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- Title
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHT PENETRATION AND CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATION ON METALIMNETIC OXYGEN MAXIMA (MOM) DEVELOPMENT IN LAKE ERIE.
- Authors
Conroy, Joseph D.; Dubelko, Gwen L.; Lehmann, Sophie B.; Kane, Douglas D.; Culver, David A.
- Abstract
Recurring seasonal hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen DO concentration, < 4 mg O2 L-1) and anoxia (< 1 mg L-1) greatly affects pelagic and benthic biota in Lake Erie's central basin. Here, we report the presence of metalimnetic oxygen maxima (MOM) throughout the Sandusky subbasin, the southwest portion of the central basin during 2005, 2006, and 2007. Using weekly (or more frequent) vertical-profile sampling of water temperature (degrees Celsius) and DO at 0.5-m intervals at seven sites in the Sandusky subbasin during summer (June-August), we found that MOM frequently occurred (in 72 of 135 DO vertical profiles) during 2005-2007. We hypothesized that the shallow depth (mean depth = 13.3 m relative to the central basin mean depth = 18.5 m) and high productivity (as chlorophyll a concentration, Chl a) of the Sandusky subbasin permitted adequate light penetration (as Secchi Disk transparency, SD) facilitating metalimnetic phytoplankton growth. We tested this prediction in 2007 and found that deeper, eastern subbasin sites more frequently had DO profiles with MOM than shallower, western subbasin sites (about 67% of the profiles versus 33% for eastern and western sites, respectively). However, neither Chl a nor SD predicted MOM occurrence (P > 0.05, R² < 0.10). These results reveal that either light penetration or the presence of primary producers is unimportant for MOM occurrence or that our temporal and spatial scales of investigation did not appropriately identify effect scales. Nevertheless, occurrence of MOM in the Sandusky subbasin and possibly the rest of the central basin may ameliorate hypoxic and anoxic conditions.
- Subjects
LAKE Erie; SANDUSKY (Ohio); OHIO; DISSOLVED oxygen in water; HYPOXIA (Water); LIGHT; GEOLOGICAL basins
- Publication
Ohio Journal of Science, 2008, Vol 108, Issue 1, pA-9
- ISSN
0030-0950
- Publication type
Article