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Research about Lake St. Clair

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Lake St. Clair.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2026

Seasonal space use and spatial overlap of lake sturgeon populations inhabiting Lake St. Clair

Multi-jurisdictional management of adult lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) requires characterizing seasonal dynamics of their spatial distributions. Despite decades of research into lake sturgeon movement ecology, system-wide spatiotemporal behavior remains poorly understood in large lakes, particularly those with metapopulations differentiated by spawning river or migratory phenotypes. This study described seasonal space use of lake sturgeon populations in Lake St. Clair, a large, shallow lake divided by the international border between the State of Michigan and Province of Ontario. Our objectives were to characterize spatial behavior of adult lake sturgeon by: 1) assessing U.S. and Canadian residency patterns and cross-boundary movements with relevance for interjurisdictional management; 2) identifying seasonally important habitats where sturgeon regularly congregate; and 3) comparing seasonal spatial distributions and behavioral metrics among spawning populations and migratory phenotypes. A large sample of acoustic-tagged adult lake sturgeon of known spawning river and migratory phenotype were detected with a high-density (∼5 km spacing), lake-wide receiver grid. Home ranges estimated via Brownian Bridge movement models indicated near lake-wide use and seasonal variation in areas occupied, total area used, and residency within and across jurisdictional boundaries. Lake sturgeon seasonally congregated in several distinct areas but were not completely segregated by spawning populations or migratory phenotypes. Instead, space use by the two spawning populations followed a seasonally dependent, north-south gradient associated with the location of spawning inlet and outlet rivers. These results suggest that managers consider internationally coordinated approaches, especially for population assessment, that account for seasonal habitat shifts and cross-population and phenotypic mixing.

Michigan, Ontario↗
USGS2009

Lake St. Clair zooplankton: Evidence for post-Dreissena changes

We surveyed the zooplankton of Lake St. Clair at 12 sites over ten dates from May to October 2000. Mean zooplankton density by site and date was 168.6 individuals/L, with Dreissena spp. veligers the most abundant taxon at 122.7 individuals/L. Rotifers, copepods, and cladocerans were far lower in mean abundance than in the early 1970s (rotifers, 20.9/L; copepods, 18.1/L; and cladocerans, 6.8/L). Species richness of zooplankton taxa in 2000 was 147, which was virtually unchanged from that of the first reported survey in 1894. Overall, the decline in abundance was greatest for rotifers (-90%) and about equal for cladocerans (-69%) and copepods (-66%). The decrease in abundance of Daphnia spp. was especially dramatic in Canadian waters. The decline in the southeastern region was significant for all three major groups of zooplankton, whereas in the northwestern region the decline was significant only for rotifers. From June to August 2000, Lake St. Clair open waters were numerically dominated by Dreissena spp. veligers, with a reduced abundance of rotifers and crustaceans compared to pre-Dreissena spp. surveys. Mean nutrient concentrations were not different from the 1970s, but Secchi depth (greater) and chlorophyll a concentration (lower) were. Disproportionate reduction in rotifer abundance is consistent with hypotheses implicating direct consumption by settled Dreissena spp. Reduction of crustaceans is likely due to more complex interactions including removal of nauplii as well as resource competition for phytoplankton.

Michigan, Ontario↗
USGS2008

Environmental factors and flow paths related to Escherichia coli concentrations at two beaches on Lake St. Clair, Michigan, 2002–2005

Regression analyses and hydrodynamic modeling were used to identify environmental factors and flow paths associated with Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) concentrations at Memorial and Metropolitan Beaches on Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Mich. Lake St. Clair is part of the binational waterway between the United States and Canada that connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie in the Great Lakes Basin. Linear regression, regression-tree, and logistic regression models were developed from E. coli concentration and ancillary environmental data. Linear regression models on log 10 E. coli concentrations indicated that rainfall prior to sampling, water temperature, and turbidity were positively associated with bacteria concentrations at both beaches. Flow from Clinton River, changes in water levels, wind conditions, and log 10 E. coli concentrations 2 days before or after the target bacteria concentrations were statistically significant at one or both beaches. In addition, various interaction terms were significant at Memorial Beach. Linear regression models for both beaches explained only about 30 percent of the variability in log 10 E. coli concentrations. Regression-tree models were developed from data from both Memorial and Metropolitan Beaches but were found to have limited predictive capability in this study. The results indicate that too few observations were available to develop reliable regression-tree models. Linear logistic models were developed to estimate the probability of E. coli concentrations exceeding 300 most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters (mL). Rainfall amounts before bacteria sampling were positively associated with exceedance probabilities at both beaches. Flow of Clinton River, turbidity, and log 10 E. coli concentrations measured before or after the target E. coli measurements were related to exceedances at one or both beaches. The linear logistic models were effective in estimating bacteria exceedances at both beaches. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine cut points for maximizing the true positive rate prediction while minimizing the false positive rate. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate horizontal current patterns on Lake St. Clair in response to wind, flow, and water-level conditions at model boundaries. Simulated velocity fields were used to track hypothetical massless particles backward in time from the beaches along flow paths toward source areas. Reverse particle tracking for idealized steady-state conditions shows changes in expected flow paths and traveltimes with wind speeds and directions from 24 sectors. The results indicate that three to four sets of contiguous wind sectors have similar effects on flow paths in the vicinity of the beaches. In addition, reverse particle tracking was used for transient conditions to identify expected flow paths for 10 E. coli sampling events in 2004. These results demonstrate the ability to track hypothetical particles from the beaches, backward in time, to likely source areas. This ability, coupled with a greater frequency of bacteria sampling, may provide insight into changes in bacteria concentrations between source and sink areas.

Lake St. Clair↗
USGS2002

Visualization of a drifting buoy deployment on Lake St. Clair within the Great Lakes Waterway from August 12-15, 2002

Lake St. Clair is a 430 square mile lake between the state of Michigan and the province of Ontario, which forms part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada in the Great Lakes Basin. Lake St. Clair receives most of its inflow from Lake Huron through St. Clair River, which has an average flow of 182,000 cubic feet per second. The lake discharges to Detroit River, where it flows 32 miles to Lake Erie. Twelve drifting buoys were deployed on Lake St. Clair for 74 hours between August 12-15, 2002 to help investigate flow circulation patterns as part of a source water assessment study of the susceptibility of public water intakes. The buoys contained global positioning system (GPS) receivers to track their movements. Buoys were released in a transect between tethered buoys marking an 800-foot wide navigational channel in the north-central part of the lake just downstream of St. Clair River, and about 15.5 miles northeast of Detroit River. In addition, an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was used to measure velocity profiles in a grid of 41 points that spanned the area through which the buoys drifted. Computer animations, which can be viewed through the Internet, were developed to help visualize the results of the buoy deployments and ADCP measurements.

Michigan↗
USGS2001

Annual production of burrowing mayfly nymphs ( Hexagenia spp.) in U.S. waters of Lake St. Clair

Burrowing mayfly nymphs ( Hexagenia spp.) were sampled monthly, September through October 1995 and April through August 1996, with a standard Ponar grab (538 cm 2 jaw opening) at 16 stations in U.S. waters of Lake St. Clair. Annual production (production, P) was 0 to 477 mg dry weight/m 2 at three stations where pollution and sediment grain-size distribution limited the population, and was 738 to 5,255 mg dry weight/m 2 at the other 13 stations. The highest production value measured for Hexagenia in Lake St. Clair was about three times higher than the highest value reported for other areas in the northern United States and Canada (39° to 53° North latitude). The production-mean annual biomass (biomass, B) ratio (P/B) for Hexagenia in Lake St. Clair in 1995–96 was described by the straight line P = 2.4 B (R 2 = 0.94). Adding published P/B data for other North American populations changed the relation only slightly to P = 2.5B (R 2 = 0.96). A P/B ratio of 2.5 is consistent with the expected value for an aquatic insect with a 2-year life cycle and overlapping cohorts, and these data suggest this relation has general applicability for estimating production of Hexagenia in the northern United States and Canada. Size-class and seasonal partitioning of Hexagenia biomass and production were evident in the data. Both biomass and production were highest among nymphs 16.0 mm and larger, and biomass was highest in October and again in June, immediately before the annual emergence of subimagos. The large size of the mature nymphs and the concentration of biomass and production among the larger nymphs in the population is consistent with their importance in the diets of many fishes in the northern United States and Canada.

Lake St. Clair↗