David J. Schwab

Mean Circulation in the Great Lakes

Abstract In this paper new maps are presented of mean circulation in the Great Lakes, employing long-term current observations from about 100 Great Lakes moorings during the 1960s to 1980s. Knowledge of the mean circulation in the Great Lakes is important for ecological and management issues because it provides an indication of transport pathways of nutrients and contaminants on longer time scales. Based on the availability of data, summer circulation patterns in all of the Great Lakes, winter circulation patterns in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, and annual circulation patterns in Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Ontario were derived. Winter currents are generally stronger than summer currents, and, therefore, annual circulation closely resembles winter circulation. Circulation patterns tend to be cyclonic (counterclockwise) in the larger lakes (Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior) with increased cyclonic circulation in winter. In the smaller lakes (Lake Erie and Lake Ontario), winter circulation is characterized by a two-gyre circulation pattern. Summer circulation in the smaller lakes is different; predominantly cyclonic in Lake Ontario and anticyclonic in Lake Erie.

Modeling circulation and thermal structure in Lake Michigan: Annual cycle and interannual variability

A three-dimensional primitive equation numerical model was applied to Lake Michigan for the periods 1982–1983 and 1994–1995 to study seasonal and interannual variability of lake-wide circulation and thermal structure in the lake. The model was able to reproduce all of the basic features of the thermal structure in Lake Michigan: spring thermal bar, full stratification, deepening of the thermocline during the fall cooling, and finally, an overturn in the late fall. Large-scale circulation patterns tend to be cyclonic (counterclockwise), with cyclonic circulation within each subbasin. The largest currents and maximum cyclonic vorticity occur in the fall and winter when temperature gradients are low but wind stresses are strongest. The smallest currents and minimum cyclonic vorticity occur in spring and summer when temperature gradients are strong but wind stresses are weakest. All these facts are in agreement with observations. The main shortcoming of the model was that it tended to predict a more diffuse thermocline than was indicated by observations and explained only up to half of the variance observed in horizontal currents at timescales shorter than a day.

Transport and Mixing Between the Coastal and Offshore Waters in the Great Lakes: a Review

ABSTRACT The Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have horizontal scales of hundreds of kilometers and depth scales of hundreds of meters. In terms of coastal dynamics, they behave much like inland seas and exhibit physical processes characteristic of the coastal oceans. The lakes are dynamically similar to the coastal ocean in that their horizontal dimensions are larger than the vertical dimensions, and the principal source of mechanical energy is the wind. The major difference in dynamical processes is that the lakes are enclosed basins and are not connected to the deep ocean. This paper presents an overview of some of the significant aspects of physical processes in the coastal zones of the Great Lakes. The review is based on examples ranging from lake-wide experiments like the International Field Year on the Great Lakes (IFYGL) to several process-oriented coastal boundary layer experiments. The basic circulations in the nearshore zone and coastal boundary layer are summarized. The review concludes with suggestions for future work on the understanding of the physical processes that would have a bearing on lake management in the coastal zones of the Great Lakes.

A model of sediment resuspension and transport dynamics in southern Lake Michigan

A quasi-three-dimensional suspended sediment transport model was developed and generalized to include combined wave-current effects to study bottom sediment resuspension and transport in southern Lake Michigan. The results from a three-dimensional circulation model and a wind wave model were used as input to the sediment transport model. Two effects of nonlinear wave-current interactions were considered in the sediment transport model: the changes in turbulence intensity due to waves and the enhancement of induced bottom shear stresses. Empirical formulations of sediment entrainment and resuspension processes were established and parameterized by laboratory data and field studies in the lake. In this preliminary application of the model to Lake Michigan, only a single grain size is used to characterize the sedimentary material, and the bottom of the lake is treated as an unlimited sediment source. The model results were compared with measured suspended sediment concentrations at two stations and several municipal water intake turbidity measurements in southern Lake Michigan during November–December 1994. The model was able to reproduce the general patterns of high-turbidity events in the lake. A model simulation for the entire 1994–1995 two-year period gave a reasonable description of sediment erosion/deposition in the lake, and the modeled settling mass fluxes were consistent with sediment trap data. The mechanisms of sediment resuspension and transport in southern Lake Michigan are discussed. To improve the model, sediment classifications, spatial bottom sediment distribution, sediment source function, and tributary sediment discharge should be considered.

Biophysical Model of Larval Yellow Perch Advection and Settlement in Lake Michigan

ABSTRACT Potential for large-scale physical transport processes to affect recruitment of Lake Michigan yellow perch (Perca flavescens) was studied by examining the variation in larval distribution, growth rate, and settlement during June–August 1998–2003 using a 3D particle transport model linked with an individual-based bioenergetics growth model. In all years, virtual larvae were released nearshore in southwestern Lake Michigan, a known and important spawning region for yellow perch. For any given year, the same circulation pattern and water temperature either promoted or reduced yellow perch settlement depending on the consumption rates and settlement size chosen in the growth model. Increased consumption increased the number of settled larvae and expanded the total area where larvae settled, whereas increased settlement size reduced the number of settled larvae and reduced the overall settlement area. Interannual variability in circulation patterns and water temperature also resulted in contrasting larval settlement rates, settlement locations, and size of settlement areas between years. Model predictions were most consistent with field observations of age-0 yellow perch from Illinois and Michigan waters when settlement was assumed to occur at 50 mm. Moreover, our model suggests that larvae originating from southwestern Lake Michigan can recruit anywhere within the southern basin and even in the northern basin. Future model improvement will require information on the relative contribution of various sectors to the larval pool, their distribution with reference to the hydrodynamic landscape, the feeding and growth of yellow perch during their pelagic phase, and the size at transition to demersal stage.

Development of recurrent coastal plume in Lake Michigan observed for first time

NOAA CoastWatch satellite imagery from early 1996 captured the initiation, development, and decay of a recurrent coastal plume in southern Lake Michigan (Figure 1). For the past 4 years intermittent satellite coverage has revealed a late winter-early spring plume in the lake, a feature also observed by Mortimer [1988]. In 1996, clear weather conditions allowed researchers to observe the plumes development for the first time and they also collected water samples from helicopter and a small boat.

Lake Erie hypoxia prompts Canada‐U.S. study

Because of its size and geometry, the central basin of Lake Erie, one of North Americas Great Lakes, is subject to periods in the late summer when dissolved oxygen concentrations are low (hypoxia). An apparent increase in the occurrence of these eutrophic conditions and ‘dead zones’ in recent years has led to increased public concern. The International Field Years for Lake Erie (IFYLE) project of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL, a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) laboratory), was established in 2005 in response to this increase. This project is investigating the causes and consequences of hypoxia in the lake. As part of the effort, scientists from the United States and Canada conducted an extensive field study in 2005 to gather more information on the duration and extent of the hypoxic zone and its effects on the biota in the lake. This article gives a brief history and description of the problem and presents initial results from the field study.

Approaching storm: Disappearing winter bloom in Lake Michigan

ABSTRACT Between 1990 and 2001, late-winter phytoplankton blooms were common in parts of the lower Great Lakes (southern Lake Michigan, Saginaw Bay and southern Lake Huron, and western Lake Erie), providing resources for over-wintering Zooplankton. In Lake Michigan up to 2001, detailed remote sensing and ship studies documented well-developed late-winter blooms in the southern gyre (circular bloom termed the ‘doughnut’). However, from 2001 to 2008, the winter blooms in Lake Michigan also supported early season veliger larvae from the introduced, cold-water adapted “profunda” morph of quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis). Remote sensing and ship studies revealed that settled mussels caused an extraordinary increase in water transparency and a simultaneous decrease of Chl a in the late-winter bloom. Before quagga mussels in 2001, water transparency was 74–85% at deep-water sites, whereas it increased progressively to 89% by 2006 and 94–96% by 2008. Chlorophyll a concentrations in the gyre rings were 1.1–2.6 µg/L in 2001, declining to 0.5–1.7 µg/L by 2006 and 0.4–1.5 µg/L by 2008. The reduction of Chl a in the winter bloom rings from 2001 to 2008 was 56–78% for the western limb and 74–75% for the eastern limb. Zooplankton species abundance, composition and abundance also changed, as cyclopoid copepods became very scarce and overwintering omnivorous calanoid copepods declined. Reduction in late-winter phytoplankton and Zooplankton poses a serious threat to open-water food webs.

Automated Mapping of Surface Water Temperature in the Great Lakes

Abstract A procedure for producing daily cloud-free maps of surface water temperature in the Great Lakes has been developed. It is based on satellite-derived AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) imagery from NOAAs CoastWatch program. The maps have a nominal resolution of 2.6 km and provide as complete as possible coverage of the Great Lakes on a daily basis by using previous imagery to estimate temperatures in cloud covered areas. Surface water temperature estimates derived from this procedure compare well with water temperatures measured at the eight NOAA weather buoys in the lakes. The mean difference between the buoy temperature and the satellite-derived temperature estimates is less than 0.5°C for all buoys. The root mean square differences range from 1.10 to 1.76°C. As one example of the possible applications of this product, the daily surface water temperature maps for 1992 to 1997 were analyzed to produce daily estimates of average surface water temperature for each lake. Results are compared to the long-term (28 year) mean annual cycle of average surface water temperatures. The average surface water temperatures vary from as much as 4°C below climatology in 1993 to 2 to 3°C above climatology in 1995. The new analysis procedure also provides a more realistic depiction of the spatial distribution of temperature in the springtime than the climatological maps.

A hydrodynamic approach to modeling phosphorus distribution in Lake Erie.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to show how a high-resolution numerical circulation model of Lake Erie can be used to gain insight into the spatial and temporal variability of phosphorus (and by inference, other components of the lower food web) in the lake. The computer model simulates the detailed spatial and temporal distribution of total phosphorus in Lake Erie during 1994 based on tributary and atmospheric loading, hydrodynamic transport, and basin-dependent net apparent settling. Phosphorus loads to the lake in 1994 were relatively low, about 30% lower than the average loads for the past 30 years. Results of the model simulations are presented in terms of maps of 1) annually averaged phosphorus concentration, 2) temporal variability of phosphorus concentration, and 3) relative contribution of annual phosphorus load from specific tributaries. Model results illustrate that significant nearshore to offshore gradients occur in the vicinity of tributary mouths and their along-shore plumes. For instance, the annually averaged phosphorus concentration can vary by a factor of 10 from one end of the lake to the other. Phosphorus levels at some points in the lake can change by a factor of 10 in a matter of hours. Variance in phosphorus levels is up to 100 times higher near major tributary mouths than it is in offshore waters. The model is also used to estimate the spatial distribution of phosphorus variability and to produce maps of the relative contribution of individual tributaries to the annual average concentration at each point in the lake.