Canadian Lake Erie Nutrient Load Estimates from Tributary Monitoring

Environment and Climate Change Canada's data provides nutrient loading estimates to address recurrent toxic and nuisance algae in Lake Erie. The estimates are calculated using the Erie Loading Tool, a desktop application based on the 'Dolan approach' for load estimation. This data supports binational phosphorus reduction targets and nearshore water quality management.

Use Cases

• Estimating phosphorus loads to Lake Erie based on tributary water quality monitoring.
• Modeling factors affecting nearshore water quality and algae growth as described in the monitoring objectives.
• Supporting the development of binational lake ecosystem objectives and phosphorus load reduction targets.
• Assessing progress towards nutrient reduction goals for the Great Lakes.

Strengths

• Data is produced by Environment and Climate Change Canada, a national environmental authority.
• Estimates are calculated using a published scientific method (the 'Dolan approach' from Maccoux et al., 2016).
• Focuses on Lake Erie, described as the Great Lake most susceptible to nearshore water quality issues.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to open_canada, focusing on Canadian tributaries.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Collection Method

Nutrient load estimates calculated using the Erie Loading Tool, a Windows desktop application based on the 'Dolan approach'.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-18 14:41:32.764673; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canadian tributaries to Lake Erie, Great Lakes.