Lake Erie is among the greatest natural resources on the planet. It is conceivable that a barrel of its clean and fresh water will some day be more valuable than a barrel of crude oil. But the lake is under assault from a variety of impacts – pollution in many forms, climate change, invasive species, imbalance.

How do we know if the lake water is not clean and fresh? We see algal blooms, dead fish or fish with tumors; people get sick when they swim on the beaches; it just looks bad. But to respond to these signs is crises management. Water quality managers should know if the lake is degrading or improving before these signs are evident.

How do we know if the lake water is clean and fresh? Well, we think we can just tell qualitatively; it looks good. But we need quantitative measures. The definition of a clean aquatic system rests on the concept of biologic integrity – the capability of supporting and maintaining a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to that of the natural habitat of the region.

What tools do we have to monitor and assess the lake to know if it is clean and fresh – that it meets the definition of a system with biologic integrity? Frankly, few. So, it is the goal of this project to develop a quantitative monitoring and assessment tool for the nearshore waters of Lake Erie. The research focuses on the diatom periphyton assemblages – the primary producer component of the lake.