Intense variability of dissolved oxygen and temperature in the internal swash zone of Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario

Flood, Bryan; Wells, Mathew G.; Midwood, Jonathan D.; Brooks, Jill L.; Kuai, Yulong; Li, Jingzhi

doi:10.1080/20442041.2020.1843930

Cited by 23 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In addition to these slow changes in thermal structure, the wind blowing over Lake Ontario can drive large amplitude internal waves that result in variability of thermal structure on a timescale of days to weeks. Such wind driven movements of thermocline are a ubiquitous feature of all large lakes [4,5] and typically, these changes in depth of thermocline occur on timescales of days. Every time the wind blows over the surface of sampling site, the thermocline tends to depress at the downwind end and elevate at the upwind end.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As most receivers are located below the thermocline, it is likely that warm water fish would be most influenced by reduced detection range due to the sound speed gradients but cold or deepwater fish that cross the thermocline to feed would also be influenced during these movements. Fish might also be confined above the thermocline due to anoxia in the hypolimnion, as occurs routinely the central basins on Lake Erie [1], Green Bay in Lake Michigan [13] and Hamilton Harbour in Lake Ontario [4,5,25]. In these locations, benthic receivers would have reduced range for fish above the thermocline.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Strong thermal stratification reduces detection efficiency and range of acoustic telemetry in a large freshwater lake

et al. 2021

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Background The successful use of acoustic telemetry to detect fish hinges on understanding the factors that control the acoustic range. The speed-of-sound in water is primarily a function of density, and in freshwater lakes density is primarily driven by temperature. The strong seasonal thermal stratification in the Great Lakes represent some of the steepest sound speed gradients in any aquatic system. Such speed-of-sound gradients can refract sound waves leading to greater divergence of acoustic signal, and hence more rapid attenuation. The changes in sound attenuation change the detection range of a telemetry array and hence influence the ability to monitor fish. We use 3 months of data from a sentinel array of V9 and V16 Vemco acoustic fish tags, and a record of temperature profiles to determine how changes in stratification influence acoustic range in eastern Lake Ontario. Result We interpret data from an acoustic telemetry array in Lake Ontario to show that changes in acoustic detection efficiency and range correlate strongly with changes in sound speed gradients due to thermal stratification. The steepest sound speed gradients of 10.38 m s−1/m crossing the thermocline occurred in late summer, which caused the sound speed difference between the top and bottom of the water column to be greater than 60 m/s. V9 tags transmitting across the thermocline could have their acoustic range reduced from > 650 m to 350 m, while the more powerful V16 tags had their range reduced from > 650 m to 450 m. In contrast we found that when the acoustic source and receiver were both transmitting below thermocline there was no change in range, even as the strength of sound speed gradient varied. Conclusion Changes in thermal stratification occur routinely in the Great Lakes, on timescales between months and days. The acoustic range can be reduced by as much as 50% compared to unstratified conditions when fish move across the thermocline. We recommend that researchers consider the influences of thermal stratification to acoustic telemetry when configuring receiver position.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong thermal stratification reduces detection efficiency and range of acoustic telemetry in a large freshwater lake

et al. 2021

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“…Harbour in Lake Ontario (Flood et al, 2021;Wells et al, 2021). In these locations, benthic receivers would have reduced range for sh above the thermocline.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong Thermal Stratification Reduces Detection Efficiency and Range of Acoustic Telemetry in a Large Freshwater Lake

Kuai

Klinard

Fisk

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundThe successful use of acoustic telemetry to detect fish hinges on understanding the factors that control the acoustic range. The speed-of-sound in water is primarily a function of density, and in freshwater lakes density is primarily driven by temperature. The seasonal thermal stratification in the Great Lakes represent the strongest sound speed gradients in any aquatic system. Such speed-of-sound gradients can refract sound waves leading to greater divergence of acoustic signal, and hence more rapid attenuation. The changes in sound attenuation change the detection range of a telemetry array and hence influence the ability to monitor fish. We use three months of data from a sentinel array of V9 and V16 Vemco acoustic fish tags, and a record of temperature profiles to determine how changes in stratification influence acoustic range in eastern Lake Ontario. ResultWe interpret data from an acoustic telemetry array in Lake Ontario to show that changes in acoustic detection efficiency and range correlate strongly with changes in sound speed gradients due to thermal stratification. The strongest sound speed gradients of 10.38 ms-1/m crossing the thermocline occurred in late summer, which caused the sound speed difference between the top and bottom of the water column to be greater than 60 m/s. V9 tags transmitting across the thermocline could have their acoustic range reduced from >650 m to 350 m, while the more powerful V16 tags had their range reduced from >650 m to 450 m. In contrast we found that when the acoustic source and receiver were both transmitting below thermocline there was no change in range, even as the strength of sound speed gradient varied. ConclusionChanges in thermal stratification occur routinely in the Great Lakes, on timescales between months and days. The acoustic range can be reduced by as much as 50% compared to unstratified conditions when fish move across the thermocline. We recommend that researchers consider the influences of thermal stratification to acoustic telemetry when configuring receiver position.

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“…A relaxing of wind forcing results in an oscillating thermocline depth and internal seiches (Bouffard and Boegman 2012). These internal seiches and upwelling events can lead to dramatic changes in water properties such as temperature, and oxygen in littoral habitats (Hlevca et al 2015; Flood et al 2021a).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, remaining in hypoxic conditions is physiologically costly (Pollock et al 2007) and so fish avoid these conditions in both laboratory (Wannamaker and Rice 2000) and field settings (Brandt et al 2011; Brown et al 2015). In a thermally stratified, eutrophic system with hypolimnetic hypoxia, wind‐driven internal seiches have the potential to create a dynamic horizontal and vertical mosaic of suitable and unsuitable thermal and oxygenated habitats (Rowe et al 2019; Tang et al 2019; Flood et al 2021a). The vertical fragmentation of the aquatic environment influences fish distributions on a species‐specific level, dictated by their thermal preference, hypoxia tolerance, and their ability to move and locate optimal habitats (Levy et al 1991; Breitburg et al 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

Internal seiches as drivers of fish depth use in lakes

Brooks

Midwood

Smith

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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Inland temperate lakes undergo various physical processes, such as thermal stratification, that dictate the spatial availability of suitable temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions. Here, we use intensive limnological monitoring and acoustic telemetry transmitters implanted in wild fish to document the magnitude and frequency of thermocline deflection events (i.e., wind driven internal seiches that lead to upwelling of hypoxic hypolimnetic water) and their influence on freshwater fish depth use in a coastal embayment of Lake Ontario. The embayment experienced around 100 internal seiche events during a 3-month period and tracking of walleye (Stizostedion vitreus) vertical positions in the water column showed clear trends of avoidance of low dissolved oxygen. Quantile regression showed a significant correlation between walleye vertical position and the depth of the 3, 4, and 5 mg L À1 oxyclines, with the 3 mg L À1 oxycline having the largest effect. Upwellings of the hypoxic hypolimnion forced walleye to use the water column above these fluctuating oxyclines (5 th percentile, p < 0.001), with 94.2% of detections occurring at depths above the 3 mg L À1 oxycline. Understanding how fish respond to upwelling events (both temperature and oxygen) is important for fisheries assessment, management, and habitat restoration planning as there is clear avoidance of suboptimal oxygen conditions and sampling in the overcrowded fringes of these low-oxygen zones could artificially inflate population estimates.

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Intense variability of dissolved oxygen and temperature in the internal swash zone of Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario

Cited by 23 publications

References 51 publications

Strong thermal stratification reduces detection efficiency and range of acoustic telemetry in a large freshwater lake

Strong thermal stratification reduces detection efficiency and range of acoustic telemetry in a large freshwater lake

Strong Thermal Stratification Reduces Detection Efficiency and Range of Acoustic Telemetry in a Large Freshwater Lake

Internal seiches as drivers of fish depth use in lakes

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