Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Diatom Community Response To Climate Variability Over The Past 37,000 Years In The Sub-Tropics Of The Southern Hemisphere, Sarah Hembrow, Kathryn Taffs, Pia Atahan, Jeffrey Parr, Atun Zawadzki, Henk Heijnis

Jeffrey Parr

Climate change is impacting global surface water resources, increasing the need for a deeper understanding of the interaction between climate and biological diversity. This is particularly the case in the Southern Hemisphere sub-tropics, where little information exists on the aquatic biota response to climate variations. Palaeolimnological techniques, in particular the use of diatoms, are well established and can significantly contribute to the understanding of climatic variability and the impacts that change in climate have on aquatic ecosystems. A sediment core from Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island (Australia), was used to investigate interactions between climate influences and aquatic ecosystems. This study utilises …

Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring

Timothy M Waring

“Wicked problems” are urgent, high-stake socioeconomic-environmental challenges that often involve ideological conflict and have no “best solutions.” Using examples from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative projects, Tim Waring describes how scientific models can be used to address these kinds of problems. When well-constructed and tested models are used to address policy-relevant issues, include input from stakeholders, and integrate social, economic and environmental dynamics, they can become “wicked tools” to address some of society’s biggest challenges.

Air Blasting As The Optimal Approach For The Extraction Of Antioxidants In Coral Tissue, Elisabeth Deschaseaux, Myrna Deseo, Kellie Shepherd, Graham Jones, Peter Harrison

Dr Myrna A Deseo

In order to accurately measure the antioxidant capacity in corals, it is essential to optimally extract antioxidants from coral tissue. Here, we compared the two most commonly used methods for coral tissue extraction, air blasting (similar to Water-Pik method) and grinding, with or without sonication, to optimally extract antioxidants in corals. By air blasting, the coral tissue was stripped off the skeleton with a stream of compressed air into a polyethylene bag containing a known volume of buffer, whereas by grinding, both the coral tissue and skeleton were crushed using a mortar and pestle into a powder and homogenised in …

Assessing Occupant Comfort In An Iconic Sustainable Education Building, Rick Best, Brian Purdey

Rick Best

The building that houses the Mirvac School of Sustainable Development at Bond University is the first educational building to achieve a six Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. It has won numerous awards since opening in August 2008 including being judged the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Sustainable Building of 2009. After more than two years in use a post-occupancy evaluation study was carried out to assess the performance of the building from the viewpoint of the users; both resident staff and transient students. Results for factors such as lighting, thermal comfort, noise and air …

Evaluating Progress Towards Land Use Conflict Program Outcome Targets, William Boyd, Kristin Den Exter, Rik Whitehead, Kirsty Howton, Peter Boyd

Dr Kristin den Exter

This paper reports the results of a survey of land use management practitioners on how they evaluate the success of land management programs in the context of land use conflicts and disputes. The aim is to understand how a natural resource planning authority may evaluate progress towards a high-order planning target, such as reduction of land use conflict. The survey records a wide range of practitioner approaches to assessing programs against targets, summarised in four categories: assessment, monitoring and evaluation; effective management activity; planning and planning instruments; and community responses and engagement. While practitioners comment on difficulties and challenges, it …

Effect Of Density On The Population Dynamics Of Perognathus Formosus And Its Relationships Within A Desert Ecosystem, R. Chew, F. Turner, Peter August, Bernardo Maza, James Nelson

Peter August

No abstract provided.

Coastal Lagoons And Climate Change: Ecological And Social Ramifications In The U.S. Atlantic And Gulf Coast Ecosystems, Abigail Anthony, Joshua Atwood, Peter August, Carrie Byron, Stanley Cobb, Cheryl Foster, Crystal Fry, Arthur Gold, Kifle Hagos, Leanna Heffner, D. Kellogg, Kimberly Lellis-Dibble, James Opaluch, Candace Oviatt, Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, Nicole Rohr, Leslie Smith, Tiffany Smythe, Judith Swift, Nathan Vinhateiro

Peter August

Lagoons are highly productive coastal features that provide a range of natural services that society values. Their setting within the coastal landscape leaves them especially vulnerable to profound physical, ecological, and associated societal disturbance from global climate change. Expected shifts in physical and ecological characteristics range from changes in flushing regime, freshwater inputs, and water chemistry to complete inundation and loss and the concomitant loss of natural and human communities. Therefore, managing coastal lagoons in the context of global climate change is critical. Although management approaches will vary depending on local conditions and cultural norms, all management scenarios will need …

Loss Of Nutrients And Soil From Sandy Pond Tributaries, Oswego County, N.Y., Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis, Daniel White

Joseph C Makarewicz

North and South Sandy Ponds comprise one of the largest coastal bay ecosystems on Lake Ontario. Unlike South Sandy Pond, North Sandy Pond supports intensive recreational activities and intensive shorefront residential development including a commercial campground and several marinas. Both ponds have an over abundance of nutrients and are the likely cause of the over abundance of aquatic weeds in the water. The limnological literature is quite clear on the causes of this unwanted overabundance of aquatic weeds and microscopic plants – an excess amount of nutrients or fertilizers are entering the water. A short list of possible sources of …

Management Approaches For The Control Of Aquatic Plants, Joseph Makarewicz, Daina Beckstrand, Isidro Bosch

Joseph C Makarewicz

This guide is designed to provide information on the ecological values and problems associated with aquatic macrophytes, to present methods used to control the troublesome species, and to provide suggestions on how to implement a lake management plan that would deal with macrophytes as legally and as safely as possible.

Concentration Of Selected Priority Organic Contaminants In Fish Maintained On Formulated Diets In Lake Ontario Waters, Joseph Buttner, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Fish were grown in Lake Ontario water under conditions simulating commercial aquaculture and then analyzed for 10 priority organic contaminants. Black bullheads (Ameiurus meias) were grown in cages placed in a bay of Lake Ontario. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were grown in terrestrial raceways served with Lake Ontario water. Yearlings were reared on a commercial ration in these systems, which partially isolated them from the contaminant-laden food web and bottom sediments, to an average weight of 93 g for black bullheads (range, 31-220 g) and 213 g (29-558 g) for rainbow trout. Concentrations of contaminants in skinless fillets of both …

Segment Analysis Of Sheldon Creek: The Location Of Sources Of Pollution, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Considerable concern about the deteriorating condition of Lake Neatahwanta has existed for well over a decade. A goal of the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District water quality monitoring program was the development of a statistically defensible database of ecologically important parameters that would allow stewards of the watershed to prioritize and determine which sub-watershed had the largest potential impact on Lake Neatahwanta. After three years of sampling the four creeks draining into the lake, Sheldon Creek, as opposed to Ley, Summerville and Granby Creeks, was determined to be losing the largest amounts of water, soil and nutrients from …

An Addendum To Segment Analysis Of Sucker Brook: The Location Of Sources Of Pollution, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

This supplemental report is an addendum to the original study 'Segment Analysis of Sucker Brook: The location of sources of pollution' (Makarewicz et a/. 1999). In the original study, recommendations for further investigation of two segments of Sucker Brook were suggested as follows. 1. The segment above Site 7 (Figure 1) in the City of Canandaigua had high concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) during an event January 1999. The source(s) was not identified. 2. The segment between Sites3 and 4 (Figure 1) had high concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total …

Chemical Analysis And Nutrient Loading Of Streams Entering Sodus Bay, N.Y, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

In response to public concern created by an abundance of nuisance weeds (i.e. macrophytes) within the three embayments of Wayne County (Sodus, East and Port Bays) , the Aquatic Vegetation Control Program was created in 1987 to develop long-term management strategies for the Bays. The program is administered jointly by the Wayne County Planning Board and the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District. The Soil and Water Conservation District recognized early that management of the Bay ecosystem would require the development of a data base presently not available. Toward this end, the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District …

Silver Lake Limnological Survey, 2004, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis, William Guenther

Joseph C Makarewicz

During the spring, summer and fall of 2004, a limnological survey of Silver Lake was conducted. The purpose of the survey was to update the status of Silver Lake. Some of the questions being asked were as follows. Was the lake highly productive? Were the bottom layers of the lake devoid of oxygen? Was phosphorus being released from the sediments into the water column? Were there algal blooms? What might be the cause of them? Were there blue-green algae present? Were algal toxins present? When? Monitoring was designed to take samples only during the summer period with depth to minimize …

Uptake And Retention Of Mirex By Fish Maintained On Formulated And Natural Diets In Lake Ontario Waters, Joseph Makarewicz, Joseph Buttner, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Fish with no detectable levels of the contaminant mirex were grown in Lake Ontario waters under conditions simulating commercial aquaculture. Benthic black bullheads (Ameiurus me/as) were grown in cages placed in a bay of the lake. Pelagic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were grown in terrestrial raceways served with Lake Ontario waters. Contaminant-free fingerlings were reared to a large size on a commercial ration in these systems, which partially isolated them from the contaminant-laden food web and bottom sediments. Black bullheads fed a mirex-spiked, commercially prepared food had mirex concentrations that exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) action level …

Genesee River Monroe County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Originating in Potter County, Pennsylvania, the Genesee River travels 157 miles northward before emptying into the Rochester Embayment at the Port of Rochester on Lake Ontario. The 2,500-mi watershed of the Genesee River is predominately in agriculture and forest until it reaches the suburban urban environment of the City of Rochester, New York. Several wastewater plants, including Eastman Kodak’s industrial waste plant (King’s Landing) and Scottsville, and Honeoye Falls sewage treatment plants, discharge into the river. Just west and east of the outfall of the Genesee River into Lake Ontario are Charlotte and Durand Eastman Beaches that are periodically closed …

Twelvemile Creek Niagara County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

The east branch of Twelvemile Creek (69 mi2) flows through northern Niagara County to its mouth at Lake Ontario 12 miles east of the Niagara River, near the village of Wilson, New York. From fall through spring, good runs of steelhead and brown trout with the occasional Chinook and Coho salmon occur into the creek. Agriculture, especially row crop farming, is predominant within the watershed, though natural protected land is also plentiful. The Wilson-Tuscarora State Park provides a buffer between the creek and agriculture immediately around the mouth of the creek, while upstream farms directly line the creek. Nuisance algae, …

Niagara River Niagara County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

The Niagara River carries water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and is the major source of Lake Ontario’s water volume. Famous for the immense Niagara Falls, the 36-mile river is used by over 1 million people in the United States and Canada for functions including drinking water, recreation, and hydropower (Niagara Parks 2009). The Niagara River drains the entire upper Great Lake system into the final lake, Lake Ontario, and due to this huge volume of water has a large potential to change Lake Ontario’s water quality. Nuisance algae, bacterial abundance, and algal mat development along the southern shoreline …

Port Bay Wayne County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Located midway between Rochester and Oswego, New York, Port Bay is one of southern Lake Ontario’s larger but relatively shallow (<25 feet) embayments. The perimeter of the bay is primarily residential, but portions of the shoreline and watershed are part of the Lake Shores Marshes Wildlife Area. Wolcott Creek is the major tributary of Port Bay and drains ~27 mi² of land that is mostly in agriculture. The bay receives treated effluent from the Village of Wolcott Sewage Treatment Plant. Port Bay suffers from cultural eutrophication and is on the New York State 303d list of Impaired Waters due to an overabundance of phosphorus. Benthic anoxia is a major effect of this eutrophication. Port Bay is impacted by nuisance algae, and harmful algal blooms have been observed (Makarewicz et al. 2009). This short report provides a synopsis of …

Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative Action Agenda, Joseph Makarewicz, Betsy Landre, Stephen Lewandowski, John Terninko, Elizabeth Thorndike

Joseph C Makarewicz

The mission of the Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative (LOCI), encompassing all New York State North Coast stakeholders from the Niagara River to the St. Lawrence River, is to enlist and retain broad public commitment for remediation, restoration, protection, conservation and sustainable use of the coastal region. This mission will be accomplished by securing funds and resources to achieve scientific understanding, educate citizens, and implement locally supported priorities, programs and projects as identified through this Initiative.

Sodus Bay Wayne County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Sodus Bay is one of Lake Ontario’s major embayments separated from the lake by a 7,500-foot long barrier beach. The bay is located in Wayne County, New York, and is 4.4 miles in length and 2.4 miles across. This major point of access to Lake Ontario contains 12 marinas, 13 waterfront restaurants, 2 public access sites, a public beach, and a sailing school. The 46-mi² Sodus Bay watershed is composed of land that is 30% agriculture, 4% developed land, 61% forest, and 4% wetlands. First Creek, Second Creek, Third Creek, Sodus Creek West, Sodus Creek East (Glenmark Creek), and …

Cape Vincent Harbor: Summer Data Report To The Army Corps Of Engineers Buffalo District, James Haynes, Joseph Makarewicz

Joseph C Makarewicz

Fish, benthos, macrophytes and birds were collected or observed over two days (16 July through 17 July 1979) at Cape Vincent Harbor, New York, to evaluate the potential biological impact of dredging on the harbor. Figure 1 is a map of the harbor area indicating the location of sampling sites. Observed fishing pressure and boat traffic were minimal during the two-day sampling trip. This is a preliminary data report. The final report will include both our analysis and interpretation of the data regarding potential impacts of dredging.

Final Data Report: Sodus Bay Limnology, Lake Chemistry, Phytoplankton And Zooplankton Abundance And Nutrient And Soil Losses From The Watershed, 2004, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

During the spring, summer and fall of 2004, limnological and sub-watershed data were collected from Sodus Bay. In general, monitoring and analysis were designed to meet the following objectives: document current lake, sediment and nutrient conditions; document stream loading to the lake; characterize the bay's community of phytoplankton and zooplankton to provide a benchmark against which the effectiveness of future management actions can be measured. This program will assist in developing a watershed enhancement plan and provide data for a simulation to determine the need for and likely success of adding alum to decrease phosphorus loss from the anoxic hypolimnion.

Segment Analysis Of Johnson Creek: The Location Of Sources Of Pollution, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Johnson Creek is located in the southern portion of the Lake Ontario watershed, Orleans and Niagara Counties, New York. The relatively large watershed encompasses 98.6 square miles and flows into Lake Ontario near Kuckville, New York. Two years of continuous water quality monitoring indicated that the Johnson Creek watershed was a source of phosphorus, nitrate, organic nitrogen, sodium and soils to Lake Ontario. That is, Johnson Creek and the watershed it drained are a source of nutrients and soil pollution to Lake Ontario relative to other watersheds of similar size in western New York.

Where are the sources of nutrients, …

A Technique For Identifying Pollution Sources In A Watershed: Stressed Stream Analysis Revisited, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

This article describes stressed stream analysis, and how it is used to identify and prioritize sub-watersheds by their relative contribution to the deterioration of the lake ecosystem and, subsequently, to locate point and nonpoint sources within priority sub-watersheds.

Epilimnetic Phytoplankton And Zooplankton Biomass And Species Composition In Lake Ontario, 1986 To 1992., Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis, Paul Bertram

Joseph C Makarewicz

Results of the Food Web Workshop II (Hartig et al. 1991) indicated that Lake Ontario may be the next Great Lake after Lake Michigan to demonstrate the effects of changing nutrient levels and food web controls. Total phosphorus loads into the lake declined by 80% since 1972 and have approached the target loading set by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements between the United States and Canada. Spring total phosphorus levels declined from 25 to 14 IlglL between 1971 and the late 1980s and are currently below 10 Ilg/L. Although declines in chlorophyll-a were relatively low and transparency has not …

Characterization And Prioritization Of The Watersheds Of Niagara County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis, Daniel White, Mark Seider, Victor Digiacomo

Joseph C Makarewicz

In recognition of the need to acquire a uniform, organized approach to addressing surface 6 water degradation and given the diverse nature of non-point sources of pollution within the County, the Soil and Water Conservation District formed a committee known as the Niagara County Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC). Since little was known about the environmental status of other major creeks in Niagara County, the WQCC recommended a study to evaluate nutrient and soil loss from 17 watersheds and their creeks. The purpose of the monitoring program was to collect water quality data to quantify the concentration and loading of …

Water Quality Of The North End Of Cayuga Lake: 1991-2006, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis, Daniel White

Joseph C Makarewicz

The Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD) has collected limnological data on the waters of the northern end of Cayuga Lake since 1991. This report updates the 1999 report (Makarewicz et al. 1999) with data taken by the SCSWCD from 1999 to 2006. The purpose of monitoring the northern portion of Cayuga Lake was to determine the health of the Cayuga Lake ecosystem and to determine if any temporal trends existed in Cayuga Lake water quality. The water quality of Cayuga Lake has been studied since the early 1900s when secchi disk readings were first taken. At that …

Nutrient And Sediment Loss From A Niagara County Watershed : The East Branch Of Twelvemile Creek, May 1998 To May 2000, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Discharge and nutrient loss from a Niagara County tributary, Twelvemile Creek, was intensely monitored for two consecutive years by automated gauging and sampling techniques. This report focuses on the two annual cycles monitored (19 May 1998 to 18 May 1999 [Year 1] and 19 May 1999 to 17 May 2000 [Year 2]). The sampling regime allows an accurate measurement of discharge, nutrient and soil loss from a watershed during hydrometeorological events and nonevent conditions. Discharge and concentrations of nitrate, total phosphorus, sodium, total suspended solids, and total kjeldahl nitrogen were measured and converted into the amount of material lost from …

Water Chemistry Of The North And South Basins Of Conesus Lake, Joseph Makarewicz, Isidro Bosch, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

The objective of this study was to determine if there were differences in the chemistry of the north and south basins of Conesus Lake during the summer stratification period. To achieve this objective, water samples were taken from 18 May to 2 November 2000 from both basins.