Abstract
Lead sediment contamination in Lake Erie stems from a long history of natural and synthetic resource production. Sediment samples with variable sampling densities were collected by the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in 1971, 1997/1998, and 2014. The kriging interpolation method was used to create continuous sediment contamination surfaces for time/space comparisons. Change detection analyses identified an overall decreasing trend in high lead pollution levels from 1971 to 2014, while sediments with the lowest concentrations increased in surface area. Lake-wide circulation patterns and bathymetric data were added to interpolated contamination surfaces to enhance the understanding of interrelated hydrodynamic processes and geophysical features in the movement of contaminated sediments. Utilizing visualization tools in Esri’s ArcScene, bathymetric data were employed to enhance the geographic context of contamination maps. The physical barriers to sediment transportation created by bathymetric features can be visualized in three-dimensions. Elevated features between lake basins are easily recognized as impedances to lake currents when circulation directions are draped over the bathymetric model. By using illumination tools and techniques, geovisualizations of lead sediment contamination throughout Lake Erie create a scientific communication tool for a wide audience to use in multiple-criteria decision making for environmental remediation of sediment contamination.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe Great Lakes basin is an industrial, manufacturing, and agricultural powerhouse with a lengthy history of resource production
In 1971, only 12.97% of the entire lake area was represented by sediments
By 2014, this contamination classification decreased in surface area representation to 38.62% while continually dominating the eastern half of Lake Erie
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe Great Lakes basin is an industrial, manufacturing, and agricultural powerhouse with a lengthy history of resource production. Lake Erie is the smallest Great Lake by volume at 484 km3 [2]. It is surrounded by intensive farming activities, and several historically industrial cities (Detroit, MI, Windsor, ON, Toledo, OH, Cleveland, OH, Erie, PA, and Buffalo, NY, USA; Figure 1). Organic and inorganic contamination of Lake Erie has been an environmental concern since the mid-19th century [3]. Gradients toward decreasing sediment contamination from the western basin to the eastern basin of Lake Erie, and from the southern to the northern area of the central basin have been observed [4,5,6,7].
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