Influence of Upwellings, Storms, and Generating Station Operation on Water Chemistry and Plankton in the Nanticoke Region of Long Point Bay, Lake Erie

Abstract

Storms and upwellings resulted in significant alterations to the aquatic environment in the Long Point Bay region of Lake Erie, contributing to short-term variability in water chemistry and plankton. Both storms and upwellings resulted in nutrient enrichment (filtered reactive phosphorus, total inorganic nitrogen, reactive silicates and organic nitrogen) in lake surface waters during the period of lake warming, prior to mid-August. Storms and upwellings also differentially affected the distributions of specific zooplankton taxa in the lake surface stratum. The most prominent effect was the increased abundance of Diacyclops bicuspidatus thomasi during upwellings, particularly towards shore. The once-through cooling process of the generating station also affected zooplankton distributions, most notably that of D. bicuspidatus thomasi, with a nearshore increase in abundance that was similar to the influence exerted by upwelling.