Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Determining the Relationship Between Phosphorus and Blue-Green Algae Phycocyanin in Western Lake Erie Algal Blooms
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Earth & Environmental Sciences/Geography & GIS
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Bassil El Masri
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Algal blooms have shown to be detrimental in the Western Lake Erie area in recent years. These algal blooms have proven to be extremely harmful to both public and environmental health, and a definitive cause of these blooms has yet to be found. Determining the parameters of the water in Western Lake Erie is key to finding the reason behind these harmful algal blooms. Harmful algal blooms are not only unsightly, but cause many issues for the people and wildlife in the area, including causing hypoxia and ultimately decimating the fish populations. Data from NOAA’s live-time buoy monitoring systems was collected from late August 2020 through 2024. The data collected included the phosphorus and blue-green phycocyanin levels as the primary focus for this study, but levels for pH, turbidity, and water temperature were also taken. No significant relationship was found between phycocyanin and phosphorus, as the levels were then analyzed using linear regression and showed phycocyanin and phosphorus as being statistically insignificant, with a p-value of 0.58. However, the relationships between phycocyanin and the respective pH, turbidity, and water temperature all proved to be statistically significant with p-values < 0.05. Multiple regression analysis also revealed a significant relationship between phycocyanin and pH with turbidity, with an R2 value of 0.87 and a p-value < 0.05. Research such as this could be the key to eliminating harmful algal blooms in this area, leading to a healthier public and ecosystem in Western Lake Erie.
Spring Scholars Week 2025
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Determining the Relationship Between Phosphorus and Blue-Green Algae Phycocyanin in Western Lake Erie Algal Blooms
Algal blooms have shown to be detrimental in the Western Lake Erie area in recent years. These algal blooms have proven to be extremely harmful to both public and environmental health, and a definitive cause of these blooms has yet to be found. Determining the parameters of the water in Western Lake Erie is key to finding the reason behind these harmful algal blooms. Harmful algal blooms are not only unsightly, but cause many issues for the people and wildlife in the area, including causing hypoxia and ultimately decimating the fish populations. Data from NOAA’s live-time buoy monitoring systems was collected from late August 2020 through 2024. The data collected included the phosphorus and blue-green phycocyanin levels as the primary focus for this study, but levels for pH, turbidity, and water temperature were also taken. No significant relationship was found between phycocyanin and phosphorus, as the levels were then analyzed using linear regression and showed phycocyanin and phosphorus as being statistically insignificant, with a p-value of 0.58. However, the relationships between phycocyanin and the respective pH, turbidity, and water temperature all proved to be statistically significant with p-values < 0.05. Multiple regression analysis also revealed a significant relationship between phycocyanin and pH with turbidity, with an R2 value of 0.87 and a p-value < 0.05. Research such as this could be the key to eliminating harmful algal blooms in this area, leading to a healthier public and ecosystem in Western Lake Erie.