Introducing CIGLR’s New Director, Dr. Gregory Dick

A Professor at the University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Greg joins the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability faculty as the 7th CIGLR Director in the 32-year history of NOAA Cooperative Institutes at the University of Michigan. “From the very beginning of my time at Michigan, CIGLR played a key role in my evolution as a scientist,” says Dick.  READ MORE

Research Institute Spotlight: Kelly McCabe
Lake Erie Phosphorus Cycling

Comprehensive nutrient measurements are an important component of the CIGLR and NOAA GLERL harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring and forecasting program. As a CIGLR Biogeochemistry Laboratory Analyst, Kelly McCabe helps collect, process, and measure different forms of phosphorus in a variety of freshwater systems in the Great Lakes region, with a focus on Lake Erie. Understanding how phosphorus influences the size, duration, and severity of HABs, which further promote hypoxia in Lake Erie, may alter the “normal” cycling of phosphorus within the lake. READ MORE

We love sharing Photos from Friends! These images and accompanying captions highlight exciting research and activities from our colleagues and friends across the Great Lakes region. To learn even more, click on the images and read the full story.

Microcystis Buoyancy in Western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an annual nuisance in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. In these systems, HABs are often composed of cyanobacteria of the genus Microcystis. In addition to toxin production, another unique feature of Microcystis is that it exhibits a particularly flexible buoyant vertical migration in the lake water column, allowing the genus to exploit gradients in nutrients, light, and consumer abundance that occur with depth in lakes. Understanding the factors that control buoyancy is critical for interpretation of satellite remote sensing data, and modeling and forecasting harmful algal blooms within these two systems. READ MORE

Pelee Island Magic Sand: Tracking Microbial Gene Expression and Metabolites During Microcystin Degradation in Lake Erie Sediment

Microcystin is a hepatotoxin released during cyanobacterial blooms, posing a human health risk in freshwater lakes worldwide. There is evidence that microcystins are removed through microbial degradation, but the mechanism by which this occurs is not well understood in Lake Erie. Chelsea Salter, a 2020 CIGLR Graduate Research Fellow and master’s student at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor, aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the degradation process by studying the microbial community in sand from Pelee Island, located in the western basin of Lake Erie. READ MORE

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