Geology topics

Martin Albert Simonson

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Albert Simonson.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

Geospatial data identify potentially restorable coastal wetland habitats in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Identifying areas with high restoration potential can guide investment and support management of coastal wetland habitats in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Restoration is a priority in the region since extensive degradation and alteration from anthropogenic activities reduced coastal wetlands to only a small fraction of historical extent. Our study evaluated the likelihood of coastal wetland restoration success using multi-criteria geospatial modeling in six restoration assessments focused on the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes coastline. We incorporated parameters into our model that positively influenced restoration potential, such as hydroperiod, wetland soil types, surface water flow networks, and conservation and recreation status of the land. Alternatively, factors that negatively influenced restoration potential were the proportion of impervious surfaces and other important human land uses of permeable soils. The resulting composite restoration index and online interfaces provide valuable decision-support tools for ecosystem managers. The modeled amount of restorable coastal wetland habitat and the characteristics of areas identified as restorable varied among the six restoration assessments, with the highest restoration index values occurring predominantly in low-elevation areas with frequent inundation that were near flowlines hydrologically connected to the Great Lakes. Conversely, areas with a greater proportion of impervious surfaces and anthropogenic land uses (e.g., golf courses) received low restoration index values. Our analysis highlights the heterogeneity of coastal wetland restoration potential throughout the Great Lakes, as well as the need for careful consideration of natural and anthropogenic land use factors to execute successful coastal wetland restoration.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2025

Evaluating how changing climate and water clarity can affect restoration of native coregonine fishes in midwestern lakes

In the upper midwestern United States, coregonine fishes (e.g., ciscoes and whitefishes) have provided a key food source for Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. In the last century, however, several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, declining quality of key habitat (e.g., dams, algal blooms), and negative interactions with invasive species have led to declines in the fisheries that coregonines support. Hence, fishery managers have undertaken steps to conserve existing diversity or re-introduce species that have been locally extirpated. This study assessed the extent to which changes in water clarity and climate pose challenges for conservation of coregonines and sought to provide information to inform management decisions about which populations would be best for reintroduction. Through experiments, we found that a Cisco ( Coregonus artedi ) population at the southern edge of its range had no marked advantages in respiration or thermal tolerance, relative to a northern Great Lake population. This result indicates that the latter population would be a reasonable candidate for reintroduction in Lake Erie, where warming water could be a potential impediment. Other laboratory experiments revealed that Cisco could be vulnerable to increasing ultraviolet radiation (UV; 280 – 320 nm) penetration in lakes due to reduced ice cover and increased water clarity owing to water quality improvements and/or invasive mussel filtration. Our experiments found that UV exposure causes earlier hatching, more irregular pigmentation near the head and yolk-sac region, and reduced heart rate. Therefore, UV could be a heretofore unrealized threat to Cisco populations. Through the completion of additional final products from this project and additional research connecting laboratory and field data together, the extent to which the eggs and larvae of coregonine species could be vulnerable to increased UV associated with increasing water clarity or reduced ice cover will help inform restoration or conservation planning for these fish.

Cooperator Report↗

USGS2024

Comparison of cisco (Coregonus artedi) aerobic scope and thermal tolerance between two latitudinally-separated populations

The cisco Coregonus artedi is a coldwater fish that is distributed throughout much of Canada and the northern United States, including the Laurentian Great Lakes. Cisco historically supported large commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but many populations declined and never recovered. Restoration efforts focusing on re-establishing cisco in the Great Lakes are underway, but increasing water temperatures may hinder these efforts. Therefore, we examined aerobic scope and thermal tolerance of allopatric cisco populations from different latitudes and habitats to determine if a southern latitude population (Crooked Lake, Indiana, USA) near the southern edge of cisco distribution was better adapted to withstand warmer water temperatures than a northern latitude population (Les Cheneaux Islands, Michigan, USA; Lake Huron). As expected, both stocks demonstrated increases in metabolic rates and absolute aerobic scope with increased temperature. Northern cisco had significantly lower aerobic scope compared to southern cisco at both treatment temperatures of 10 and 13 °C. Both cisco stocks had high thermal tolerances when challenged by temperatures increased to 20 and 23 °C but low tolerances at 26 °C. Cisco thermal tolerances increased with acclimation temperature, but we did not detect a difference in thermal tolerances between northern and southern cisco. Although southern cisco had higher capacity for aerobic metabolism, both stock sources had high thermal tolerances at the upper end of their thermal limits. Therefore, either population would be likely suitable for reintroduction into Great Lakes habitats, even with expected warming in the future.

Indiana, Michigan↗