Assessment of beneficial use impairment #13, degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations, in the Canadian waters of the Detroit River area of concern / by Mark A.J. Fitzpatrick, Kelly L. Bowen,...: Fs97-6/3532E-PDF

"Phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbial communities of the Canadian waters of the Detroit River were sampled during May, July, September and November of 2019 in order to provide guidance to the Remedial Action Plan regarding the status of Beneficial Use Impairment 13: Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Populations. Eight sites between Lake St Clair and Amherstburg were sampled capturing both upstream – downstream as well as nearshore – offshore gradients. Biomass of each of the components including: phytoplankton, autotrophic picoplankton, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliates, rotifers and zooplankton, was generally low with zooplankton biomass attenuating significantly downstream. Phytoplankton biomass was observed to be significantly higher nearshore than offshore. Primary (phytoplankton) productivity was moderately high, given the low phytoplankton biomass, and demonstrates the river supports viable phytoplankton assemblages. In general, the observed differences in the planktonic communities occurring within the Area of Concern could be attributed directly to riverine ecology. Likewise, our assessment of the organic carbon pool showed that, despite the low overall amount (50 – 100 mg C m⁻³ on average), the food web was still predominantly autotrophic and not bound up in heterotrophic microbes. Our survey did not find any evidence of anthropogenic impairment of the phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbial loop populations of the Detroit River"--Abstract, page vii.

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