Effects of Local Weather Variation on Water-column Stratification and Hypoxia in the Western, Sandusky, and Central Basins of Lake Erie
- Perello, Melanie M.
- Kane, Douglas D.
- Golnick, Phoenix
- Hughes, Maya C.
- Thomas, Matt A.
- Conroy, Joseph D.
DOIAbstract
Hypoxia, low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (<2 mg/L), has been a major issue in Lake Erie for decades. While much emphasis has been placed on biological factors, particularly algal blooms, contributing to hypolimnetic oxygen depletion, there has been little focus on the role of weather. For this study, we monitored water temperature and DO concentrations at sites in the western, central, and Sandusky basins in Lake Erie during June and July 2010–2012. We then compared trends in stratification and DO concentrations to weather patterns during that period. We found that during those three years, there was significant variation in weather patterns, particularly decreased ice coverage and increased storm events in 2012. These weather patt...
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