Oceanography The Official Magazine of
The Oceanography Society
Volume 21 Issue 04

View Issue TOC
Volume 21, No. 4
Pages 60 - 69

OpenAccess

Coastal Sediment Dynamics and River Discharge as Key Factors Influencing Coastal Ecosystem Productivity in Southeastern Lake Michigan

By Steven E. Lohrenz , Gary L. Fahnenstiel , Oscar Schofield , and David F. Millie  
Jump to
Article Abstract Citation References Copyright & Usage
Article Abstract

A central question addressed by the Episodic Events in the Great Lakes Experiment (EEGLE) was the extent to which the spring phytoplankton bloom in southern Lake Michigan is influenced by a recurrent coastal turbidity plume that results from wind-driven sediment resuspension and transport. Findings from a series of studies conducted as part of EEGLE during spring in 1998, 1999, and 2000 confirmed the importance of sediment processes as a factor influencing ecosystem productivity in southeastern Lake Michigan, but also identified interannual variability in river discharge as potentially important in regulating productivity in coastal waters. Here, we describe the application of satellite-derived and in situ optical observations to examine the impacts of the recurrent coastal turbidity plume (RCP) on light availability and phytoplankton productivity. A review and synthesis of prior work highlighted findings that sediment resuspension during the 1998 El Niño period, a time of intense winter storm activity and an unusually strong RCP, profoundly influenced optical properties in coastal waters, constraining phytoplankton growth and primary production. In contrast, in 1999, a moderate RCP coupled with relatively high discharge from the St. Joseph River led to a strong inner shelf optical signature indicative of elevated levels of dissolved organic matter and apparent enhancement of productivity. We speculate that future changes in climate are likely to alter sediment dynamics and river discharge with uncertain consequences for coastal ecosystem productivity and community structure in southeastern Lake Michigan as well as in other coastal systems.

Citation

S.E. Lohrenz, G.L. Fahnenstiel, O. Schofield, and D.F. Millie. 2008. Coastal sediment dynamics and river discharge as key factors influencing coastal ecosystem productivity in southeastern Lake Michigan. Oceanography 21(4):60–69, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2008.05.

References
    Beletsky, D., D.J. Schwab, P.J. Roebber, M.J. McCormick, G.S. Miller, and J.H. Saylor. 2003. Modeling wind-driven circulation during the March 1998 sediment resuspension event in Lake Michigan. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 108, doi:10.1029/2001jc001159.
  1. Bergmann, T., G. Fahnenstiel, S. Lohrenz, D. Millie, and O. Schofield. 2004. Impacts of a recurrent resuspension event and variable phytoplankton community composition on remote sensing reflectance. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 109, doi:10.1029/2002JC001575.
  2. Biddanda, B.A., and J.B. Cotner. 2002. Love handles in aquatic ecosystems: The role of dissolved organic carbon drawdown, resuspended sediments, and terrigenous inputs in the carbon balance of Lake Michigan. Ecosystems 5:431–445.
  3. Brooks, A.S., and B.G. Torke. 1977. Vertical and seasonal distribution of chlorophyll a in Lake Michigan. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board, Canada 34:2,280–2,287.
  4. Chen, C. S., L.X. Wang, R.B. Ji, J.W. Budd, D.J. Schwab, D. Beletsky, G.L. Fahnenstiel, H. Vanderploeg, B. Eadie, and J. Cotner. 2004. Impacts of suspended sediment on the ecosystem in Lake Michigan: A comparison between the 1998 and 1999 plume events. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 109(C10S05), doi:10.1029/2002JC001687.
  5. Cotner, J. B., T.H. Johnegen, and B.A. Biddanda. 2000. Intense winter heterotrophic production stimulated by benthic resuspension. Limnology and Oceanography 45:1,672–1,676.
  6. Darecki, M., and D. Stramski. 2004. An evaluation of MODIS and SeaWiFS bio-optical algorithms in the Baltic Sea. Remote Sensing of Environment 89:326–350.
  7. Eadie, B.J., D.J. Schwab, R.A. Assel, N. Hawley, M.B. Lansing, C.S. Miller, N.R. Morehead, J.A. Robbins, P.L. Van Hoof, G.A. Leshkevich, and others. 1996. Development of recurrent coastal plume in Lake Michigan observed for first time. Eos Transactions, American Geophysical Union 77:337–338.
  8. Fahnenstiel, G.L., and D. Scavia. 1987. Dynamics of Lake Michigan phytoplankton: Recent changes in surface and deep communities. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 44:509–514.
  9. Fahnenstiel, G.L., R.A. Stone, M.J. McCormick, C.L. Schelske, and S.E. Lohrenz. 2000. Spring isothermal mixing in the Great Lakes: Evidence of nutrient limitation and a nutrient-light interaction in a sub-optimal light environment. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57:1,901–1,910.
  10. Fitzgerald, S.A., and W.S. Gardner. 1993. An algal carbon budget for pelagic-benthic coupling in Lake Michigan. Limnology and Oceanography 38:547–560.
  11. Gardner, W.S., M.A. Quigley, G.L. Fahnenstiel, D. Scavia, and W.A. Frez. 1990. Pontoporeia hoyi—A direct trophic link between spring diatoms and fish in Lake Michigan. Pp. 632–634 in Large Lakes Ecological Structure and Function, M.M. Tilzer and C. Serruya, eds, Springer-Verlag, New York.
  12. Harding, L.W., A. Magnuson, and M.E. Mallonee. 2005. SeaWiFS retrievals of chlorophyll in Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic Bight. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 62:75–94.
  13. Kerr, R.A. 1998. Climate prediction: Models win big in forecasting El Niño. Science 280:522–523.
  14. Kirk, J.T.O. 1994. Light and Photosynthesis in Aquatic Ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, New York, 525 pp.
  15. Lee, C., D.J. Schwab, D. Beletsky, J. Stroud, and B. Lesht. 2007. Numerical modeling of mixed sediment resuspension, transport, and deposition during the March 1998 episodic events in southern Lake Michigan. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 112, doi:10.1029/2005jc003419.
  16. Lohrenz, S.E., G.L. Fahnenstiel, D.F. Millie, O.M.E. Schofield, T. Johengen, and T. Bergmann. 2004. Spring phytoplankton photosynthesis, growth, and primary production and relationships to a recurrent coastal sediment plume and river inputs in southeastern Lake Michigan. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 109, doi:10.1029/2004JC002383.
  17. Magnuson, J.J., K.E. Webster, R.A. Assel, C.J. Bowser, P.J. Dillon, J.G. Eaton, H.E. Evans, E.J. Fee, R.I. Hall, L.R. Mortsch, and others. 1997. Potential effects of climate changes on aquatic systems: Laurentian Great Lakes and Precambrian Shield Region. Hydrological Processes 11:825–871.
  18. McPhaden, M.J. 1999. Genesis and evolution of the 1997–98 El Niño. Science 283:950–954.
  19. Millie, D.F., G.L. Fahnenstiel, S.E. Lohrenz, H.J. Carrick, and O.M.E. Schofield. 2002. Phytoplankton pigments in coastal Lake Michigan: Distributions during the spring isothermal period and relation with episodic sediment resuspension. Journal of Phycology 38:1–11.
  20. Millie, D.F., G.L. Fahnenstiel, S.E. Lohrenz, H.J. Carrick, T. Johengen, and O. Schofield. 2003. Physical-biological coupling in southeastern Lake Michigan: Influence of episodic sediment resuspension on phytoplankton. Aquatic Ecology 37:393–408.
  21. Mortimer, C.H. 1988. Discoveries and testable hypotheses arising from Coastal Zone Color Scanner imagery of southern Lake Michigan. Limnology and Oceanography 33:203–226.
  22. NOAA/GLERL. 2002. EEGLE Lake Michigan turbidity plume images. Available online at: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/eegle/resources/plume_images/plume_images.html (accessed October 23, 2008).
  23. O’Reilly, J.E., S. Maritorena, B.G. Mitchell, D.A. Siegel, K.L. Carder, S.A. Garver, M. Kahru, and C. McClain. 1998. Ocean color chlorophyll algorithms for SeaWiFS. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 103:24,937–24,953.
  24. Schelske, C.L., L.E. Feldt, and M.S. Simmons. 1980. Phytoplankton and Physical-Chemical Conditions in Selected Rivers and the Coastal Zone of Lake Michigan, 1972. Publication 19, The University of Michigan Great Lakes Research Division, Ann Arbor, MI.
  25. Trenberth, K.E., P.D. Jones, P. Ambenje, R. Bojariu, D. Easterling, A. Klein Tank, D. Parker, F. Rahimzadeh, J.A. Renwick, M. Rusticucci, and others. 2007. Observations: Surface and atmospheric climate change. Pp. 235–236 in Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. S. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor, and H.L. Miller, eds, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  26. Vanderploeg, H.A., T.H. Johengen, P.J. Lavrentyev, C. Chen, G.A. Lang, M.A. Agy, M.H. Bundy, J.F. Cavaletto, B.J. Eadie, J.R. Liebig, and others. 2007. Anatomy of the recurrent coastal sediment plume in Lake Michigan and its impacts on light climate, nutrients, and plankton. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 112(C03S90), doi:10.1029/2004JC002379.
Copyright & Usage

This is an open access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format as long as users cite the materials appropriately, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate the changes that were made to the original content. Images, animations, videos, or other third-party material used in articles are included in the Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If the material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission directly from the license holder to reproduce the material.