Special Issue of JGLR on Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada: Multiple stressors and management challenges for large lakes
Ann Arbor, MI — Lake Simcoe is the largest inland lake in southern Ontario and its watershed encompasses some of the fastest growing urban centres in Canada. In recent decades, Lake Simcoe has been significantly impacted by human activities, including eutrophication, urban and industrial development, the spread of invasive species, and climate change. Detrimental changes to the health of the lake are of utmost concern as the lake is a primary source of drinking water and the watershed supports agricultural and recreational activities that generate over $700 million of revenue annually. In response to rising concerns, a number of management initiatives have been implemented and in 2008 the Government of Ontario announced the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, making Lake Simcoe the only lake in Canada with its own legislative act.
This Special Issue includes 17 articles that showcase the collaborative efforts of researchers from provincial and local governments, universities, and conservation authorities to understand and manage human impacts on Lake Simcoe. The articles address five major areas of research: (1) phosphorus loading; (2) dreissenid mussels; (3) climate change; (4) the impacts of phosphorus reductions, dreissenid mussels, and climate change on the system; and (5) pollutants, fish contaminant levels, and human health.
"Lake Simcoe is an invaluable natural and socio-economic resource," says Michelle Palmer, a scientist at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. "Understanding the ecological health of Lake Simcoe and its watershed will help us make the right decisions to ensure the continued restoration and protection of the lake."
Original Publication Information
Results of this study, "Introduction and summary of research on Lake Simcoe: Research, monitoring, and restoration of a large lake and its watershed," are reported by Michelle E. Palmer, Jennifer G. Winter, Joelle D. Young, Peter J. Dillon and Stephanie J. Guildford in the latest issue (Volume 37, Suppl. 3, pp. 1-6) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by Elsevier, 2011.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Michelle Palmer, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto, ON M9P 3V6; Michelle.Palmer@ontario.ca, (416) 327-4864.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; jglr@ec.gc.ca; (306) 975-5310.
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.