title: The re-eutrophication of Lake Erie: Harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.
abstract: Lake Erie supplies drinking water to more than 11 million consumers, processes millions of gallons of wastewater, provides important species habitat and supports a substantial industrial sector, with >$50 billion annual income to tourism, recreational boating, shipping, fisheries, and other industries. These and other key ecosystem services are currently threatened by an excess supply of nutrients, manifested in particular by increases in the magnitude and extent of harmful planktonic and benthic algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia. Widespread concern for this important international waterbody has been manifested in a strong focus of scientific and public material on the subject, and commitments for Canada-US remedial actions in recent agreements among Federal, Provincial and State agencies. This review provides a retrospective synthesis of past and current nutrient inputs, impairments by planktonic and benthic HABs and hypoxia, modelling and Best Management Practices in the Lake Erie basin. The results demonstrate that phosphorus reduction is of primary importance, but the effects of climate, nitrogen and other factors should also be considered in the context of adaptive management. Actions to reduce nutrient levels by targeted Best Management Practices will likely need to be tailored for soil types, topography, and farming practices.
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: sue.watson@canada.ca.
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban Watershed Environmental Research Group, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arhonditsis
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Carmichael
authors.affiliation: Burlington, ON L7 T 3C9, Canada.
authors.forename: Murray N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.affiliation: National Center for Water Quality Research, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH 44883, USA.
authors.forename: Remegio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Confesor
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Depew
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2033, USA.
authors.forename: Tomas O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Höök
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43212, USA.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ludsin
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7216, USA.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matisoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban Watershed Environmental Research Group, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
authors.forename: Shawn P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McElmurry
authors.affiliation: National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Oberlin, Ohio 44074 USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peter Richards
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada.
authors.forename: Yerubandi R
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA.
authors.forename: Morgan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0845, USA.
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D000458:Cyanobacteria; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005068:Eutrophication; D057097:Harmful Algal Bloom; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology*; D009584:Nitrogen; D010758:Phosphorus
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Cladophora; Climate change; Cyanobacteria; Internal loading; Microcystis; Nutrient management models