Developing habitat associations for fishes in Lake Winnipeg by linking large scale bathymetric and substrate data with fish telemetry detections

Understanding relationships between freshwater fishes and habitat is critical for effective fisheries and habitat management. Habitat suitability indices (HSI) are commonly used to describe fish–habitat associations in rivers and other freshwater ecosystems. When applied to large lakes however, standard sampling procedures are inadequate because of larger sampling areas and an increased risk of fish collection bias through one-time observations. Here, we use lake bathymetry, substrate, and multiple fish telemetry detections collected from a systematically deployed receiver grid to develop HSI for four fish species (lake sturgeon, freshwater drum, common carp, and walleye) in Lake Winnipeg. Seasonal variations in habitat use based on water depth and substrate were observed in three of four species. Lake sturgeon remained in shallow locations with predominantly gravel substrate near the mouth of the Winnipeg River regardless of season. Freshwater drum persisted over fine substrate in both summer and winter but had a broader depth range in the summer compared to winter. Common carp shifted from mid-range depths and silt substrate in the summer to shallow depths and gravel substrate in the winter. Walleye showed an unchanging association to fine substrate but expanded from primarily mid-range depths in the summer to include shallower depths in the winter. These findings show how multiple telemetry detections per fish can be combined with hydroacoustic data to provide informative habitat associations for fishes in a large lacustrine ecosystem.     

Evidence of successful river spawning by lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the Lower Niagara River,Lake Ontario

Restoration of a wild-produced lake trout Salvelinus namaycush population in Lake Ontario has not been successful despite the adult population often meeting or exceeding restoration targets. Lack of high-quality spawning habitat in Lake Ontario is suggested as one impediment to recruitment of wild lake trout, although the quantity and location of spawning habitat is poorly understood. If high-quality spawning habitat is limited in Lake Ontario, lake trout may be using uncommon spawning locations such as rivers. Anecdotal angler accounts point to the Niagara River as a lake trout spawning location. To better understand the potential of the Niagara River as a spawning location, egg and juvenile fish collections were conducted 12–14 river kilometers from the mouth of the Niagara River from 2010 to 2012; and mature female lake trout with surgically implanted acoustic tags were monitored from 2015 to 2019. Genetic analyses confirmed 60% of collected eggs and 93% of collected post-hatch juvenile fish in the Niagara River were lake trout. Tagged female lake trout returned to the Niagara River over consecutive years during the spawning season. The short duration of lake trout presence in the river (mean = 56 days/year) suggests female lake trout use the Niagara River primarily for spawning. Diversity in spawning locations may provide lake trout population’s resilience against environmental variability through a portfolio effect. Improved identification of riverine spawning locations, including their overall contribution to wild recruitment, may be a useful tool for managers to restore a wild-produced population of lake trout in Lake Ontario.     

近40年来中国西北内陆5个典型湖泊面积变化遥感分析

在全球气候变暖的背景下,研究中国西北内陆地区湖泊的面积变化不仅对水资源管理和可持续发展战略有着重要意义,也为评价气候变化与人类活动对湖泊的影响提供参考。以中国西北内陆区5个典型湖泊为研究对象,利用1970-2015年的Landsat MSS/TM/ETM+/OLI影像数据,利用归一化差异水体指数(Normalized Difference Water Index,NDWI)和改进型归一化差异水体指数(Modified Normalized Difference Water Index,MNDWI)分别提取5个典型湖泊边界并获取湖泊面积,同时利用5个典型湖泊周边的气象站降雨量、蒸发量等气象数据,尝试分析湖泊面积发生变化的原因。结果表明:红碱淖近30年来面积呈减小趋势,入湖河流拦蓄和煤炭地下开采等是导致面积减少的原因;博斯腾湖近40年来的面积呈先增加后减少的趋势,其面积变化主要受地表径流和积雪融水的影响;呼伦湖近40年来面积呈减少的趋势,其面积变化主要受入湖径流量的影响;贝尔湖近30年来呈相对稳定的趋势,其面积变化主要入湖径流量的影响;青海湖近40年来面积呈现先减小后增大的趋势,其面积变化主要受区域降水和入湖径流量的影响。     

A song of ice and vessels: Seasonal trends in the soundscape of the western arm of Lake Superior

The soundscapes of marine systems have been studied for decades to determine spatial and temporal patterns of biological, geological, and anthropogenic activity. However, comparatively little is known about freshwater soundscapes. Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area and home to a variety of aquatic animals. The Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior, located in the western arm of Lake Superior, are annually closed because of ice cover, providing a unique opportunity to explore sound levels in the absence of vessel traffic. Passive acoustic monitoring was conducted over 15 months between November 2018 and March 2020 to investigate seasonal patterns. Sound pressure levels were significantly lower (8 dB) at low frequencies (<100 Hz) during the winter and spring months (when ice cover increased). Quieter ambient sound pressure levels may provide an acoustic refuge to soniferous animals, especially those that vocalise during winter spawning. During the ice-free months, commercial shipping introduces a near continuous source of sound, increasing sound levels by up to 25 dB (at frequencies < 1,000 Hz). Climate change is expected to further reduce ice cover and thickness allowing the shipping season into the Twin Ports to be extended, thus warranting concern about the effect of noise from vessel activity on aquatic life. This study provides a baseline of the soundscape in the western arm of Lake Superior, against which scientists and environmental managers can assess future changes to this important habitat.     

Patterns in the crustacean zooplankton community in Lake Winnipeg,Manitoba: Response to long-term environmental change

Changes in the crustacean zooplankton community composition and abundance in Lake Winnipeg (1969–2006) provide a rare opportunity to examine their response to environmental changes in the largest naturally eutrophic lake on the Canadian prairies. Since 1929, zooplankton species composition in Lake Winnipeg has changed little except for the addition of the invasive cladoceran, Eubosmina coregoni in 1994. The dominant taxa in the lake in summer include: Leptodiaptomus ashlandi, Acanthocyclops vernalis, Diacyclops thomasi, Daphnia retrocurva, Daphnia mendotae, Diaphanosoma birgei, Eubosmina coregoni, and Bosmina longirostris. Climate-accelerated nutrient loading to southern Lake Winnipeg over the last two decades has led to increased phytoplankton abundance and higher frequency of cyanobacterial blooms especially in its northern basin. Crustacean zooplankton have likewise increased especially in the North Basin, but less so in the more nutrient rich South Basin, possibly as a consequence of higher densities of pelagic planktivorous fish and light-limited primary production compared with the more transparent North basin (Brunskill et al., 1979, 1980). Calanoid copepods play a larger role in the South basin food web in contrast to cyclopoid copepods and Cladocera in the North basin. The study begins to fill the recognized gap in understanding of Lake Winnipeg's food web structure and provides a baseline for evaluating ongoing changes in the zooplankton community with the arrival of new non-indigenous taxa, e.g. Bythotrephes longimanus and Dreissena polymorpha. It reinforces previous work demonstrating that zooplankton provide valuable indices toward evaluating the health of an ecosystem.     

浅水湖泊水生态数学模型研究及应用

该文针对珠三角感潮浅水湖泊水环境模拟问题,在二维水流-污染物输移耦合数学模型基础上,结合WASP(water quality analysis simulation program)水生态数学模型原理,考虑溶解氧、氨氮、硝酸盐氮、有机氮、无机磷、有机磷、碳生化需氧量和叶绿素a等8个水质变量及其相互作用的溶解氧平衡子系统、氮循环子系统、磷循环子系统和浮游植物动力学子系统,建立了浅水湖泊水生态数学模型。通过室内实验系统模拟了珠三角某典型感潮人工湖泊外江来水营养条件对蓝藻生长的影响,确定了蓝藻生长速率等关键模型参数,并模拟了湖泊不同换水方案下叶绿素a的时空分布规律,为控制湖泊水体富营养化、预防蓝藻水华爆发提供科学依据。     

考虑大气沉降的湖库分区动态水环境容量精细解析

针对面源污染为主的湖库型流域,为建立水质目标管理与污染总量控制之间更精准的响应关系,借鉴日最大负荷总量模式,基于物质量平衡原理提出考虑径流丰枯变化、不均匀混合、大气沉降等影响因素的湖库分区动态水环境容量精细解析方法,包括污染混合区设置、代表水文系列确定、逐日分区水量水质计算。以沙河水库为例,分别以全湖Ⅱ类、主湖Ⅱ类作为水质管理目标,采用2010—2015年代表水文系列对总氮动态水环境容量进行精细解析。结果表明：全湖Ⅱ类、主湖Ⅱ类水质管理目标下沙河水库总氮水环境容量的多年均值分别为36.7 t和99.43 t,若不考虑湖滨混合区,全湖Ⅱ类水质目标下总氮的年水环境容量计算值偏大66.43%;实施水质目标管理的水域面积越大,大气沉降对水环境容量的影响越大;径流年际及年内丰枯变化对水环境容量的影响显著;各分区总氮控制总量占全流域总量的比例与面积比基本一致。湖库分区动态水环境容量精细解析可量化不同因素对水环境容量计算结果的影响,科学解析面源输入型湖库水环境容量的时空结构特征,实现水质目标管理与污染总量分区管控的有机联动,更好地支撑流域水环境的精细化管理。     

长江大保护与流域生态学

长江经济带发展的基本点是"共抓大保护、不搞大开发"。在梳理了长江流域主要生态环境问题基础上,从长江大保护的核心是统筹山水林田湖草、山水林田湖草生命共同体即是流域生态系统、流域生态系统是典型的集合生态系统的角度,论述了长江大保护与流域生态学的关系,并从科学研究、规划管理及教育宣传等方面展开思考提出建议,为实现长江大保护的国家需求提供服务。     

小型湖泊应用于地表水源热泵时的热承载能力分析

分析了小型湖泊应用于地表水源热泵时的两种热承载能力计算方法——水面温度法和均匀混合法,并采用其计算了杭州小型湖泊应用于地表水源热泵时的热承载能力。计算结果表明：水面温度法较客观地反映了实际的排水混合及水温恢复过程,可信度更高。用水面温度法对7个代表性城市小型湖泊热承载能力进行分析的结果表明：夏季热承载能力在23-4—29．5W／m2之间,冬季热承载能力在31．6～45．7W／m2之间;设计这类系统的关键在于满足夏季热承载能力的约束。     

黄泛平原古城“环城湖”与城市防洪减灾

以黄泛平原为研究背景,以该地城内形态相似的“环城湖”为研究对象,通过对其构成要素、历史成因、演变过程、空间格局等方面的研究,探讨了“环城湖”在黄河洪水与泥沙作用下的生成机制与演变规律.认为:古城“环城湖”是特定自然条件下黄河泛滥引起生态环境改变与古代城市营建模式共同作用的结果,在古城营建过程中承担着泄洪、排涝等防洪减灾功能,并在当今城市建设中仍发挥着重要作用;只有充分了解古城“环城湖”的形成过程与演变机制,才能重新认识和定位“环城湖”的当代价值,从本质上把握古城“环城湖”的特色与精华.