Zebra Mussels as Biomonitors for Organic Contaminants in the Lower Great Lakes

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Comba ◽  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽  
Klaus L.E. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Organic Contamination ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Zebra mussels were collected from 24 sites in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River between 1990 and 1992. Composite samples of whole mussels (15 sites) or soft tissues (9 sites) were analyzed for residues of organochlo-rine pesticides and PCBs to evaluate zebra mussels as biomonitors for organic contaminants. Mussels from most sites contained measurable quantities of most of the analytes. Mean concentrations were (in ng/g, whole mussel dry weight basis) 154 ΣPCB, 8.4 ΣDDT, 3.5 Σchlordane, 3.4 Σaldrin, 1.4 ΣBHC, 1.0 Σendosulfan, 0.80 mirex and 0.40 Σchlorobenzene. Concentrations varied greatly between sites, i.e., from 22 to 497 ng/g for ΣPCB and from 0.08 to 11.6 ng/g for ΣBHC, an indication that mussels are sensitive to different levels of contamination. Levels of ΣPCB and Σendosulfan were highest in mussels from the St. Lawrence River, whereas mirex was highest in those from Lake Ontario. Overall, mussels from Lake Erie were the least contaminated. These observations agree well with the spatial contaminant trends shown by other biomoni-toring programs. PCB congener class profiles in zebra mussels are also typical for nearby industrial sources, e.g., mussels below an aluminum casting plant contained 55% di-, tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls versus 31% in those upstream. We propose the use of zebra mussels as biomonitors of organic contamination in the Great Lakes.

A Comparison of Methods for Normalizing Residues of Organic Contaminants in Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), with Implications for Biomonitoring Programs

2002 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽  
Michael E. Comba ◽  
Klaus L.E. Kaiser ◽  
Shane R. De Solla
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Tissue Weight ◽  
Spatial Trends ◽  
Lipid Weight

Abstract There has been little consistency to date in the method used to express concentrations of organic contaminants in zebra mussels collected from the Great Lakes. Concentrations have been reported on a wet whole (with shells), dry whole, wet soft tissue, dry soft tissue, and lipid weight basis. This study examined residues of organic contaminants in samples of zebra mussels collected from 24 sites in the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, to determine if the way in which the residues were normalized could affect the precision of estimated concentrations or the spatial trends observed. Variation in the moisture content of soft tissues was minimal, so normalizing to wet or dry soft tissue weight would yield consistent results. Moisture content of whole mussels was more variable, and relative proportions of soft tissues and shell vary with size, season and location—potentially confounding spatial trends. Lipid content also varies greatly among locations, seasons and years, and lipid-normalized residues were much more variable than residues normalized to whole or soft tissue weight. Furthermore, site-to-site trends based on lipid-normalized data did not always agree with those based on other components of the organism, and thus should not be interpreted in isolation.

Colonization, Ecology, and Population Structure of the "Quagga'' Mussel (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) in the Lower Great Lakes

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2305-2314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Ron M. Dermott ◽  
Edward F. Roseman ◽  
Donna Dustin ◽  
Eric Mellina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
New York State ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
St Lawrence River

An invasive dreissenid mussel given the working name of "quagga" has a present (spring 1993) distribution in the Laurentian Great Lakes from the western basin of Lake Erie to Quebec City. In Lake Erie, quaggas were collected as early as 1989 and now are most common in the eastern basin. In Lakes Erie and Ontario, proportions of quaggas increased with depth and decreasing water temperature. In the eastern basin of Lake Erie, quaggas outnumbered zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) by 14 to 1 in deeper waters (>20 m). In Lake Ontario, quaggas were observed at depths as great as 130 m, and both quagga and zebra mussel were found to survive at depths (>50 m) where temperatures rarely exceed 5 °C. Quaggas were sparse or absent along inland waterways and lakes of New York State. Mean shell size of quagga mussel was larger than that of zebra mussel at sites in the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. The largest quaggas (38 mm) were observed in the St. Lawrence River at Cape Vincent.

Deepwater population structure and reproductive state of quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Erie

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 2428-2433 ◽  
Author(s):  
S L Roe ◽  
H J MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Quagga Mussels

Quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) population structure and reproductive status were assessed at deepwater (37 and 55 m) sites in eastern Lake Erie during July 1996. Mussels occupied ~70% of soft substrates at 37-m sites and between 63 and 90% at 55-m sites. Shell length and dry mass frequency distributions were similar at both sites, although recruits <<= 5 mm comprised a larger proportion of the population at the deeper site. The population surveyed here allocated disproportionately less mass to shell and more to soft tissues relative to zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) from shallow-water sites in eastern Lake Erie and from Lake St. Clair. The population at 55 m was slightly skewed toward male mussels (58%). Female mussels that were examined for reproductive state contained mature oocytes (80%) or had spent gonads (20%). Because water temperature at the site was only 4.8°C, this survey provides the first evidence of gonadal development and spawning by quagga mussels at low temperature. These findings contrast with most reports of spawning by congeneric zebra mussels at temperatures >=>12°C but are consistent with distributions of the species in different basins of the lake.

Phosphorus Enrichment, Silica Utilization, and Biogeochemical Silica Depletion in the Great Lakes

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire L. Schelske ◽  
Eugene F. Stoermer ◽  
Gary L. Fahnenstiel ◽  
Mark Haibach
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Thermal Stratification ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Phosphorus Enrichment

Our hypothesis that silica (Si) depletion in Lake Michigan and the severe Si depletion that characterizes the lower Great Lakes were induced by increased phosphorus (P) inputs was supported by bioassay experiments showing increased Si uptake by diatoms with relatively small P enrichments. We propose that severe Si depletion (Si concentrations being reduced to ≤0.39 mg SiO2∙L−1 prior to thermal stratification) results when P levels are increased to the extent that increased diatom production reduces Si concentrations to limiting levels during the thermally mixed period. Large P enrichments such as those that characterized the eastern and central basis of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in the early 1970s are necessary to produce severe Si depletion. It is clear that severe Si depletion in the lower lakes was produced by P enrichment because inflowing waters from Lake Huron have smaller P concentrations and larger Si concentrations than the outflowing waters of either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. Severe Si depletion probably began in the 1940s or 1950s as the result of increased P loads from expanded sewering of an increasing urban population and the introduction of phosphate detergents. The model proposed for biogeochemical Si depletion is consistent with previous findings of high rates of internal recycling because, under steady-state conditions for Si inputs, any increase in diatom production will produce an increase in permanent sedimentation of biogenic Si provided some fraction of the increased biogenic Si production is not recycled or unless there is a compensating increase in dissolution of diatoms.

Zooplankton of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes — Species Composition, Distribution, and Abundance

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 783-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. F. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Composition Distribution ◽  
Free Weight ◽  
Sampling Intervals ◽  
Peak Abundance

Recent studies of zooplankton of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes have concentrated on a broad synoptic coverage of sampling stations and repeated cruises throughout a growing season. This has resulted in a considerable amount of detail about seasonal changes in species composition, total numbers, and vertical and horizontal distributions. Investigators have treated the data to show differences in distribution over the lakes on a cruise and cruise mean averages for each lake, often weighted by area to provide relative abundance figures over the season and between lakes.Maximum numbers were observed in Lake Erie (225,000/m3). Considerably fewer organisms were found in periods of peak abundance in Lake Ontario (55,000/m3) and Lake Huron (22,000/m3). No firm estimates are available for Lake Superior but numbers from one cruise (8000/m3) indicate still lower values there. Biomass estimates (either as ash-free weight of material from planktonnet hauls or from conversions of numbers to biomass from dry weight factors for individual species) are highest for Lake Erie, but reflect the larger size of organisms in the other lakes, especially Huron and Superior.Species distributions are now reasonably well known for crustaceans, except in one or two taxa of the cladocerans Daphnia and Bosmina whose variability should be investigated more fully. Recent studies have been made on the rotifers, but their numbers, distribution, and ecological role is not fully defined. Similarly, the distribution and role of protozoan groups have been largely ignored.Several computer techniques are suggested for the handling and analysis of the large quantities of data generated on lakewide surveys including community coefficients and cluster analyses. More attention should be given to determining sampling intervals to obtain information which can precisely detect changes in abundance from year to year, and better population dynamics and production data are needed to relate zooplankton stocks to eutrophication.

scholarly journals HINDCAST WAVE STATISTICS FOR THE GREAT LAKES

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Thorndike Saville, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Beach Erosion ◽  
Wave Statistics ◽  
Local Problems ◽  
Existing Data

The General Investigations program of the Beach Erosion Board comprises investigations, regional rather than local in scope, designed to improve, simplify, and expedite the solution of local problems, by giving a compilation of all existing data pertinent to shore processes in the particular region. As a first step in the compilation of these data, a study of wave and lake level conditions on the Great Lakes is being made. The results of such studies for Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario have recently been completed and published as Technical Memorandums of the Beach Erosion Board (Saville, 1953).

Contamination Hazard from Waste Disposal Sites near Receding Great Lakes Shorelines

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.P. Coakley
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Waste Site ◽  
Shore Zone ◽  
Upper Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Waters ◽  
Hydrogeological Information

Abstract Of the approximately 4000 waste disposal sites in Ontario, more than 230 are located within 5 km of the shoreline of the lower Great Lakes. Sixty sites are within 1 km of the shore. Unlike the more resistant bedrock shores of the Upper Great Lakes, the shoreline between Midland (Georgian Bay) and Kingston (Lake Ontario) is composed primarily of unlithified glacial deposits, and thus is prone to significant erosion. This report presents an examination of the potential for contamination of nearshore lake waters either directly through shoreline recession at the waste site, or indirectly through the transport to the lake of leachates from the nearby sites via groundwater discharges. Recession-related hazards were identified at three sites (two on Lake Ontario and one on Lake Erie). Groundwater contamination hazards were harder to identify due to insufficient subsurface and hydrogeological information. However, 31 sites, less than 0.2 km from the shore, were identified as potentially hazardous; 19 of these were located in the northern Lake Ontario shore zone.

Economic Problems Facing Canadian Shipping

1966 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
pp. 212-224
Author(s):  
G. F. Bain
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Ocean Shipping ◽  
The Future ◽  
Operating Methods ◽  
Economic Outlook

After briefly sketching the composition of Canada's shipping fleet and pointing out how its productivity has altered and may alter in the future, an examination of the Canadian Great Lakes fleet and its economic outlook is attempted. The author holds that, having reached the physical limits of size, Canadians can no longer respond to competitive pressures except by adopting new management and operating methods and by developing new shipping patterns. Rail and foreign ocean shipping will provide increased competition. A case is made for close Industry-Government consultation to avoid conflicting policies and a case is made to build a new canal between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to match the size of the Poe lock.

scholarly journals Influence of Lake Erie on a Lake Ontario Lake-Effect Snowstorm

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 2019-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. R. Kristovich ◽  
Luke Bard ◽  
Leslie Stoecker ◽  
Bart Geerts
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Surface ◽  
High Moisture ◽  
Lake Effect

AbstractAnnual lake-effect snowstorms, which develop through surface buoyant instability and upward moisture transport from the Laurentian Great Lakes, lead to important local increases in snowfall to the south and east. Surface wind patterns during cold-air outbreaks often result in areas where the air is modified by more than one Great Lake. While it is known that boundary layer air that has crossed multiple lakes can produce particularly intense snow, few observations are available on the process by which this occurs. This study examines unique observations taken during the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems (OWLeS) field project to document the process by which Lake Erie influenced snowfall that was produced over Lake Ontario on 28 January 2014. During the event, lake-effect clouds and snow that developed over Lake Erie extended northeastward toward Lake Ontario. OWLeS and operational observations showed that the clouds from Lake Erie disappeared (and snow greatly decreased) as they approached the Lake Ontario shoreline. This clear-air zone was due to mesoscale subsidence, apparently due to the divergence of winds moving from land to the smoother lake surface. However, the influence of Lake Erie in producing a deeper lake-effect boundary layer, thicker clouds, increased turbulence magnitudes, and heavier snow was identified farther downwind over Lake Ontario. It is hypothesized that the combination of a low-stability, high-moisture boundary layer as well as convective eddies and limited snow particles crossing the mesoscale subsidence region locally enhanced the lake-effect system over Lake Ontario within the plume of air originating over Lake Erie.

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