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Description of Work U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is identifying the types and locations of emerging and legacy toxic contaminants in the water and sediments at 59 major tributaries to the Great Lakes (including many Area of Concern sites). This information is needed to help prioritize watersheds for restoration, develop strategies to reduce contaminants, and measure the success of those efforts in meeting restoration goals. The USGS contaminant and virus tributary monitoring network follows the National Monitoring Network for Coastal Waters design. The monitoring effort includes collecting emerging contaminant samples at 17 sites, a subset of the 30 nutrient monitoring sites; and for human viruses and other waterborne...
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Description of Work U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will provide easily accessible, centrally located, USGS biological, water resources, geological, and geospatial datasets for Great Lakes basin restoration activities coordinated with GLOS. Managers, partners and the public will be able to readily access this information in usable interactive formats to help plan and implement restoration activities. Building tools and infrastructure to support standard data access, efficient data discovery and dynamic mapping of watersheds and their hydrologic properties. Developing decision support tools to enhance scientific investigation or disseminate project findings, for example integrating hydrologic models with real-time...
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Description of Work To date many meetings have been attended and coalitions developed between USGS Water Mission area and NYSDEC and EPA region 2 which have spun off into several other monitoring and BUI delisting projects funded by Region 2 through the USGS/EPA IA. This has been a perfect example of leveraging USGS GLRI funds to develop additional GLRI-related program for the Lake Ontario LaMP partners, especially for tributary nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Ontario and helping collect and assess the data needed to remove BUI impairments at the Rochester Embayment and St. Lawrence/Massena AOCs for benthos and phytoplankton impairments.
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Description of Work In 2014-15 the U.S. Geological Survey and State University of New York at Fredonia characterized the quantity and morphology of floating microplastics in 29 Great Lakes tributaries in 6 states under different hydrologic conditions, wastewater effluent contributions, land uses, and seasons. Tributaries were sampled four times each, during high-flow and low-flow conditions. Samples were collected from the upper 20-30cm of the stream using a 0.33mm mesh neuston net. Microplastic particles were sorted by size, counted, and categorized as fibers/lines, pellets/beads, foams, films, and fragments. References 1. R. C. Thompson et al., Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic? Science. 304, 838 (2004)....
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Description of Work The study will be implemented in two phases due to logistical constraints and the need to incorporate methods developed (and findings) from a comparable investigation underway in another AOC. The first phase will consist of site selection, methods refinement, work-plan development, subcontract assembly, site reconnaissance, and sediment collection which will be done mainly during FY2013. The second phase will consist of macroinvertebrate identification, sediment toxicity testing, data analysis and interpretation, and report preparation and review mainly during FY2014. In brief, we will generate bed sediment toxicity and benthic community data needed to test two related hypotheses that address...
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Description of Work USGS scientists will support EPA's year of intensive sampling around the Great Lakes to complement and expand upon EPA and other partner entities work. In 2013, on Lake Ontario USGS will sample the food web from a nearshore (20 m) to offshore (100 m) gradient where seasonal sampling of primary producers, benthic invertebrates, zooplankton, prey fish, sport fish, and their diets will occur. We will work closely with state management agencies and stakeholder groups to ensure that ecosystem models that emerge from this work explore relevant future management scenarios. Scientists will analyze the diets of the six species of trout and salmon currently occurring in Lake Ontario. This predator diet...
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Description of Work The first objective of this project is to restore Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River through development of new and innovative restoration techniques and evaluation of multiple salmon strains to determine their suitability for restoration. A primary focus of Atlantic salmon restoration is to evaluate survival of new strains of salmon stocked into Lake Ontario. As part of this project, the Sebago strain is being stocked into the lake and other strains are being considered for use based on life history characteristics and egg availability. This approach includes acquisition of Atlantic salmon eggs, rearing of salmon to various life stages (fry, fingerlings, smolts), marking,...
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Description of Work USGS scientists will develop support to State partners for the removal of Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) such as fish consumption advisories, fish tumor presence, Eutrophication and unwanted algae, drinking water problems, beach health, and concentrations of PCBs in lake trout and walleyes. Areas of Concern (AOC) principles and guidelines were developed as an initial reference point from which appropriate restoration criteria could be developed. Stage 2 Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) were developed for each of these AOCs to address impairments to any one of 14 beneficial uses associated with these areas. Specific remediation actions are completed in order to restore the beneficial use. When...
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Description of Work Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.)
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Description of Work Determine the relative sensitivity of two species of amphibians (i.e. Wood Frogs Rana sylvatica, Cricket Frogs Acris crepitans blanchardi, American Toad Bufo americana) to exposure to acute and chronic levels of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. This data will be used to evaluate the current ammonia criteria and for possible inclusion in the development of criteria for nitrite and nitrate.
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Description of Work The invasive form of Phragmites australis (common reed) is a well-established pest in many parts of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, including designated Areas of Concern. New innovative control options that sustainably target the competitive advantage often enjoyed by Phragmites and other invasive plants will contribute to a broad Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. This project targets the microorganisms that may help Phragmites spread and will employ a molecular genetic approach to silence the genes in Phragmites that give it a competitive edge over many native plants. This project helped build and will continue to be closely aligned with the Great Lakes Phragmites...
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Description of Work U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) will identify through this project significant sources and impacts of historical and newly emerging toxics to the Great Lakes ecosystem through broad surveillance as well as laboratory and field research of tree swallows and other bird species. USGS scientists will determine the amount of exposure to and the effects of historical and emerging contaminants in Great Lakes food chains. The data will inform regulators and provide guidance on removal of Beneficial Use Impairments at Area of Concern sites around the Great Lakes. Work supported under this project is quantifying exposure to, and effects of, both historical and emerging contaminants on Great Lakes food chains...
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Tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, were sampled across the Great Lakes basin in 2010-2015 to provide a system-wide assessment of current exposure to organic contaminants. These results provide information identified as critical by land managers and regulators to assess the ‘Bird or Animal Deformity or Reproductive Problems’ Beneficial Use Impairment. Eggs were collected from 69 sites across all five Great Lakes, including 27 Areas of Concern (AOCs), some with multiple sites, and ten sites not listed as an AOC. Concentrations of organic contaminants in eggs were quantified and compared to background and reproductive effect thresholds. Approximately one-third of the AOCs had geometric mean concentrations of total...
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Description of Work The work completed for this template will provide the following information: 1) Generate acute and chronic toxicity data for freshwater mussels and snails to enhance the protection of listed/endangered species in the GL basin; 2) Refine methods and conduct acute and chronic toxicity tests on amphibians; 3) Develop and test methods for conducting chronic toxicity tests for mayflies.
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Description of Work The GLRI Rivermouths Project (template 82) is designed to enhance our understanding of how rivermouths function at both regional and local scales by 1) developing a rivermouth classification system, based on a broad scale database covering all Great Lakes rivermouths (>2000); 2) creating a science-based understanding of how the ecological structure and function of rivermouths are linked both to the landscapes they drain and to the Lakes with which they mix; and 3) increasing the public and scientific profile of these ecosystems by connecting researchers and natural resource managers through a collaborative dialog. The long-term goal is to provide enhanced guidance for restoration and rehabilitation...
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Description of Work U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are improving the health of the Great Lakes sport and commercial fisheries by documenting sources and the determining the processes that control mercury entering food webs, and helping to evaluate the implications for public health. Our scientists will provide decision-makers with a scientific understanding of mercury-source profiles, the relative importance of the various sources, and the expected environmental responses to Great Lakes wasters and fisheries to altered mercury loading and restoration actions. This information is intended to inform and maximize the benefit of the Great Lakes restoration program. The USGS will develop mercury and methylmercury...
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Description of Work This study will generate bed sediment toxicity and benthic community data needed to test two related hypotheses that address the two criteria for delisting the benthos BUI. The first hypothesis is that bed sediments at selected sample locations in the AOC (in three tributaries and in the St. Lawrence River) are no more toxic to the test species than bed sediments collected from control sites located outside (generally upstream from) the AOC. Acute (survival) and chronic (growth) whole bed-sediment toxicity tests will be conducted using the midge (Chironomus dilutus), following standard methods (USEPA 1994; USEPA 2000). The second hypothesis is that the benthic macroinvertebrate communities from...
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Contaminant exposure of tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, nesting in the Great Lakes basin was assessed in 2010 to 2014. Tree swallow nestlings were collected from 69 sites which included multiple sites at some of the 27 Areas of Concern (AOCs) and at nine non-AOC sites. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) concentrations were measured in nestling stomach contents. Concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs were measured in nestling carcasses. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in nestling plasma. Pooled dietary concentrations of total PAHs were highest at the Rouge River, MI AOC (1,856 ng/g wet weight) and lowest at White Lake, MI...
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Description of Work The Great Lakes ecosystem has undergone major changes over the last two decades related to the invasion of Dreissenid mussels, increased water clarity, increased benthic algae and associated water quality problems. For reasons not yet entirely understood, and that have bi-national significance, water column total phosphorus has not significantly increased over the last decade but the relative percent of the more biologically available dissolved phosphorus has increased. The filtering action of Dreissenid mussels has been shown to increase concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in the water column immediately above mussel beds and this had been hypothesized as one explanation for the increase...
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Description of Work U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will use remote sensing data to establish a baseline understanding of current distributions of invasive wetland plants and then forecast potential invasion corridors. Alterations to the Great Lakes shoreline or water-level patterns associated with global climate change could have significant impacts on the extent and composition of coastal habitat. Low lake levels can expose fertile wetland bottomlands to invasive species such as common reed ( Phragmites). Goals & Objectives Goals: Identify current Phragmites distribution in the Great Lakes coastal zone, detect potential areas vulnerable to invasion due to influences such as altered water levels, nutrient and...
map background search result map search result map Benthic Communities and Sediment Toxicity in the St Lawrence River AOC Benthic Communities and Sediment and Water Toxicity in the Rochester Embayment AOC Lakewide Management Plan Capacity Support by U.S. Geological Survey - LAKE ONTARIO Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes AOC Decision Support Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes Enabling Discovery and Access to USGS Great Lakes Scientific Data Through Web-Based Applications Determination of the Sensitivity of Two Species of Amphibians to Toxicity From Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia Toxicity Testing for Stream Dwelling Amphibians, Mussels, and Mayflies Lake Ontario Component - Exploring changes in nutrient transfer within Great Lakes food webs: implications for fish production Forecasting Potential Phragmites Coastal Invasion Corridors Invasive Phragmites: Prevention, Monitoring, and Control Strategies in an Integrated Pest Management Framework Characterizing Rivermouth Ecosystems Understanding Nutrient Loading Impacts on Lake Ontario Nearshore Waters at the Niagara River Connecting Channel Developing and Implementing Predictive Models for Estimating Recreational Water Quality at Great Lakes Beaches in new York State Microplastics in Great Lakes Tributaries Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes - Egg Contaminants Data Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes Benthic Communities and Sediment Toxicity in the St Lawrence River AOC Benthic Communities and Sediment and Water Toxicity in the Rochester Embayment AOC Lake Ontario Component - Exploring changes in nutrient transfer within Great Lakes food webs: implications for fish production Lakewide Management Plan Capacity Support by U.S. Geological Survey - LAKE ONTARIO Understanding Nutrient Loading Impacts on Lake Ontario Nearshore Waters at the Niagara River Connecting Channel Developing and Implementing Predictive Models for Estimating Recreational Water Quality at Great Lakes Beaches in new York State Microplastics in Great Lakes Tributaries Toxicity Testing for Stream Dwelling Amphibians, Mussels, and Mayflies Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes AOC Decision Support Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes Enabling Discovery and Access to USGS Great Lakes Scientific Data Through Web-Based Applications Determination of the Sensitivity of Two Species of Amphibians to Toxicity From Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia Forecasting Potential Phragmites Coastal Invasion Corridors Invasive Phragmites: Prevention, Monitoring, and Control Strategies in an Integrated Pest Management Framework Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes - Egg Contaminants Data Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes Characterizing Rivermouth Ecosystems