Measuring Groundwater Discharge into Lake Erie using Seepage Meters
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Date
2015-12
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Increasing nutrient inputs to Lake Erie in recent years have triggered an increase in harmful algal blooms (HABs), which release toxins that harm humans. These toxins pose challenges for drinking water treatment and inhibit recreational activities in the lake, which create additional economic challenges for the area. Most studies of nutrient inputs to Lake Erie have focused on runoff, but groundwater can also deliver large nutrient loads to lakes. In this study, I measured direct groundwater discharge to Lake Erie at Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge near Toledo, Ohio using seepage meters and estimated groundwater-borne nutrient fluxes by sampling pore water nutrients in shallow lakebed sediments. Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge is a small portion of Lake Erie’s heterogeneous coast and only represents sandy and reinforced marsh coastlines. The average volumetric rate of groundwater discharge per unit length of Lake Erie coast at the study site is 0.05 m3/s. The NO2+NO3 load from groundwater into Lake Erie per unit length of coast is 3 mg/d, and the PO4 load per unit length of coast is 5 mg/d. Given the lack of studies on groundwater discharge rates and chemical fluxes to the Lake Erie coast, it is unclear whether estimates at Cedar Point Nation Wildlife Refuge represent minimum or maximum values. More research is needed on groundwater inputs to better understand water and nutrient budgets for Lake Erie.
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Keywords
groundwater, nutrient inputs to Lake Erie, harmful algal blooms, nutrient budget, groundwater flux, seepage meter