed by long-term current observations. 
• BELETSKY, D.1 and SCHWAB, D.J.2, 1CILER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 2NOAA Great Lake Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI. Modeling Summer Circulation in Lake Huron. A 3-dimensional circulation model of Lake Huron is used to calculate lake circulation and thermal structure in 1992-1993 on a 2 km grid. The model is based on the Princeton Ocean Model of Blumberg and Mellor (1987). The hydrodynamic model of Lake Huron has 20 vertical levels with finer spacing near the surface and the bottom. Momentum and heat fluxes are derived from hourly observations obtained from meteorological stations around Lake Huron and NDBC buoys. Model results show existence of an anticyclonic gyre near the entrance of Saginaw Bay in summer, impacting water exchange between the lake and the bay. The size of this gyre varied between years, indicating potential importance of this phenomenon for interannual variability of microbial and biological processes in Saginaw Bay.
• CAVALETTO, J.F.1 and POTHOVEN, S.A.2, 1NOAA/ Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2NOAA/ Lake Michigan Field Station, 1431 Beach St., Muskegon, MI, 49441. Seasonal Patterns of Zooplankton from a Southern Lake Huron Transect in 2007. As a part of EPA’s year of Lake Huron 2007, we monitored changes in zooplankton from April through October at sites in transect from near shore at 18-m-deep to off shore at 102-mdeep off Harbor Beach, Michigan. Calanoid copepods were the most abundant group of zooplankton and they consisted of over 50% and as much as 90% of total zooplankton during most months. Diaptomid copepodites were most abundant, with Leptodiaptomus sicilis and L. minutus the most frequently found species. Cyclopoid copepods reached a high of 30% of total zooplankton at off shore sites in July. Cladocerans (Bosmina and Daphnia combined) reached a maximum of 26% of total zooplankton in October at one site. Dreissena veligers were most abundant at 18-m-deep and 37-m-deep sites at a maximum of 17% of zooplankton. Total biomass averaged around 10 mg m-3 in April and 20 mg m-3 during the summer months. However, in October total biomass increased to 70, 39 and 32 mg m-3 at near, mid and off shore sites, respectively. Contributors to the biomass increase in late October were adult L. sicilis and Daphnia mendotae. The predatory cladoceran, Bythotrephes longimanus also increased off shore during October. Keywords: Lake Huron, Biomonitoring, Zooplankton.
• DEMARCHI, C.1, MELLO, M.E.2, and HUNTER, T.S.3, 1Department of Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7216; 2Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research, University of Michigan, 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041; 3NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108-9719. Estimating Lake-Wide Runoff Uncertainty in the Great Lakes Using a Monte Carlo Technique. Tributary flow is a key component of the Great Lakes’ water balance, roughly equivalent in magnitude to direct over-lake precipitation and evaporation. Its estimation is, therefore, vital for planning and operational purposes. Given the extension and the scarcity of islands of the Great Lakes, runoff should be the least uncertain component in the neat basin supply estimates. As part of the International Upper Great Lakes Study, we analyzed the algorithm used by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory to estimate tributary flow to the Great Lakes and evaluated its uncertainty using a Monte Carlo technique. Preliminary results indicate that uncertainty is relatively small for Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, but quite larger for Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Georgian Bay. This is due to the fact that several major basins in the drainage basin of these three lakes are not monitored or just partially monitored. Keywords: Tributary runoff, Uncertainty, Nutrients, Net basin supply.
• DAI, Q.1 and DEMARCHI, C.2, 12350 Hayward, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2125; 210900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7216. Estimating Over-lake Precipitation in the Great Lakes Combining Radar and Rain Gages. Over-lake precipitation is a key component of the Great Lakes’ water balance. Its estimation is, therefore, vital for planning and operational purposes. Yet, reliable over-lake precipitation estimates are difficult to obtain because the lack of gages on the lakes themselves and the scarcity of gages in parts of the draining basins. Traditionally, over-lake precipitation has been estimated by distance-weighted interpolation methods. In spite of their wide acceptance, these methods suffer from intrinsic limitations as they fail to take into account the spatial variability of rainfall. Recently, an operational multisensor product combining radar-based precipitation estimates and rain gage data, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Multisensor Precipitation Estimates(MPE) have provided a suitable alternative to estimates based on the sparse gage data. However, the presence of biases and inconsistencies in the MPE data has raised serious concerns about their accuracy. This paper analyzes the applicability of MPE for estimating monthly over-lake precipitation in the Great Lakes basin, and presents some techniques for overcoming its limitations by spatially integrating MPE data with gage observations. Further, an analysis of the uncertainty of the popular NOAA GLERL estimates of over-lake precipitation is also presented. Keywords: Over-lake precipitation, Radar, Net basin supply.
• DYBLE BRESSIE, J.1, FAHNENSTIEL, G.L.1, SARNELLE, O.2, and VANDERPLOEG, H.A.1, 1NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2Michigan State University, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, East Lansing, MI, 48824. Assessing Environmental Controls on Microcystis Populations in the Great Lakes using Molecular Tools. Molecular tools have been employed with increasing frequency in the study of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species. However, not all tools and techniques can be employed equally. For example, the gene targets that are useful for differentiating populations generally are not the same as those that should be used for detecting cells in environmental samples. We will discuss the use of various molecular approaches to better understand Microcystis ecology, physiology, population dynamics and toxicity in the Great Lakes. This will include the use of phylogenetic analysis of functional vs. non-coding gene regions, gene expression studies to identify the environmental conditions that regulate toxin production and quantitative PCR assays for addressing the impacts of dreissenid mussels on Microcystis populations. Keywords: Harmful algal blooms, Genetics, Microcystis.
• HAWLEY, N. and EADIE, B.J., Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105. Under-ice Physical Conditions in Lake Erie during the Winter of 2004-2005. Time series observations of water temperature, turbidity, current velocity, and wave action were made at two stations in Lake Erie during the winter of 2004-2005. The water depth at the station located in the central basin was 25 m, and the depth at the station in the eastern basin was 53 m. Sequencing sediment traps were also deployed 5 m above the bottom at both stations; samples were collected over 9 day intervals. Ice cover began in late January 2005 and continued until late March. Most of the central basin was covered by ice throughout this period, but the eastern basin remained largely ice-free until early March. Wave action and sediment resuspension were inhibited throughout the period of ice cover and the mass flux measured by the sediment traps declined to very low levels, indicating that suspended material was cleared from the water column. The presence of ice did not seem to have affected the currents, however, which show little variation in either speed or direction. Keywords: Lake Erie, Ice, Sediment transport.
• HE, C.1, DEMARCHI, C.2, CROLEY, T.E.3, and JOHENGEN, T.H.4, 1Department of Geography, Western Michigan University, 3234 Wood Hall, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008-5424; 2Department of Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7216; 33NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108-9719; 4School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church St.,, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041. Developing a Distributed Watershed Hydrology, Sediments Load, and Nutrients Load Model for Saginaw Bay. Nutrient loadings from drainage basins constitute one of the primary stressors affecting coastal waters in the Great Lakes and elsewhere. Strategies for decreasing such loads involve managing hundreds of point sources and possibly thousands of nonpoint sources. Therefore, as part of the Adaptive Integrated Framework project for managing the effects of multiple ecosystem stressors on the water quality and food webs of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, we are developing a distributed watershed hydrology and pollutant loading model based on the Distributed Large Basin Runoff Model (DLBRM). We calibrated and verified the hydrological component of the DLBRM at 1km and 500m resolution with excellent results. The water quality module is based on detailed surveys of point and nonpoint pollution sources, on an adaptation of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation for continuous daily simulation, and on linear models for in-stream water quality processes. Calibration of the model takes advantage of the data gathered in 2008 by an extensive sampling of water quality in key points of the Saginaw River watershed. Keywords: Sediment load, Nutrient load, Lake Huron.
• HEAD, J.A.1, DEBOFSKY, A.1, and BASU, N.2, 1Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109; 2School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 109 S. Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109. Interactive Effects of Methyl Mercury and Hypoxia in Great Lakes Fish. The goal of this research is to evaluate interactive effects of two stressors of concern to Great Lakes fish populations; episodic exposure to hypoxia, and methyl mercury contamination. Although mercury and hypoxia commonly co-occur in aquatic ecosystems, interactive effects on fish have not been studied. To address this question, we have we have established an experimental protocol for assessing fish exposed to multiple stressors in a laboratory setting. Here, fathead minnows were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of dietary methyl mercury (0, 1, or 4 ppm) for 3 weeks followed by a 1 week hypoxic challenge. We evaluate the effect of exposure to hypoxia on the accumulation and distribution of methyl mercury in fish. Keywords: Fish, Methylmercury, Hypoxia.
• HU, H.1 and WANG, J.2, 1CILER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US. Modeling Sea Ice and Ocean Circulations in the Bering Sea. The ocean circulation and sea ice in the Bering Sea were simulated using a Coupled Ice Ocean Model. The simulated circulation in the deep basin is cyclonic with little seasonal change. The Bering Slope Current is estimated as 5 Sv, and the Kamchatka Current is estimated as 20 Sv. The Bering shelf circulation varies with seasonal winds. Sea ice begins to form in the northern Bering Sea in early November, and ice remains into June of the following year. Maximum ice cover and ice volume (about 210, 000 Km3) occurs in early April and it has a lag of two months to the lowest air temperature due to the heat capacity of the ocean. Polynyas occur downwind of the Chukchi Peninsula and St. Lawrence. Water properties in the Polynyas are featured by lower temperature, higher salinity, and higher density compared to its ambience water. The mechanism of thermocline and the cold pool formation in the middle shelf are studied, and results show that wind-mixing and tidal stirring are the main factors controlling the formation of the upper and the bottom mixed layers, respectively. With the vertical insulation by the stable thermal structure and without effective horizontal heat transport from deep basins and the inner shelf, the cold winter water is preserved in the middle shelf throughout the summer. Keywords: Ice-ocean modelling, Bering Sea.
• HU, H.1, WANG, J.2, SCHWAB, D.J.2, BELETSKY, D.1, LESHKEVICH, G.A.2, HAWLEY, N.2, and CLITES, A.2, 1CILER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US. Modeling Lake Ice and Circulation in Lake Erie. A 2-km coupled Great Lake Ice-circulation Model (GLIM) was implemented in Lake Erie to investigate seasonal cycles of ice and circulation under daily and hourly atmospheric forcing. The model results show that ice formation and melting are consistent with the observations. Ice cover with a maximum of 22,000 km2 occurs in January and February, which is slightly higher than measurement (National Ice Center Charts). The ice drift with the wind but with a declination about 30 degree. The simulated vertical temperature structures agree with the measurements in 2004 except in the bottom layer. The circulation pattern is different in winter from in summer due to the changes of the winds and the thermal structure. Keywords: Lake Erie, Hydrodynamic model, Ice.
• JOHENGEN, T.H.1, DEMARCHI, C.2, STOW, C.A.3, and HE, C.4, 1Cooperative Institute for Limnology & Ecosystem Research, 4840 South State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2Case Western Abstracts of the 52nd Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, May 18-22, Toledo, OH 104 Reserve University, Dept of Geology, Cleveland, OH, 44106; 3NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, 4840 South State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 4Western Michigan University, Dept of Geography, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008. Evaluating Sediment and Nutrient Loading for the Saginaw River using an Intensive Sampling Program. Nutrient loading from the watershed is one of the primary stressors affecting coastal waters and the Great Lakes are not an exception to this trend. Therefore, as part of the Adaptive Integrated Framework project for managing the effects of multiple ecosystem stressors on the water quality and food webs of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, we developed an intensive monitoring effort of the Saginaw River and its main tributaries that was carried out in calendar year 2008. Discrete water samples were collected at two sites on the Saginaw River on 33 occasions and at the mouth of its four major tributaries on 8 occasions and analyzed for nutrients, solids and carbon concentrations. Continuous 15-min flow data was collected from an existing USGS gauging station at Saginaw, MI and corrected for unmonitored portions of the watershed. Results will describe multiple loading estimation approaches that were undertaken to examine potential biases and uncertainty resulting from sample density, flow stratification or seasonal stratification. Further, we compared our estimates with data collected by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and, using a Monte Carlo technique we evaluated the uncertainty in sediment and Phosphorous load estimates MDEQ computed for previous years. Keywords: Nutrients, Pollution load, Sediment load.
• JOSEPH, S.T., 4840 South State Street, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Great Lakes and Human Health: Communicating Water Quality. Communicating human health risks to educate and raise awareness while minimizing public misinformation and hysteria requires a multi-faceted approach. Methods and techniques for engaging the local environmental managers/ decision makers, the public and media on water quality issues will be presented. Using case studies from stakeholder training workshops and public meetings, Michigan Sea Grant and the NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health will feature scientific communication strategies and techniques that have worked and have not worked, successes and failures to engage stakeholders and scientists, and why public outreach and communication are vital components of scientific research. Keywords: Outreach, Water quality.
• KRUEGER, D.M.1, RUTHERFORD, E.S.2, TYLER, J.A.3, WILEY, M.J.1, and MASON, D.M.2, 1University of Michigan, 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 3Fisheries Projections, 307 Old Mountain Rd., Farmington, CN, 6032. Using Fishery Management Activities to Forecast Species Interactions and Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Recruitment in a Large Lake Michigan tributary. Our goal was to use model predictions guided by empirical data to direct fishery management decisions regarding stocking and fishing regulations in the Muskegon River Estuary System (MRES), Michigan. We used established local-reach hydraulic models to simulate the biological environment in the MRES. Within this model, our individual-based model (IBM) simulated the influence of variable biotic and abiotic factors on wild Chinook recruitment in the MRES. The IBM includes mechanistic sub-models which simulate juvenile Chinook foraging, growth, movement, background daily mortality and predation mortality. To parameterize the model we used empirical data on management activities (i.e. river temp and flow via dam regulation, predator stocking rates, stocking dates and fishery regulations), wild age-0 Chinook abundance, alternate prey abundance, total predator abundance and predator diet compositions. Model simulations began with spawning of adults, and continued through the egg, fry, parr and smolt stages. We ran the IBM to simulate 50-year periods, which reflected variable environmental conditions and variable predator and alternate prey abundances. Simulations show fairly strong changes in potential age-0 Chinook recruitment due to various management practices in the MRES. Keywords: Management, Recruitment, Salmon.
• LEKKI, J.D.1 and LESHKEVICH, G.A.2, 1NASA Glenn Research Center, Brook Park, OH; 2NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, Ann Arbor, MI. Airborne Monitoring of Microcystis Blooms in Lake Erie. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) are collaborating to utilize an airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor suite to forecast and monitor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the western basin of Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. The HABs are very dynamic events and are a concern for human health, fish and wildlife because they commonly contain a potentially toxic alga, Microcystis. Microcystis can contain the toxin microcystin. In the Great Lakes one of the most common forms of microcystin is Microcystin-LR, which also happens to be one of the most toxic forms of microcystin. Because of this potential toxicity there is a need for the blooms to be detected early and continually monitored. A small lightweight Hyperspectral Imaging System (sensitive in the visible and near infrared portion of the spectrum) has been developed by engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI). Mounted on a NASA aircraft the system was flown over western Lake Erie in September of 2007 while in situ water samples were collected. Results show that we can detect and map Microcystis blooms. Future work includes flying the sensor on an unmanned vehicle. Keywords: Microcystis, Remote sensing.
• LESHKEVICH, G.A.1 and LIU, S.2, 1NOAA/Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. CoastWatch Great Lakes Program Update: 2009. CoastWatch is a nationwide National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program within which the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) functions as the CoastWatch Great Lakes regional node. In this capacity, GLERL obtains, produces, and delivers environmental data and products for near real-time monitoring of the Great Lakes to support environmental science, decision making, and supporting research. This is achieved by providing Internet access to near real-time and retrospective satellite observations, in-situ data, and derived products to Federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and the public via the CoastWatch Great Lakes web site (http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov). Utilities such as JAVA GIS and Google Earth(R) allow interactive retrieval of physical parameters such as surface water temperature, ice cover, and modeled winds at a given location and enhance the accessibility and utility of Great Lakes CoastWatch data. Plans include enhancing the present product suite with new near real-time satellite derived image products such as wind fields, ice type mapping, turbidity, and chlorophyll and testing a new enhanced server for improved delivery of CoastWatch products. Keywords: Remote sensing, Satellite technology, Monitoring.
• MARSHALL, A.M.1, STURTEVANT, R.A.2, and RUTHERFORD, S.1, 1Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI; 2NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Great Lakes Data in the Classroom. It is important for students to use real data when investigating a question or problem. Inquiry requires students to use process skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Unlike a cookbook lab, real data does not always produce a smooth curve on a graph, therefore students can practice many process skills by graphing and analyzing real data. There are many sites on the internet that provide data but this is often in a form that only a knowledgeable scientist can use. We describe the elements scientists should consider in efforts to make their data more accessible and tools and partners who can assist in this type of educational outreach. Keywords: Education, Data storage and retrieval, Outreach.
• MARSHALL, A.M.2, STURTEVANT, R.A.1, and RUTHERFORD, S.1, 1Eastern Michigan University, 205 Strong Hall, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197; 2NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Making GLERL Data Accessible to Teachers for Classroom Use. Dr. Sandra Rutherford, associate professor at Eastern Michigan University, received a NOAA sponsored Ocean Literacy Grant for the purpose of expanding the amount of ocean and Great Lake science taught in elementary classrooms by improving teachers’ understanding and improving the methods of teaching of ocean science. There is also a secondary purpose of producing a teacher-friendly web resources that makes Great Lakes data from GLERL accessible for use by elementary teachers. My summer fellowship at GLERL required me to find three sets of raw data and put it in a format that could be utilized by teachers in a classroom. The three data sets I used were the CTD Data from the International Field Years on Lake Erie (IFYLE) to graph water column profiles of dissolved oxygen, temperature, fluorescence, and secchi depth; GPS Surface current data in Lake Michigan for each season. Surface currents were analyzed with other parameters such as: wind speed, wind direction, and the bathymetry of the lake; a storm  surge and seiche event that measured wind speed/gust, wind direction, wave height/period, barometric pressure, and water levels at both the Western Erie basin and the Eastern Erie basin. A summer fellow will come up with three data sets each summer for four years so there will be at least twelve data sets by 2011. Keywords: Education, Outreach, Data storage and retrieval.
• MILLIE, D.F.1, WECKMAN, G.R.2, FAHNENSTIEL, G.L.3, YOUNG, W.A.2, DYBLE BRESSIE, J.4, and KLARER, D.M.5, 1Florida Institute of Oceanography, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL; 2Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Ohio University, Athens, OH; 3Lake Michigan Field Station, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Muskegon, MI; 4Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI; 5Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Huron, OH. An ‘Enviro-Informatic’ Assessment of Saginaw Bay Phytoplankton: Data- Driven Discrimination and Modeling of Microcystis Abundance. Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron has a long history of anthropogenic perturbation; excessive nutrient loading and the establishment of non-indigenous dreissenid (zebra) mussels led to dramatic alterations in water quality and biogenic turbidity/production. Notably, annuallyrecurrent cyanobacterial blooms potentially influence utilization of aquatic resources and/or human-health. A previous NOAA study (1990-1996) provided comprehensive abiotic/biotic data concerning the impacts of mussel recruitment on the Bay’s water quality, and from which we identified - via non-linear modeling – the temporal and spatial dynamics of the Bay’s phytoplankton (as chlorophyll a). Using that same data set, here we explore diverse computationally-intensive, statistical approaches (e.g. non-metric multi-dimensional ordination, artificial neural networks, non-parametric multiplicative regression, etc.) to assess the compositional diversity and periodicity of phytoplankton biovolumes, with an emphasis on Microcystis. In addition to ‘pure’ description of the phytoplankton community, we are interested in enhancing the understanding of the Bay’s ecological complexity by identifying interactive quantifiers, environmental and/or biotic forcing factors, and/or predictors for sentinel and/or problematic taxa. Keywords: Harmful algal blooms, Phytoplankton, Lake Huron.
• NEKOUEE, N.1, ROBERTS, P.J.W.1, SCHWAB, D.J.2, and MCCORMICK, M.J.2, 1Civil Eng. Dep., Georgia Tech, 790 Atlantic Dr., Atlanta, GA, 30332; 2NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108-9719. 3D Numerical Prediction of the Grand River Plume. Simulation of transport mechanisms and pollutant mixing in nearshore waters is of particular concern in lakes. For example, 3D numerical modeling has been widely applied to predict the behavior of point source pollutants such as river plumes. In this study, the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) is used to simulate the dispersion of the Grand River plume near local beaches with a grid size of 100 m in a 24 x 6 km domain. The open water boundary conditions are obtained from the whole Lake Michigan hydrodynamic simulations performed by GLERL with a 2 km grid resolution. The predictive capability of the model is increased by using a nested model (refining the grid size around the jetty). The hydrodynamic model has been integrated with a mass transport model to represent the nearshore tracer transport. The model predictions are compared with extensive field observations that include aerial photography, tracer release, drogue release, current meter moorings, meteorological stations, and 3D conductivity temperature-depth profiling and bacterial sampling in the plume. Promising agreement has been observed between the field tracer concentrations and the model predictions. The results of this research will improve numerical modeling of nearshore water quality. Keywords: Pollutants, Princeton ocean model, Lake Michigan.
• NGHIEM, S.V.1 and LESHKEVICH, G.A.2, 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, 91109; 2NOAA/Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Validation of a Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Ice Classification Algorithm. Ice cover in the Great Lakes has a major impact on commerce, public safety, and is a sensitive index of regional winter climate. Moreover, ice type has an impact on ice breaking operations and under ice ecology. The large spatial coverage and high resolution of satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements with its all-weather, day/night sensing capabilities make it well suited to map and monitor Great Lakes ice cover. Using our library of calibrated polarimetric SAR ice backscatter signatures, an algorithm was developed to classify and map major ice types. Initial algorithm validation was performed in February 2008, when classified, color-coded RADARSAT-1 imagery was downloaded to the USCGC Mackinaw during icebreaking operations in Green Bay. Results show that with one exception, the algorithm correctly classified the ice types in the library that were found along the ship track, and will be described during the presentation. Keywords: Remote sensing, Ice, Satellite technology.
• O’DONNELL, D.M.1, QUARING, G.F.1, STRAIT, C.M.1, EFFLER, S.W.1, and LESHKEVICH, G.A.2, 1Upstate Freshwater Institute, P.O. Box 506, Syracuse, NY, 13214; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105.  Spectral Measurements of Absorption, Beam Attenuation and Backscattering Coefficients, and Remote Sensing Reflectance in Four Laurentian Great Lakes. Spectral absorption, beam attenuation, and backscattering coefficients (a, c, and bb) and the remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) where measured on Lake Ontario in mid-spring 2008 and on Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario during the first two weeks of August 2008. Measurements were made using a combined profiling package of ac-s and BB9 meters (WETLabs®). The ac-s measures a and c with a spectral resolution of 4 nm over the range 400 – 730 nm; spectral scattering (b) are obtained by difference, c- a. The BB9 measures bb at nine wavelengths within the range of 400 – 715 nm. Rrs was measured with a HyperPro II (350 – 800 nm) (Satlantic®). Spectral and vertical patterns of a, c, b and bb are reported. Comparisons of optical characteristics between the different lakes are presented including differences in b, the diffuse light attenuation coefficient and Deep Chlorophyll Layers. Measurements of Rrs are demonstrated to close well with MODIS imagery. We illustrate the applicability of a common marine optics model that describes the dependence of Rrs on bb and a. Keywords: Remote sensing, Inherent Optical Properties.
• PADDOCK, R.1, BASKARAN, M.2, BIDDANDA, B.A.3, NOLD, S.4, RUBERG, S.5, and KLUMP, J.V.1, 1Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 53204; 2Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; 3Annis Water Resource Center, Grand Valley State University, Muskegon, MI; 4University of Wisconsin-Stout, Stout, WI; 5NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbon, MI. Sediment Accumulation Rates in the Middle Island Sinkhole, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Lake Huron. As part of an interdisciplinary investigation of the biogeochemical processes active in a series of sublacustrine sinkholes recently discovered in Lake Huron, we have dated a 70 cm long sediment core recovered by divers in September 2008 from a sinkhole off Middle Island. The net permanent sediment accumulation rate was determined using Pb-210 and Cs-137 geochronologies. Excess Pb-210 was present throughout the entire length of the core. Surface activities were in excess of 35 dpm/g and decreased exponentially with depth. The sedimentation rate was estimated to be ~300 mg cm-2 yr-1, a rate which is at least an order of magnitude higher than rates observed in the open profundal regions of the lake. These sinkholes are characterized by a high volume input of anoxic groundwaters emanating from the underlying carbonate rock, and containing high concentrations of dissolved nutrients, methane, radium isotopes, and other minerals. At the Middle Island sinkhole this submarine venting supports a unique photolithotrophic microbial community and extensive microbial mats. The accumulation and burial of organic carbon and nitrogen, as well as the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic signatures of the sediments have also been determined. Keywords: Biogeochemistry, Paleolimnology, Lake Huron.
• POTHOVEN, S.A.1, FAHNENSTIEL, G.L.1, and VANDERPLOEG, H.A.2, 1N.O.A.A. Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, 1431 Beach St, Muskegon, MI, 49441; 2N.O.A.A. Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, 4840 State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Mysis in Southern Lake Michigan. Mysis relicta abundance and life history characteristics have been extensively studied at a site in southeastern Lake Michigan (off Muskegon, Michigan) since 1995. Other lower food web and water quality parameters have been concurrently monitored in the same region since the 1980s. Abundance of Mysis on average has declined 85% at a nearshore site (45 m) and 70% at an offshore site (110 m) between 1995-2002 and 2007-2008. We will examine trends in Mysis life history characteristics (size, reproductive patterns, distribution) as well as environmental factors such as primary production, phytoplankton composition, zooplankton abundance, transparency and fish predation to elicit possible mechanisms behind the observed decreases in Mysis abundance. Keywords: Lake Michigan, Macroinvertebrates, Zooplankton.
• ROBERTS, J.J.1, HÖÖK, T.O.2, LUDSIN, S.A.3, GRECAY, P.A.4, VANDERPLOEG, H.A.5, and POTHOVEN, S.A.5, 1University of Michigan, School of Nartural Resources and Environment, CILER, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108-9719; 2Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, 195 Marstellar, West Lafayette, IN, 47907; 3The Ohio State University, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, AEL, 1314 Kinnear Rd., Columbus, OH, 43212; 4Salisbury University, Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury, MD, 21801; 5National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Sub-Daily Behavioral Consequences of Hypoxia for Yellow Perch in Lake Erie’s Central Basin. Hypolimnetic hypoxic (< 2 mg O2L-1) conditions develop within Lake Erie’s central basin during late summer. Previous results suggest that yellow perch (Perca flavescens) mean diet, distribution, and condition are affected by hypoxia within Lake Erie’s central basin. To explore the subtle behavioral mechanisms leading to these ecological consequences we integrated field and laboratory methods. Stationary fishery acoustics and trawl sampling were used to assess sub-daily vertical movement of yellow perch within hypoxic and normoxic habitats. In the laboratory, we exposed yellow perch to fluctuating oxygen conditions and examined effects on consumption. Preliminary results suggest that yellow perch will undertake brief foraging forays into hypoxic habitats, but that consumption is not significantly affected by such behavior. However, there may be additional energetic costs of yellow perch undertaking these hypoxic foraging forays. Detailed understanding of such sub-daily behavior may be crucial to determine organismal effects of ecosystem level changes such as hypoxia. Keywords: Fish behavior, Lake Erie, Yellow perch.
• SCHLOESSER, D.W.1, ROBBINS, J.2, NALEPA, T.F.2, and MOOREHEAD, N.2, 1USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105; 2NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105. Burrowing Mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron: Paleoecologic and Historic Records. As a key indicator taxon, burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) have been used in setting lake-wide management goals for restoration. However, many areas of the Great Lakes lack records to determine if mayflies are endemic and therefore, a logical restoration goal. In the present study, we construct a chronologic record of the relative abundance of mayflies in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron through the use of mayfly tusks and 137Cs dating of sediment and historic records. Abundance of tusks in sediments; (1.) was relatively low between 1770 and 1800, indicating nymphs were endemic in the bay, (2.) increased and remained abundant between 1815 and 1959, in response to increased nutrients from European-watershed development, and (3.) declined dramatically after 1959, as a result of nymph extirpation caused by excessive nutrients and anoxia. Historic records verify nymphs were absent in the bay since the mid-1950s. In the early-1990s and 2000s, observations of nymph and adult mayflies indicate that mayflies may be beginning to re-colonize Saginaw Bay after an absence of half-a-century. Undoubtedly, watershed conservation, three decades of pollution abatement programs, and possible impacts of zebra mussels have set the stage for a possible recovery of burrowing mayfly nymphs in Saginaw Bay. Keywords: Benthos, Environmental health, Green Bay.
• SCHWAB, D.J.1 and BUAN, S.D.2, 1NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2NOAA NWS River Forecast Center, 1733 Lake Drive West, Chanhassen, MN, 55317. Measured and Modeled Flows in the Grand River, Michigan. A horizontal-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler was deployed near the mouth of the Grand River in Grand Haven, Michigan in the fall of 2007. The instrument measured current velocity in the river on a horizontal transect approximately 2 meters below the surface. These measurements were used to estimate total river discharge on an hourly basis. FLDWAV, a onedimensional unsteady flow model, was used to simulate river discharge for a modeled reach from Grand Rapids to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. The upstream boundary condition is observed discharge from the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station at Grand Rapids. The downstream boundary condition is Lake Michigan elevation. Lateral inflows to the model are nine creek watersheds totaling 665 square miles between Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan. These creek discharges were simulated using the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model to simulate runoff and unitgraphs, derived using the Distributed Time Area method, to simulate creek discharges at their confluences with the Grand River. Grand River discharge was simulated on a six-hour time step at the current profiler location and compared to the six-hour average of discharge estimated from the current profiler measurements. Keywords: Tributaries, Lake Michigan.
• SHUCHMAN, R.A.1, LESHKEVICH, G.A.2, HATT, C.R.1, POZDNYAKOV, D.V.3, KOROSOV, A.D.3, and JOSBERGER, E.1, 1Michigan Tech Research Institute, 3600 Green Court, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S.State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 3Nansen International Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Vasilievsky Island 14th Line, 7A, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia. Further Steps Towards a Chlorophyll, Dissolved Organic Carbon, and Suspended Mineral Remote Sensing Algorithm for All Laurentian Great Lakes. The MTRI/NIERSC algorithm retrieves concentrations of chlorophyll (CHL), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and suspended minerals (SM). The algorithm was validated (Pozdnyakov 2005), applied in a seven-year inter-annual analysis of SeaWiFS data in Lake Michigan (Shuchman 2006), and recently also applied to all available SeaWiFS/MODIS Lake Michigan data. The algorithm uses a hydro-optical (HO) model that consists of the absorption and backscattering coefficients for CHL, DOC, and SM at each satellite band. During the initial validation of the algorithm, a proxy HO-model from Lake Ontario was used due to a lack of in situ data in the other Great Lakes needed to create an HO-model for those lakes. Since 2004, GLERL and MTRI have been collecting optical data using a Satlantic multi-spectral profiler, with coincident laboratory measured CHL, DOC, and SM data. Using this data, new HO-models will be created for each Laurentian Great Lake. The new results will be compared with historical in-situ and seasonal phenomena for validation. Also, the differences between the old and new Ontario HO-models will be compared and analyzed. Inter-annual analyses will be performed for each lake after validation. Keywords: Biogeochemistry, Sediment resuspension, Carbon cycle.
• STOW, C.A., NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI. The Saginaw Bay Multiple Stressors Project. The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is beginning a major field study in 2009 to examine the effects of multiple stressors on Saginaw Bay. This effort is part of a 5 year, 3.76 million dollar, multi-institutional project that includes participants from several Universities, state and federal agencies, and the private sector. The study will focus on fishery and water quality issues including walleye and yellow perch recruitment, phosphorus loading, and nuisance and harmful algal growth. Additionally, a human dimensions component of the project will explore preferences of various stakeholder groups in the Bay area. Several different modeling approaches will be used to synthesize existing and new information; these will include an updated version of one of the original models used to estimate target nutrient loads in the 1970s, as well as a Bayesian probability network (Saginaw Bayes) currently under development. This presentation will provide a project overview, to help foster coordination with other ongoing or planned projects, and so that information resulting from the project may better serve the needs of the Saginaw Bay and Great Lakes community. Keywords: Phosphorus, Percids, Ecosystem modeling.
• STUMPF, R.P.1, TOMLINSON, M.C.1, WYNNE, T.T.1, DYBLE BRESSIE, J.2, SCHWAB, D.J.2, BELETSKY, D.3, and JOSEPH, S.T.4, 1National Ocean Service, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 3Cooperative Insitute for Limnology & Ecosystems Research, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 4Michigan Sea Grant, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. A Forecast System for Cyanobacterial Blooms in Western Lake Erie. In 2008, an attempt was made to provide near-real time nowcasts and forecasts of a cyanobacterial bloom in western Lake Erie. Experimental bulletins were released to a sample of the local research and management communities in order to evaluate the usefulness and efficiency of such forecasts. The system employed a cyanobacterial detection algorithm using remotely sensed data from the MERIS sensor on the Envisat satellite. The imagery is available within 24-hours from the European Space Agency, and has a standard 1.2 km resolution (and an option for 300 m), with imagery collected every 2nd day. Once a bloom was detected from routine monitoring of the imagery, forecasts were possible. The location and concentration of suspected blooms were input into GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) along with physical forcing data in the form of forecasted currents from the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS). These simulations make it possible to forecast the movement of a suspected bloom. We detected a potential bloom of M. aeruginosa in early- August 2008, and were able to direct field sampling to confirm the bloom. Forecasts were produced weekly until October, when the bloom disappeared from the satellite imagery. This forecast system will be run again as a demonstration in the summer of 2009. Keywords: Human health, Microcystis, Decision making.
• VANDERPLOEG, H.A.1, POTHOVEN, S.A.2, FAHNENSTIEL, G.L.2, NALEPA, T.F.1, CAVALETTO, J.F.1, LIEBIG, J.R.1, STOW, C.A.1, and MADENJIAN, C.P.3, 1Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA, 4840 S. State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2Lake Michigan Field Station, GLERL, 1431 Beach Street, Muskegon, MI, 49441; 3Great Lakes Science Center, USGS, 1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105. Signals in the Plankton: Impact of Weather and Non-Indigenous Species on Seasonal, Interannual, and Long-Term Trends on Plankton Dynamics in Lake Michigan. Systems theory, or common sense, tells us that to understand a system you have to observe it as it changes. Our long-term seasonal data set on zooplankton, chlorophyll, nutrients, and mussels collected at nearshore and offshore stations near Muskegon, Michigan, provides us with a system undergoing massive changes. The changes themselves and experimental work on dreissenid filtering showed that interannual variability in weather and mussels were important drivers of change. However, long-term seasonal trends in nutrients and chlorophyll that preceded mussel population expansion suggests that changes in nutrient loading or internal recycling may have been an important driver of change. Keywords: Ecosystem forecasting, Lake Michigan, Dreissena.
• WANG, J.1, BAI, X.2, and CLITES, A.1, 1NOAA GLERL, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2University of Michigan CILER, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Seasonal, Interannual, and Spatial Variability of the Great Lakes Ice Cover. Seasonal and interannual variability of lake ice cover in the Great Lakes is investigated using historical and satellite measurements for the period 1962-2008. After climatology of the seasonal cycle is derived, large anomalous interannual variability is found in response to atmospheric teleconnection patterns. Nevertheless, spatial variability of ice cover in the five Great Lakes shows regional features. A principal-component or EOF (empirical orthogonal function) analysis is applied to lake ice anomalies to derive major spatial and temporal patterns, which can be explained by major atmospheric variability controlled by well-known climate patterns: Arctic Oscillation (AO) and ENSO (El Nino and Southern Oscillation). Thus, a normalized ice anomaly index is derived by combined five Great Lakes ice normalized by its individual standard deviation, which can be used to be regressed atmospheric forcing field. Lake ice reduction rate over the last three decades in each lake is estimated. Dynamic mechanisms controlling lake ice temporal and spatial variability are investigated in the context of regional climate changes. Keywords: Climate change, Ice, Global warming.
• WANG, J.1 and BAI, X.2, 1NOAA GLERL, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108; 2University of Michigan CILER, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108. Is the Dipole Anomaly a Major Driver to Record Lows in Arctic Summer Sea Ice Extent? Recent record lows of Arctic summer sea ice extent are found to be triggered by the Arctic atmospheric Dipole Anomaly (DA) pattern. This local, second-leading mode of sea-level pressure (SLP) anomaly in the Arctic produced a strong meridional wind anomaly that drove more sea ice out of the Arctic Ocean from the western to the eastern Arctic into the northern Atlantic during the summers of 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2007. In the 2007 summer, the DA also enhanced anomalous oceanic heat flux into the Arctic Ocean via Bering Strait, which accelerated bottom and lateral melting of sea ice and amplified the ice-albedo feedback. A coupled ice-ocean model was used to confirm the historical record lows of summer sea ice extent. Keywords: Arctic, Climate change, Ice.
• XIA, M.1, SCHWAB, D.J.2, and ANDERSON, E.J.2, 1Cooperative Institute of Limnology and Ecosystem Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US; 2Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, US. The Hydrodynamic Modeling of Grand Haven River using Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM). A three-dimensional coupled wave-current model is applied to simulate wave effects on the structure of currents, water level fluctuations in the Grand Haven River and adjacent beach areas. This presentation will calibrate the model with the help of observational data. In additional, it also shows insight regarding how the wave effect on the structure of the currents. The influence of wave to the near shore circulation will also be discussed by using this high resolution unstructured grid model. Keywords: Waves, Hydrodynamic model, Coastal processes.
  

I.M. Systems Group (www.imsg.com), a contractor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), seeks an Environmental Scientist to conduct natural resource damage assessments and improve cleanup plans for oil spills and hazardous waste sites in the Great Lakes Region.  This individual will work with NOAA’s Assessment and Restoration Division under the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP-www.DARRP.noaa.gov/), within the Office of Response and Restoration (http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/), as part of NOAA’s Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program in the areas of risk and injury assessment, remedial planning, and damage assessment for hazardous waste sites in the Great Lakes. This position is located in NOAA’s Ann Arbor, Michigan offices.   

The Assessment and Restoration Division’s mission is to protect and restore coastal and marine resources injured by the release of oil or hazardous substances or direct physical impacts such as vessel groundings.  Responsibilities of the incumbent will include: reviewing risk assessments and clean up plans for waste sites to improve their protectiveness for coastal natural resources and incorporate restoration actions into cleanup; and developing and conducting studies to determine the appropriate type and scale of restoration to compensate the public for natural resource injuries.    

Required Qualifications:

      •    Master’s or Doctorate degree in environmental science, preferably in one of more of the following sub-disciplines: aquatic toxicology, fisheries ecology, environmental engineering; or environmental policy          with an emphasis in quantitative analysis.
•    Strong verbal and writing skills.
•    Strong computer and analytical skills
•    Self-motivated, energetic, strategic thinker.

 Desired Qualifications:

•    Experience in assessing risk or injury to Great Lakes coastal aquatic species and habitats.
•    Knowledge of damage assessment procedures mandated by CERCLA and OPA.
•    Experience working in litigation.
•    Experience working on interdisciplinary teams.
•    Participation in negotiations over environmental issues.

To Apply:

Please send your resume, contact information for three (3) references and a cover letter explaining how your qualifications meet the requirements of the position to jobs@imsg.com with the subject heading: NOA09018 - Environmental Scientist. 

Inclusion of copies of undergraduate and graduate college transcripts and a writing sample (preferably a technical paper or report) is encouraged.   The vacancy announcement is open until filled.  The salary for this position is commensurate with experience.

April 15, 2009

Contents
1) Google Great Lakes
2) CEGLHH Beaches Meeting
3) GLERL in the News
4) Recent Reprints
5) Web Hot Items
_____________________________

1) Google Great Lakes
When Google Earth 5.0 was released back in February, it included the capability to view the world ocean landscape from beneath the water surface. This capability now extends to the “Third Coast” of the United States, the Great Lakes. Through a cooperative effort with the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, Google Earth now incorporates detailed bathymetry for the five Great Lakes. Users will be able to explore features such as the canyons and shoals in eastern Lake Superior, the Lake Michigan mid-lake reef complex, and the old river channel, now underwater, that once connected Lakes Michigan and Huron at the Straits of Mackinac.

To highlight some of the interesting coastal and subsurface features of the Great Lakes, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory has assembled a narrated Google Earth tour - http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/

2) CEGLHH Beaches Meeting
The NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health hosted the first meeting of the Beach Health Interagency Coordination Team (BHICT), comprised of representatives from NOAA, USGS, and EPA. BHICT has come together to focus on coordinating research efforts in beach forecasting development in the Great Lakes. The three agencies have been collaborating since co-hosting a Beach Health Research Needs Assessment workshop in 2005 and decided in January 2009 to formalize their efforts through the Coordination Team. The Team agreed that each agency has an expertise in beach forecasting development but cannot develop forecasts without the information and involvement of all three agencies. During their first meeting the Team has focused on developing a mission and determining where their research efforts intersect. BHICT will be meeting on a quarterly basis, with their next meeting in July.

3) GLERL in the News
Climate Change Press Conference at Shedd -
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il10_kirk/Climate_Change_threatens_lake.html

Saginaw Bay Algae -
http://blog.mlive.com/watershedwatch/2009/04/researchers_saginaw_bays_algae.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1239203727216000.xml&coll=4

Muskegon River -
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/04/sat_muskegon_river_spawns_stat.html

GA_googleFillSlot("Commenting_Sponsorship_210x81"); Ice - AP, Scientists: Less ice on Great Lakes during winter -
Ice cover on the Great Lakes has declined more than 30 percent since the 1970s, leaving the world's largest system of freshwater lakes open to evaporation and lower water levels, according to scientists associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

They're concerned about how the milder winter freeze may affect the environment. But they're also trying to come to terms with a contradiction — the same climate factors that might keep lake ice from freezing might make freezing more likely if lake levels drop due to evaporation.  Scientists at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., say global climate change can be at odds with regional climate patterns. Accurately measuring ice cover across a lake system that spans 94,000 square miles in two countries is no small task, they say.

Their studies show that although the amount of ice cover can vary substantially from year to year, the overall coverage on the world's largest system of freshwater lakes is diminishing, especially in the deepest, middle portions of Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior.  "The deeper the water, the greater the heat storage from summer, and it freezes later than the shallow areas," research Ray Assel told The Plain Dealer. "Now, increase the air temperature and the lake takes in more heat and stores it longer, to the point that many of the midlake areas are freezing over less."

Assel's records indicate that ice formation at nearshore areas has decreased less than on the deepest parts. Evaporation from open water can cause heavy lake-effect snow inland.

Researcher Jia Wang said ice loss can cause other problems, including the destruction of the eggs of fall-spawning fish by winter waves from an open lake, erosion of coastal areas unprotected by shore ice and less winter recreation on the lakes such as snowmobiling or ice fishing.

New Sea Ice Research: Causes of the arctic summer sea ice minimum in 2007 - NOAA Hot Items
New research is now available on the causes the arctic summer sea ice minimum in 2007 and other previous minima. Dr. Jia Wang of NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and his colleagues recently published an article in Geophysical Research Letters to explain that the Arctic Dipole (DA) is the major driver for the Arctic sea ice minima.

The previous record lows of arctic summer sea ice extent are found to be triggered by the arctic atmospheric Dipole Anomaly (DA) pattern. This local, second-leading mode of sea-level pressure anomaly in the Arctic produced a strong meridional wind anomaly that drove more sea ice out of the Arctic Ocean from the western to the eastern Arctic into the northern Atlantic during the summers of 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2007. In the 2007 summer, the DA also enhanced anomalous oceanic heat flux into the Arctic Ocean via Bering Strait, which accelerated bottom and lateral melting of sea ice and amplified the ice-albedo feedback. Acoupled ice-ocean model was used to confirm the historical record lows of summer sea ice extent.
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/wang/Related_Papers/Wang_paper63_2009_GRL.pdf

GLERL Hosts 2009 NOAA Great Lakes Marine Forecast Workshop - NOAA Hot Items
The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab in Ann Arbor hosted the annual NOAA Great Lakes Marine Forecast Workshop on March 11-13, 2009. This was the first conference held in the new GLERL facility since opening in January. The hospitality shown by GLERL staff was tremendous and greatly appreciated by everyone. Of course, the new facility was fantastic!

Workshop attendance included representatives from each of the 11 NWS Great Lakes forecast offices, NWS Regional/National Headquarters, NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), National Data Buoy Center and GLERL. Discussion topics focused mainly on NOAA forecast capabilities, procedures and customer service - including wind/wave modeling advances, ice forecast modeling, forecast verification, beach/water quality prediction, delivery of products and services and coastal/open water observations.  A highlight of the meeting was a customer service discussion with panelists from US Coast Guard Ninth District, USCG Auxiliary, American Steamship Company, Interlake Steamship Company, Pere Marquette Shipping Company, the Badger Passenger/Auto Ferry, Great Lakes Towing Company, and Grand River Navigation.  In addition, attendees were treated to presentations from a wide variety of NOAA sources, including the NOAA Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team, Michigan Sea Grant, NOS Great Lakes Marine Navigation, NOS Coastal Services Center, and IOOS/Great Lakes Observing System.

Multi-Stressors Workshop - NOAA Hot Items

The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) is hosting a second workshop “Multiple Stressors in Saginaw Bay: Navigating the Issues” at its brand new facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 9, 2009.

GLERL, in conjunction with several partner agencies and institutions, has begun a 5 year project to study the effects of multiple stressors on Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. Like many coastal areas around the world, Saginaw Bay has been subjected to numerous stressors originating from human activities. These stressors have included toxic contaminants, nutrients, sediments, overfishing, exotic species, and more recently, declining water levels. The combined effect of these stressors has compromised the health of Saginaw Bay and resulted in the loss of many ecosystem features and services that people value. The goal of this project is to help identify management actions that will improve the health of the Bay and restore the ecosystem services that are important to the population of that area.
The workshop objectives are to:
• Provide managers and agency representative update on 2008 accomplishments;
• Share with managers and agency representatives proposed activities to address management objectives on water quality, fish production and economic metrics that were identified as important to management agencies and the public in workshop 1;
• Obtain feedback and input from managers and agency representatives on proposed activities for 2009 sampling season.

4) Recent Reprints

FAHNENSTIEL, G.L., M.J. McCORMICK, and R. Artz. Proceedings of NOAA Lake Champlain Program Review – October 29-39, 2008. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-146. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 50 pp. (2009). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-146/tm-146.pdf

HÖÖK, T.O., and S.A. POTHOVEN. Energy content of young alewives in eastern Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, a connected drowned river mouth lake. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 29:378-387 (2009). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2009/20090015.pdf

RUBERG, S.A., E. Guasp, N. HAWLEY, R.W. MUZZI, S.B. BRANDT, H.A. VANDERPLOEG, J.C. LANE, T.C. MILLER, AND S.A. CONSTANT. Societal benefits of the Real-time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON): Implications for municipal drinking water quality. Marine Technology Society Journal 42(3):103-109 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080057.pdf

5) Web Hot Items

767 downloads - Lake Michigan Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LMfoodweb.pdf

425 downloads - Great Lakes Water Levels
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/lakelevels/lakelevels.pdf

261 downloads - Exploration of Submerged Sinkholes in Lake Huron
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/Sinkholes_GLERL.pdf

137 downloads - LANDRUM, P.F., L. Sano, M.A. Mapili, E. Garcia, A.M. Krueger, and R.A. Moll. Degradation of chemical biocides with application to ballast water treatment. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-123. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 37 pp. (2003). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-123/tm-123.pdf 

132 downloads - NOAA Green Ship Initiative
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/GreenShip.pdf

109 downloads - LOFGREN, B.M. Global warming effects on Great Lakes water: More precipitation but less water? Proceedings, 18th Conference on Hydrology, 8th Annual Meeting of the AMS, Seattle, WA, January 11-15, 2004 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040002.pdf

105 downloads - SELLINGER, C.E. Computer program for estimating evapotranspiration using the Thornthwaite method. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-101. NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 9 pp. (1996). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-101/tm-101.pdf

103 downloads - REID, D.F. Conversion of specific gravity to salinity for ballast water regulatory management. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-139. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, 24 pp. (2006). ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/publications/tech_reports/glerl-139/tm-139.pdf

March 16, 2009

Contents
1) Ship Schedules
2) GLERL In the News
3) Reprints
4) Web Hot Items
_______________________________________________
1) Ship Schedules

• Laurentian
• March-August - Lake Michigan
• September 8-10 - Thunder Bay, Lake Huron
  
• September 14-18 - Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron
  
• October-November - Lake Michigan
• 5501
• April 17-24 - Lake Huron
• April 30-May 8 - Lake Erie
• May 10-July 20 - Lake Huron
• July 25-October 1 - Lake Michigan
• 4105
• Lake Huron
• 3202
• Saginaw Bay
• 2601
• April 13-August 5 - Saginaw Bay
• August 13-October 1 - Lake Erie

February 16, 2009

1) GLERL Staff News
John Fenton is the acting Deputy Director
Craig Stow is GLERL's primary media contact for Great Lakes water levels questions
George Leshkevich the primary contact for Great Lakes ice inquiries

2) New Reprints
Kiziewicz, B., and T.F. NALEPA. Some fungi and water molds in waters of Lake Michigan with emphasis on those associated with the benthic amphipod Diporeia spp. Journal of Great Lakes Research 34:774-780 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080052.pdf

McCORMICK, M.J., T.O. Manley, D. BELETSKY, A.J. FOLEY III, and G.L. FAHNENSTIEL. Tracking the surface flow in Lake Champlain. Journal of Great Lakes Research 34:721-730 (2008). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2008/20080053.pdf

Santagata, S., K. Bacela, D.F. REID, K.A. McLean, J.S. Cohen, J.R. Cordell, C.W. Brown, T.H. JOHENGEN, and G.M. Ruiz. Concentrated sodium cloride brine solutions as an additional treatment for preventing the introduction of nonindigenous species in the ballast tanks of ships declaring no ballast on board. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28(2):346-353 (2009).

STOW, C.A., E.C. Lamon, S.S. Qian, P.A. Soranmo, and K.H. Reckhow. Chapter 5: Bayesian hierarchical/multilevel models for inference and prediction using cross-system lake data. In Real World Ecology: Large-Scale and Long-Term Case Studies and Methods. S. Miao, S. Carstenn, and M. Nungesser (Eds.). Springer, New York, NY, pp. 111-136 (2009).

3) Web Hot Items
396 downloads - Lake Michigan Foodweb
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/foodweb/LMfoodweb.pdf

229 downloads - Great Lakes Water Levels
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/lakelevels/lakelevels.pdf

88 downloads - Ge, J., J. Qi, B.M. LOFGREN, and N. Moore. Impacts of land use/cover classification accuracy on regional climate simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research 112:D05107, doi:10.1029/2006JD007404, 12 pp.  (2007)  http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2007/20070003.pdf

85 downloads - NOAA in the Great Lakes Banner
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/GLbanner_Low.pdf

74 downloads - NOAA Green Ship Initiative
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/GreenShip.pdf

66 downloads - LOFGREN, B.M. Global warming effects on Great Lakes water: More precipitation but less water? Proceedings, 18th Conference on Hydrology, 8th Annual Meeting of the AMS, Seattle, WA, January 11-15, 2004 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040002.pdf

63 downloads - ASSEL, R.A., S. Drubot, and T.E. CROLEY II. Improving 30-day Great Lakes ice cover outlooks. Journal of Hydrometeorology 5:713-717 (2004). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2004/20040016.pdf

55 downloads - Kohberger, R.C., D. SCAVIA, and J.W. Wilkinson. A method for parameter sensitivity analysis in differential equations. Water Resources Research 14(1):25-29 (1978). http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/1978/19780006.pdf

4) GLERL in the News
Capitol News Service
http://blog.mlive.com/cns/2009/01/hopes_high_fingers_crossed_for.html#more

Quotes ...

According to Gary Fahnenstiel, a senior ecologist for Ann Arbor's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, quagga mussels are actually changing the appearance of the water.

"It's making the water column of Lake Michigan look more like Lake Superior," Fahnenstiel said, referring to increased clarity of the water. "It's probably having the most significant impact of any non-indigenous species in the Great Lakes."

Fahnenstiel, who is based at the laboratory's Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon, said the increased clarity means the lake's nutrients are being hoarded by the mussels, which could potentially starve other lake species.

The quaggas, which are about the size of a dime, have invaded the lake at an alarming rate. According to Fahnenstiel, since 2003 when the quaggas were first introduced to the Great Lakes, their population has grown to about 330 trillion.

5) CILER Fellowships
The summer fellows program information is up on the GLERL and CILER websites, and we are now taking applications.  Please forward this announcement to your university contacts.  Thanks!

The Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER), administered by the University of Michigan, announces the 2009 Great Lakes Summer Student Fellowship Program.  The 2009 program is hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the U.S.Geological Survey’s (USGS) Great Lakes Science Center.

We seek to fill twenty-two (22) full-time, twelve-week positions.  Preference is given to currently enrolled or just-graduated undergraduates, although graduate student applications will also be considered.  Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $5,750 for the twelve-week fellowship. 

Summer fellowships are available in a broad range of fields including Aquatic Ecology, Outreach and Communications, Maritime Archaeology, Data Analysis, Modeling, Marine Instrumentation, Oceanography, and Wetland Ecology.  Fellowship opportunities are listed at: http://ciler.snre.umich.edu/summerfellowspositions.php.

Fellowship applications must contain:

1. a completed application form
   
2. a résumé
3. transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable and can be mailed or e-mailed separately)
4. one reference letter (can be sent electronically if it originates from the reference writer)

E-mail applications to: GLsummerfellows@umich.edu

All application material is due 27-February, 2009.  Late applications will not be considered.  Decisions about all positions will be made by 31-March, 2009.

For specific questions about each opportunity, contact the individual mentors. These e-mail addresses are provided with the opportunity descriptions.  

January 16, 2009

Contents

1. NOAA - 2008 Distinguished Career Awards Recipients
2. Distributed Large Basin Runoff Model Update
3. CEGLHH News
4. GLERL in the News
5. New Reprints
6. Web Hot Items