The five lakes that compose the Great Lakes each have their own unique attributes, however Lake Erie may be the most unique of all due to its comparatively diminutive dimensions. Compared to the other lakes, Lake Erie is the 4th largest lake in terms of surface area, eclipsing Lake Ontario by 2,570 square miles.
To address these differences, NOAA takes a regional approach in developing strategies for harmful algal bloom (HAB) management. By developing specific tools and information for specific areas — the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Northeast, Pacific Coast, Mid-Atlantic/Southeast, and Caribbean/Pacific Islands — NOAA is able to advance regional and local management capabilities to deal with major HAB threats.
This small amount of water causes a big impact on the aquatic environment of Lake Erie and the resulting prevalence of harmful algal blooms. Water is a great insulator and regular of heat: the more water there is, the more stable the temperature of a body of water is. By containing less water, Lake Erie has a less stable temperature than the other lakes, getting colder in the winters and warmer in the summers.
The cyanobacteria that cause harmful algal blooms naturally thrive in these warm spring and summer waters. However, the populations of these microorganisms explode to nuisance and potentially harmful levels when additional elements are added to the water, like extra nutrients from nearby cities and farms.
Over the last decade, Lake Erie has seen several significant or severe harmful algal blooms (HABs), more than any of the other great lakes. While there are many contributing factors to the rise of HABs in Lake Erie, one of the most important natural contributions is the unique form of the lake that in turn affects its temperature and the ability for the cyanobacteria that form HABS to reproduce out of control.
While much attention has been focused on this little Great Lake for the continued issues with toxic microorganisms, it’s because of the unique challenges that its ecology provides. Developing tools and solutions to combat the HABs in Lake Erie allows for more success in other lakes and bodies of water that may not resemble this little Great Lake.
Martin, J.F., Kalcic, M.M., Aloysius, N., Apostel, A.M., Brooker, M.R., Evenson, G., Kast, J.B., Kujawa, H., Murumkar, A., Becker, R., Boles, C., Redder, T., Confesor, R., Guo, T., Dagnew, A., Long, C.M., Muenich, R., Scavia, D., Wang, Y., Robertson, D., 2019. Evaluating Management Options to Reduce Lake Erie Algal Blooms with Models of the Maumee River Watershed. Final Project Report—OSU Knowledge Exchange. Available at: go.osu.edu/HABRI_final_report_2019
These facts and statistics are just a small portion of the information available about Lake Erie and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Researchers from Ohio State and other partners published an extensive report summarizing the findings of a three-year project. The team explored bundling best management practices and their impact on reducing HABs. Check out their work at the link in the citation below!