Research Vessel Lake Guardian 2018 f\nri Jaime por^^^H ^tD PRO^° Prepared by: T~ '¦ " United States Envirtflirnental Protection Agency Great Lakes Great Lakes National Program Office RESTORATION) EPA 905-R-19-006 ------- About the Great Lakes The North American Great Lakes are an important ecological, cultural, and economic resource for the United States and Canada. The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater and the ecosystem is one of the most biologically diverse in North America. The health of the Great Lakes is an important binational priority, and the US and Canadian governments have several programs in place to monitor the health of the Great Lakes. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) uses the Research Vessel (R/V) Lake Guardian to monitor water quality, contaminants, and the food web across the Great Lakes. R/V Lake Guardian surveys help EPA meet requirements and commitments under the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). "ft- What is the GLWQA? The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), originally signed in 1972, is a commitment between the United States and Canada to restore and protect the Great Lakes ecosystem. The GLWQA provides a framework for identifying and implementing binational priorities for improving water quality and ecosystem health. In 2012, the GLWQA was amended to better address current threats to Great Lakes. The US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office coordinates the US implementation of the GLWQA. What is the GLRI? The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was launched in 2010 to accelerate US efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes ecosystem. With oversight by US EPA GLNPO, the GLRI provides critical resources to 16 federal organizations and numerous non-federal partners working together to achieve long-term restoration and protection goals. Through FY 2018, GLRI has funded over 4,700 projects that focus on the most important Great Lakes environmental issues. The five focus areas of the GLRI are: • Toxic substances and Areas of Concern • Invasive species • Non-point source pollution impacts on nearshore health • Habitats and species • Foundations for future restoration actions 1 ------- o About the R/V Lake Guardian The R/V Lake Guardian is currently the largest research vessel operating in the Great Lakes. US EPA uses the R/V Lake Guardian to conduct monitoring and research activities on all five Great Lakes. EPA's R/V Lake Guardian surveys meet requirements under the Clean Water Act to establish a system-wide surveillance network to monitor Great Lakes water quality. They also satisfy EPA's obligations under the GLWQA to "undertake monitoring and surveillance to anticipate the need for further science activities and to address emerging environmental concerns." Further, R/V Lake Guardian surveys meet Great Lakes Restoration Initiative commitments to "assess the overall health of the Great Lakes." In addition to research and monitoring, the ship also provides numerous public outreach and educational opportunities around the Great Lakes basin. The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of the research, monitoring, and outreach activities conducted onboard the R/V Lake Guardian during the 2018 field season. R/V Lake Guardian Statistics 11 knots (13 mph) cuising speed 959 tons gross tonnage 14 crew & 27 scientists 2 ------- Onboard Research Facilities and Equipment Rosette water sampler Filtering water for nutrient anlyses The R/V Lake Guardian is equipped with state-of-the-ari sampling equipment to monitor the health of the Great Lakes. A Rosette water sampler is outfitted with a multi-parameter CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profiler, f!uoroprobe,12 Niskin bottles, and several other instruments to collect water column data and water samples at specific depths. The ship also deploys other technical instruments, including laser optical plankton counters, fisheries acoustics, and underwater imaging devices. Scientists on the R/V Lake Guardian sample lake sediment and benthic organisms using Ponargrab samplers, a box corer, and multicorer. Several nets of various lengths, diameters, and mesh sizes are used to collect zooplankton, Mysis, and larval fish samples. Following field collection, water and biological samples are processed in three on-board laboratories: the general purpose or "wet" laboratory, the chemistry laboratory, and the biology laboratory. Measuring water chemistry ------- GLNPO's Long-term Water Quality and Biology Monitoring Annual Surveys Since 1983, US EPA GLNPO has monitored the offshore waters of the Great Lakes to determine ecosystem trends and identify emerging problems. The Great Lakes Water Quality Monitoring Program measures several physical and chemical parameters across the Great Lakes, and the Biology Monitoring Program monitors the plants and animals of the lower food web. The long-term data collected by these GLNPO monitoring programs are highly valuable to ecosystem managers and scientific researchers seeking to understand the complex Great Lakes ecosystem. Station O Plankton Benthos 300-405 3 Plankton/Benthos Map Projection: Albers Equal Area GLNPO's spring and summer water quality survey stations Physical Parameters: Water temperature, air temperature, wind speed, wave height, surface and underwater photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), Secchi depth, turbidity, sediment grain size Chemical Parameters: Dissolved and particulate phosphorus and nitrogen, particulate and total organic carbon, cations, reactive silica, metals, chloride, sediment carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus, conductivity, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, total hardness Biological Parameters: chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton, zooplankton, Mysis, benthic invertebrates, Diporeia, dreissenid mussels Who assists with water quality & biology monitoring? The ship is operated by a crew from Cetacean Marine. Many EPA scientists and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) research participants collect water and biological samples. In 2018, GLNPO had cooperative agreements with University of Minnesota-Duluth, Cornell University, and Buffalo State College to collect and analyze the samples that support the Biology Monitoring Program The Federal Occupational Health (FOH) lab analyzed GLNPO's water samples for several nutrient parameters. General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a GLNPO contractor, performs data review and validation for many GLNPO monitoring programs. 4 ------- Additional Science and Monitoring on the Spring Survey Additional researchers from the University of Chicago collected water samples for DNA and RNA analysis to determine the microbial community composition across all five lakes. A researcher from Bowling Green State University also collected water and plankton samples to investigate the factors regulating plankton dynamics in Lake Erie. To further assess the spatial variability of phytoplankton communities and investigate the impacts of iand use on nearshore phytoplankton, University of Minnesota-Duluth sampled 12 additional nearshore stations in Lake Spring Survey The annual Spring Water Quality Survey of ail five lakes begins after most of the winter lake ice has thawed. On the 2018 Spring Survey, EPA scientists and ORISE research participants were onboard the RA/ Lake Guardian to collect, preserve, and analyze water samples for nutrients and other water quality parameters at 75 long-term stations. Ten researchers, technicians, and students from Cornell University and University of Minnesota-Duluth also participated in the Spring Survey to collect the phytoplankton, chlorophyll, Mysis, benthos, and zoopiankton samples supporting the Biology Monitoring Program. Ontario for phytoplankton community composition and stable isotope analyses as part of Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) efforts. ------- Summer Survey The annual Summer Water Quality Survey occurs in August when the lakes are near peak biological activity Over the course of 2018 Summer Survey numerous scientists and students from many organizations were onboard to collect, preserve and analyze the water, phytoplankton, chlorophyll, zooplankton, Mysis, and benthos samples at 97 long-term stations for GLNPO monitoring programs. Buffalo State also collected additional Ponar samples for the genetic analysis of benthic organisms. At a selection of sites, Buffalo State towed a benthic sled outfitted with high-quality cameras along 500 meter transects to capture videos of the bottom of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. These video transects heip determine the spatial extent of invasive quagga and zebra mussels. Benthic video sled Additional Science and Monitoring on the Summer Survey Similar to the Spring Survey, University of Minnesota-Duluth sampled 12 additional nearshore stations in Lake Ontario for phytoplankton community composition and stable isotope analyses. Additional Mysis samples were also collected by a Cetacean Marine Technician in all five lakes except Erie to assess the effectiveness of horizontal tows for collecting Mysis samples. This technique can allow researchers to obtain greater Mysis biomass for contaminant and biological analyses than standard net tows. Additional researchers from the University of Chicago were onboard to collect water samples for microbial community composition analyses. Researchers from the US Geological Survey (USGS) also participated in the Summer Survey to collect water and plankton samples for mercury analyses. Mercury is a toxic substance that can bioaccumulate in the Great Lakes food web, leading to fish consumption advisories. 6 ------- Cooperative Science & Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) What is CSMI? The Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is a joint US and Canadian effort to bring an extra focus on one of the five Great Lakes each year. US EPA GLNPO is responsible for coordinating CSMI research and monitoring efforts among the US federal, state, tribal, and academic partners. Lake Ontario was the focus of the 2018 CSMI field year. In subsequent years, the CSMI field year will rotate to Lake Erie (2019), Lake Michigan (2020), Lake Superior (2021), then Lake Huron (2022). » Lake Ontario 2018 The GLWQA Lake Ontario Partnership identified six overarching science priorities for the 2018 CSMI: • Nutrient concentrations and loadings • Nearshore nutrient-related problems (Cladophora) • Aquatic food web status • Fish dynamics • Critical and emerging pollutants • Coastal wetland status \ 1 Triaxus instrument package Viewing live feed of Triaxus acoustics data Lake Ontario CSMI Lower Aquatic Food Web (LOLA) Surveys The R/V Lake Guardian served as the platform for many studies investigating the health of the aquatic food web in Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario Lower Aquatic Food Web (LOLA) surveys were conducted in May, June, and September 2018 to characterize spatial and seasonal trends of Lake Ontario's lower food web. Hundreds of water quality, nutrient, microbial, phytoplankton, zooplankton, Mysis, and larval fish samples were collected at 24 stations across Lake Ontario by scientists from US EPA GLNPO, US EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) Mid-Con- tinent Ecology Division (MED), Cornell University, NY State Department of Environmental Conser- vation, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. In addition to discrete samples, the Triaxus instrument package with a laser optical plankton counter was deployed to explore the patchiness and spatial distribution of several lower food web components. Altogether, the results from these seasonal surveys provide insight into the current status of Lake Ontario's lower food web. 7 ------- Lake Ontario CSMI Benthos Survey In September 2018, US EPA GLNPO, US EPAORD Gulf Breeze and MED, Buffalo State College, NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and the University of Michigan Cooperative Institute of Great Lakes Research conducted an intensive lake-wide survey of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. Ninety-nine stations were sampled for benthic community composition, sediment grain size, and sediment nutrients. At 61 of the 99 stations, a benthic sled with video cameras was deployed to map the spatial distribution and abundance of invasive quagga mussels. A drop-down camera was also used to capture images of the lake bottom. A sediment profile imaging (SPI) camera was also deployed to investigate sediment characteristics and develop a benthic community health index for freshwater systems. The results from this survey provide a lake- wide synopsis of the status of Lake Ontario's benthic lower food web. Because benthic invertebrates are water and sediment quality indicators, results from 2018 will be compared with past and future Lake Ontario CSMI surveys to determine ecosystem changes over time. Counting and sorting invasive dreissenid mussels ------- Lake Ontario CSMI Contaminants in the Food Web Survey US EPA GLNPO's Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program (GLFMSP) tracks long-term trends of chemicals in Great Lakes top predator fish, such as lake trout, and several other associated ecosystem components, including water, sediment, benthic invertebrates, and plankton. In June 2018, a CSMI survey by US EPA GLNPO, Clarkson University SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Oswego, ECCC, USGS, and NOAA's Mussel Watch Program collected water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos, and sediment samples for toxic chemical analysis at one site in Lake Ontario. Samples were analyzed for a suite of persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals and also for stable isotopes to better identify energy and contaminant transfer through the food web. ------- Lake Erie Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring During the warm summer months, the central basin of Lake Erie experiences hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, near the bottom of the lake. Hypoxia has negative implications for both biological communities and drinking water management. GLNPO has been monitoring dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the centra! basin of Lake Erie since 1983 to assess the status and trends of hypoxia and inform management decisions. The data collected by the Lake Erie DO Monitoring Program supports hypoxia and ecosystem modeling efforts and may ultimately support management efforts under the Nutrients Annex of the GLWQA. GLNPO's Lake Erie DO Monitoring Program measures DO on numerous ship surveys each year. From May to October 2018, six R/V Lake Guardian surveys and two USGS R/V Muskie surveys measured DO at 10 long-term sites in the central basin of Lake Erie. In addition, continuous monitoring with in situ DO and temperature sensors is used to assess hypoxia in between surveys. DO sensor deployment Dissolved Oxygen Sensors Collecting water samples for DO analysis ER30 ER38 ER31 #ER37 #ER78^ER32 ER42 #ER73 g ER43 Central basin Lake Erie stations sampled on DO surveys To supplement ship surveys, two buoys with DO and temperature sensors were deployed until September 2018. The in situ sensors provide more detailed data on the day-to- day variability of DO concentrations at their given location than can be obtained by discrete surveys. 10 ------- 2018 Lake Ontario Center for Great Lakes Literacy Shipboard Science Workshop Through a collaboration between US EPA GLNPO and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, the R/V Lake Guardian serves as a floating classroom every summer for the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) Shipboard Science Workshops. In these workshops, educators from around the Great Lakes basin set sail on the R/V Lake Guardian, working side-by-side with scientists, conducting Great Lakes research and gaining valuable hands-on experience collecting and processing samples. After the week-long survey, the educators share their new Great Lakes science knowledge back in their classrooms with students from grades 4 through 12. In July 2018, 14 educators participated in a week-long immersive workshop with EPA, University of Buffalo, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) scientists. On Lake Ontario, the educators collected water, plankton, benthic invertebrates, and sediment samples for toxic chemical analyses to support the GLFMSP. Educators also collected water samples to investigate nearshore and offshore differences in phytoplankton productivity and microbial and eukaryotic communities. Post-workshop surveys indicated that all 14 participants gained new knowledge and the confidence to explain Great Lakes concepts to students and all plan to integrate these concepts into lesson back in the classroom. 11 ------- "Lake Guardian Live" Video Chats to Classrooms In 2018, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant coordinated 10 video chats between R/V Lake Guardian scientists and students across the Great Lakes basin, reaching a total of 350 students. Scientists explained their survey objectives and research to students and many fielded questions from the classrooms. Public Outreach There are opportunities each sampling season for the public and school groups around the Great Lakes basin to engage first-hand with the R/V Lake Guardian. In 2018, EPA scientists and the R/V Lake Guardian crew provided public tours of the ship in Rochester, Detroit, Sault Saint Marie, and Chicago. Public groups visited the back deck, Rosette deck, laboratories, pilot house, and sleeping quarters to get a glimpse into the life of R/V Lake Guardian scientists and learn about EPA's mission to monitor and protect the Great Lakes. 12 Shrinking Cups Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant collected 246 Polystyrene cups from 772 students representing 28 classrooms from across the Great Lakes basin for the Incredible Shrinking Cup Experiment (https://iiseagrant.org/water-boyles- over-for-teachers-on-lake-guardian). Measured and decorated cups were attached to the Rosette water sampler and deployed to the bottom of the deepest Lake Superior station (SU08). This experiment helps teach the concepts of Boyle's Law by illustrating how the cups change in size due to high pressure at the bottom of the lakes. *|v uw ------- 2018 R/V Lake Guar Schedule March Training & survey preparation Spring Survey begins April Spring Survey continued Chicago, IL public tours May Lake Ontario CSMI LOLA survey I June 2 Lake Erie DO surveys Lake Ontario CSMI LOLA Survey II Lake Ontario CSMI contaminants survey Rochester, NY public tours July Lake Erie DO survey Lake Ontario CGLL Shipboard Science Workshop August Summer Survey Detroit, Ml public tours Sault St. Marie, Ml public tours September Lake Erie DO survey Lake Ontario CSMI benthos survey Lake Ontario CSMI LOLA survey III October Lake Erie DO survey Nov. - Feb. 2019 Ship & equipment maintenance 2019 survey preparation ------- 2018 R/V Lake Guardian Surveys in Numbers 397 sampling locations > 10,000 miles traveled 495 rosette casts 472 zooplankton tows 633 Ponar grabs 76 hours underwater video 580 L water pumped for contaminants To learn more about the R/V Lake Guardian, visit https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring/lake- guardian. Additional information about GLNPO's Great Lakes monitoring programs is available at https://www.epa.aov/areat-lakes-monitorina. Data from the limnology, biology, and contaminant monitoring programs can be accessed through the Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA) at https://cdx.epa.gov/. ------- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge the support of all GLNPO monitoring program cooperators. GLNPO has cooperative agreements with Cornell University (Department of Natural Resources) and Buffalo State College under Agreement Award GL-00E01184 "Great Lakes Long-term Biological Monitoring of Zooplankton, Benthos, and Chlorophyll-a" and with Regents of the University of Minnesota under Agreement Awards GL- 00E23101-2 and GL-00E01980 "Great Lakes Biological Monitoring: Phytoplankton." GLNPO also has a cooperative agreement with Clarkson University under Agreement Award GL-00E01505 "The Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program." General Dynamics Information Technology supports monitoring programs under EPA Contract No. EPC-15-012: "Technical, Analytical, and Regulatory Mission Support for the Water Security Division." GLNPO and the Department of Health and Human Services Federal Occupational Health Lab have an interagency agreement under DW075959351 "Analysis, Interpretation, and Data Management of Great Lakes Water for Inorganic Chemicals." We are also thankful for the hard work and dedication of the ship's crew from Cetacean Marine. Cover photo credit: Michael Milligan, SUNY Fredonia U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office 77 W Jackson Blvd Chicago, IL 60604 312-353-2117 www.epa.gov/greatlakes ------- |