scholarly journals St Lawrence Seaway: Eastern Great Lakes, the Niagara River and Welland Canal Replacement, Maintenance and Protection

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (09) ◽  
pp. 778-799
Author(s):  
Kenneth R. Olson ◽  
Cory D. Suski
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Niagara River

Morphometric differentiation and gene flow in emerald shiners (Notropis atherinoides) from the lower Great Lakes and the Niagara River

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-332
Author(s):  
John J.V. Lang ◽  
Randal J. Snyder ◽  
Mark D. Clapsadl ◽  
Pawel Michalak ◽  
Lin Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Morphometric Differentiation ◽  
Notropis Atherinoides

Distribution of Organochlorine Pesticides and PCBs between Aqueous and Suspended Sediment Phases in the Lower Great Lakes Region

1985 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. McCrea ◽  
John D. Fischer ◽  
Kenneth W. Kuntz
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Organochlorine Pesticides ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Pesticide Residues ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Organochlorine Contaminants ◽  
Sediment Fraction ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Suspended sediment and extracts of the aqueous phase were collected in 1981 at eleven locations in the Lower Great Lakes Region and analyzed for 17 organochlorine pesticide residues and PCB's. Mirex, and p,p'-DDE when found were predominantly in the suspended sediment fraction, whereas α-BHC, γ-BHC, dieldrin, endrin, p,p'-TDE and trans-chlordane were most abundant in the aqueous phase. Several pesticide residues, notably cis-chlordane, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-methoxychlor were found to have variable distribution characteristics between the suspended sediment and aqueous phases. The greater proportion of organochlorine pesticides present in Lake Erie and the Niagara River were found in the aqueous phase samples, which contained at least 90% of the total pesticide concentration at 5 of the 6 stations sampled. Virtually all of the organochlorine contaminants present in Lake Ontario were found in the aqueous phase, which contained 100% of the pesticides and 91% of total PCB's. Similar results were obtained for the St Lawrence River.

Distribution and Dispersal of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Great Lakes Region

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 1381-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald W. Griffiths ◽  
Donald W. Schloesser ◽  
Joseph H. Leach ◽  
William P. Kovalak
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
High Fecundity ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Nuisance Species ◽  
Small Mussel

Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas), a small mussel common throughout most of Europe, was discovered in June of 1988 in the southern part of Lake St. Clair. Length–frequency analyses of populations from the Great Lakes and review of historical benthic studies suggest that the mussel was introduced into Lake St. Clair in late 1986, probably as a result of the discharge of ballast water from an ocean-crossing vessel. Following the 1990 reproductive season, Dreissena populations ranged from the head of the St. Clair River, through Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, Lake Erie, the Welland Canal, and the Niagara River to the western basin and southern shoreline of Lake Ontario. Isolated populations were found in the St. Lawrence River and in harbours in Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. The rapid dispersal of this organism has resulted from its high fecundity, pelagic larval stage, bysso-pelagic drifting ability of juveniles, and human activities associated with commercial shipping, fishing, and boating (research and pleasure). Virtually any waterbody that can be reached by boaters and fisherman within a few days travel of the lower Great Lakes, particularly Lake Erie, seems to be at risk of being invaded by this nuisance species.

scholarly journals Subspecific identification of the Great Lakes' first Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) using DNA

2015 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Jeffrey H. Skevington ◽  
James Pawlicki ◽  
Scott Kelso ◽  
Kevin C.R. Kerr ◽  
Marcie Jacklin
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Control Region ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Great Lakes Basin ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Sula Leucogaster ◽  
First Time

The first Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) recorded in the Great Lakes basin was discovered on Lake Erie near the source of the Niagara River on 7 October 2013 by J. P. Morphologic evidence suggested that this bird was an adult female of the nominate Atlantic subspecies. We obtained genomic DNA from feces left by the bird. Mitochondrial DNA from the control region (CR2) was sequenced and compared with extensive CR2 data for Brown Booby available in GenBank; this corroborated the morphologic hypothesis. This is the first time that a vagrant bird in Canada has been identified using DNA extracted from feces.

Postglacial Recession of Niagara Falls in Relation to the Great Lakes

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith J. Tinkler ◽  
James W. Pengelly ◽  
William G. Parkins ◽  
Gary Asselin
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Upper Great Lakes ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Niagara Falls ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Valley Fill ◽  
History Of ◽  
Recession Rates ◽  
Late Wisconsinan

AbstractThe recessional history of Niagara Falls in the present Niagara Gorge during the postglacial period has been a focus of study throughout this century. Radiocarbon ages of clam shells suggest that Niagara Falls migrated very slowly around the narrowed gorge section at Niagara Glen from 10,500 to 5500 yr B.P., when upper Great Lakes water bypassed Lake Erie and flowed to the Ottawa River via the outlet at North Bay, Ontario. Prior to that interval, river discharge and recession rates were similar to those at present, and similar rates resumed after 5200 yr B.P. By about 4500 yr B.P., the present gorge had intersected a buried gorge of the pre-late Wisconsinan Niagara River (St. Davids Gorge). The sediment derived from the excavated buried valley fill may be present as a distinct marker horizon in the sediments in southwestern Lake Ontario.

scholarly journals Status and Trends of the Lake Ontario Macrobenthos

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 1558-1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Nalepa
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
The Other ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Major River ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
River Mouths ◽  
The Impact

The benthic macroinvertebrate community of Lake Ontario was examined relative to communities found in the other Great Lakes and also relative to trends over time. In the nearshore, populations are heavily influenced by municipal and industrial inputs. For example, oligochaete abundances in the nearshore are higher than in any of the other Great Lakes (excluding shallow Lake Erie), communities have been altered even to relatively deep depths near the major river mouths, and the pollution-sensitive Pontoporeia hoyi is scarce along the southern shoreline east of the Niagara River mouth. In the profundal, benthic composition is similar to that found in the other Great Lakes, but biomass is less than might be expected given the amount of organic material settling to the bottom. Benthic standing stocks in this region have apparently declined almost threefold since the 1960s. Reasons for this decline do not appear to be related to trends in water column productivity or to predation pressure, but may be related to the accumulation of contaminants. Research needs include studies to assess benthic trends over a much broader area of the lake and studies to examine the impact of sublethal levels of contaminants.

Spatial distributions and temporal trends in pollutants in the Great Lakes 1968–2008

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Burniston ◽  
Paul Klawunn ◽  
Sean Backus ◽  
Brad Hill ◽  
Alice Dove ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Polybrominated Diphenylethers ◽  
Environmental Compartments

The Great Lakes have been the focus of intensive long-term research and monitoring programmes for the past 40 years. Spatial distributions and temporal trends have been determined for a range of environmental compartments, including surface water, sediment and fish. In general, there have been dramatic reductions in contamination by legacy pollutants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides and metals. Concentrations of PCBs and lead in surface water at the mouth of the Niagara River have decreased by 58 and 54%, respectively, over the period 1986–2007. Correspondingly, concentrations of PCBs and lead in offshore sediments of Lake Ontario have decreased by 37 and 45%, respectively, since peak accumulations in the 1970s. Temporal trends for more modern chemicals, including polybrominated diphenylethers and perfluoroalkyl compounds, showed increases up until 2000 when management actions and heightened stakeholder awareness resulted in a levelling off or decline in the subsequent time period. While legacy issues are largely associated with areas of historical industrial activity, the presence of newer chemicals is generally associated with modern urban/industrial areas that act as diffuse sources.

Food and indicators of food availability for common terns on the lower Great Lakes

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 1318-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Courtney ◽  
Hans Blokpoel
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Acceptance Levels ◽  
Emerald Shiner ◽  
Foraging Time

The food of common terns (Sterna hirundo) nesting on the lower Great Lakes was studied in 1979. In western Lake Ontario 90% of the diet comprised alewife and smelt. In the Niagara River the principal food items were smelt, emerald shiner, common shiner, and bluntnose minnow and in eastern Lake Erie the principal items were smelt, emerald shiner, and trout-perch. Nonfish material was rarely observed. Methods for studying the diets of common terns on the Great Lakes are examined.Three indicators of food availability were examined in 1979 at the Eastern Headland in western Lake Ontario: (1) percentage fish accepted by chicks, (2) foraging time, and (3) chick growth. More food was presented to the chicks than they could eat. Food acceptance levels increased with chick age and brood size and ranged from 43.5 to 91.5%. Foraging trip times were 17.2 min on average and, depending on brood size, tern pairs spent an estimated 45–64% of daylight hours foraging for food for their chicks. Weights of 15-day-old chicks in three-chick broods were higher than those reported for other parts of the breeding range.

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