National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR)
Published August 1, 2012 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Interannual Variability of Cyanobacterial Blooms in Lake Erie

Authors/Creators

  • 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • 2. National Center for Water Quality Research

Description

ABSTRACT

After a 20-year absence, severe cyanobacterial blooms have returned to Lake Erie in the last decade, in spite of negligible change in the annual load of total phosphorus (TP). Medium-spectral Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imagery was used to quantify intensity of the cyanobacterial bloom for each year from 2002 to 2011. The blooms peaked in August or later, yet correlate to discharge (Q) and TP loads only for March through June. The influence of the spring TP load appears to have started in the late 1990s, after Dreissenid mussels colonized the lake, as hindcasts prior to 1998 are inconsistent with the observed blooms. The total spring Q or TP load appears sufficient to predict bloom magnitude, permitting a seasonal forecast prior to the start of the bloom.

Notes

This study was partially funded by NASA Applied Science Program announcement NNH08ZDA001N, contract NNH09AL53I, and the NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative. MERIS imagery was provided by the European Space Agency (Category-1 Proposal C1P.9975). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Nutrient and discharge data are archived at www.heidelberg.edu NCWQR, water discharge data are available through the USGSWater-Watch site. The authors would like to thank Randy Balram and Lita Katz for assistance in data management. Comments by the reviewers provided important improvements to this paper.

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