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Lake Superior: Nearshore Variability and a Landscape Driver Concept (journal article)
Citation:
YURISTA, P. M., J. R. KELLY, AND S. E. MILLER. Lake Superior: Nearshore Variability and a Landscape Driver Concept (journal article). Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management. Taylor & Francis, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 14(4):345-355, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
To document research results.
Description:
Spatial variation is well known to exist in water quality parameters of the Great Lakes nearshore, however strong patterns for extended reaches also have been observed and found to be robust across seasonal time frames. Less is known about robustness of inter-annual variation within parameters for water quality in the nearshore. We have conducted high-resolution surveys with towed electronic instrumentation in nearshore areas of Lake Superior and have combined several seasons (2001-2005) of measurements from multiple research efforts to investigate how spatial variation compares across years. The combined survey tows ranged across approximately 1200 km of Lake Superiors’ south shore. In addition to the survey tracks we also sampled fixed stations to collect calibration data and other parameters not observed by the in situ electronic sensors. The towed sensor data provided information on the spatial and temporal variability of water quality parameters along the nearshore. We found a consistent spatial pattern over time along the south shore of Lake Superior. Nearshore water quality parameters were analyzed with respect to landscape characteristics of the adjacent watersheds (US only) using multivariate stepwise regressions and found to correlate to landscape characterization. The landscape character appears to drive and maintain the spatial pattern and variability in nearshore water quality parameters.