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U nderstanding the Value of the Lake Erie Ecosystem: Its History , Current Problems, Suggested Solutions, and Needs

U nderstanding the Value of the Lake Erie Ecosystem: Its History , Current Problems, Suggested Solutions, and Needs . Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter Director, Ohio Sea Grant & Stone Lab. Jeffrey M. Reutter, Ph.D., Director. 1895—F.T. Stone Laboratory

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U nderstanding the Value of the Lake Erie Ecosystem: Its History , Current Problems, Suggested Solutions, and Needs

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  1. Understanding the Value of the Lake Erie Ecosystem: Its History, Current Problems, Suggested Solutions, and Needs Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter Director, Ohio Sea Grant & Stone Lab

  2. Jeffrey M. Reutter, Ph.D., Director • 1895—F.T. Stone Laboratory • 1970—Center for Lake Erie Area Research (CLEAR) • 1978—Ohio Sea Grant College Program • 1992—Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem Research Consortium (GLAERC)

  3. What is OhioSea Grant? • Part of National Sea Grant Collage Program in NOAA • 32 programs—every coastal state • Partnership of: • Government • Academia • Private Sector • Focus on 3 E’s: • Environment • Economy • Education • Accomplish through: • Research • Education • Outreach

  4. What is Stone Lab? • Oldest freshwater field station in the nation • Ohio’s Lake Erie Lab since 1895 • Island campus of OSU on Gibraltar Island, Lake Erie • Research, education, and outreach laboratory for Ohio Sea Grant

  5. Stone Laboratory: Ohio’s Lake Erie Laboratory Since 1895

  6. Research Building with AVC in Background

  7. Research Vessels

  8. Sea Grant and Stone Lab • Research, education (k-gray), outreach to public • Based at OSU, but involve all Ohio colleges • Focusing Ohio’s universities on real-world problem solving • Stone Lab—25 courses, training for private sector and agency managers, visited by 20,000 people/yr • Website—10 million hits/yr • Leverage over $16/state dollar invested in the program • 8 Extension specialists

  9. Sea Grant and Stone Lab: Since 1978 • 500+ Sea Grant Projects • 500+ grad and undergrad students supported • 290+ principal investigators at over 20 colleges and universities • FOSL over 1300 scholarships at Stone Lab • 82 REUs

  10. Improving Science Education in Ohio: Stone Laboratory Story • Education for all ages • Field trips grades 4-adult • Intro courses open to superior HS students • Upper level courses for grad students • Teacher courses • Since 1990: • Students from • 111 colleges • 366 high schools

  11. Aquatic Science Field Trips/Workshops • 150-200 groups annually • Grades 4 -adult; 1 or 2-day • 8,000 people annually • Program includes • Science cruise on vessel • Bird/Plant/Insect hike • Fish Dissection in Lab • Limnology Lab

  12. Trawling for Fish

  13. Examining Plankton Sample

  14. Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus Upper Level Courses • One 5-week term • 4 credit hours/course • Classes M-W-F or T-R-S • Ecology • Evolution • Field Zoology • Ichthyology • Aquat Ecosystems—Ecology of Inland waters (Limnology)

  15. Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus Introductory Courses • 1-week Sunday through Saturday, 2 credits • Sport Fishing • Intro Aquat Bio • Intro Oceanography • Intro Local Plants • Intro Insect Bio • Ecol & Cons of Birds

  16. Geologic Setting Spider Biology Field Ecology Oceanography Herpetology Local Flora Climate Change Education Workshop Climate & Sustainability Larval Fish ID Stone Laboratory: Ohio State’s Island Campus 1-week Courses for College Students & Teachers

  17. Workshops • Algal identification • NOAA Science Literacy • Dealing with Cyanobacteria, Algal Toxins and Taste and Odor Compounds • Outdoor Photography • Lake Erie Sport Fishing • Fish-Sampling Techniques

  18. Opportunities to Visit Stone Lab • AVC: Wednesday through Saturday • South Bass Island Lighthouse: Mondays and Tuesdays • Gibraltar Island • Wednesdays 11:00-1:00 • Thursday evening Guest Lecture Series • Winter Program, 30 Jan 2013 (Columbus) • Work Weekend, April 2013 • State Science Day, St. John’s Arena, May 2013 • Open House Saturday, September • Buckeye Island Hop, Early October 2013

  19. New Solar Pavilion

  20. Solar Thermal on Dining Hall Roof

  21. Lake Erie: One of the Most Important Lakes in the World Dead lake image of 60s and 70s. Poster child for pollution problems in this country. But, most heavily utilized of any of the Great Lakes. Shared by 4 states and 2 countries. Best example of ecosystem recovery in world.

  22. Southernmost Image: Ohio Sea Grant

  23. Photo: Ohio Sea Grant

  24. Photo: Ohio Sea Grant

  25. Major Land Uses in The Great Lakes

  26. Because of Land Use, Lake Erie Gets: More sediment More nutrients (fertilizers and sewage) More pesticides (The above 3 items are exacerbated by storms, which will be more frequent and severe due to climate change.) And Lake Erie is still biologically the most productive of the Great Lakes—And always will be!!

  27. 50:2 Rule (Not exact, but instructive) Lake Superior: 50% of the water and 2% of the fish Lake Erie: 2% of the water and 50% of the fish

  28. 80:10:10 Rule • 80% of water from upper lakes • 10% direct precipitation • 10% from Lake Erie tributaries • Maumee • Largest tributary to Great Lakes • Drains 4.5 million acres of ag land • 3% of flow into Lake Erie

  29. Lake Erie Stats Drinking water for 11 million people Over 20 power plants Power production is greatest water use 300 marinas in Ohio alone Walleye Capital of the World 40% of all Great Lakes charter boats Ohio’s charter boat industry is one of the largest in North America $1.5 billion sport fishery One of top 10 sport fishing locations in the world The most valuable freshwater commercial fishery in the world Coastal county tourism value is over $11.5 billion

  30. Lake Erie’s 7 Biggest Problems/Issues (see Twine Line, Spring/Summer, 2012 Sedimentation Phosphorus and nutrient loading Harmful algal blooms Aquatic invasive species Dead Zone Climate Change—Makes the others worse Coastal Economic Development

  31. Sediment Entering Lake Erie—4/2/08

  32. Nutrients: Problem or Benefit? On our lawns, they make our grass grow In water, they make algae and plants grow Lake Erie is most productive Great Lake because: shallowest, warmest, and most nutrients. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Too much P leads to too much algaeand the wrong kinds of algae

  33. Algae are tiny plant-like organisms that live in water There are hundreds of species of algae in Lake Erie. Most are beneficial. • Source: Tom Bridgeman, UT

  34. Major groups/kinds in Lake Erie Diatoms Greens Blue-greens (Cyanobacteria) • Source: Tom Bridgeman, UT

  35. Lake Erie Poster child for pollution problems when Cuyahoga River burns in 1969 To “walleye capital of the world” in mid-1980s Best example of ecosystem recover in world

  36. Impact of Ecosystem Recovery (rebirth) Ohio walleye harvest 112,000 in 1976 to over 5 million by mid-80s 34 charter fishing businesses in 1975 to over 1200 by mid-80s and almost 800 today 207 coastal businesses to over 425 today

  37. What brought about the rebirth (dead lake to Walleye Capital)? Phosphorus reductions from point sources (29,000 metric tons to 11,000);and agriculture helped!

  38. Blue-green Algae Bloom circa 1971, Lake Erie Photo: Forsythe and Reutter

  39. Microcystis, Stone Lab, 8/10/10 Photos: Jeff Reutter

  40. Why did we target phosphorus? Normally limiting nutrient in freshwater systems P reduction is best strategy ecologically and economically Reducing both P and N would help

  41. Impacts of Increased Phosphorus Concentrations • HABs—If P concentrations are high (regardless of the source, Ag, sewage, etc.) and water is warm, we will have a HAB (nitrogen concentration will likely determine which of the 6-7 species bloom) • Nuisance Algae Blooms • Cladophora—Whole lake problem. An attached form. • Dead Zone in Central Basin

  42. Cyanobacteria in Lake Erie Microcystis Anabaena Aphanizomenon • Source: Tom Bridgeman, UT

  43. Phosphorus Sources • 1960s and 70s—primarily point sources (2/3) • Today loading is coming primarily from agriculture (2/3) but other sources include: • Sewage treatment plants and CSOs • Lawn fertilizer runoff • Water treatment plants • Septic tanks

  44. Microcystin Concentrations 1 ppb WHO drinking water limit 20 ppb WHO swimming limit 60 ppb highest level for Lake Erie till this year 84 ppb highest level for Grand Lake St. Marys till last year 2000+ Grand Lake St. Marys 2010 1200 Lake Erie Maumee Bay area 2011

  45. Are HABs only a Lake Erie and Ohio Problem? Global problem Serious problem in US and Canada Common species in Lake Erie is Microcystis sp. Dominant form in Grand Lake St. Marysin 2010 was Aphanizomenon sp., the same species that bloomed in Lake Erie in the 60s and 70s

  46. Target Load Reduction To solve the harmful algal bloom problem (HAB) and reduce the size and duration of the dead zone in the Central Basin of Lake Erie, the overall annual load of soluble reactive or dissolved phosphorus to Lake Erie should be reduced by 2/3. All sources should reduce by 2/3!!

  47. Nutrient Loading Majority of loading occurs during storm events 80-90% of loading occurs 10-20% of time 2012 = dry spring and low load—a very good thing!!

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