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VARIABILITY, PATTERN, AND SENSITIVITY OF ECOLOGICAL INDICAORS FOR NEARSHORE REGIONS OF THE GREAT LAKES
Citation:
Kelly, J. R., P. M. Yurista, AND J A. Morrice. VARIABILITY, PATTERN, AND SENSITIVITY OF ECOLOGICAL INDICAORS FOR NEARSHORE REGIONS OF THE GREAT LAKES. Presented at American Society of Limnology and Oceanography 2003 Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, February 8-14, 2003.
Description:
Associated with the Great Lakes Environmental Indicators (GLEI) project of the EaGLe program, we are evaluating a suite of indicators of ecological condition for the nearshore region of U.S. shorelines of the Great Lakes. The evaluation includes sampling conducted at limited fixed station arrays to semi-synoptic sampling at scales >10 km2. Continuous sampling of the water column with towed in-situ sensors is coupled with simultaneous characterization of sediments via acoustic classification. Continuous measurements are supplemented by discrete samples for water and sediment chemistry, biota, and stable isotope analyses to characterize benthic-pelagic coupling. Sampling to date has included over 40 distinct segments of the nearshore (~5-50 m depth zones), with locations established to represent a coastal watershed disturbance gradient for both upper and lower Great Lakes. Nested within this design, we compare nearshore ecosystems receiving tributary inputs to adjacent areas removed from direct tributary input. Results will test if, via these indicators and sampling styles, we can establish the nature and scale of nearshore response to coastal development. This abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.