Title

Authors 1

Author Name

Herbert, Claire

Type of Name

Personal

Email

claire.herbert@umanitoba.ca

Affiliation

Centre for Earth Observation Science - University of Manitoba

ORCID ID

0000-0003-2724-4200

ORCID

http://orcid.org/

Awards 1

Funded by

Canada Research Chair in Arctic System Science

Website

https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=557018

Funder Name

National Science and Engineering Council

Funder Identifier Code

https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000038

Funder Identifier Type

Crossref Funder ID

Funder Identifier Scheme

https://www.crossref.org/services/funder-registry

Grant Number

Awards 2

Funded by

Lake Winnipeg Foundation

Website

https://lakewinnipegfoundation.org/

Funder Name

Lake Winnipeg Foundation

Funder Identifier Code

Funder Identifier Type

Funder Identifier Scheme

Grant Number

Related Resources 1

Related Resource Name

Map of chemistry data for Claire Herbert thesis

Identifier Code

https://mbglchem.umcanwin.ca/

Identifier Type

URL

Relationship to this publication

IsSupplementTo

Online Resource

Type

Service

Series Name

Name

Spatial distribution of water quality and phytoplankton in the Upper Manitoba Great Lakes

Description

Freshwater eutrophication in Canada poses significant threats to ecosystem health and community wellbeing, particularly in large lake systems like the upper Manitoba Great Lakes (uMBGL). Lakes Winnipegosis, Waterhen, and Manitoba form a critical buffer system within the Nelson River watershed, processing nutrients before they reach Lake Winnipeg and ultimately Hudson Bay and the North Atlantic Ocean. Despite their importance, these lakes remain severely understudied, with minimal spatial and temporal data available about nutrient dynamics and phytoplankton communities. This knowledge gap hinders evidence-based management decisions necessary to protect these valuable freshwater resources from eutrophication driven by modern challenges such as land use management and accelerated climate change. This study provides the first spatially comprehensive, multi-year assessment of offshore water quality in the upperMBGL system. Over three open-water seasons (2016-2017), I collected and analyzed physical, chemical, and biological data across multiple basins to: (1) characterize in-situ offshore biogeochemical and physical conditions; (2) examine spatial and temporal variation through geostatistical analysis; and (3) document phytoplankton diversity and distribution patterns. Results indicate that all three lakes are consistently mesotrophic to eutrophic. Nutrient concentrations generally increased from north to south in both Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba during the open water season. Filamentous cyanobacteria dominated summer phytoplankton biomass in both lakes, while cyanobacterial picoplankton dominated by abundance. Significant differences between years and basins suggest limited inter-basin mixing and differential impacts from local land use. This research establishes a critical western science based baseline for understanding water quality dynamics in the Upper Manitoba Great Lakes system, and highlights the urgent need for continued monitoring, community-engaged research, and the weaving of traditional ecological knowledge with western science approaches to ensure these lakes can continue functioning as effective nutrient buffers for Lake Winnipeg.

Format

PDF

Resource Category

documents