Editorial

It was both an opportune time and a stroke of luck that I was offered the opportunity to work under the influence of two limnological titans, namely Drs. Richard Vollenweider and Jack Vallentyne at...

The Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS) has been organizing activities in both freshwater and marine environments since its establishment. The Asia-Pacific region has received considerable attention from the Society as evidenced by several conferences organized in Malaysia, China, Vietnam and The Philippines. These conferences were followed by the publication of special issues of the journal Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management (AEHM), each focusing on various topics which were presented (AEHMS, 2006a,b, 2009, 2012a,b).The decision to hold the ECOSEAS conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, originated from a meeting of a group of colleagues (F. Md. Yusoff, M. Munawar, G. Nagaraj, and N. A. M. Shazili) who envisaged convening conferences which focused on the ecosystem health of the Asia-Pacific seas, namely the South China Sea and surrounding seas including the Pacific Ocean. The first of this series was nicknamed ECOSEAS 1, held in Malaysia to spark interest in aquatic research in the Asia-Pacific region. We were indeed very pleased that the response of the scientists of the region was overwhelming, as evidenced by the scientific program which consisted of 8 keynote, 55 platform and 9 poster presentations. Altogether 29 papers were submitted to the journal, which were subjected to the standard peer review process. Nine articles have been accepted which are included in this issue. A few more are still undergoing peer review and revision.We hope this publication will enhance our knowledge of the Asia-Pacific aquatic ecosystem in combination with the five special issues the AEHMS has already published. I take this opportunity to thank the committee members given below who actively participated in the publication of this issue.This issue also includes four additional articles on Lake Superior based on papers presented at the “Ecology of Lake Superior” conference held in Duluth, Minnesota, organized by the USEPA and the AEHMS in 2010. These articles are part of a series of manuscripts focusing on the Ecology of Lake Superior published earlier in the journal (AEHMS, 2011). We are pleased that the series on Lake Superior is now complete.M. Munawar, Chief EditorAquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society

This paper argues that if the goal of slowing global ecological degradation, and of sustained improvement in aquatic ecosystem health is to be achieved, then a departure is required from the traditional, discipline-focused approach to aquatic ecosystem health research and management. It argues that a shift needs to be made towards systemic, integrative, and holistic approaches, drawing on diverse disciplines, with values and ethics as fundamental to such approaches. The paper proposes the systemic-relational (SR) ethical framework to aquatic ecosystem health research and management as an essential contribution to addressing the potential intractability of the continuing deterioration of aquatic ecosystem health. The framework recognises the centrality of values in aquatic ecosystem health management, and the role of ethics in negotiating, and constructively balancing, conflicting values to realise healthy ecosystems in social–ecological systems (SES). The implications of the framework in terms of the research-practice interface, decision making, policy formulation, and communication are discussed.

Institute Profile: The Large Lakes Observatory and the Scientific Study of the Large Lakes of Earth

“One of the finest natural areas yet discovered” was the way John McTaggart, a young British engineer, described Hamilton Harbour in 1827. By 1969, it was described in the Canadian Parliament as a “stinking rotten quagmire of filth and poisonous waste.” The “industrial heart of Canada” and “Steel City” are other descriptions that defined Hamilton and its harbour, setting the background for the image shared by most local and Canadian citizens. This image has persisted well past the turn of the 21st Century, even as things change.Hamilton Harbour is a special place for research precisely because it has absorbed and succumbed to urbanization and industrialization. It is a special place because as a community, citizens, industry, scientists and governments come together to reinvent this Harbour and remediate its ecosystem. The remediation process is not complete at the time of this publication, but it is within sight. Telling the story of progress to date is overdue; hence this special issue of the Journal of the Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS). The science in Hamilton Harbour could not take place without the support of the community, and the remediation of this Harbour could not take place without the science to direct actions. There are 19 varied partner agencies in the Bay Area Implementation Team that directs and leads the remedial actions: ArcelorMittal DofascoBay Area Restoration CouncilCity of BurlingtonCity of HamiltonConservation HaltonEnvironment and Climate Change CanadaFisheries and Oceans CanadaGreen VentureHamilton Conservation AuthorityHamilton Halton Home Builders’ AssociationHamilton Harbour RAP OfficeHamilton Port AuthorityHamilton Waterfront TrustMcMaster UniversityOntario Ministry of the Environment and Climate ChangeOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and ForestryRegional Municipality of HaltonRoyal Botanical GardensU.S. Steel CanadaThe Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan is a model for community, government and scientists collaborating to one end: the eventual delisting of the Harbour from the designation, under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, as an Area of Concern.This special issue reports on some of the ongoing science under the topics: Physical-chemical regime, toxic contaminant dynamics, and biotic community dynamics. The Hamilton Harbour community knows these topics as water quality, toxics, and fish and wildlife. Major projects are underway to remediate the Cootes Paradise Marsh, clean up a toxic blob known as Randle Reef, and upgrade wastewater treatment systems. These are not insignificant undertakings. Randle Reef is the largest sediment remediation project on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and the most contaminated site of its kind in Canada. Upgrades to our wastewater treatment plants will push their function to the highest level practically achievable in tertiary treatment. Cootes Paradise Marsh restoration is one of the most notable and innovative freshwater marsh restorations of its kind in North America. In the end, close to two billion dollars will have been invested in remedial actions, science, and monitoring to remediate Hamilton Harbour.It is important to recognize that this collaborative effort would not have occurred without the work of several key individuals. We wish to acknowledge the role of the following individuals who have led, but are now retired from, this remediation effort: Anne Redish, former Chair of the Hamilton Harbour Stakeholder Forum; Dr. Keith Rodgers, first RAP Coordinator and leader of the original science writing team; Murray Charlton, former Head of the Hamilton Harbour Technical Team; Victor Cairns, former Chair of Fish and Wildlife Restoration; Dr. Peter Rice and Len Simser, leaders of the Cootes Paradise Restoration; Ken Hall, former Executive Director of the Bay Area Restoration Council; and Kathy Trotter, former Administrative Assistant for the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan. Finally, a special acknowledgement to the late Dr. Brian McCarry, whose understanding of the issues and ability to explain them to anyone are greatly missed. These people set an example for the many scientists and community workers who continue and expand their efforts.Thanks are also due to to Dr. Mohi Munawar and the staff of the AEHMS who were instrumental in organizing this special issue.

In October 2002, the Fifth International Conference on Sediment Quality Assessment (SQA5) was held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, sponsored by the Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS). Approximately 135 international scientists from 15 countries came together to discuss issues related to the sediment quality of various water bodies. The program consisted of 40 oral papers and 50 posters including Keynote lectures by D. Di Toro (U.S.A.), L. Thibodeaux (U.S.A.), P. Chapman (Canada), V. E. Forbes (Denmark), and A. P. Dufour (U.S.A.). The program was categorized in to the following themes: Sediment and watershed management;Sediment transport and contaminated flux;Weight of evidence and risk-based decision making;Microbial pathogens: Are sediments at risk; andEmerging technologies for assessment and remediation.This conference continued the successful tradition established through the preceeding four SQA conferences which were convened in Sweden (1994), Italy (1996), The Netherlands (1998) and Japan (2000). The next sediment quality meeting, SQA6, will be held in Antwerp, Belgium in August of this year. These conferences have followed the same objectives as AEHMS, addressing practical, ‘state-of-the-science’ aspects of sediment contaminant and stressor issues in aquatic ecosystems and the associated decision-making processes needed to protect and improve them. In the past 10 years, there have been dramatic improvements in the science of sediment assessment as well as many associated success stories featuring reduced impairment and ecosystem recovery. SQA5 in Chicago showcased continuing advances and understanding of complex interrelationships of the disciplines of ecology, chemistry, hydrology, toxicology, microbiology, weight-of-evidence decision making and modeling. The ten papers from this conference which appear in this issue of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management show the wide range of exciting issues that characterize this dynamic field, ranging from molecular and cellular level tools to modeling of multiple ecosystem processes to holistic based management approaches. Another set of papers originating from the SQA5 conference are scheduled for publication in another special issue of the journal. We hope that these papers will provide ‘state-of-the-art’ knowledge in sediment quality assessment and encourage researchers and managers to participate in future SQA conferences as this field matures.

For centuries the Great Lakes have been treated callously These five magnificent lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario—located along the eastern half of the Canadian–U.S. border have served as a virtual sewer catching waste from industry, agriculture, commercial shipping, and households. Their natural barriers to other water systems have been breached, exposing indigenous ecosystems to aggressive invaders. They’ve been used as a highway for colossal ships that require deepened and broadened channels to crisscross the lakes, and that import exotic species along with their intended cargo. At times it could seem that this long-suffering water system will see no end of indignities. But recent renewed focus on the unique and tremendous value of this resource by governments and communities surrounding the lakes may turn the tide of neglect and abuse. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Great Lakes contain 21% of the Earth’s and about 84% of United States’ surface freshwater. That’s about 22,000 cubic kilometers of water spread over 94,250 square miles. Each year the lakes provide more than 6.7 million cubic meters of water to municipalities and quadruple that to industry. They support a commercial fishery worth about $13 million as of 2002, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and a sport-fishing industry of nearly $1.3 billion as of 2001, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today about 25% of Canadians and 10% of Americans—a total of more than 33 million people—live in the Great Lakes watershed. “The whole industrial expansion that took place during the ‘robber baron’ era [of the late nineteenth century] expanded along the shores of the Great Lakes,” says Deborah Swackhamer, a University of Minnesota professor of environmental chemistry. Soon ships were carrying iron ore, coal, and limestone from mines and quarries to steel mills and later steel to factories and products to markets. In addition to serving as a transportation system, the lakes provided a place to discharge manufacturing by-products. Unlike a sewer, however, whatever enters this lake system stays awhile. On average, less than 1% of the five lakes’ water turns over each year, which means that many pollutants stay in place. They settle in sediments, adhere to other surfaces, become suspended in water, and bioaccumulate in organisms. Similarly, with the exception of migratory birds, most wildlife in the basin spend their entire life cycle in or near the lakes. As a result of all these stressors, the lakes now house fish that are dangerous to eat, water that can be unsafe to drink, anoxic “dead zones”—areas in which virtually no plants or animals can survive—that appear each summer like clockwork, and an ever-growing population of unwanted species from other parts of the world.

Assessing the aquatic ecosystem health status of lakes has been the focus of lake studies for domestic and overseas researchers and water resource managers. Poyang Lake, which is one of the only two remaining large Yangtze-connected lakes in the middle reaches of Yangtze River in China, provides considerable ecosystem service functions, such as flood water storage, water supply for industrial and agricultural production, maintenance of the unique and diverse biota of the entire Yangtze floodplain ecosystem, maintenance of regional ecological balance and so on. However, due to the impact of climate change and human activities, Poyang Lake has experienced drastic hydrological changes, water quality decline and aquatic ecological function degradation in recent years. An assessment of the aquatic ecosystem health of Poyang Lake is of great importance. On the basis of the index system construction principles and a meta-analysis of previous research, this paper puts forward the index system for the ecosystem health assessment of Poyang Lake. The indices contains the three element layers of aquatic organisms, hydrologic characteristics and trophic status and the five indicators of ratio of cyanobacteria biomass to diatom biomass (CB/DB), diversity index of macrozoobenthos, lowest water level anomaly during the dry season, mean water level anomaly during rising season and trophic state index (TLI). Then, the thresholds of indicators are determined using empirical study, frequency analysis, standard specification and so on. Aquatic ecosystem health status is categorised into three groups: 'good', 'moderate' and 'poor'. The study could provide theoretical basis for identifying the causes of the lake aquatic ecosystem health degeneration and protecting the environment of Poyang Lake. This present study provides an attempt to quantify the aquatic ecosystem health in a large floodplain lake with dramatic hydrological variations and will give some impetus for floodplain ecosystem assessment and management worldwide.

The The health of aquatic ecosystems is crucial for ecological balance and human well-being. This study explores recent advances in monitoring and managing aquatic ecosystem health, focusing on technological innovation and policy integration. It evaluates various advanced monitoring technologies, including remote sensing, IoT devices, biological monitoring methods, and big data analysis, applied to different water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands. These technologies provide comprehensive and detailed water quality data, enabling real-time monitoring and trend prediction. Additionally, the study analyzes the advantages and limitations of these technologies, such as high data acquisition costs, technical maintenance complexity, and data analysis bottlenecks. To address these challenges, it proposes enhancing monitoring and management efficiency through interdisciplinary collaboration and public participation. On the policy front, it discusses how sustainable water resource management can be achieved through legal frameworks, government-community cooperation, and international technological exchange. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating technology and policy and suggests future directions, including the development of cost-effective monitoring technologies, improvement of data analysis capabilities, and strengthening multi-stakeholder cooperation. This research provides a comprehensive reference framework for researchers and policymakers, aiming to promote the continuous development of aquatic ecosystem health monitoring and management.

Introduction| December 09 2008 Preface Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management (2008) 11 (4): 353–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/14634980802565901 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Preface. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 9 December 2008; 11 (4): 353–354. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14634980802565901 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressAquatic Ecosystem Health & Management Search Advanced Search The Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management Society (AEHMS) has been organizing a series of “State of the Lake” conferences around the world, including Lakes Baikal, Erie, Michigan, Winnipeg, Superior, Victoria and Tanganyika. The AEHMS has always followed up conferences with peer – reviewed publications which include integration and synthesis of state of the art information about these lakes. The papers resulting from these conferences have been published either as a peer-reviewed book, or as a special issue of AEHM (see www.aehms.org). This issue, titled Checking the Pulse of Lake Ontario (POLO), is part of this series.The Lake Ontario ecosystem is experiencing significant ecological change. Phosphorus abatement implemented in the 1970s under the auspices of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) has resulted in low spring total phosphorus levels in offshore waters, while nutrients like silicon and nitrate have increased over this period. Consistent with declines in phosphorus... You do not currently have access to this content.

The Gulf’s marine environment has long suffered due to anthropogenic stresses that negatively affect water quality, biodiversity, fisheries, and tourism, which are all economically critical to the ...

You have accessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Capps Krista A. and Flecker Alexandar S. 2013Invasive aquarium fish transform ecosystem nutrient dynamicsProc. R. Soc. B.2802013241820132418http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2418SectionSupplemental MaterialYou have accessCorrectionsInvasive aquarium fish transform ecosystem nutrient dynamics Krista A. Capps Krista A. Capps Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Alexandar S. Flecker Alexandar S. Flecker Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Krista A. Capps Krista A. Capps Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Alexandar S. Flecker Alexandar S. Flecker Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Published:07 December 2013https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2418This article corrects the followingResearch ArticleInvasive aquarium fish transform ecosystem nutrient dynamicshttps://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1520 Krista A. Capps and Alexander S. Flecker volume 280issue 1769Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences22 October 2013Proc. R. Soc. B280, 20131520 (22 October 2013; Published Online 21 August 2013) (doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.1520)The genus of the swamp eel found in the Chacamax River should read Ophisternon not Monopterus.The online supplemental figures have now been corrected. Previous Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetailsCited by Dudgeon D (2020) Freshwater Biodiversity Wei H, Hu Y, Li S, Chen F, Luo D, Gu D, Xu M, Mu X and Yang Y (2020) A review of freshwater fish introductions to the Guangdong province, China, Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 10.1080/14634988.2019.1685850, 22:4, (396-407), Online publication date: 2-Oct-2019. Patoka J, Magalhães A, Kouba A, Faulkes Z, Jerikho R and Vitule J (2018) Invasive aquatic pets: failed policies increase risks of harmful invasions, Biodiversity and Conservation, 10.1007/s10531-018-1581-3, 27:11, (3037-3046), Online publication date: 1-Sep-2018. Pantel J, Bohan D, Calcagno V, David P, Duyck P, Kamenova S, Loeuille N, Mollot G, Romanuk T, Thébault E, Tixier P and Massol F (2017) 14 Questions for Invasion in Ecological Networks Networks of Invasion: A Synthesis of Concepts, 10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.10.008, (293-340), . Maceda-Veiga A, Domínguez-Domínguez O, Escribano-Alacid J and Lyons J (2014) The aquarium hobby: can sinners become saints in freshwater fish conservation?, Fish and Fisheries, 10.1111/faf.12097, 17:3, (860-874), Online publication date: 1-Sep-2016. Holmberg R, Tlusty M, Futoma E, Kaufman L, Morris J and Rhyne A (2015) The 800-Pound Grouper in the Room: Asymptotic Body Size and Invasiveness of Marine Aquarium Fishes, Marine Policy, 10.1016/j.marpol.2014.10.024, 53, (7-12), Online publication date: 1-Mar-2015. Capps K (2019) Wastewater infrastructure and the ecology and management of freshwater systems, Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia, 10.1590/s2179-975x3719, 31 Related articlesInvasive aquarium fish transform ecosystem nutrient dynamics22 October 2013Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences This Issue07 December 2013Volume 280Issue 1772 Article InformationDOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2418Published by:Royal SocietyOnline ISSN:1471-2954History: Published online07/12/2013Published in print07/12/2013 License:© 2013 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Citations and impact Subjectsecology Large datasets are available through Proceedings B's partnership with Dryad

U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office monitoring of the Laurentian Great Lakes: Insights from 40 years of data collection

Owing to its temporal resolution of 10-day and its polar orbit allowing several crossings over large lakes, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) missions including Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1/2/3 demonstrated strong capabilities for the continuous and long-term monitoring (starting in 1992) of large and medium-sized water bodies. However, the presence of heterogeneous targets in the altimeter footprint, such as ice cover in boreal areas, remains a major issue to obtain estimates of water level over subarctic lakes of similar accuracy as over other inland water bodies using satellite altimetry (i.e., R ≥ 0.9 and RMSE ≤ 10 to 20 cm when compared to in-situ water stages). In this study, we aim to automatically identify the Jason-2 altimetry measurements corresponding to open water, ice and transition (water-ice) to improve the estimations of water level during freeze and thaw periods using only the point measurements of open water. Four Canadian lakes were selected to analyze active (waveform parameters) and passive (brightness temperature) microwave data acquired by the Jason-2 radar altimetry mission: Great Slave Lake, Lake Athabasca, Lake Winnipeg, and Lake of the Woods. To determine lake surface states, backscattering coefficient and peakiness at Ku-band derived from the radar altimeter waveform and brightness temperature at 18.7 and 37 GHz measured by the microwave radiometer contained in the geophysical data records (GDR) of Jason-2 were used in two different unsupervised classification techniques to define the thresholds of discrimination between open water and ice measurements. K-means technique provided better results than hierarchical clustering based upon silhouette criteria and the Calinski-Harabz index. Thresholds of discrimination between ice and water were validated with the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) snow cover products of the MODIS satellite. The use of open water threshold resulted in improved water level estimation compared to in situ water stages, especially in the presence of ice. For the four lakes, the Pearson coefficient (r) increased on average from about 0.8 without the use of the thresholds to more than 0.90. The unbiased RMSE were generally lower than 20 cm when the threshold of open water was used and more than 22 cm over smaller lakes, without using the thresholds.

Ecological indicators for aquatic biodiversity, ecosystem functions, human activities and climate change