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AUSTIN 2011

AbstractsOctober 31 November 4, 2011

Austin Convention CenterAustin, Texas USA

U N I V E R S I T Y

The risingSTARof Texas

Organizers:

River Systems Institute, Texas State University

International Lake Environment Committee Foundation W Texas State Uni versity

RiverSYSTEMSINSTITUTE

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Successful lake management requires a solid understanding of the lakes status and the factorscontrolling the status. On the evidence of Lake Peipsi, the role of monitoring in the lake man-agement is unprecedented. Moreover, it is of overriding importance to continue the tradition o fmonitoring. Some factors (e.g., internal loading) have longterm impacts, which can be detectedsolely with the regular monitoring. After gathering a substantial body of information, the goals of

monitoring program could be reestablished (eliminate/add sampling) in order to make it moreeffective. In case of Lake Peipsi, including of sediment studies into the monitoring program couldbe considered. The policies that might prevent or mitigate environmental damage in the Peipsiregion should be equally applied for all the countries involved in making the monitoring o f thetransboundary lake considerably more effective.

Toward a Predictive Model for Cyanobacterial Blooms Based on Fossil Pigments

DESHPANDE, BethanyUniversit Laval, Canada

Cyanobacterial blooms create a broad range of water quality problems and are of increasingconcern throughout the world. My research is focused on developing a predictive model ofcyanobacterial blooms in freshwater lakes based on paleolimnological indicators, physical andchemical limnological factors, and climatic variations. Specifically, I am combining biogeo-chemical analysis of fossil pigments in lake sediments with historical climate information suchas average precipitation and temperature, and nutrient variables to assess and predict fluctuations

in cyanobacterial blooms.Here I present some initial data used in my model that includes the timeline of past blooms,

knowledge of lake history with respect to anthropogenic activity, eutrophication, climate, andwater chemistry. The sedimentary fossil pigments were determined by high pressure liquid chro-matography (HPLC) and include chlorophyll a, betacarotene, alloxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin,echinenone, diatoxanthin, and more. Field studies were also conducted to measure presentdayconductivity, pH, oxygen levels and temperature throughout the water column. The sedimenta-

tion rates for the lakes have also been determ ined (0.5mm/year 8.5mm/year), reflecting thedifference in productivity in the waterbody as well as other geologic and climatic factors.

The study consisted of data from 11 temperate lakes from southern Quebec, Canada, givinga total of 165 discrete samples from the sediment cores. The analysis of these sediment coresprovides insight into historical lake conditions and impacts on phytoplankton communitiesspanning 100 to 300 years before present day. These preliminary results imply that the chosenlakes and time frames will provide a broad spectrum of conditions to develop the predictive model.

Hydrography of the Sauce Grande Shallow Lake

FORNERON, Claudia FernandaUniversid ad Nacional del Sur, Argentina

I am a PhD student from the Universidad National del Sur. My dissertation is about the Hy-drography of the Sauce Grande Shallow Lake located in the SW of the Buenos Aires province,Argentina. From September 2008 to December 2010 we measured monthly physical (water

temperature, electrical conductivity, suspended sediment, pH, dissolved oxygen) and meteo-rological parameters (air temperature, relative humidity and wind). On February 2011, a buoywas installed in the Sauce Grande shallow lake (It could be a future site GLE ON). Consequently,water temperature, electrical conductivity, suspended sediment, water level and meteorologicalparameters are now measured with a time interval of 5 minutes I studied the regional climate

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where the lake is located and the general hydrography of the shallow lake. Now I am analyzingthe high frequency data with statistical methods.

I am also interested in studying the changes in the area of the water surface of the lake due tostrong evaporation caused by the drought that has affected Argentina in the last years. I use GIStechniques and I am processing satellite images.

I am working actively in a project denominated Integral study of the pampean Shallow Lakes(Buenos Aires province, Argentina) funded by the University (UNS). Also, I am part of the N et-work for the Monitoring of Wetlands and Lakes (ReMHul) in Argentina, where we measure andshare experiences about the ecosystems that characterized the Argentinean lakes. I participated asPhD student in three meetings organized by the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network(GLEON). Next October I will attend the next GLEO N 13 meeting in USA. These meetingsare useful to get scientific inputs and share experiences with senior researchers o f other countriesThese workshops have given me great learning experiences. I am really interested in to progress

professionally and personally.The main achievement I made in my research is to change in analyzing low frequency hydro

graphic data to one higher frequency. Data from the buoy located on the Sauce Grande ShallowLake offers me a new opportunity to investigate lake variability at timescales that are not resolvedby traditional weekly to monthly lake sampling.

The Need and Future Direction for Inland Water Monitoring and Data Processing

PALESSE, StphanieUniversit Blaise Pascal, France

Changes in freshwater environments and the related resources and services in the world arebecoming increasingly serious and alarming. Inland water ecosystems are subjected to massivechanges as a result of multiple pressures. Challenges related to water quality and q uantity raiseup with increasing water demands and are exacerbated by a combination of climate change,introduction of alien species, pollution and dam construction, putting further pressure onfreshwater biodiversity and the services it provides.

Current concepts o f the biological monito ring of water quality are extensively focused onphytoplankton and other higher organisms such as macrozoobenthos and fishes, whereas thebiodiversity of heterotrophic microorganisms or any more specific analysis of their variousactivities is virtually ignored. Ecological functioning of freshwaters cannot be fully understoodand their ecological status adequately assessed if some o f the m ajor biogeochemical players inaquatic food webs, i.e. viruses, bacteria and he terotrophic protists, are ignored. Indeed, thereare many aquatic ecosystems that do not host fish or macrophytes, but there is not a singleecosystem irrespective of its size, tha t is devoid o f microorganisms. Any improved monito ring

and management scheme of inland waters for their sustainable use as drinking water source,for recreation, or irrigation, as well as any future implementation of bioremiation measureswill require an improved scientific unders tanding o f the role of the different environmentallyrelevant microorganisms in shaping aquatic ecosystems.

Du ring the last three decades, new techniques of analysis and of observation in microbiologyallowed scientists to free themselves from traditional growing culture methods. Indeed, theapplication of new tools of analysis (electronic microscopy, epifluorescence microscopy, flowcytometry...), molecular and cellular tools (fluorophore, markers, ribosomal probes...) and

new generation molecular biology techniques (Pyrosequencing) allowed becoming conscious ofthe high abundance o f bacterial communities and their huge diversity. Recent studies showedthat microorganisms are not only the most abundant organisms in natural freshwater systems,