Does Less Ice Cover Lead to More Turbulent Overwinter Conditions on Great Lakes Fish Spawning Reefs?
Project Overview
Declining winter ice cover in the Great Lakes can affect how winds and waves influence coldwater fish reproduction on reefs, as ice cover may shield fish from these forces. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will measure water movement and ice cover in Lake Erie to model future scenarios, helping fishery managers in the region make habitat restoration and fish stocking decisions for important species like lake whitefish and cisco.
Project Summary
In northern regions, freshwater lake surfaces commonly freeze during the winter, benefiting coldwater fishes. Ice cover protects developing fish eggs from strong wind-driven currents and surface waves, turbulence that can lower reproductive success by burying eggs in sediment or displacing them to unsuitable areas of the lake. Over time, lake whitefish and cisco fisheries have experienced large declines in the Laurentian Great Lakes, and there is evidence suggesting that year-to-year ice cover variation is related to their annual reproductive success. As warming temperatures due to climate change may continue to reduce ice cover and the overall quality of fish habitats in these regions, it is important to understand how habitat quality, current conditions, and climatic changes relate to fish reproduction.
The goal of this project is to understand the relationship between ice cover and water movement in Lake Erie, particularly on fish spawning reefs when ice is and is not present. In Lake Erie, the research team will deploy scientific equipment that uses sound to measure water speed, turbulence, wave height, ice cover, and the movement of ice. These data will then be used in models to explain different water movement in Lake Erie related to varying weather conditions and potential future climate scenarios.
The results of this project will improve climate resilience and adaptation by improving our understanding of winter conditions with and without ice. This information can help fishery managers in the Laurentian Great Lakes restore habitats, enhance spawning areas where there is a low risk of high turbulence, or make decisions about stocking fish to re-establish populations.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 66746585d34e68d163086ba2)
Richard T Kraus, PhD
Supervisory Research Fisheries Biologist
Project Overview
Declining winter ice cover in the Great Lakes can affect how winds and waves influence coldwater fish reproduction on reefs, as ice cover may shield fish from these forces. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will measure water movement and ice cover in Lake Erie to model future scenarios, helping fishery managers in the region make habitat restoration and fish stocking decisions for important species like lake whitefish and cisco.
Project Summary
In northern regions, freshwater lake surfaces commonly freeze during the winter, benefiting coldwater fishes. Ice cover protects developing fish eggs from strong wind-driven currents and surface waves, turbulence that can lower reproductive success by burying eggs in sediment or displacing them to unsuitable areas of the lake. Over time, lake whitefish and cisco fisheries have experienced large declines in the Laurentian Great Lakes, and there is evidence suggesting that year-to-year ice cover variation is related to their annual reproductive success. As warming temperatures due to climate change may continue to reduce ice cover and the overall quality of fish habitats in these regions, it is important to understand how habitat quality, current conditions, and climatic changes relate to fish reproduction.
The goal of this project is to understand the relationship between ice cover and water movement in Lake Erie, particularly on fish spawning reefs when ice is and is not present. In Lake Erie, the research team will deploy scientific equipment that uses sound to measure water speed, turbulence, wave height, ice cover, and the movement of ice. These data will then be used in models to explain different water movement in Lake Erie related to varying weather conditions and potential future climate scenarios.
The results of this project will improve climate resilience and adaptation by improving our understanding of winter conditions with and without ice. This information can help fishery managers in the Laurentian Great Lakes restore habitats, enhance spawning areas where there is a low risk of high turbulence, or make decisions about stocking fish to re-establish populations.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 66746585d34e68d163086ba2)