Fresh Water Studies Commons^™

The Stability Of Temperate Lakes Under The Changing Climate, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a collective prediction among ecologists that climate change will enhance phytoplankton biomass in temperate lakes. Yet there is noteworthy variation in the structure and regulating functions of lakes to make this statement challengeable and, perhaps, inaccurate. To generate a common understanding on the trophic transition of lakes, I examined the interactive effects of climate change and landscape properties on phytoplankton biomass in 12,644 lakes located in relatively intact forested landscapes. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration was used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass. Chl-a concentration was obtained via analyzing Landsat satellite imagery data over a 28-year period (1984-2011) and using …

Long-Term Monitoring In Central Puget Sound: Are Local Climate Anomalies Impacting Phytoplankton Populations?, Gabriela Hannach, Lyndsey M. Swanson, Kimberle Stark

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puget Sound is a large and productive estuarine system at the southern end of the Salish Sea. King County’s comprehensive, long-term marine monitoring program tracks water quality in Puget Sound’s Central Basin through year-round collection of data for a suite of physical, chemical and biological parameters. Phytoplankton monitoring began with traditional microscopy methods in 2008, and expanded to include a particle imaging system in 2014. These data are critical to assess how changes from climate, physical conditions and other stressors linked to anthropogenic activity from the region’s growing population may impact the Sound’s biodiversity and trophic structure. Currently, twice-monthly surface …

Seasonal Dynamics Of Oceanographic Conditions, Phytoplankton, And Zooplankton In The Malaspina Strait, Strait Of Georgia, Svetlana Esenkulova, Karyn Suchy, Richard Ian Perry, Kelly Young, Maycira Costa, Ryan Flagg, Moira Galbraith, Isobel Pearsall

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Plankton dynamics in the Salish Sea may directly impact resident and migratory fish populations that are of major economic importance in the region. The Malaspina Strait in the northern Salish Sea is of particular interest as it is an important migration route for juvenile salmon. Here, we present data collected at three stations in the Malaspina Strait as part of the Citizen Science initiative of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. Sampling was conducted at bi-monthly (or higher) frequency from February to October, 2015 to 2017. Relationships between the regional hydrography, environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, etc.), nutrient concentrations, …

Salish Sea Model Ecosystem - Lower Trophic: Episodic Nutrient Supply In The Northern Strait Of Georgia, Elise Olson, Susan E. Allen

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Salish Sea Model Ecosystem - Lower Trophic (SMELT) is a three-dimensional biogeochemical model coupled to a NEMO-based physical model of the Salish Sea, run operationally at UBC as part of the SalishSeaCast system. In this presentation, we will first establish the model's skill at reproducing nitrate concentrations by comparison with data from the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s citizen science program and Institute of Ocean Sciences repeat surveys. We will then discuss episodic nitrate supply to the surface waters of the northwest Strait of Georgia. This phenomenon is evident as a region of elevated mean (March-November) and standard deviation (April-September) of surface …

How Did Large Scale Climate Anomalies Impact 2015 Phytoplankton Blooms In Puget Sound?, Juhi Lafuente, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Allison Brownlee, Julia Bos, Laura Hermanson, Mya Keyzers

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington State Department of Ecology has been routinely monitoring marine water quality throughout the Puget Sound since 1973. An established historic baseline from 1999 to 2008 allows us to examine how water quality varies year to year as a result of both natural and human influences. The recent large scale climate anomaly, the Blob, impacted this region when a mass of warm water entered Puget Sound in fall 2014. In conjunction with higher than normal air temperatures, patterns of estuarine circulation and stratification were regionally altered in Puget Sound. Changes to these physical patterns affect ecosystem functions starting at …

Soundtoxins: A Puget Sound Harmful Algae Monitoring Partnership, Teri King, Lyndsey Claassen, Jerry Borchert, Vera Trainer

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

SoundToxins is a diverse partnership of aquaculture businesses, federal, tribal, state, and local governments, education institutions, and Puget Sound residents that monitor for harmful algae in Puget Sound, managed by NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Washington Sea Grant. The intensively trained partners provide early warning of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events by evaluating water samples gathered weekly from 35 stations throughout Puget Sound looking specifically for Dinophysis, Alexandrium, Pseudo-nitschia and Azadinium and alerting health and natural resource agencies of their presence and concentration. The online database and mapping allows for near-real time viewing of data entered by SoundToxins partners …

Has Primary Productivity Declined In The Strait Of Georgia Since The 1970s?, Sophia Johannessen

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

A strong decline in phytoplankton productivity has been proposed as a principal cause of the decline in salmon survival in the Strait of Georgia over the last four decades. The best estimate of total annual primary productivity in the Strait in the 1970s was 280 gC m-2 yr-1 (Harrison et al., 1983). We tested whether or not primary productivity had declined since that time by calculating recent productivity from regional nitrogen budgets. We constructed the budgets using measurements (collected 2001-2011) of dissolved and particulate nitrogen and stable isotopes of nitrogen in seawater, river water, sinking particles, bottom sediments, atmospheric deposition, …

Harmful Algae In The Strait Of Georgia, Citizen Science Data, Svetlana Esenkulova, Isobel Pearsall

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Citizen Science Program was initiated by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Ocean Networks Canada in 2015. This Program was designed to achieve oceanographic monitoring of the Strait of Georgia on temporal and spatial scale that had never been done before. Samples and measurements were taken at approximately 80 sites on a bi-monthly (or higher) frequency from February to October, 2015 to 2017. This presentation will be focused on the spatial and temporal distribution of harmful algae based on the analysis of about 5000 phytoplankton samples. Preliminary results indicate that during the sampling period in the …

Exploration Of Spatial And Temporal Changes In Trophic Status Of Lakes In The Northern Temporal Forest Biome Using Remote Sensing, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a critical need for detailed surveys of lakes covering large spatial (>100 km²) and temporal scales (decades) to determine if there is an increase in the magnitude and frequency of phytoplankton blooms. Remote sensing was used to: (1) develop a regression model that relates chlorophyll a (chl-a) as a proxy of lake phytoplankton biomass to Landsat TM and ETM+ optical reflectance (r²=0.85, p

Phytoplankton In Virginia Lakes And Reservoirs: Part Ii, Harold G. Marshall

Virginia Journal of Science

Phytoplankton composition from 16 Virginia lakes and reservoirs are discussed with emphasis on the dominant taxa, algal bloom producers, and potentially harmful species at these locations. This is a companion study to the more comprehensive publication regarding Virginia freshwater phytoplankton by Marshall (2013).

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2013 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton and measure chlorophyll, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir. Water quality and algal data have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual reports have been sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, 2010 (January and December), 2011, and 2012. This project ended in 2013; the final chemistry sample was collected May 2, 2013 and the final algae sample was collected November 6, 2013.

Reservoir Management Techniques To Enhance Biological Productivity And Protect Water Quality, Ben Alan Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three reservoirs of similar size, watershed land use, and qualitative characteristics in northwest Arkansas, USA were selected to compare the effects of chemical fertilization and pulsed artificial-upwelling on whole-lake productivity, specifically primary production and phytoplankton biomass. Numerous water quality parameters were quantified over a two year period (2011-13) with the goal of understanding how each management technique would stimulate productivity. This experiment was the first step towards a larger goal to ultimately enhance sport fish production. The first year of monitoring occurred in 2011 and served as a control year for the three lakes. Treatments were initiated in two of …

Phytoplankton Life History Events: Resting Stages And Physiological Cell Death, Christine R. Kozik

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding and predicting changes in phytoplankton populations requires knowledge of key life history processes such as recruitment from benthic resting stages and losses due to sedimentation and cell death. Currently, these processes are poorly understood in freshwater systems. Phytoplankton resting stage and cell death life history events were separately examined in two freshwater systems in Wisconsin, four northern lakes and an urban pond. In the norther lakes, sedimentation and benthic recruitment were examined using sediment and recruitment traps that were sampled weekly over two summers. Sedimentation and benthic recruitment contributed little to changes in standing crop chl a, but rather …

Phytoplankton In Virginia Lakes And Reservoirs, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

This study involves a phytoplankton summer/autumn survey in 46 Virginia lakes and reservoirs during 2010-2012. A total of 307 taxa were identified which included several filamentous and colonial cyanabacteria in bloom concentrations. With the exception of one natural lake, the other sites sampled represent impoundments created decades ago, with the majority presently classified as meso- or eutrophic. Among the cyanobacteria were 6 known toxin producers (Anabaena circinalis, Anabaena spiroides, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Limnothrix redekei, and Microcystis aeruginosa). The study characterizes phytoplankton populations in these aging freshwater habitats taken from a large number …

Phytoplankton In Virginia Lakes And Reservoirs, Harold G. Marshall

Virginia Journal of Science

This study involves a phytoplankton summer/autumn survey in 46 Virginia lakes and reservoirs during 2010-2012. A total of 307 taxa were identified which included several filamentous and colonial cyanabacteria in bloom concentrations. With the exception of one natural lake, the other sites sampled represent impoundments created decades ago, with the majority presently classified as meso- or eutrophic. Among the cyanobacteria were 6 known toxin producers (Anabaena circinalis, Anabaena spiroides, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Limnothrix redekei, and Microcystis aeruginosa). The study characterizes phytoplankton populations in these aging freshwater habitats taken from a large number …

A Preliminary Examination Of An In Situ Dual Dye Approach To Measuring Light Fluxes In Lotic Systems, Elizabeth C. Minor, Elizabeth James, Jay A. Austin, Veronica Nelson, Ryan Lusk, Kenneth Mopper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Light is a critical parameter in aquatic ecosystems, affecting primary production and in situ photochemistry. However, measuring light exposure for suspended particles or dissolved components in a dynamic water column can be challenging with existing Eulerian approaches. Here, we assess the simultaneous deployment of two dyes differing in photolability (rhodamine WT and fluorescein) as a Lagrangian measure of sunlight exposure in a lotic system. Fluorescein is sensitive to light exposure; rhodamine WT is relatively photostable. We examined dye fluorescence at various pH, salinity, and temperature conditions. We also tested dye photolability as a function of pH and wavelength range. In …

Freshwater Phytoplankton Populations Detected Using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (Hplc) Of Taxon-Specific Pigments, Lauren Jeanne Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton are key primary producers in aquatic ecosystems, and the principle food source for primary consumers. Individual phytoplankton species respond to different physical, chemical and biological parameters, so monitoring taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton community is a means to monitor changes in environmental conditions. Phytoplankton community changes have frequently been monitored by estimating biomass (using chlorophyll a, measured fluorometrically), and taxonomic data obtained from cell counts. While such methods are useful, they are time-consuming. I hypothesized that high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, which have been frequently used in marine systems, would allow separation and identification of key pigments. …

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2012 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton and measure chlorophyll, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir. Water quality and algal data have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual reports have been sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, 2010 (January and December), and 2011.

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2011 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton and measure chlorophyll, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir. Water quality and algal data have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual reports have been sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, and 2010 (January and December).

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2009–2010 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir, and measure other standard biological and chemical parameters. Water quality data and algae counts have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual data summaries were sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, and January 2010.

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2010 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen, Rachael D. (Rachael Dawn) Gravon, Jessie Rosanbalm

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir, and measure other standard biological and chemical parameters. Water quality data and algae counts have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual data summaries were sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007 and 2008.

(rev. Feb 18, 2010)

Effluent Organic Nitrogen (Eon): Bioavailability And Photochemical And Salinity-Mediated Release, Deborah A. Bronk, Quinn N. Roberts, Marta P. Sanderson, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Patrick G. Hatcher, Rajaa Mesfioui, Katherine C. Filippino, Margaret R. Mulholland, Nancy G. Love

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to investigate three potential ways that the soluble organic nitrogen (N) fraction of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, termed effluent organic N (EON), could contribute to coastal eutrophication - direct biological removal, photochemical release of labile compounds, and salinity-mediated release of ammonium (NH₄+). Effluents from two WWTPs were used in the experiments. For the bioassays, EON was added to water from four salinities (∼0 to 30) collected from the James River (VA) in August 2008, and then concentrations of N and phosphorus compounds were measured periodically over 48 h. Bioassay results, based …

Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurrence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton

Virginia Journal of Science

Sporadic algal bloom development within a 10 year monitoring program in Virginia tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay is reviewed. These blooms were common events, characteristically producing a color signature to the surface water, typically short lived, occurring mainly from spring into autumn throughout different salinity regions of these rivers, and were produced primarily by dinoflagellates. The abundance threshold levels that would identify bloom status from a non-bloom presence were species specific, varied with the taxon's cell size, and ranged from ca. 10 to 10⁴ cells mL^-1. Among the most consistent sporadic bloom producers were the dinoflagellates Akashiwo …

Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sporadic algal bloom development within a 10 year monitoring program in Virginia tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay is reviewed. These blooms were common events, characteristically producing a color signature to the surface water, typically short lived, occurring mainly from spring into autumn throughout different salinity regions of these rivers, and were produced primarily by dinoflagellates. The abundance threshold levels that would identify bloom status from a non-bloom presence were species specific, varied with the taxon's cell size, and ranged from ca. 10 to 10(4) cells mL(-1). Among the most consistent sporadic bloom producers were the dinoflagellates Akashiwo sanguinea, Cochlodinium …

Nutrient Limitation Of Phytoplankton By Nitrogen And Phosphorus: Erosion Of The Phosphorus Paradigm, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, William M. Lewis Iii

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Phytoplankton Development Within Tidal Freshwater Regions Of Two Virginia Rivers, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt

Virginia Journal of Science

Phytoplankton composition and the range of seasonal patterns of abundance are presented for the tidal freshwater regions in two Virginia rivers based on data accumulated monthly from 1986 through 1999. Diatoms dominated the flora during spring, summer, and fall, whereas, other taxonomic categories were more representative when the river flow rates decreased, allowing for a more stable water system and increased residency time within this tidal region during summer and early fall. This summer/fall period was associated with increased water temperatures, higher productivity rates and chlorophyll levels, increased total phytoplankton abundance and species diversity. The major components of the summer …

Comparison Of Phytoplankton And Autotrophic Picoplankton Populations Over A 24-Hour Period From A Pond's Surface And Subsurface Waters, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt, Elżbieta Wilk-Woźniak

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton abundance and composition relationships within the surface layer changed over short time periods (4-6 hours) in comparison with more constant associations at 2 cm below the surface. Both strata had a diverse algal flora (>50 taxa), but no distinct neuston assemblage characterized the surface layer algal composition over the 24-hour study. The similarity between the two strata indicated the floral composition of the surface layer came from the water column algae below the surface. Chlorophytes, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and cryptophytes represented the most abundant algal categories for both strata with a total mean phytoplankton abundance of 3,566 cells ml …

Phytoplankton Development Within Tidal Freshwater Regions Of Two Virginia Rivers, Usa, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton composition and the range of seasonal patterns of abundance are presented for the tidal freshwater regions in two Virginia rivers based on data accumulated monthly from 1986 through 1999. Diatoms dominated the flora during spring, summer, and fall, whereas, other taxonomic categories were more representative when the river flow rates decreased, allowing for a more stable water system and increased residency time within this tidal region during summer and early fall. This summer/fall period was associated with increased water temperatures, higher productivity rates and chlorophyll levels, increased total phytoplankton abundance and species diversity. The major components of the summer …

Effects Of Experimental Greenhouse Warming On Phytoplankton And Zooplankton Communities In Fishless Alpine Ponds, Angela L. Strecker, Tyler P. Cobb, Rofl D, Vinebrooke

Angela L. Strecker

The impacts of global warming on aquatic ecosystems are expected to be most pronounced at higher trophic levels in cold-water environments. Therefore, we hypothesized that wanning of fishless alpine ponds would suppress large-bodied consumers (e.g., cladocerans, copepods) and stimulate fast-growing microorganisms (e.g., phytoflagellates, rotifers), thereby altering the community composition and total abundance of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This hypothesis was tested using three blocks of four experimental mesocosms (1000-liter capacity) that were located next to alpine ponds in Banff National Park, Canada. Each block received unfiltered pond water and sediment from a pond following ice out in June 2000. A warming …

Effects Of Experimental Greenhouse Warming On Phytoplankton And Zooplankton Communities In Fishless Alpine Ponds, Angela L. Strecker, Tyler P. Cobb, Rolf D. Vinebrooke

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The impacts of global warming on aquatic ecosystems are expected to be most pronounced at higher trophic levels in cold-water environments. Therefore, we hypothesized that wanning of fishless alpine ponds would suppress large-bodied consumers (e.g., cladocerans, copepods) and stimulate fast-growing microorganisms (e.g., phytoflagellates, rotifers), thereby altering the community composition and total abundance of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This hypothesis was tested using three blocks of four experimental mesocosms (1000-liter capacity) that were located next to alpine ponds in Banff National Park, Canada. Each block received unfiltered pond water and sediment from a pond following ice out in June 2000. A warming …