Using expert knowledge to craft a watershed-level visualization of eutrophication in Lake Erie

Session: Poster Session

Jessica Ives, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Jan Ciborowski, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Windsor, [email protected]
Rebecca Rooney, University of Waterloo, [email protected]

Abstract

Eutrophication in Lake Erie, the smallest and warmest of the Laurentian Great Lakes, is an important topic of concern that affects both the Lake’s ecosystem, and the millions of people who live within its watershed. Eutrophication is a complex issue, with numerous manifestations (e.g., harmful algal blooms, nuisance Cladophora, botulism epidemics in wildlife, and fish kills). A large body of work has focused on individual aspects or components of the issue, but many factors may interact to affect these various manifestations. In March, 2019, researchers and managers from around Lake Erie attended a workshop and collaboratively create a broad-scale representation of the relationships among factors affecting eutrophication. Fuzzy cognitive mapping was used to identify key concepts, and workshop participants used their expert knowledge to identify the most important relationships among these key concepts. As a group, expertise from each of the participants was integrated to form a composite map of the eutrophication phenomenon in Lake Erie. By noting areas of consensus or disagreement among participants, we were able to identify areas that would benefit from additional research.

Twitter handle of presenter
@jtimives11