Aquatic Ecosystems as Sentinels of Change

Field Station & Marine Lab Emerging Initiatives Workshop

November 17, 2011Colorado Springs, CO

Craig WilliamsonGlobal Change Limnology Laboratory Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA

Karl et al. 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts.

Karl et al. 2008.Weather and climateextremes in a changingclimate.

US Climate Change Science ProgramSynthesis & AssessmentProduct 3.3

Peters et al. 2007. Front. Ecol. Environ. 6:229

Peters et al. 2007. Front. Ecol. Environ. 6:229

Karl et al. 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts.

Karl et al. 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts.

Karl et al. 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts.

Karl et al. 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts.

Indirect Effects of Climate Change: Wildfire

Bark Beetle Damage

Responses to Environmental Change: Where to sample?

Aquatic Ecosystems as Sentinels of Environmental Change:

Sentinel Responses (some examples):

Physical: Temperature - ice-cover period, water temperature, mixing depth Water Transparency – UV, PAR

Chemical: Oxygen – supersaturation, hypoxia, anoxia pH – acidity, alkalinity (buffering capacity) Inorganic Carbon – Dissolved, particulate

Biological: Organic Carbon – Dissolved (DOC), particulate (POC) Chlorophyll, other pigments – concentration, depth of maximum (DCM) Phyto & Zooplankton – small size, short T, rapid response, easy to sample

Aquatic Ecosystems as Sentinels of Environmental Change

Biotic Consequences:

- Biodiversity

- Invasive species

- Harmful algal blooms (HAB)

- “Dead zones” from hypoxia or anoxia

- Daphnia (model species) – growth, reproduction, vertical

migration

Aquatic Ecosystems: Sensors in the Landscape

Most FSMLs have an one or more(stream, river, lake, ocean)

Many have long-term data on these systems.

Collectively create an infrastructure with great networking potential (work with GLEON, NEON, STREON).

100% Increase in DOC in 16 Year Period: Hudson River, NY, USA

Findlay et al. 2005. FEE 3: 133

Lake Giles UV Transparency:14 year trend

0

4

8

12

16

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

1% U

V 320

nm D

epth

(m)

Z1% from epilimnetic Kd

July data: Lake Giles, N.E. Pennsylvania, USA

Aquatic Ecosystems are also Integrators and Regulators of

Environmental Change

Williamson et al. 2009 Limnol Oceanogr 54:2273

Sensors in thelandscape