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Research about Finger Lakes

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Finger Lakes.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2001

Biological structure and dynamics of littoral fish assemblages in the eastern Finger Lakes

Fish assemblages from three of the New York Finger Lakes were examined for structure within and between lakes and over time. Species-area relationships indicated that local fish assemblages are the result of recent, lake-specific events that altered the regional species pool. Fish assemblages varied among seasons and those occupying eutrophic waters had different characteristics from those in oligotrophic waters. Bluntnose minnows ( Pimephales notatus ) were a persistent and important component of most assemblages, but abundance of bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) was the most distinguishing feature. Species associations indicated that interactions among the fishes had little influence on assemblage structure. Correlations between community structure and abiotic factors were identified. Ten abiotic variables were strongly associated with the species assemblages, but could not fully explain differences between assemblages. Results indicate that the abundance and diversity of water column feeders was related to productivity of lake habitat. In general, fish populations were smaller in oligotrophic waters and water column feeders were poorly represented in those assemblages. Productivity at various trophic levels was implicated as a major factor determining lake fish assemblage structure.

New York↗
USGS1995

Use of isotopic data to estimate water residence times of the Finger Lakes, New York

Water retention times in the Finger Lakes, a group of 11 lakes in central New York with similar hydrologic and climatic characteristics, were estimated by use of a tritium-balance model. During July 1991, samples were collected from the 11 lakes and selected tributary streams and were analyzed for tritium, deuterium, and oxygen-18. Additional samples from some of the sites were collected in 1990, 1992 and 1993. Tritium concentration in lake water ranged from 24.6 Tritium Units (TU) (Otisco Lake) to 43.2 TU (Seneca Lake).The parameters in the model used to obtain water retention time (WRT) included relative humidity, evaporation rate, tritium concentrations of inflowing water and lake water, and WRT of the lake. A historical record of tritium concentrations in precipitation and runoff was obtained from rainfall data at Ottawa, Canada, analyses of local wines produced during 1977–1991, and streamflow samples collected in 1990–1991. The model was simulated in yearly steps for 1953–1991, and the WRT was varied to reproduce tritium concentrations measured in each lake in 1991. Water retention times obtained from model simulations ranged from 1 year for Otisco Lake to 12 years for Seneca Lake, and with the exception of Seneca Lake and Skaneateles Lake, were in agreement with earlier estimates obtained from runoff estimates and chloride balances. The sensitivity of the model to parameter changes was tested to determine possible reasons for the differences calculated for WRT's for Seneca Lake and Skaneateles Lake. The shorter WRT obtained from tritium data for Lake Seneca (12 years as compared to 18 years) can be explained by a yearly addition of less than 3% by lake volume of ground water to the lake, the exact percentage depending on tritium concentration in the ground water.

New York↗