Eastern Lake Ontario Research Articles

Economic Impact Analysis of a Sport Fishery on Lake Ontario: An Appraisal of Method

Abstract This paper summarizes the application of a Keynesian-type economic impact model to the Bay of Quinte sport fishery in eastern Lake Ontario for 1984–1985. After the study procedure and findings are outlined, the method is assessed in the context of information needs of resource planners and managers. The Bay of Quinte study is a vehicle for critically examining the concept of impact and the empirically derived measures of expenditures and income used to describe it. A substantial leakage of angler dollars from the region and the consequential low “normal” income multiplier is attributed to the tendency for local businesses and households to import goods and services. Analysts must choose between more information and increased cost in conducting economic impact analysis; the scope of an impact study must be determined by the questions that need answering. Economic impact analysis can indicate a role for sportfishing in economic development and tourism programs. It can identify the relative contribu...

A Wind-Driven Ice-Push Event in Eastern Lake Ontario

Ice on Lake Ontario at Kingston weakened rapidly in warm air temperatures to 17° C on the afternoon of 26 March 1986. Moderate onshore winds to 33 km/h changed to offshore winds during the night, and by morning most of the ice in the nearshore area had blown’more than 5 km offshore. After 0600 on the morning of 28 March winds shifted to an obliquely onshore direction, increasing to 28 km/h by noon and driving the ice onshore. A small ice-push event occurred at 1225 lasting 10 minutes, piling ice to a height of 2.5 m above the bank by successive overriding. Eleven stones of up to 206 kg were moved from the shore by the body of the ice and carried up, in some cases, to near the top of the ice pile, despite the weakness of the thin, candled ice sheet. The need for quantitative studies of these irregular and unpredictable events is demonstrated by these observations.

Late glacial and postglacial geology in the Lake Ontario basin

Western Lake Ontario sediments record a till–mud–till sequence over bedrock and a thick layer of partly distorted glaciolacustrine clay unconformably overlying this. Another unconformity separates this clay from younger fine (lacustrine?) deposits, which are also distorted. Modern foreset and bottomset beds of the Niagara River overlap the lacustrine and glaciolacustrine deposits.In eastern Lake Ontario, thick glaciolacustrine clays overlie bedrock and the infilling ice-marginal deposits. These glaciolacustrine clays are severely distorted, and in the deepest parts of the area patches of overlying lacustrine (?) clay are preserved. A distorted terracelike deposit is preserved at higher elevation in the St. Lawrence trough. Bedrock, lag gravels, and sandy deposits characterize shallow-water areas.We suggest that after the fall of lake levels in the Lake Ontario basin, during the post-Iroquois lake phases, glaciolacustrine clays were subject to distortion by ice action at the time of the Greatlakean stadial. This deformation was more severe at the east end of the basin. At its lowest level, the surface of early Lake Ontario following the post-Iroquois phases was below the present lakebed in much of western Lake Ontario. Ice-wedge casts formed in sediments at both ends of the basin, soon after the initiation of early Lake Ontario, and are correlated with the Algonquin (St. Narcisse) glacial phase. Whereas there are significant accumulations of modern mud in the western basin of Lake Ontario, in the Kingston basin there is little except in the St. Lawrence trough.

The Significance of Seasonal Changes on a Modern Cobble-Gravel Beach used by Spawning Lake Trout, Lake Ontario

In 1979, lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush) spawning was observed and confirmed by divers over a modern cobble-gravel beach in eastern Lake Ontario. Seasonal beach surveys determined that areas where egg deposition took place coincided closely with areas of coarse cobble-gravel where sediment accumulation rates were highest. Egg deposition occurred at depths below subsequent winter ice contact. The seasonal transport of cobble-gravel seems to have largely preceded the spawning episode but addition of some finer gravels, in the area of egg deposition, did occur before freeze-over. There was no survival to hatch.

Sedimentology and Geochemistry of Modern Sediments in the Kingston Basin of Lake Ontario

Accumulation of Recent fine sediment is limited to deep water areas in the Kingston basin and thicknesses of more than 50 cm are found only in the St. Lawrence trough; elsewhere, sands and silty sands are largely composed of reworked material. Local sources provide little input of fine sediment to the Kingston basin. Statistical relationships derived from geochemical analyses indicate several forms of association between heavy metals and organic carbon, sulphides, clays, hydrous Fe and Mn oxides, and carbonates. A comparison between Kingston and Niagara sediments shows that the combined effects of riverine and lacustrine erosion have resulted in a generally greater content of carbonates in the Niagara sediments. The content of Fe (which is partly influenced by redox potential) is highest, however, in sediment of the Kingston basin, where higher P values are also associated with an increased clay content. Differences in the concentrations of heavy metals in Lake Ontario, except for Hg, Co, Cu, and Zn, are largely explained by variations in silt and clay contents. Contaminant loadings from the Niagara River are largely responsible for the anomalously high concentrations of Hg and, to a lesser extent, Cu and Zn. Cobalt occurs at higher concentrations in the sediments of eastern Lake Ontario, where its presence is thought to reflect glacial dispersal patterns.

Quantification of the Lake Trophic Typologies of Naumann (Surface Quality) and Thienemann (Oxygen) with Special Reference to the Great Lakes

Separate trophic scales and indices are developed for two of the most significant symptoms of eutrophication: surface water quality and hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen depletion. The scales are made comparable by expressing them in dimensionless form with a lower bound of zero and a mesotrophic range from 5 to 10. In this way, the two symptoms can be compared and their relative importance judged. This is done for the Great Lakes with the result that for both scales Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan are classified as oligotrophic. However, while central and eastern Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are classified as mesotrophic in terms of surface water quality, they range from eutrophic (central Lake Erie) to oligotrophic (Lake Ontario) on the oxygen scale. This is because, although these lakes are similar in surface water quality, their hypolimnion thicknesses range from approximately 4 m for central Erie to 70 m for Lake Ontario. Because of its shallowness, western Lake Erie does not have a persistent oxygen problem. In terms of surface quality it is classified as eutrophic. We have attempted to relate the two scales by correlating surface primary production and areal depletion rate. The results indicate that for lakes of similar primary production, areal oxygen depletion is directly proportional to hypolimnion thickness.

Impact of Past Mining Activities on Aquatic Sediments in Moira River Basin, Ontario

The geochemistry of aquatic sediments collected from the Moira River system, which empties into eastern Lake Ontario, was studied to determine the distribution and transport of Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Hg, Ag, and As through the system. Surface sediment from 14 stations and sediment from two core profiles collected at Moira Lake and Bay of Quinte were analyzed. Concentrations of Si, Al, Fe, Mg, K, and Na, which represent the major mineral species were generally similar in all samples. However, significant enrichment of As, Cu, Co, and Ni were observed in the surface of the core from Moira Lake, downstream from previous mining and smelting activities at Deloro where wastes were discharged in Moira River. The horizonal distribution of trace element concentrations in the sediment decreased with increasing distance from the old mining and smelting site. Water samples collected downstream from this area contained 250 μg L −l of As, indicating significant release of As into the watershed at the present time.

Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) as Indicators of Organochlorine Contamination in Lake Ontario

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in the Great Lakes depend to a large extent on alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and smelt (Osmerus mordax) for their food. All of these species range widely in the lakes, and therefore provide an integrated measure of levels of organochlorine contaminants in the lakes. Organochlorine residues were determined in herring gull eggs from four eastern Lake Ontario colonies, coho salmon from western Lake Ontario, and pooled alewife and smelt from the stomach contents of the salmon. The mean apparent bioconcentration factor was 2.9 ± 0.7 for accumulation of PCBs, DDE, mirex, photomirex, HCB, dieldrin, and DDD in coho salmon muscle from alewives and smelt. The salmon had a mean weight of 2.4 kg and a mean lipid content of 8.2%. The bioconcentration factor was 50 ± 10 for accumulation of PCBs with more than five chlorines, DDE, mirex, and photomirex in herring gull eggs. PCBs with fewer than six chlorines, HCB, dieldrin, and DDD were concentrated to a lesser extent in herring gull eggs. Assuming an apparent bioconcentration factor from water of 5 × 105 for accumulation of PCBs, DDE, mirex, and photomirex in smelt and alewives, the corresponding values in coho salmon and herring gull eggs were 1.5 × 106 and 2.5 × 107. Key words: bioconcentration, residue, alewives, smelt, PCBs, DDE, mirex, photomirex, HCB, dieldrin

Age, Growth, and Food of Northern Pike in Eastern Lake Ontario

Abstract Northern pike (Esox lucius) from eastern Lake Ontario were sampled with gill nets and trap nets in 1972-1973. Fish of age-groups IV, V, and VI were predominant in the catch. Although males were slightly longer after the 1st yr of life, females gained a 25-mm advantage in the 2nd yr and a 30-mm advantage in the 3rd yr. In later years, the increments of growth of males and females were similar. All males were mature after 2 yr and females after 3 yr. The stomachs of northern pike contained only fish; the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) was the principal forage species consumed. Electivity indexes for alewives, white perch (Morone americana), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens), the three most common species in the diet, indicated a positive selection for alewives that increased from June to October during a period when the relative abundance of alewives steadily decreased.

Depreciation of the Warmwater Fish Community in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario

The sequence of fish species shifts since the 1930s in the Bay of Quinte is interpreted in terms of climatic changes and the influences of man. Among the latter, eutrophication is judged most important. The marked decrease in large piscivores in both eastern Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte as a consequence of these changes resulted in instability, exemplified by the explosions in populations of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and white perch (Morone americana). Nutrients are imported to the bay, from Lake Ontario by way of alewife. This source has increased in the 1970s with the further decline of piscivores, and it brought about a greater fish production in the bay. We conclude that the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario interact significantly and should be studied as a single system.Because of its specialized feeding habits, the post-World War II rise of the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) was related to events outside the Bay of Quinte, but its later decline was attributable to direct and indirect effects of eutrophication. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens), by contrast, were apparently not affected adversely by severe habitat changes induced by cultural eutrophication. Key words: Percidae, community ecology, species shifts, eutrophication, habitat changes

Sand Dispersal in Eastern and Southern Lake Ontario

ABSTRACT A sediment dispersal model is constructed using parameters derived from beach and lake samples obtained from an area with a known point source and dispersal direction. Mean size and percent of fine-grained heavy minerals decrease whereas sorting and kurtosis values increase in direction of transport. Skewness, percentages of both fines and coarsegrained heavy minerals are less useful as indicators of transport direction. The model also provides for comparisons of sample population means and variances of adjacent beach and lake deposits. Most values are greater for the beach populations if compared with their corresponding subaqueous counterparts. If the beach and lake population means of an area are compared with those from its source area, mean size is larger, percentage of fine-grained heavies is greater, kurtosis is lower (beach only) and sorting is poorer in the source area. The model is compared with the entire American shoreline of Lake Ontario as well as four regions divided upon differences in the shoreline and nearshore features. They are the: Niagara (subaqueous delta, till cliffs), Rochester (subaqueous drumlins and sand sheets), Oswego (small sand patches, till cliffs), and Eastern shore (sand beaches, dunes, and a subaqueous sand sheet). The net sand transport has been eastward along the southern shore, then northward along the eastern shore. The sands of the Niagara delta have been reworking during transgression while those on the adjacent beaches were derived from shoreline tills. The sands in the Rochester area have moved shoreward, probably from the eroded subaqueous drumlins offshore. The eastern shore sands show no lakeward transportation b t were derived from the Oswego region in the past. A diminishing supply of sand in the source areas will result in a diminutation of beaches unless a substantial lowering of the lake level takes place.

Meristic variation in the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., in eastern Canadian waters

Samples of threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., collected from several areas of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and single sites from Iles de la Madeleine, Quebec, and eastern Lake Ontario, were analyzed for variation in numbers of anterior lateral plates and vertebrae. Counts of vertebrae varied from 28 to 35 and mean counts from 30.3 to 33.4, without being related to any obvious geographic gradients. Trunk and caudal segments of the vertebral column had about the same degree of variation. Counts of lateral plates exclusive of ossicles of the caudal keel ranged from 0 to 31 with a range of means from 1.6 to 24.7. Incomplete development of potential plate number and absence of caudal keels were observed in 1st-year individuals. These results are discussed in relation to information about this species complex from populations of Pacific North America and Europe.

LORAN-C on the Lower Great Lakes

In 1970–71 a study of Loran-C reception and stability characteristics was carried out along the Lower Great Lakes. By setting up calibration stations for periods from 1 hour to 18 days between Eastern Lake Ontario and Western Lake Erie, measures were obtained of chain variability, instrument variability, signal strength and certain other effects. Calibration curves were obtained which permit correction of Loran data over Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Monitor stations were used to determine the advantage resulting from use of the differential mode of operation. Results indicated that any propagation variability was small as compared to instrumental and chain variability. In the differential mode, overall system accuracies, geometry and signal strength appear to be attractive for precise navigation or for a large area survey operation in the Lower Lakes. The study was sponsored by the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

Deep Erosion by Continental Ice Sheets

Research Article| April 01, 1972 Deep Erosion by Continental Ice Sheets WILLIAM A WHITE WILLIAM A WHITE Department of Geology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information WILLIAM A WHITE Department of Geology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 19 Mar 1971 Revision Received: 23 Sep 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1972, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1972) 83 (4): 1037–1056. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[1037:DEBCIS]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 19 Mar 1971 Revision Received: 23 Sep 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation WILLIAM A WHITE; Deep Erosion by Continental Ice Sheets. GSA Bulletin 1972;; 83 (4): 1037–1056. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[1037:DEBCIS]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The following observations suggest that erosion by continental ice sheets removed stratigraphic cover to exhume some of the world's largest areas of exposed Precambrian crystalline rock.1. Of the world's large areas of exposed Precambrian rock, two were centrally located beneath great Pleistocene continental ice sheets that no longer exist, are proportionate to those ice sheets in size and similar in shape, and are great lowlands holding central seas. Most of the others are in areas that were covered by Paleozoic ice sheets and are presently overlain only by stratigraphic cover that is younger than those ice sheets.2. Around Laurentian and Fennoscandian shields, arcs of exhumation control major topography and drainage. These are arcuate lowlands of continental scope encircling the shields at the Precambrian-Paleozoic contact where glaciation skinned Paleozoic rocks off crystalline basement. They are geometrically similar and are proportional in size to the ice sheets that excavated them. They form the St. Lawrence and upper MacKenzie valleys, including America's greatest lake basins—Great Bear, Great Slave, Athabaska, Reindeer, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis, Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lakes, Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence Trough. European counterparts are Skagerrak, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Lakes Ladoga and Onega, Onega Bay, Gulf of Dvinsk, and White Sea.3. Peripheral parts of shields that were inundated by Pleistocene ice sheets show exhumed pre-Paleozoic terrain with a regional slope that is radially outward, down-glacier. Central parts are flat-floored basins that slope radially inward up-glacier and have no monad-nocks because glacial erosion cut deeply into pre-Paleozoic basement.4. Erosion by the Laurentide and Fenno-scandian ice sheets has carved great hierarchies of ellipsoidal basins. In North America, the master basin holds Hudson Bay; the lesser radiating basins, farther down-glacier, hold the Great Lakes. A similar but lesser hierarchy has eastern Lake Ontario as its master basin and the Finger Lakes of New York as its lesser radiating basins. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Some Features of the Flora of the Islands of Eastern Lake Ontario

Some Features of the Flora of the Islands of Eastern Lake Ontario

The Effect of Fry Plantings on Whitefish Production in Eastern Lake Ontario

Whitefish fry were planted in the Bay of Quinte and adjacent waters in numbers varying from 208 millions in 1927 to none in 1945. Since 50% of the commercial whitefish catch from these waters consisted of five-year-old fish, whitefish production in each of the years from 1929 to 1951 was compared to the number of fry planted 5 years previously (1924–1946). No correlation could be found between the number of fry planted and the production of whitefish 5 years later. The largest number of fry planted (208 millions in 1927) was followed by the lowest production of the entire period (95 thousand pounds in 1932). On the other hand, following no planting in 1945, production in 1950 was approximately normal (162 thousand pounds).The age composition of the commercial catch in the years 1944–1951 was determined from scale samples. By applying the age composition to the total catches in these years the contributions of the year-classes 1940–1945 have been estimated. The number of fry planted probably did not affect the contribution of these year-classes to the fishery.