The Effect of Water Retention Time on Embayment Ecosystem Dynamics

The goal of this project is to explore the ways in which and extent to which hydrodynamic flow in an embayment can interact with plankton behavior, namely the vertical migration of plankton, to affect their residence time. Utilizing a hydrodynamic model to loosely model the flow in Floodwood embayment and an individual-based model to model plankton behavior, we examine the fate of the plankton under a variety of flow regimes, migration types, start times, and plankton cloud sizes. As one method of quantifying our simulation results, we employ sensitivity analysis to determine the relative importance of these parameters and thus whether exogenous or endogenous variables have more of an influence on biological residence time.

The biologic model incorporates data from a number of sources, including the Lake Ontario Biocomplexity Project. The combined biologic and hydrodynamic models will aid in determining which ecosystems are most affected by external parameters such as human-related activities and thus also aid in choosing priority areas for conservation efforts. These models will also support a broader understanding of self-organization in a general ecologic context.

Project Leader and First Contact:
Virginia Pasour
PhD Candidate, Applied Mathematics
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: pasour@cam.cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-3399

Principal Investigator:
Stephen Ellner
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: spe2@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4221

Sponsor: The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR)
IAGLR Scholarships are awarded annually to promising M.S. or PhD students whose research is likely to make a significant contribution to the understanding of large lakes. The scholarships are intended to promote academic excellence by encouraging young scientists to undertake graduate research in great lakes ecosystem health and to enter the field of great lakes science.
IAGLR is a scientific organization made up of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world, as well as those with an interest in such research.