Chloride and total phosphorus budgets for Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Green Bay is an elongated freshwater embayment located in northwestern Lake Michigan. Due to its short residence time, the lower bay is heavily influenced by the Fox River's large nutrient load. The inner bay is classified as hypereutrophic and a well-defined trophic gradient is observed moving away from the Fox River towards Lake Michigan, where the bay is nearly oligotrophic. Recent chloride and total phosphorus loading estimates were used to update a chloride and total phosphorus mass-balance model for the bay for 1994–2008. The chloride model provided a means to estimate turbulent eddy diffusion within the bay and exhibited excellent agreement with observed data. The total phosphorus model agreement with observed data was generally good, with the exception of a large deviation in lower Green Bay during 1999–2004. The model was used to estimate the internal loadings necessary to account for the deviation in phosphorus concentrations. The source of the unexpected increase remains unclear, but we speculate significant internal loading due to wind-driven sediment resuspension and hypoxia-induced phosphorus diffusion was significant. These models allow needed reductions to be identified and sourced and also indicate the role internal loading may play in the Green Bay phosphorus budget.     

Evaluation of lower Green Bay benthic fauna with emphasis on re-ecesis of Hexagenia mayfly nymphs

The last historic Hexagenia specimen in lower Green Bay was officially recorded in 1955. Field surveys and Hexagenia viability studies were completed to determine if lower Green Bay could support Hexagenia re-ecesis and where in the bay egg stocking could best be accomplished. The invertebrate field data were compared with historical population data based on earlier published studies in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s to determine the bay's ecological trajectory to better understand the re-ecesis success potential of Hexagenia. No native Hexagenia were observed during this study. Deep water invertebrate diversity within the upper lower bay appears to be improving, whereas the diversity along the lower mid-bay may be deteriorating. Shallower, nearshore samples indicated a better condition with Caenis mayflies sparsely present, amphipods, isopods, gilled snails, odonates, oligochaetes, chironomids, and meiofauna present. These results suggested improved conditions shoreward versus degraded conditions deeper. Hexagenia egg viability and neonate growth indicated Hexagenia could successfully inhabit in situ Green Bay nearshore (<2?m) substrates; however, deep substrates were generally inhospitable probably due to hypoxia and unstable fluid substrates. As an outcome of the field surveys and studies of Hexagenia viability in Green Bay mud, Hexagenia stocking began in 2014 with the first adults since 1955 emerging in 2016 at several lower bay nearshore locations. Improved water quality from remediation efforts in the watershed could facilitate the return of Hexagenia to deeper water.     

Survival,growth, and production of Hexagenia bilineata mayflies in fluidized sediment from lower Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Organic pollution in lower Green Bay, Lake Michigan over the past century was accompanied by the local extirpation of Hexagenia (primarily H. limbata) mayflies. Recoveries were made in other systems where population crashes had occurred (e.g., western Lake Erie); however, an active recovery does not appear to be taking place in Green Bay. Excessive primary production has caused substantial benthic organic matter accumulation resulting in a fluidized “sludge-like” substrate as the majority of the sub-littoral habitat. Fluidized substrate potentially hinders Hexagenia nymphs' abilities to construct and maintain burrows critical to their life cycles. In this study, Hexagenia bilineata nymphs were collected from an Upper Mississippi River backwater where their presence at high densities in relatively fluid sediment had been observed, and reared in oxygenated aquaria containing lower Green Bay or Upper Mississippi River sediment. Their survival, growth, secondary production, and biomass turnover were calculated for a 166 day period. Seventy-five percent of nymphs survived or metamorphosed into winged sub-imagos in lower Green Bay substrates compared to 40.6% in Upper Mississippi River substrates. Nymph dry weight more than tripled in Green Bay substrates and more than doubled on Upper Mississippi River substrates. Production was notably higher in lower Green Bay substrates. Differences in survival and production between the two treatments were statistically significant (P < 0.05), while differences in growth and biomass turnover were not (P > 0.05). Based on these results, the high fluidity of lower Green Bay substrates did not appear to hinder burrow construction or maintenance.     

The Role of Sediments in the Nitrogen Budget of Lower Green Bay,Lake Michigan

The extreme southern portion of Green Bay is a shallow (1 to 5 m depth), eutrophic water body which receives considerable nutrients from the Fox River and metropolitan Green Bay, Wisconsin. Research to evaluate the effect of sediments on nitrogen (N) in the bay entailed periodic sampling of waters and sediments at six sites over 20 months and laboratory investigations of the rates of nitrification, denitrification, mineralization, immobilization, and N₂ fixation. The monitoring data indicated that the N concentrations, approximately 0.6 and 0.8 mg/L of inorganic and organic N, respectively, in the bay waters are considerably higher than the threshold limits that may cause algal bloom and aquatic weed problems. Consideration of the available sediment N pool with respect to recognizable N inputs indicated that only 1.2 percent of the yearly N loading from the Fox River is present in the active sediment layer. Nitrification and subsequent denitrification at the sediment-water interface as a result of intermittent wind stirring could be a major sink for N, but presently it has a minor impact due to the high loading rate of N in this ecosystem. The study indicates that even if approximately 50 percent of the present point source loading of N were eliminated by pollution abatement, the N input from nonpoint sources (combined with existing concentrations of phosphorus in the bay waters) would be sufficient to maintain eutrophic conditions.     

Timescales of transport through Lower Green Bay

Contaminated sediments, poor water quality, and lost or altered habitat in Lower Green Bay and Fox River in the 1980s led to its listing as an Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission. Previous studies on the geophysics and health of the bay demonstrated the need for estimates of transport timescales. Such estimates can contribute to improved understanding of the transport and fate of nutrients, contaminants, and biogeochemical processes in the bay. This study reviews definitions of residence time and flushing time, estimates the temporal distribution of flushing time, the spatial and temporal distributions of residence time, and horizontal diffusivities. The study used a previously developed hydrodynamic model, a drifter experiment, a lake particle transport model, and methods appropriate for the estimation of transport timescales. The estimated residence time for lower Green Bay, 56 ± 16 days, is smaller than a previous estimate of 190 days for the whole bay, and had values similar to the estimated flushing times. The closeness between those timescales demonstrates the important role of water exchange across the Chambers Island transect. Flushing time and residence time do not follow the same trends in monthly variability because the former depends directly on water exchange across Chambers Island, while the later depends, in addition, on tributary inflows and the circulation patterns in the bay. The study includes a discussion of the relations between the timescales of transport and the previous studies of biogeochemical processes, such as trophic conditions, spatial distribution of cyanobacteria, cold-water intrusions, and hypoxia.     

Spatial analysis of toxic or otherwise bioactive cyanobacterial peptides in Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) are a growing problem in freshwater systems worldwide. CyanoHABs are well documented in Green Bay, Lake Michigan but little is known about cyanoHAB toxicity. This study characterized the diversity and spatial distribution of toxic or otherwise bioactive cyanobacterial peptides (TBPs) in Green Bay. Samples were collected in 2014 and 2015 during three cruises at sites spanning the mouth of the Fox River north to Chambers Island. Nineteen TBPs were analyzed including 11?microcystin (MC) variants, nodularin, three anabaenopeptins, three cyanopeptolins and microginin-690. Of the 19 TBPs, 12 were detected in at least one sample, and 94% of samples had detectable TBPs. The most prevalent TBPs were MCRR and MCLR, present in 94% and 65% of samples. The mean concentration of all TBPs was highest in the Fox River and lower bay, however, the maximum concentration of all TBPs occurred in the same sample north of the lower bay. MCs were positively correlated with chlorophyll and negatively correlated with distance to the Fox River in all cruises along a well-established south-to-north trophic gradient in Green Bay. The mean concentration of MC in the lower bay across all cruises was 3.0?±?2.3?μg/L. Cyanopeptolins and anabaenopeptins did not trend with the south-north trophic gradient or varied by cruise suggesting their occurrence is driven by different environmental factors. Results from this study provide evidence that trends in TBP concentration differ by congener type over a trophic gradient.     

Evidence of persistent,recurring summertime hypoxia in Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Six years (2009–2015) of temperature and dissolved oxygen profile data show hypoxic conditions are common in the bottom waters of southern Green Bay, Lake Michigan during the summer. Depleted oxygen concentrations (<5?mg?L^?1) affect nearly 70% of the 38 stations sampled representing an area of ~500–600?km². Stratification typically lasts 2+?months, from late June to early September, and some stations exhibit bottom water hypoxia (<2?mg?L^?1) at a frequency of nearly 25% when sampled during this period. A monitoring program initiated in 1986 by the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District has provided a 23?year, recreational season record (May–September) of continuous (15?min interval) in situ bottom water oxygen and temperature measurements at the Entrance Light station of the Green Bay navigational channel. The duration of the hypoxic season ranges from 2?weeks to over 3?months at this shallow 7?m offshore site. This variability likely results from a combination of thermal stratification, oxygen consumption in deeper waters of the bay, and physical forcing mechanisms that drive cool, oxygen depleted, bottom waters on a southerly trajectory across this sensor. These data suggest the duration of hypoxic conditions may have increased during the stratified season in recent years. Hypoxia in the bay would also appear to be sensitive to relatively small changes in these forces, particularly changes in organic carbon loading and the duration of stratification.     

Variations in chemical speciation and reactivity of phosphorus between suspended-particles and surface-sediment in seasonal hypoxia-influenced Green Bay

Water, suspended-particles, and surface-sediment samples were collected from Green Bay, Lake Michigan, for the measurements of phosphorus (P) species, including dissolved/particulate-P, inorganic/organic-P, and five different forms of particulate-P, namely exchangeable- or labile-P (Ex-P), iron-bound-P (Fe-P), biogenic-apatite and/or CaCO₃-associated-P (CFA-P), organic-P (Org-P) and detrital-apatite-P (Detr-P) to elucidate their reactivity and transformation pathways in the water column. Suspended particles contained mainly Ex-P (25?±?15%), Fe-P (28?±?12%) and Org-P (29?±?7%). In contrast, Detr-P (34?±?10%) and Org-P (36?±?12%) were the predominant P species in surface sediment. Contents of Ex-P, Fe-P, Org-P and CFA-P decreased consistently from suspended-particles to surface-sediment, but an increase was observed for the Detr-P, indicating a net loss of Ex-P, Fe-P, Org-P and CFA-P from particulate into dissolved phase. Such active regeneration of P in the water column between particulate and dissolved phases may serve as an internal phosphate source in Green Bay, especially under hypoxic conditions. Degradation of organic matter in south central bay areas seemed to promote hypoxia and enhance the reductive-dissolution of Fe-P and preservation of Org-P under low-oxygen conditions in the central bay. Overall, Ex-P, Fe-P, CFA-P and Org-P species, which comprised up to 50–90% of total particulate-P, can be collectively considered as potentially-bioavailable-P (BAP). Under low-phosphate (0.022?±?0.014?μM in Green Bay) and summer low-oxygen/hypoxic conditions, suspended-particles may release up to 71% of their BAP before deposited in sediment although the BAP regeneration decreased along the south-north transect in Green Bay.     

Breeding birds and anurans of dynamic coastal wetlands in Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Breeding birds and anurans (frogs and toads) in coastal wetlands of Green Bay, Lake Michigan vary dynamically with changing water levels, habitat type, and geography. We describe species assemblages over a seven-year period (2011–2017) beginning with historic low water levels followed by an increase in average lake level of 0.85?m. In general, species richness and abundance of marsh-obligate species responded positively to increasing water levels, although several species of shallow wetlands (sandhill crane, sedge wren, swamp sparrow, and American toad) showed the opposite trend. Anuran assemblages were more diverse in the middle and upper bay, coinciding with a well-established nutrient gradient from the hypereutrophic lower bay to more oligotrophic waters of the upper bay. Three marsh-obligate bird species (black tern, sandhill crane, and sedge wren) were significantly more abundant in the middle or upper bay while sora, American coot, and common gallinule were more abundant in the eutrophic lower bay. Our findings have several important implications for conservation. Inland wetlands near the coast (including diked wetlands) might play a key ecological role by providing refugia for some species during low water years. However, the importance of shallow coastal wetlands and nearshore gradients of wetland habitat might be overlooked during low water years; when high water returns, these areas can become extremely productive and species-rich.     

Lead in Lake Michigan and Green Bay surficial sediments

Sediment samples were collected in 1987–1990 from Green Bay and in 1994–1996 from Lake Michigan. Surficial sediments (0–1 cm) from both locations were analyzed for lead for the purpose of describing the horizontal variation of lead in 1994–1996 Lake Michigan and 1987–1990 Green Bay sediments, estimating lead fluxes to surficial sediments, and comparing results to earlier studies. With Lake Michigan concentrations ranging from below the method detection limit to 180 μg/g, the surficial sediments had mean and median lead concentrations of 70 μg/g and 64 μg/g, respectively. Lead concentrations in Green Bay surficial sediments were similar to those in Lake Michigan and ranged between the method detection limit and 160 μg/g. For the bay, mean and median concentrations were 58 and 59 μg/g, respectively. Surficial lead concentrations were highest in the Southern, Waukegan, and Grand Haven basins of Lake Michigan and in the central region of Green Bay in the vicinity of Chambers Island. For Lake Michigan and Green Bay, dated sediment cores illustrate the decline in lead concentrations during the last 30 and 10 years, respectively. Lead fluxes ranged between < 0.049 and 7.2 μg/cm²/yr for Green Bay and between 0.47 and 20 μg/cm²/yr for Lake Michigan. Lead fluxes to Lake Michigan were lower than those reported for 1972. These are the most comprehensive fluxes of lead to Lake Michigan and Green Bay surficial sediments reported to date.     

Currents and Temperatures in Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Current velocities and water temperatures were measured in the four main passages between Green Bay and Lake Michigan and at several sites within the bay during summer and fall 1977. Monthly resultant currents indicate there is anticlockwise circulation in the bay during dominant southwesterly wind and a reversal of this pattern during episodes of northeasterly wind. It is common for two layers to flow through the mouth of the bay in opposite directions during the stratified season. Cold hypolimnetic lake water entering through the mouth and extending far into the bay maintains stratification and promotes flushing. The effects of resonance of forced and free long wave disturbances are prominent in current records; these oscillations are coherent and in phase across the mouth.     

Phytoplankton Productivity in Saginaw Bay,Lake Huron: Effects of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Colonization

Phytoplankton photosynthesis-irradiance parameters, chlorophyll concentrations, underwater extinction coefficients (kPAR), and surface irradiance were determined at 8–10 sites on 27 occasions in Saginaw Bay from spring 1990 through fall 1993 corresponding to a period before and after the establishment of large zebra mussel populations (began in summer 1991). Similar measurements, with the exception of the photosynthetic parameter, α, had also been made in 1974/75 at eight sites on nine occasions. In inner Saginaw Bay where zebra mussels were primarily found, chlorophyll and kPAR values decreased, while the photosynthetic parameters, P_max and α, increased after zebra mussel colonization. At sites in the outer bay where no zebra mussels were found, chlorophyll and kPAR values did not change after zebra mussel colonization, whereas photosynthetic parameters increased. Decreases in chlorophyll and kPAR in the inner bay were related to the zebra mussel, but increases in photosynthetic parameters in both the inner and outer bay were not. Areal-integrated and volumetric phytoplankton productivity decreased by 38% and 37%, respectively, in inner Saginaw Bay after the establishment of zebra mussels; phytoplankton productivity at outer bay control sites was similar during the same period. Decreased phytoplankton productivity in the inner bay was attributable to the large decrease in chlorophyll as increases in underwater irradiance (increased kPAR) and photo synthetic parameters could not compensate for the chlorophyll effect. Increase in underwater irradiance produced a significant increase in light to the benthic region and contributed to increased benthic primary productivity; ratio of photic zone to station depth increased in inner Saginaw Bay, from 0.6–0.8 before the zebra mussel colonization (1974–1990) to 1.1–1.3 after colonization (1992–1993). Overall, primary productivity in the inner bay did not exhibit a notable change after zebra mussel colonization as decreases in phytoplankton productivity were accompanied by increases in benthic primary productivity. Thus, zebra mussels altered inner Saginaw Bay from a pelagic-dominated system to a benthic/pelagic system which will have long-term effects on food web structure and productivity at higher trophic levels.     

Resolution of optical gradients and pursuit of optical closure for Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Optical properties have fundamental importance to water quality, ecology, and remote sensing initiatives. Paired measurements of optically active constituents (OACs), and inherent optical properties (IOPs) and apparent optical properties (AOPs), were made in September 2010 across the optical gradients of Green Bay, extending from the Fox River to Sturgeon Bay (8 sites), and for three near-shore locations in the main basin of Lake Michigan. The array of laboratory and in situ measurements provided a robust characterization of the underwater and emergent light fields of these waters with respect to magnitudes and spectral features of the OACs, IOPs and AOPs. These measurements resolved the character and possible origins of the major gradients within the bay (5 to 10-fold differences) and the substantial differences between the bay and the main basin. The credibility of the characterizations was supported through closure analyses which demonstrated: (1) the approach to equivalence between various field and laboratory measurements, and (2) good matches of AOP observations by values predicted from measured IOPs using accepted radiative transfer expressions. The bay was demonstrated to be an optically complex case 2 system, with uncoupled variations along the spatial gradient(s) in OACs of phytoplankton biomass, colored dissolved organic material, and non-algal particulates. The documented spatial differences in optical properties rival those reported in much larger marine surveys. Radiative transfer expressions are used to predict changes in AOPs of the downwelling (underwater) attenuation coefficient and remote sensing signal in response to scenarios of changes in levels of OACs of potential ecological and management interest.     

Copper-rich “Halo” off Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Peninsula and how Mass Mill tailings dispersed onto tribal lands

Over a century ago, shoreline copper mills sluiced more than 64 million metric tonnes of tailings into Lake Superior, creating a “halo” around the Keweenaw Peninsula with a buried copper peak. Here we examine how tailings from one of the smaller mills (Mass Mill, 1902–1919) spread as a dual pulse across southern Keweenaw Bay and onto tribal L’Anse Indian Reservation lands. The fine (“slime clay”) fraction dispersed early and widely, whereas the coarse fraction (stamp sands) moved more slowly southward as a black sand beach deposit, leaving scattered residual patches. Beach stamp sands followed the path of sand eroding from Jacobsville Sandstone bluffs, mixing with natural sands and eventually adding onto Sand Point, at the mouth of L’Anse Bay. Dated sediment cores and a multi-elemental analysis of the buried Cu-rich peak in L’Anse Bay confirm a tailings origin. Copper concentrations are declining in the bay, yet copper fluxes remain elevated. The spatial and temporal studies underscore that enhanced sediment and copper fluxes around the Keweenaw Peninsula largely reflect historic mining releases. Mercury is correlated with copper, yet mercury concentrations and fluxes remain relatively low in Keweenaw Bay compared to nearby Superfund sites (Torch and Portage Lakes), perhaps reflecting the absence of smelters on Keweenaw Bay. Tribal efforts to remediate contamination are progressing, but are hindered by recent high water levels plus severe storms. The long-term repercussions of Mass Mill discharges caution against mine companies discharging even small amounts of tailings into coastal environments.     

深圳湾河床演变及其对湿地生态系统的影响

深港交界处的深圳湾具有重要的生态价值。在收集历史海图资料、近期实测地形资料和卫星遥感影像的基础上,对深圳湾的河床演变特征和岸线变化进行了分析。分析结果表明,深圳湾近百年间河床不断淤浅、纳潮量逐步减小;20世纪80年代以来,随着深圳侧大量围海造地,深圳湾岸线向湾内大幅度推进;现状边界条件下,深圳湾持续淤积的趋势不会改变。研究了深圳湾河床演变对湿地生态系统的影响,包括滩涂面积变化、沿岸滩涂淤高对红树林的种群、分布变化以及底栖动物、水生生物、鸟类的栖息繁衍等造成的影响,并就保护湿地生态系统提出了建议。     

基于TQR-EGM模型的水资源生态安全评价及动态预警

水资源的生态安全有利于人类的生存和经济社会的可持续发展.以安徽省为例,构建以TQR(威胁-质量-调控)为概念模型的水资源生态安全综合评价指标体系,借助熵权法赋权并计算2013-2018年生态安全指数来评价水资源生态安全水平,并利用障碍度模型和灰色预测模型进行障碍因素诊断和安全动态预警.研究结果表明:安徽省水资源生态安全...     

Trends and prospects in the Yangtze River Basin research: A bibliometric analysis

The management and protection of the world's major river basins have received increasing attention, and a series of related measures, including fishing bans and ecological engineering restoration, has been pioneered in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). This paper provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of research trends and hotspots in the water environment of the YRB through bibliometric means. The database period was from its inception to December 31, 2020. This review combines the changing trends in the water environment of the YRB in the form of keywords. The results show that the governance of the YRB is based on the relationship between “water” and “sediment” as an entry point, focusing on changes in the “temporal” and “spatial” allocation of water resources; further, when considering the problem of “eutrophication” caused by the release of “nitrogen” and “phosphorus” from “sediments,” water quality factors such as “heavy metal pollution” and “organic pollution” are becoming more prominent; then water quality factor affects “biodiversity,” aquatic ecology becomes more and more concerned, and “ecological risk” factor is taken into consideration. Therefore, future management of the YRB requires consideration of all elements of the basin, including water resources, water quality, and aquatic ecology, and how to coordinate these all material elements is the obstacle and breakthrough point. In addition, further studies on research frontiers have revealed that ecological risk, emerging bioinformatics technologies, and, source apportionment will become the new and popular directions and trends in research. This review is intended to provide insights into the management of other large river basins around the world.     

Multi‐objective risk assessment of freshwater inflow on ecosystem sustainability in San Antonio bay,Texas

Abstract:

San Antonio Bay is located on the coast of Texas between Galveston Bay and Corpus Christi Bay and is the primary bay in the Guadalupe Estuary. Three rivers feed San Antonio Bay from two river basins, including the Blanco and Guadalupe Rivers in the Guadalupe River Basin and the San Antonio River in the San Antonio River Basin. The Canyon Reservoir regulates the flow of fresh water in the middle and lower reaches of the Guadalupe River. These inflows are a primary regulator of salinity and, thus, the productivity of commercially important estuarine species. Increasing demand for water has prompted plans for an increased diversion of 49.3 million m³ (40,000 acre‐feet) from the reservoir. An additional amount of 61.6 million m³ (50,000 acre‐feet) from the mouth of the river is to be pumped back to San Antonio to relieve over‐pumping of the Edwards Aquifer. Because the Guadalupe River Basin contributes 58.1 percent of the freshwater inflow to the estuary, it is not known what the impact of these actions will have on the ecological integrity of the San Antonio Bay. Water resource management in the San Antonio Basin consists of decision making under risk and uncertainty related to randomness in the critical parameters such as the salinity in the bay, biological productivity, and total flow into the bay. The aim of this study is to investigate the trade‐offs between the competing objectives of maximizing biological productivity in the bay and minimizing flow using Stochastic Compromise Programming (SCP). The SCP model solves a multi‐objective function subject to constraints that must be maintained at three different prescribed levels of probability providing a global set of solutions for the water resource management problem under input uncertainty. The SCP model provides information on the trade‐offs among the objective function value, tolerance values of the constraint at the prescribed levels of probability, which could be valuable to policy makers in risk assessment. Solutions were found using three distance functions. Model outputs may suggest the minimum amount of freshwater needed to maximize biological productivity of the bay at specified risk level for assessing the impact of upcoming diversion program. Results indicate that current flows in the Guadalupe River are of sufficient volume to satisfy harvest requirements.     

Blending science and public policies for remediation of a degraded ecosystem: Jackfish Bay, north shore of Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

The Jackfish Bay Remedial Action Plan is the first of Lake Superior's Areas of Concern (AOCs) to consider recognition as an Area in Recovery (AiR). As a result of a high degree of complexity and uncertainty, ecosystem recovery in Jackfish Bay has been determined using a combination of regulatory policies and scientific evidence and extensive public and expert-based decision making. As a result, the conceptualization of the AiR status in Jackfish Bay has been developed with the adaptive management and the ecosystem approach, which provide the basic principles of assessing, monitoring, and managing the Area of Concern. To determine the status of beneficial use impairments caused by effluent from the Terrace Bay Pulp Inc., three public advisory committees—an academic panel of experts, a government technical review committee, and the Jackfish Bay Public Area in Recovery Review Committee (PARRC)—reviewed relevant scientific data and documents, including peer-reviewed publications, to assess changes in pollution levels in Jackfish Bay and improvements to aquatic, biotic, and benthic environments of the bay. The public decision-making process concluded with recommendations by the PARRC to develop a systematic monitoring program so that the ecosystem recovery process in the bay could be assessed on a continued basis, leading to its eventual delisting as an AOC. The entire process provides an example of blending science and public policies for remediation of a degraded ecosystem on the Great Lakes.     

Quantitative restoration targets for fish and wildlife habitats and populations in the Lower Green Bay and Fox River AOC

The Lower Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern (LGB&FR AOC) is one of the most ecologically diverse but demonstrably impaired AOCs in the Laurentian Great Lakes. We outline a transparent, quantitative process for setting targets to remove two fish and wildlife-related beneficial use impairments (BUIs). The method identifies important habitats and species/species groups and weights them according to ecological and socioeconomic criteria. These weights are paired with standardized estimates of current condition ranging from 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible). A weighted average of the condition scores gives an overall AOC condition for each BUI, creating a baseline for setting future restoration or BUI removal targets. Weighted averages for the LGB&FR AOC yielded a current condition of 3.60 for fish and wildlife habitats and 4.65 for species/species groups. Based on achievable restoration scenarios and discussions with local experts and stakeholders, we propose removal targets of 6.0 for the “loss of fish and wildlife habitat” BUI and 6.5 for the “degradation of fish and wildlife populations” BUI. This quantitative approach illuminates multiple pathways for reaching restoration targets and facilitates informed discussions about cost effective restoration projects. According to our results, species and species groups in this AOC are generally in better current condition than habitats when compared on the same 0–10 scale. This suggests that many (though not all) desirable fish and wildlife populations in the LGB&FR AOC are able to survive in relatively degraded habitats or are able to use these habitats productively during part of their life cycle.