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GREAT LAKES LIMNOLOGY PROGRAM
Citation:
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of the Great Lakes limnology program are: 1. Assess the state of water quality in the open lake basins (water greater than 30 meters in depth, or greater than than 3 miles from shore.); 2. Provide data to detect and evaluate trends and annual changes in chloride, nitrate nitrogen, silica, phytoplankton, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and secchi disc depth; 3. Provide data sufficient to verify or modify water quality models; 4. Provide data to calculate the Trophic Index of each lake.
Description:
The limnology program provides information on key environmental factors that influence the food chain and fish of the Great Lakes. The annual monitoring of the Great Lakes began in 1983 for Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie; in 1986 in Lake Ontario; and in 1992 for Lake Superior. The sampling strategy is to collect water and biota samples at specific water depths from a limited number of locations in each lake twice every year.