Algal chlorophyll a is commonly used as a surrogate for algal biomass. Data from three lakes in western Nebraska, five wetlands in north-central North Dakota, and two lakes in north-central Minnesota represented a range in algal biovolume of over four orders of magnitude and a range in chlorophyll a from less than 1 to 380 mg∙m−3. Analysis of these data revealed that there was a linear relation, log10 algal biovolume = 5.99 + 0.09 chlorophyll a (r2 = 0.72), for cases in which median values of chlorophyll a for open-water periods were less than 20 mg∙m−3. There was no linear relation in cases in which median chlorophyll a concentrations were larger than 20 mg∙m−3 for open-water periods, an occurrence found only in shallow prairies lakes and wetlands for years in which light penetration was the least.
1997 floods in the Red River of the North and Missouri River basins in North Dakota and western Minnesota
