Great Lakes Nearshore Algae and Water Quality Data (2012-)

Monitoring data for nuisance benthic algae in the nearshore zone of the Great Lakes, collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The dataset includes physical and chemical water quality data as well as biological data from Cladophora algae and dreissenid mussels. It supports research on ecosystem health, model validation, and the assessment of phosphorus reduction targets.

Use Cases

• Modeling algae growth dynamics based on physical and chemical water quality parameters.
• Developing ecosystem health indicators for the nearshore zone based on biological monitoring data.
• Validating and calibrating ecological models using the provided monitoring data.
• Assessing the impact of phosphorus reduction targets on nearshore ecosystem health.

Strengths

• Data collection began in 2012, providing a multi-year time series.
• Includes multiple data types: physical, chemical, and biological measurements.
• Managed by a national environmental agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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 the Great Lakes nearshore zone.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Collection Method

Field monitoring in the nearshore zone of the Great Lakes.

Time Range

2012 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-27 19:31:06.192723; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Nearshore zone of the Great Lakes