Comparative analysis of Microcystis buoyancy in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron

Details

• Journal Title:
  Harmful Algae
• Personal Author:
  Den Uyl, Paul A. ; Harrison, Seamus B. ; Godwin, Casey M. ; Rowe, Mark D. ; Strickler, J. Rudi ; Vanderploeg, Henry A.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; CIGLR (Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research) ; GLERL (Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory)
• Description:
  Microcystis is the predominant genus of harmful cyanobacterium in both Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron and has the capacity to regulate the buoyancy of its colonies, sinking under certain conditions while floating towards the surface in others. Understanding the factors that control buoyancy is critical for interpretation of remote sensing data, modeling and forecasting harmful algal blooms within these two systems. To determine if Microcystis colony buoyancy in the two lakes responds similarly to diurnal light cycles, colony buoyant velocity (floating/sinking terminal velocity in a quiescent water column) and size were measured after manipulating the intensity of sunlight. Overall, there were more positively buoyant (floating) colonies in Lake Erie while most of the colonies in Saginaw Bay were negatively buoyant (sinking). In Lake Erie the colonies became less buoyant at increased light intensities and were less buoyant in the afternoon than in the morning. In both lakes, apparent colony density was more variable among small colonies (< 200 µm), whereas larger colonies showed a diminished response of density to light intensity and duration. These findings suggest that colony density becomes less plastic as colonies increase in size, leading to a weak relationship between size and velocity. These relationships may ultimately affect how the bloom is transported throughout each system and will help explain observed differences in vertical distribution and movement of Microcystis in the two lakes.
• Source:
  Harmful Algae, 108, 102102
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2021.102102
• ISSN:
  1568-9883
• Format:
  pdf
• Publisher:
  Elsevier BV
• Document Type:
  Journal Article-Accepted Manuscript
• Funding:
  Grant no. NA17OAR4320152
• Rights Information:
  Accepted Manuscript
• Rights Statement:
  The NOAA IR provides access to this content under the authority of the government's retained license to distribute publications and data resulting from federal funding. While users may legally access this content, the copyright owners retain rights that govern the reproduction, redistribution, and re-use of this work. The user is solely responsible for complying with applicable copyright law.
• Compliance:
  Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a2e24e1933df371b72fb9c09bf13c99446a7f6ceb154d779a0fbc065b67a822def094e374b0657f080185eceea5e2648360654fde827490d1b38133ec27208ba
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/67786/noaa_67786_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.64 MB ]