Analysis of Nutrient Movement from Human-Impacted Coastal Areas in Northern Lake Michigan

Session: Poster session

Gwendolyn Tithof, Central Michigan University, [email protected]
Jessica Kosiara, Central Michigan University, [email protected]
Allison Kneisel, Central Michigan University, [email protected]
Donald Uzarski, Central Michigan University, IGLR, CMUBS, and Department of Biology, [email protected]
Kevin Pangle, Central Michigan University , [email protected]

Abstract

Currently, there is a gap in information relating to long-term monitoring in northern Lake Michigan, especially concerning relationships among currents, human activity, and water quality. This project aims to use location and water quality data, collected from a transect that stretches from Charlevoix, MI to St. James, Beaver Island, MI, in order to identify trends in water quality, temperature, and current movement. In partnership with the Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR) and the Beaver Island Boat Company (BIBCO), location and water quality data along the transect were collected from a GPS device and sonde system onboard the BIBCO Emerald Isle ferry in the summers of 2016 and 2017. Water quality between nearshore and offshore regions of Lake Michigan is often distinct and influenced by anthropological inputs. Regions of the transect were located in human-influenced areas, with St. James being the center of a small island community and Charlevoix hosting a larger population surrounding Lake Charlevoix. Northern Lake Michigan currents sometimes confound the gradient in water quality. Temporal patterns in water quality were analyzed in relation to location and the magnitude and direction of currents.

1. Keyword
Lake Michigan

2. Keyword
water quality