©EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/600-F-01-004
February 2001
                                              Office of Research and Development
GREAT  LAKES RESEARCH: AN  ECOSYSTEM  PERSPECTIVE
The Great Lakes of North America are unique
ecosystems, formed through millions of years of
volcanic and glacial events. They contain about 20%
of the world's reserve of surface freshwater. The last
100 years of human settlement have disturbed these
systems beyond their ability to sustain their natural
conditions. The waterways have served as a source of
transportation and as  a manufacturing resource, while
also providing a convenient depository for wastes. The
growing demands of commerce, recreation, and other
uses have introduced physical, chemical, and
biological contaminants that have burdened the Great
Lakes' natural resources. Communities around the
Great Lakes are working to restore and protect these
unique systems.

These systems receive contaminants from both point
(e.g., factory wastes) and non-point (e.g., agricultural
runoff) sources. Fish kills, algae blooms, and
degraded habitats have been the results. Opening the
St. Lawrence Seaway has allowed non-native
organisms to reach the Great Lakes. "Exotic species"
is the term  used for a host of non-native creatures that
have flourished in Great Lakes waters. These
organisms have been introduced intentionally (e.g.,
brown and  rainbow trout) and unintentionally (e.g., sea
lamprey, zebra and quagga mussels,  and round goby).

As concern about pollution increased  in the Great
Lakes basin, state and federal managing agencies
often treated the pollutants in question as single
issues. However, most pollution problems are more
complex. Successes with relatively straightforward
problems, such as reducing phosphorus inputs, have
given way to challenges like contaminated sediments,
PCBs, and exotic species. These persistent problems
affect the ecosystem at all levels, which makes them
difficult to contain and eliminate. The focus of current
research on the Great Lakes considers these issues
from the perspective of a whole ecosystem.

This holistic research  addresses three important goals:

1)   Determine the extent of human influences on the
     ecological  health of the Great Lakes.
2)   Develop an understanding of the ecology of the
     Great Lakes, and the relationship between
                                    chemical, physical, and biological components of
                                    the systems.
                                3)   Develop models to predict changes to these
                                    components, and to develop solutions to protect
                                    the Great Lakes' ecosystems.

                                Achieving these goals will increase our knowledge of
                                the Great Lakes' ecosystems. This is the first step in
                                addressing present environmental concerns, and
                                preventing future problems.

                                Contact: Jack Kelly (218) 529-5119
                                National Health and Environmental Effects
                                Research Laboratory
                                Mid-Continent Ecology Division
                                6201 Congdon Blvd.
                                Duiuth, MN 55804
                                Environmental Education and Scientific Outreach

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