Domestic ballast operations on the Great Lakes: potential importance of Lakers as a vector for introduction and spread of nonindigenous species

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Rup ◽  
Sarah A. Bailey ◽  
Chris J. Wiley ◽  
Mark S. Minton ◽  
A. Whitman Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
River System ◽  
Nonindigenous Species ◽  
Potential Importance ◽  
Water Transfers ◽  
Invasion Impacts ◽  
St Lawrence River

Ballast water is recognized globally as a major vector of aquatic nonindigenous species (NIS) introductions; domestic ballast water transfers, however, have generally been considered low risk in North America. We characterize ballast operations of domestic ships in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system (Lakers) during 2005–2007 to examine the risk of primary and secondary introductions associated with ballast water transfers over short distances. Results indicate that Lakers transported at least 68 million tonnes of ballast water annually. Approximately 71% of ballast water transfers were interregional, with net movement being from lower to upper lakes. A small proportion of ballast water discharged in the Great Lakes (<1%) originated from ports in the St. Lawrence River that may serve as sources for new NIS. These results indicate that domestic ballast water transfers may contribute to NIS introductions and are likely the most important ballast-mediated pathway of secondary spread within the Great Lakes. Future efforts to reduce invasion impacts should consider both primary and secondary introduction mechanisms.

Early Maize in Northeastern North America: A Comment on Emerson and Colleagues

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-427
Author(s):  
John P. Hart ◽  
William A. Lovis ◽  
M. Anne Katzenberg
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Human Bone ◽  
Northeastern North America ◽  
Isotopic Evidence ◽  
St Lawrence River

Emerson and colleagues (2020) provide new isotopic evidence on directly dated human bone from the Greater Cahokia region. They conclude that maize was not adopted in the region prior to AD 900. Placing this result within the larger context of maize histories in northeastern North America, they suggest that evidence from the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River valley for earlier maize is “enigmatic” and “perplexing.” Here, we review that evidence, accumulated over the course of several decades, and question why Emerson and colleagues felt the need to offer opinions on that evidence without providing any new contradictory empirical evidence for the region.

Oil Spill Simulation in Rivers

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 593-600
Author(s):  
Poojitha D. Yapa ◽  
Hung Tao Shen ◽  
Steven F. Daly ◽  
Stephen C. Hung
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
River System ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Ohio River ◽  
Oil Slick ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Dimensional Surface ◽  
St Lawrence River

ABSTRACT Computer models recently have been developed for simulating oil slick transport in rivers, including the connecting channels of the Great Lakes, the upper St. Lawrence River, and the Allegheny-Monongahela-Ohio River system. In these models, a Lagrangian discrete-parcel algorithm is used to determine the location and concentration distribution of the oil in the river as well as the deposition of oil on the shore. The model for the Great Lakes connecting channels (ROSS) is a two-dimensional surface slick model which considers advection, spreading, horizontal diffusion, evaporation, dissolution, and shoreline deposition. The model is applicable to both open water and ice covered conditions. Models for the St. Lawrence River and the Ohio River System are developed based on a two-layer scheme (ROSS2) which considers vertical mixing and emulsiflcation processes in addition to the processes considered in the surface slick model. All of these models are implemented on microcomputers and can be used as integral parts of oil spill response programs to assist cleanup actions.

Freight Capacity and Utilization of the Erie and Great Lakes Canals before 1850

1976 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 852-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. McIlwraith
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Canal Enlargement ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Eastern Half ◽  
St Lawrence River

This paper deals with the relationship between tonnage capacity and utilization of the Erie, Welland and St. Lawrence River canals before 1850. Estimates are presented for the capacities of the canals, as built and modified. Comparison with the actual tonnage carried eastward for selected years shows that the British canals were grossly and increasingly underutilized, while the Erie's utilization was closely correlated with its capability, particularly through its eastern half. Reasons for this situation are given and it is argued that had British funds been redirected away from canal enlargement and applied to the construction of vessels and harbor facilities, the British might have entered upon a prosperous carrying trade within North America in the second quarter of the nineteenth century.

“Codex canadiensis”, an early illustrated manuscript of Canadian natural history

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry M. Reeves ◽  
FrançOis-Marc Gagnon ◽  
C. Stuart Houston
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
French Canadian ◽  
French Canada ◽  
Histoire Naturelle ◽  
History Of ◽  
St Lawrence River

ABSTRACT: “Codex canadiensis” consists of 79 leaves with 180 illustrations of plants, birds, mammals, fishes, and a few fabulous animals. This manuscript arguably is the most obscure and enigmatic surviving document pertaining to the early natural history of French Canada. It was lost until 1930, when Baron Marc de Villiers first published a facsimile. Two inferior editions later appeared in Canada. The codex was acquired about 1949 by Oklahoma oil baron Thomas Gilcrease and then deposited in the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Under the direction of one of us (Gagnon), French-Canadian scholars have established the codex's author was Father Louis Nicolas (1634–c. 1678), a Jesuit priest who laboured among tribes along the St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes during 1664–1675. This rejects the previous attribution to Charles Bécard (correctly Bécart), Sieur de Granville. The codex likely was completed in part, if not entirely, after Nicolas' return to France in 1675, and it is closely related to a much larger undated work by Nicolas, “Histoire naturelle des Indes Occidentales”. “Codex canadiensis” is among the most valuable extant manuscripts illustrating the natural history of North America as explored by early European naturalists.

Options for Nonindigenous Species Control and Their Economic Impact on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway: A Survey

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Anastassios N. Perakis ◽  
Zhiyong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nonindigenous Species ◽  
Decision Problems ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Adverse Side Effects ◽  
Ecological Problems

Nonindigenous species (NIS) cause substantial economic and ecological problems in the United States and other countries with marine trade. Current legislation and regulations require mandatory ballast water exchange for those ships entering the Great Lakes. Due to the low compliance rate, and some inherent defects of legislation, the current status of NIS control is not very encouraging. Several technical and legislative options have been proposed to improve the efficiency of NIS control. The most promising methods include filtration with ultraviolet, heat, and ballast water exchange. No one method, however, can 100% effectively solve the NIS problem. Moreover, the mandatory requirements may induce modal shifts from marine to rail or truck mode on the Great Lakes, which may cause several adverse side effects on the economy and the environment. The decision problems for the cargo owners and the legislative body are also formulated.

Lethal and sublethal effects of sponge overgrowth on introduced dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 2695-2703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Ricciardi ◽  
Fred L. Snyder ◽  
David O. Kelch ◽  
Henry M. Reiswig
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
River System ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Freshwater Sponges ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
St Lawrence River

Freshwater sponges in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system overgrow and kill introduced zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) on solid substrates. Sponges overgrow and smother mussel siphons, thereby interfering with normal feeding and respiration. We tested the significance of sponge-enhanced mussel mortality by repeated sampling at several sites where both organisms were abundant in the upper St. Lawrence River and on an artificial reef in central Lake Erie. A small proportion (<10%) of the dreissenid population at each site was overgrown by sponge. Mussel colonies that were completely overgrown for 1 or more months invariably contained a significantly greater proportion of dead mussels than local uncovered populations. Mussels that survived prolonged periods (4–6 months) of overgrowth suffered significant tissue weight losses. Laboratory experiments and field observations suggest that dreissenids are not able to colonize sponges; therefore, sponges should always dominate competitive overgrowth situations. The overall impact of sponges on dreissenid populations in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system will probably be negligible because of the high rate of mussel recruitment and the environmental constraints on sponge growth; however, our results suggest that sponges may control mussel abundance locally.

The Defense of the Great Lakes Against the Invasion of Nonindigenous Species in Ballast Water

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (02) ◽  
pp. 92-100
Author(s):  
Katherine Weathers ◽  
Eric Reeves
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Nonindigenous Species ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Significant Damage ◽  
Engineering Changes

The Great Lakes is the first place where the United States has established a defense against the introduction of nonindigenous species carried in ballast water. U.S. regulations controlling the discharge of ballast from all vessels entering from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone into the Great Lakes went into effect in early 1993 and are enforced by the United States Coast Guard, with active assistance from the Canadians and the Seaway authorities. The Great Lakes are a unique, valuable, and sensitive resource which have already suffered significant damage from nonindigenous species and are under continuing threat from new invasions. The Great Lakes also have some unique defensive advantages because vessel traffic can be controlled at the Saint Lawrence Seaway and open ocean exchange with salt water can be used as a verifiable, reasonably cheap, and safe method for impeding the invasion of new freshwater species. However, more effective defenses are needed in order to prevent new invasions over the long term. Development of these new defenses will probably require engineering changes in ballast systems in all vessels engaged in transoceanic trade, whether going to fresh or saltwater ports.

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