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Research about Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2025

Exploring the news media and scientific conversations around water quality in a water-rich basin of the United States

Community concerns about water availability vary depending on local economic, regulatory, environmental, and ecological considerations. In water-rich basins, water quality is often the focus of community concerns. As such, understanding community priorities in the context of water quality is crucial for informing scientists working in water-rich basins. In this work, we compiled over 6,500 local news articles (public discourse) and 190 scientific abstracts (scientific discourse) related to water-quality issues in the water-rich Illinois River Basin (ILRB) published between 2018 and 2022. We applied a Structural Topic Model (STM) to identify key water-quality topics within both datasets and explore the variability of newspaper topics geographically across the basin. Prevalent topics in both the public (local news articles) and scientific (abstracts) discourses were agriculture, drinking water quality, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and river ecosystem/fish. Topics exclusive to public discourse included water infrastructure, community development, and public water supply, while the scientific discourse focused more heavily on a wider range of agricultural issues. Furthermore, the public discourse varied geographically across the basin. Some topics are correlated with land use or urban/rural divides within the basin, and the frequency of many topics clearly varied across state (political) boundaries. Understanding and quantifying public and scientific discourses related to water-quality are important for scientists and water managers working in the basin to improve communication of critical science to the public.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2024

A transferable approach for quantifying benthic fish sizes and densities in annotated underwater images

1. Benthic fishes are a common target of scientific monitoring but are difficult to quantify because of their close association to bottom habitats that are hard to access. Advances in image-acquisition technologies, machine vision, and deep learning have made capturing and quantifying fishes with cameras increasingly feasible. We present a method and open-source software called ‘FishScale’ to estimate benthic fish lengths, numeric abundance, and biomass density in underwater environments assessed with down-looking monocular images. 2. ‘FishScale’ estimates fish abundances and size frequencies from near-nadir monocular images where fish have already been semantically segmented. The software accounts for lens distortion, underwater magnification effects, and fish body curvature to automatically estimate fish lengths and the areas of images where they were captured. Numeric and biomass density are estimated through a deterministic machine vision algorithm that requires a user-provided length-weight relationship for species of interest and calibration images. 3. Results from validation studies show that lengths and weights can be estimated with high accuracy and precision for round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ) captured in distorted action camera images, and from large-bodied lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) imaged with a machine vision camera. The real-world utility of the approach is demonstrated in a case study estimating round goby abundances and size frequencies along a 10.7-km transect surveyed with an autonomous underwater vehicle in Lake Michigan, USA. 4. Our validation studies demonstrate that the approach estimates benthic and benthopelagic fish lengths and weights with little bias and good accuracy and precision for species with much different body shapes and sizes. The method is applicable to data collected using a variety of nadir imaging approaches with widespread applications to fisheries monitoring and quantification of any species or object for which nadir images and working distances between the camera and feature of interest are available.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2023

Groundwater residence times in glacial aquifers—A new general simulation-model approach compared to conventional inset models

Groundwater is important as a drinking-water source and for maintaining base flow in rivers, streams, and lakes. Groundwater quality can be predicted, in part, by its residence time in the subsurface, but the residence-time distribution cannot be measured directly and must be inferred from models. This report compares residence-time distributions from four areas where groundwater flow and travel time were simulated with conventional simulation-inset models (IMs) and with a new automated model-construction method called general simulation models (GSMs). The comparison provides an opportunity to explore controls on travel time and improve the methods used in the creation of GSMs. These models can be useful for three main-use cases: (1) rapid testing of relationships that govern groundwater flow and age, (2) generation of consistent examples for training a machine-learning metamodel, and (3) serving as a starting point for more detailed models. Comparison of the GSMs to IMs indicated a qualified pattern of agreement for residence-time distributions as indicated by the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency and Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The agreement was best for the median values of the simulated residence times in young fractions of groundwater (defined as the fractions of groundwater in samples less than 65 years old) at the scale of the eight-digit hydrologic-unit code. Generally, the median values of the young fractions in the IMs were correlated with the median values from the GSMs. The relative trends across the four areas also were similar for the other residence-time metrics. The medians of residence-time metrics at finer scales show a fair degree of scatter. The GSM results compared most poorly for median travel times in the older fraction of groundwater (older than 65 years). The GSM approach is intended as a flexible framework for developing models that can be useful individually as screening tools or collectively to support projects in statistical learning. Although one set of GSM algorithms was presented here, the approach can accommodate many types of data and also different categories of prior information. Comparison of GSMs and IMs suggests ways in which the GSMs, while remaining easy to construct and calibrate, can be improved for estimating groundwater travel times. IMs do not yield exact travel times, and matching GSMs to IMs does not guarantee an improvement; however, IMs provide a convenient benchmark against which to explore relations between physical characteristics of watersheds and the distribution of travel times within them. This effort was undertaken as part of the National Water Quality Program of the U.S. Geological Survey to assist in determining the susceptibility of groundwater in glacial aquifers to a variety of natural and anthropogenic contaminants.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2021

Metal accumulation in Lake Michigan prey fish: Influence of ontogeny, trophic position, and habitat

Developing an understanding of factors that influence the accumulation and magnification of heavy metals in fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes is central to managing ecosystem and human health. We measured muscle tissue concentrations of heavy metals in Lake Michigan prey fish that vary in habitat use, diet, and trophic position, including alewife, bloater, deepwater sculpin, round goby, rainbow smelt, and slimy sculpin. For each individual, we measured tissue concentrations of four metals (chromium [Cr], copper [Cu], manganese [Mn], and total mercury [THg]), stable isotope ratios for trophic position (δ 15 N and δ 13 C), and individual fish attributes (length, mass). Total mercury concentration was positively related to total length and δ 15 N. Of all species, round goby displayed one of the greatest increases in mercury per unit growth and was most isotopically distinct from other species. Profundal species (bloater, deepwater sculpin, slimy sculpin) had similar high THg tissue concentrations, possibly due to slower growth due to cold temperatures, whereas other species (alewife, round goby, rainbow smelt) showed more variation in THg. In contrast, other metals (Cr, Cu, Mn) had either a negative or no relationship to total length and δ 15 N, suggesting no bioaccumulation or biomagnification. Potential incorporation of mercury by sportfish may thus be related to species, age, diet, trophic position, and habitat of prey fish. Our findings serve as a foundation for understanding how heavy metals accumulate in Lake Michigan food webs and highlight the continued need for management of metal input and cycling in Lake Michigan.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2018

Extraction and development of inset models in support of groundwater age calculations for glacial aquifers

The U.S. Geological Survey developed a regional model of Lake Michigan Basin (LMB). This report describes the construction of five MODFLOW inset models extracted from the LMB regional model and their application using the particle-tracking code MODPATH to simulate the groundwater age distribution of discharge to wells pumping from glacial deposits. The five study areas of the inset model correspond to 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC8) basins. Two of the basins are tributary to Lake Michigan from the east, two are tributary to the lake from the west, and one is just west of the western boundary of the Lake Michigan topographic basin. The inset models inherited many of the inputs to the parent LMB model, including the hydrostratigraphy and layering scheme, the hydraulic conductivity assigned to bedrock layers, recharge distribution, and water use in the form of pumping rates from glacial and bedrock wells. The construction of the inset models entailed modifying some inputs, most notably the grid spacing (reduced from cells 5,000 feet on a side in the parent LMB model to 500 feet on a side in the inset models). The refined grid spacing allowed for more precise location of pumped wells and more detailed simulation of groundwater/surface-water interactions. The glacial hydraulic conductivity values, the top bedrock surface elevation, and the surface-water network input to the inset models also were modified. The inset models are solved using the MODFLOW–NWT code, which allows for more robust handling of conditions in unconfined aquifers than previous versions of MODFLOW. Comparison of the MODFLOW inset models reveals that they incorporate a range of hydrogeologic conditions relative to the glacial part of the flow system, demonstrated by visualization and analysis of model inputs and outputs and reflected in the range of ages generated by MODPATH for existing and hypothetical glacial wells. Certain inputs and outputs are judged to be candidate predictors that, if treated statistically, may be capable of explaining much of the variance in the simulated age metrics. One example of a predictor that model results indicate strongly affects simulated age is the depth of the well open interval below the simulated water table. The strength of this example variable as an overall predictor of groundwater age and its relation to other predictors can be statistically tested through the metamodeling process. In this way the inset models are designed to serve as a training area for metamodels that estimate groundwater age in glacial wells, which in turn will contribute to ongoing studies, under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment, of contaminant susceptibility of shallow groundwater across the glacial aquifer system.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2016

A semi-structured MODFLOW-USG model to evaluate local water sources to wells for decision support

In order to better represent the configuration of the stream network and simulate local groundwater-surface water interactions, a version of MODFLOW with refined spacing in the topmost layer was applied to a Lake Michigan Basin (LMB) regional groundwater-flow model developed by the U.S. Geological. Regional MODFLOW models commonly use coarse grids over large areas; this coarse spacing precludes model application to local management issues (e.g., surface-water depletion by wells) without recourse to labor-intensive inset models. Implementation of an unstructured formulation within the MODFLOW framework (MODFLOW-USG) allows application of regional models to address local problems. A “semi-structured” approach (uniform lateral spacing within layers, different lateral spacing among layers) was tested using the LMB regional model. The parent 20-layer model with uniform 5000-foot (1524-m) lateral spacing was converted to 4 layers with 500-foot (152-m) spacing in the top glacial (Quaternary) layer, where surface water features are located, overlying coarser resolution layers representing deeper deposits. This semi-structured version of the LMB model reproduces regional flow conditions, whereas the finer resolution in the top layer improves the accuracy of the simulated response of surface water to shallow wells. One application of the semi-structured LMB model is to provide statistical measures of the correlation between modeled inputs and the simulated amount of water that wells derive from local surface water. The relations identified in this paper serve as the basis for metamodels to predict (with uncertainty) surface-water depletion in response to shallow pumping within and potentially beyond the modeled area, see Fienen et al. (2015a).

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2015

Factors associated with the deposition of Cladophora on Lake Michigan beaches in 2012

Deposition of the macroalgae Cladophora spp. was monitored on 18 beaches around Lake Michigan during 2012 at a high temporal frequency. We observed a high degree of spatial variability in Cladophora deposition among beaches on Lake Michigan, even within local regions, with no clear regional pattern in the intensity of Cladophora deposition. A strong seasonal pattern in Cladophora deposition was observed, with the heaviest deposition occurring during mid-summer. Several beaches exhibited high temporal variability in Cladophora deposition over short time scales, suggesting that drifting algal mats may be extremely dynamic in nearshore environments of the Great Lakes. Cladophora deposition on Lake Michigan beaches was primarily related to the presence of nearshore structures, local population density, and nearshore bathymetry. There was relatively little evidence that waves, winds, or currents were associated with Cladophora deposition on beaches, but this may be due to the relatively poor resolution of existing nearshore hydrodynamic data. Developing a predictive understanding of beach-cast Cladophora dynamics in Great Lakes environments may require both intensive Cladophora monitoring and fine-scale local hydrodynamic modeling efforts.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2011

Links between type E botulism outbreaks, lake levels, and surface water temperatures in Lake Michigan, 1963-2008

Relationships between large-scale environmental factors and the incidence of type E avian botulism outbreaks in Lake Michigan were examined from 1963 to 2008. Avian botulism outbreaks most frequently occurred in years with low mean annual water levels, and lake levels were significantly lower in outbreak years than in non-outbreak years. Mean surface water temperatures in northern Lake Michigan during the period when type E outbreaks tend to occur (July through September) were significantly higher in outbreak years than in non-outbreak years. Trends in fish populations did not strongly correlate with botulism outbreaks, although botulism outbreaks in the 1960s coincided with high alewife abundance, and recent botulism outbreaks coincided with rapidly increasing round goby abundance. Botulism outbreaks occurred cyclically, and the frequency of outbreaks did not increase over the period of record. Climate change scenarios for the Great Lakes predict lower water levels and warmer water temperatures. As a consequence, the frequency and magnitude of type E botulism outbreaks in the Great Lakes may increase.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2010

Regional groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin in support of Great Lakes Basin water availability and use studies

A regional groundwater-flow model of the Lake Michigan Basin and surrounding areas has been developed in support of the Great Lakes Basin Pilot project under the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Availability and Use Program. The transient 2-million-cell model incorporates multiple aquifers and pumping centers that create water-level drawdown that extends into deep saline waters. The 20-layer model simulates the exchange between a dense surface-water network and heterogeneous glacial deposits overlying stratified bedrock of the Wisconsin/Kankakee Arches and Michigan Basin in the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan; eastern Wisconsin; northern Indiana; and northeastern Illinois. The model is used to quantify changes in the groundwater system in response to pumping and variations in recharge from 1864 to 2005. Model results quantify the sources of water to major pumping centers, illustrate the dynamics of the groundwater system, and yield measures of water availability useful for water-resources management in the region. This report is a complete description of the methods and datasets used to develop the regional model, the underlying conceptual model, and model inputs, including specified values of material properties and the assignment of external and internal boundary conditions. The report also documents the application of the SEAWAT-2000 program for variable-density flow; it details the approach, advanced methods, and results associated with calibration through nonlinear regression using the PEST program; presents the water-level, drawdown, and groundwater flows for various geographic subregions and aquifer systems; and provides analyses of the effects of pumping from shallow and deep wells on sources of water to wells, the migration of groundwater divides, and direct and indirect groundwater discharge to Lake Michigan. The report considers the role of unconfined conditions at the regional scale as well as the influence of salinity on groundwater flow. Lastly, it describes several categories of limitations and discusses ways of extending the regional model to address issues at the local scale. Results of the simulations portray a regional groundwater-flow system that, over time, has largely maintained its natural predevelopment configuration but that locally has been strongly affected by well withdrawals. The quantity of rainfall in the Lake Michigan Basin and adjacent areas supports a dense surface-water network and recharge rates consistent with generally shallow water tables and predominantly shallow groundwater flow. At the regional scale, pumping has not caused major modifications of the shallow flow system, but it has resulted in decreases in base flow to streams and in direct discharge to Lake Michigan (about 2 percent of the groundwater discharged and about 0.5 cubic foot per second per mile of shoreline). On the other hand, well withdrawals have caused major reversals in regional flow patterns around pumping centers in deep, confined aquifers - most noticeably in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system on the west side of Lake Michigan near the cities of Green Bay and Milwaukee in eastern Wisconsin, and around Chicago in northeastern Illinois, as well as in some shallow bedrock aquifers (for example, in the Marshall aquifer near Lansing, Mich.). The reversals in flow have been accompanied by large drawdowns with consequent local decrease in storage. On the west side of Lake Michigan, groundwater withdrawals have caused appreciable migration of the deep groundwater divides. Before the advent of pumping, the deep Lake Michigan groundwater-basin boundaries extended west of the Lake Michigan surface-water basin boundary, in some places by tens of miles. Over time, the pumping centers have replaced Lake Michigan as the regional sink for the deep flow system. The regional model is intended to support the framework pilot study of water availability and use for the Great Lakes Basin (Reeves, in press).

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2006

Field responses of Prunus serotina and Asclepias syriaca to ozone around southern Lake Michigan

Higher ozone concentrations east of southern Lake Michigan compared to west of the lake were used to test hypotheses about injury and growth effects on two plant species. We measured approximately 1000 black cherry trees and over 3000 milkweed stems from 1999 to 2001 for this purpose. Black cherry branch elongation and milkweed growth and pod formation were significantly higher west of Lake Michigan while ozone injury was greater east of Lake Michigan. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analyses we determined that departures from normal precipitation, soil nitrogen and ozone exposure/peak hourly concentrations were the most important variables affecting cherry branch elongation, and milkweed stem height and pod formation. The effects of ozone were not consistently comparable with the effects of soil nutrients, weather, insect or disease injury, and depended on species. Ozone SUM06 exposures greater than 13 ppm-h decreased cherry branch elongation 18%; peak 1-h exposures greater than 93 ppb reduced milkweed stem height 13%; and peak 1-h concentrations greater than 98 ppb reduced pod formation 11% in milkweed. Decreased cherry branch elongation, milkweed stem height and pod production, and foliar injury on both species occurred at sites around southern Lake Michigan at ozone exposures of 13 SUM06 ppm-h and 93a??98 ppb peak hourly.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS2001

First finding of the amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the mussel Dreissena bugensis in Lake Michigan

The first finding of the amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the mussel Dreissena bugensis in Lake Michigan is documented. These two species are widespread and abundant in the lower lakes, but had not yet been reported from Lake Michigan. E. ischnus is generally considered a warmwater form that is typically associated with hard substrates and Dreissena clusters in the nearshore zone. Along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, this species was present at rocky, breakwall habitats along the entire north-south axis of the lake. Although not abundant, this species was also found at soft-bottomed sites as deep as 94 m in the southern basin. The finding of this species in deep offshore waters apparently extends the known habitat range for this species in the Great Lakes, but it is found in deep water areas within its native range (Caspian Sea). D. bugensis was not abundant, but was present in both the southern and northern portions of the lake. Individuals of up to 36 mm in length were collected, indicating that it had probably been present in the lake for 2 or more years. Also presented are depth-defined densities of D. polymorpha at 37 sites in the Straits of Mackinac in 1997, and densities at up to 55 sites in the southern basin in 1992/93 and 1998/99. Mean densities decreased with increased water depth in both regions. Maximum mean density in the Straits in 1997 was 13,700/m 2 (≤ 10 m), and maximum density in the southern basin in 1999 was 2,100/m 2 (≤ 30 m). Mean densities at the ≤ 30-m interval in the southern basin remained relatively unchanged between 1993 and 1999, but increased from 25/m 2 to 1,100/m 2 at the 31 to 50 m interval over the same time period. D. polymorpha was rare at sites > 50 m. The presence of E. ischnus and the expected population expansion of D. bugensis will likely contribute to further foodweb changes in the lake.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1999

Vertical migration and nighttime distribution of adult bloaters in Lake Michigan

The vertical migration and nighttime vertical distribution of adult bloaters Coregonus hoyi were investigated during late summer in Lake Michigan using acoustics simultaneously with either midwater or bottom trawling. Bloaters remained on or near bottom during the day. At night, bloaters were distributed throughout 30–65 m of water, depending on bottom depth. Shallowest depths of migration were not related to water temperature or incident light. Maximum distances of migration increased with increasing bottom depth. Nighttime midwater densities ranged from 0.00 to 6.61 fish/1,000 m 3 and decreased with increasing bottom depth. Comparisons of length distributions showed that migrating and nonmigrating bloaters did not differ in size. However, at most sites, daytime bottom catches collected a greater proportion of larger individuals compared with nighttime midwater or bottom catches. Mean target strengths by 5‐m strata indicated that migrating bloaters did not stratify by size in the water column at night. Overall, patterns in frequency of empty stomachs and mean digestive state of prey indicated that a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night. Bloater diet composition indicated both midwater feeding and bottom feeding. In sum, although a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night, bloaters were not limited to feeding at this time. This research confirmed that bloaters are opportunistic feeders and did not fully support the previously proposed hypothesis that bloater vertical migration is driven by the vertically migrating macroinvertebrate the opossom shrimp Mysis relicta .

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1998

Ontogenic and spatial patterns in diet and growth of lake trout in Lake Michigan

Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in nearshore waters of Lake Michigan grow faster than lake trout residing offshore on Sheboygan Reef, which is in midlake. We examined the stomachs of lake trout, spanning ages 1 through 16, caught in both nearshore and offshore environments of Lake Michigan during 1994 and 1995 to determine whether diet differences may be responsible for the difference in growth rate. A comparison of the diets, coupled with bioenergetics modeling, indicated that juvenile lake trout on Sheboygan Reef experienced slow growth due to low food availability rather than to cold water temperatures. The availability of appropriate‐size prey appeared to regulate lake trout growth. Small prey fish were probably not readily available to small (200‐ to 399‐mm total length) lake trout on Sheboygan Reef, a substantial portion of whose diet consisted of invertebrates; in contrast, nearshore juveniles had a nearly 100% fish diet. Growth rate on the reef remained slow through intermediate lake trout sizes (400–599 mm total length), presumably due to low availability of rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax on the reef. Once lake trout achieved total lengths of approximately 600 mm, they grew slightly faster on Sheboygan Reef than near shore, indicating that large (>170‐mm total length) prey fish were readily available to lake trout in the reef area. On a wet‐weight basis, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus dominated the diet of large (≥600 mm total length) lake trout from both the nearshore and offshore regions of the lake, although bloater Coregonus hoyi composed over 30% of the diet on Sheboygan Reef and in southeastern nearshore Lake Michigan. Size of alewife prey increased with lake trout size. The bloater population currently represents the bulk of the biomass of the adult prey fish community, so our diet analysis suggests that large lake trout are continuing to select alewives.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1994

The geologic framework of southern Lake Michigan

The bathymetry is controlled by the underlying bedrock. Bedrock comprises Silurian dolomite and Devonian limestone and shale. Quaternary sediment, 10 to 40 m thick, overlies bedrock. From Waukegan, Illinois, south to Indiana Harbor, the bottom is floored by till, sand, pebbles, and cobbvles. The lake floor is erosional or nondepositional where till or gravel-cobble pavement is exposed. In contrast, north of Waukegan and east of Indiana Harbor, fine sand covers much of the bottom and grades offshore to muddy sand. The complex surficial bottom sediment distribution between Waukegan and Michigan City, Indiana, could be mapped in detail only where sidescan sonar mosaics are available. Sand, important for protecting the substrate from erosion and for maintaining beaches, is not abundant throughout much of the area. -from Authors

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1967

Some oligochaetes from Lake Michigan

Twenty-six species of Tubificidae, 12 Naididae, and 1 Lumbriculidae were found in three regions of Lake Michigan- Green Bay, the southern end of the lake proper, and the harbor at Ludington, Michigan. One new naidid species is described. Methods of identification of some species are discussed and illustrated. The abundance of oligochaetes and distribution of certain species vary with depth and location. Data are presented on the effects of the environment on the distribution of certain species. The presence or absence of some species reflected the quality of the environment; some were prevalent in polluted waters whereas others were restricted or absent. Possible changes in composition and abundance of species are outlined if organic enrichment increases in Lake Michigan.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗