Lab Overview
Our research team pursues applied aquatic studies on freshwater ecosystems. Routine work focuses on the use of algae as indicators of environmental changes. We are fully equipped for research on microbiological and chemical indicators of water quality, and paleolimnology, the study of environmental trends through the analysis of sediment profiles. Techniques include field sampling, high-resolution microscopy, digital imaging, laboratory processing and scientific writing.
The study of tiny things in aquatic ecosystems
A major commitment of our team is to characterize algae communities to assess the condition of rivers and lakes. This often involves quantifying the extent to which pressure indicators influence algae. We develop predictive models through multivariate analyses of communities and ecosystems. These predictive models are used, for example, to infer aquatic ecosystem status at local and regional scales, to describe pre-disturbance baselines, trends, and magnitudes of change in impacted environments, and to evaluate metrics so that state indicators for stress are available to federal and state agencies. We have also supported microorganism evaluation protocols for ballast water treatment technologies, providing feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of various treatment systems to ship owners and policy makers.
Paleolimnology
Contemporary monitoring alone is not always sufficient to answer important management questions, so we aim to put modern conditions in a longer-term context. Paleolimnology uses fossil materials in aquatic sediments to infer past conditions and uncover trends in environmental quality. These retrospective data are needed to distinguish natural from human trends, and to reveal the causes and magnitudes of environmental insults that inform management matters regarding climate change, pollution and invasive species. The cornerstone of many of these studies has been the use of diatoms, known powerful indicators of environmental change. Diatom algae have been calibrated to nutrients and applied in paleolimnological investigations to reconstruct pollution history. Investigations are continuing so that we can address the many environmental issues that require long-term data in order to make remedial decisions.
Expertise, Capabilities
Management of aquatic ecosystems requires historical context. We develop and apply the tools to provide that context. For instance, our pure-science approach to understanding algae as indicators of aquatic stress is followed up with applied use of the organisms as tools to predict future conditions under various management scenarios. Are you concerned about your lake? Let’s figure it out!
Research Focus
- Long-term monitoring and development of environmental quality indicators in the Great Lakes using algal communities, focusing on stressors such as nutrient pollution and climate change
- Tracking long–term pollution trends using fossil remains in lake sedimentary profiles
- Assessing the efficacy of ballast water treatments intended to prevent non-native species introductions to the Great Lakes
Key Services and Equipment
Our microscope lab is equipped with a variety of microscopes with imaging capabilities:
- 2X upright Olympus BH-2, Olympus BX51, oil immersion for high-resolution analysis at 1500X
- 5X inverted Olympus CKX41, for “soft” algae analysis from settled water samples, including fluorescence for identifying vital signals
- Laboratory equipment includes a freeze-dryer, fume hoods, scales, filtration array, drying and muffle furnace, centrifuges, an ultrapure water system and a walk-in cooler for sediment core storage
Field sampling capabilities include:
- A fleet of open water sampling vessels (motorized watercraft and canoes)
- Multiple coring devices for sampling sediments from deep and shallow waters, including lakes, wetlands, bogs and peatlands
- A variety of water sampling and benthic coring devices for non-wadeable water bodies, as well as stream and shallow water sampling gear
- Instrumentation units, including Hydrolab Sondes, YSI 556 multi-probes, and YSI 85s and 50s for monitoring water chemistry parameters
Resources
Two instructional videos on paleolimnology are available below:
Current Research
- Long-term monitoring and development of environmental quality indicators in the Great Lakes using algal communities, focusing on stressors such as nutrient pollution and climate change
- Tracking long–term pollution trends using fossil remains in lake sedimentary profiles
- Assessing the efficacy of ballast water treatments intended to prevent non-native species introductions to the Great Lakes
Key Services and Equipment
Our microscope lab is equipped with a variety of microscopes with imaging capabilities.
- 2X upright Olympus BH-2, Olympus BX51, oil immersion for high-resolution analysis at 1500X
- 4X inverted Olympus CKX41, for “soft” algae analysis from settled water samples, including fluorescence for identifying vital signals
Laboratory equipment includes a freeze-dryer, fume hoods, scales, filtration array, drying and muffle furnace, centrifuges, an ultrapure water system and a walk-in cooler for sediment core storage.
Field sampling capabilities include:
- A fleet of open water sampling vessels (motorized water craft and canoes)
- Multiple coring devices for sampling sediments from deep and shallow waters, including lakes, wetlands, bogs and peatlands
- A variety of water sampling and benthic coring devices for non-wadeable water bodies, as well as stream and shallow water sampling gear
- Instrumentation units, including Hydrolab Sondes, YSI 556 multi-probes, and YSI 85s and 50s for monitoring water chemistry parameters