Chlorophyll A Measurements in Six Ontario Lakes 1983-2010

Chlorophyll a data from five lakes in the Turkey Lakes Watershed and Quinn Lake, collected from 1983 to 2010. The dataset documents photosynthetic pigment concentrations in mg/m3 to estimate algal abundance and primary productivity, supporting studies on acid rain impacts and fish habitat quality. Sampling was conducted during open water seasons, with gaps in several years including 1986, 1989-1990, 1996-1997, 2006-2007, and 2009.

Use Cases

• Analyze chlorophyll a concentration trends over the 1983-2010 period to assess long-term impacts of acid rain on aquatic primary productivity.
• Compare chlorophyll a levels between lakes before and after the 1999/2000 experimental removal of 50% coarse woody material from shorelines.
• Model the relationship between chlorophyll a data and fish habitat quality as a supplementary measure for fisheries management projects.
• Investigate seasonal patterns of algal abundance using data collected exclusively during the open water season across the six lakes.

Strengths

• Data spans 27 years of monitoring from 1983 to 2010, providing a long-term ecological record.
• Covers six distinct lakes, including five within a studied watershed and one external control lake (Quinn Lake).
• Documents a specific experimental habitat manipulation (coarse woody material removal) in 1999 and 2000, enabling before-after impact studies.

Limitations

• Contains multi-year gaps in data collection (e.g., 1986, 1989-1990, 1996-1997, 2006-2007, 2009) limiting continuous time-series analysis.
• Sampling frequency and extent varied annually based on project funding and scope, potentially introducing inconsistency.
• Data collection was restricted to the open water season, missing winter conditions and annual cycles.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFO-GLLFAS).

Collection Method

Water samples collected via hand draw or integrated tube sampler, filtered on glass fiber filters, and analyzed spectrophotometrically for chlorophyll a concentration (mg/m3).

Time Range

1983 to 2010

Freshness

Data collection ended in 2010; the dataset is historical.

Geography

Five lakes in the Turkey Lakes Watershed (Upper/Lower Batchawana, Wishart, Little Turkey, Turkey Lake) and Quinn Lake in Ontario, Canada.