You are here:
Lake Ontario: Nearshore Conditions and Variability in Water Quality Parameters
Citation:
YURISTA, P. M., J. R. KELLY, S. E. MILLER, AND J. VAN ALSTINE. Lake Ontario: Nearshore Conditions and Variability in Water Quality Parameters. JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH. International Association for Great Lakes Research, Ann Arbor, MI, 38(4 Supplement):133-145, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
To document research results.
Description:
Interest in recent years has increased regarding conditions in the nearshore of the Great Lakes. We conducted a high-resolution survey of the Lake Ontario nearshore along the 20 m contour using towed electronic instrumentation. The 720 km survey was conducted September 6-10, 2008. The survey included a repeat of a shorter 300 km stretch surveyed during August 14-15 to examine temporal variability. The towed sensors provided high resolution information on spatial variability both vertically and horizontally in the nearshore. Along the survey tracks we also sampled fixed stations (17 and 6 respectively) to collect calibration data and other parameters not observed by the in situ electronic sensors. Multiple cross-contour tows (15, from 10 to 30 m) on both cruise dates were used to characterize the variability across the breadth of the nearshore. There was a strong linear correlation among shore parallel and cross-contour parameter values. This relationship supported using the 20 m contour values as a spatial representation of the regional nearshore condition (10 to 30 m). Variation in the nearshore data was analyzed using multivariate stepwise regressions with respect to landscape characteristics of the adjacent coastal watersheds (US only). The strongest correlations to the landscape among the nearshore data were from specific conductivity and chlorophyll (r2 of 0.25 and 0.27 respectively). A broad scale clustering of the nearshore parameters identified three general regions distinguished primarily by temperature, plankton, and specific conductivity. Lake wide averages, spatial trends, and associated variability at multiple scales across the nearshore provided a comprehensive snapshot of the entire Lake Ontario nearshore condition.
