Tracking the Surface Flow in Lake Champlain

McCormick, Michael; Manley, T. O.; Beletsky, Dmitry; Foley, Andrew J.; Fahnenstiel, Gary L.

doi:10.1016/s0380-1330(08)71613-7

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Luckily, recent emergences of particle tracking models and drifter observations (Lumpkin et al, 2017; Van Sebille et al, 2018) help significantly enhance the understanding of circulation dynamics, especially in the complex nearshore region. McCormick et al (2008) deployed 24 surface drifters from 2003 to 2005 in Lake Champlain, and their trajectories captured the surface flows in the coastal region successfully. As a consequence of the smaller basin size (e.g., extending 193 km in length with the widest section being less than 19 km) relative to that of the Great Lakes, the observed drifting span is short (e.g., less than 8 days).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Particle Dynamics in the Nearshore of Lake Michigan Revealed by an Observation‐Modeling System

Mao

Xia

2020

JGR Oceans

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Given that few drifter experiments combined with a wave‐current coupled model system had been conducted in the complex nearshore area, this work was motivated to reveal the nearshore dynamics by applying an observation‐modeling system to Lake Michigan. Analysis of 11 surface drifters, wind, and current observations along the lake's eastern coast indicates that their trajectories are synergistically controlled by winds and initial releasing sites. Additionally, strong winds significantly impact nearshore dynamics, and the highly sensitive nearshore and offshore drifters are stranded in distinct regions. Simulations indicate that the model reproduces drifter trajectories and endpoints reasonably and that particle fates are mainly dominated by winds, while effects from heat flux and waves are also important. Further analysis of wave effects on particle dynamics indicates that both the wave‐induced sea surface roughness and Stokes drift advection are crucial to the simulated particle trajectories during wind events. Finally, virtual experiments confirm that particle dynamics are evidently susceptible to winds and initial locations. Overall, both the inclusion of physics effects (e.g., adding winds, heat fluxes, and waves) and diminishing the model uncertainties (e.g., from various wind data sources, wind drag coefficient formulations, model grids, and vertical turbulent mixing parameterizations) are important methods to improve the particle simulations. The successful application of this nearshore observation‐modeling system to Lake Michigan can be beneficial to the understanding of nearshore‐offshore transports and larval and fisheries recruitment success in similar freshwater and estuarine environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Particle Dynamics in the Nearshore of Lake Michigan Revealed by an Observation‐Modeling System

Mao

Xia

2020

JGR Oceans

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“…Currents have historically been investigated in marine settings using a variety of robust and capable sampling equipment, though often expensive and difficult to deploy (Edwards et al, 2006, and references therein). Currents in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America and similar large lakes (Choi et al, 2020;Edwards et al 2006), in the coastal zone (Sabet and Barani, 2011), and in estuaries (Spencer et al, 2014;Suara et al, 2018;Déjeans et al, 2021) have also been investigated, yet smaller and medium-sized lakes (~50-500 km 2 ) have received less attention than perhaps they should have, despite improvements in technology including the availability of small GPS units as tracking devices (McCormick et al, 2006;Manley, 2010). New technology and low-cost, high-performance materials are therefore unlocking opportunities to measure currents in a wider range of water body sizes, including smaller inland lakes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Economical Open-Source Lagrangian Drifter Design to Measure Deep Currents in Lakes

McCaffrey,

Koeberle

2024

Preprint

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The objective was to construct and test an economical, accurate, and open-source Lagrangian drifter design suitable for lakes <200 km2. Lagrangian drifters are used to trace water currents in marine and freshwater settings and comprise of a low-friction surface float containing instrumentation for location and environmental measurement, tethered to a high-friction drogue at the depth of interest. Oceanic drifters are robust but expensive, and this design tailored to inland lake waterbodies fills a durability and cost gap for lake environments. Water-following characteristics were tested using theoretical drag coefficient calculations, practical drag measurements, and comparison of wind and drifter vectors while deployed on two deep inland lakes (maximum area 175 km2) in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA. The ratio of drag between float and drogue met or exceeded the minimum value of 40 recommended in the literature, and the vectors of wind and drifter during deployment were independent of one another, meaning the device accurately traced the movement of water currents at depth without undue influence of wind and waves. Each device cost USD $265 in 2021 and was built from materials readily available at hardware and sporting goods stores, allowing their use by research institutions and communities with smaller budgets. This design reliably measured lake currents at sampling depths that ranged from to 30 m. We anticipate that this design will have application to a wide range of hydrodynamic and ecological research where empirical insights to physical processes like lake currents are sought by scientists and managers.

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“…Summer surface current velocities in Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario are comparable to Lake Michigan(McCormick, Manley, Beletsky, Foley, & Fahnenstiel, 2008;Rao & Murthy, 2001), so larval sculpins could disperse long distances through advection. Summer surface current velocities in Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario are comparable to Lake Michigan(McCormick, Manley, Beletsky, Foley, & Fahnenstiel, 2008;Rao & Murthy, 2001), so larval sculpins could disperse long distances through advection.…”

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confidence: 99%

Lack of genetic population structure of slimy sculpin in a large, fragmented lake

Euclide

Flores

Wargo

et al. 2017

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Most of what is known about sculpin population structure comes from research in streams; however, slimy sculpins are also a common benthic species in deep lakes. In streams, sculpins are considered to be a relatively inactive species, moving only small distances, and characteristically have high levels of genetic structure. We examined population genetic structure of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) across multiple barriers and over distances up to 227 km in Lake Champlain (USA, Canada) and Lake Ontario (USA, Canada) to determine whether lake populations of sculpin are also highly structured. We predicted that slimy sculpin populations in Lake Champlain would be structured by six causeways as well as by distance, Lake Ontario populations would be structured only by distance, and differences between the lakes would be large relative to within-lake differences. We examined microsatellite variation among 200 slimy sculpins from Lake Champlain and 48 slimy sculpins from Lake Ontario to evaluate patterns of population connectivity and structure. There was no indication of population substructuring within either lake but sculpin were genetically distinct between lakes. We conclude that there is a single, panmictic population of sculpin present in Lake Champlain and another potentially panmictic population in Lake Ontario, with no indication of genetic isolation by distance. Our results contrast with data from sculpin in streams, suggesting distance and habitat fragmentation exert little influence on population connectivity of benthic fish in lakes.

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Tracking the Surface Flow in Lake Champlain

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Particle Dynamics in the Nearshore of Lake Michigan Revealed by an Observation‐Modeling System

Particle Dynamics in the Nearshore of Lake Michigan Revealed by an Observation‐Modeling System

An Economical Open-Source Lagrangian Drifter Design to Measure Deep Currents in Lakes

Lack of genetic population structure of slimy sculpin in a large, fragmented lake

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