Data Package Metadata View Summary

Lake Superior Cyanobacterial Bloom Reports, 2012-present

General Information

Data Package:

Local Identifier:

edi.1643.2

Title:

Lake Superior Cyanobacterial Bloom Reports, 2012-present

Alternate Identifier:

DOI PLACE HOLDER

Abstract:

Lake Superior is a cold, oligotrophic lake. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the largest of the Laurentian Great Lakes with binational (United States and Canada) and multi-state (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) borders. Lake Superior is a globally important freshwater resource. Beginning in 2012, researchers and resource managers began receiving reports of cyanobacterial blooms in the western arm of the Lake. Cyanobacterial blooms have been reported nearly every year since. The purpose of this dataset is to collect observations of cyanobacterial blooms for Lake Superior and connecting waters, document patterns in their occurrence, and provide insights into their causes. For this dataset, a cyanobacterial bloom is defined as an aggregation of cyanobacterial biomass in some or all of the water column, which may lead to the occurrence of surface scums or subsurface maximums. This dataset relies on observations, data, photographs, and insights from a wide range of agency staff and individual members of the public with key input from participants in the Lake Superior Algal Bloom and Nutrient Subgroup collaboration. This dataset only includes reported blooms, and likely doesn’t include all actual bloom events. Additionally, there may be more than one report for a single bloom event, depending on its size. For example, in 2018 there was a widespread bloom event which resulted in numerous reports. Interpretation of this dataset should incorporate these nuances. Observations in the dataset were assigned one of four verification statuses to communicate the level of certainty in the cyanobacterial bloom event. Additional information on taxonomy and/or toxin analyses can be made available upon request.

Publication Date:

2024-05-24

For more information:
Visit:	DOI PLACE HOLDER

Time Period

Begin:

2012

End:

2023

People and Organizations
Contact:	Reinl, Kaitlin L. (Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Research Coordinator) [ email ]
Creator:	Lafrancois, Brenda (National Park Service, Aquatic Ecologist)
Creator:	Reinl, Kaitlin L. (Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Research Coordinator)

Data Entities
Data Table Name:	2023_PublicBloomData
Description:	Data in this table is collected using a Google Form (linked in the methods)

Detailed Metadata

Data Entities

Data Table


Data:	https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/edi/1643/2/e01e05e816c73b3657eb79d016d0206d
Name:	2023_PublicBloomData
Description:	Data in this table is collected using a Google Form (linked in the methods)
Number of Records:	50
Number of Columns:	25

Table Structure

Object Name:

2023_PublicBloomData.csv

Size:

17129 byte

Authentication:

5d8eda619be21f7f6eec4889edae87b1 Calculated By MD5

Text Format:

Number of Header Lines:

Record Delimiter:

\r\n

Orientation:

column

Simple Delimited:

Field Delimiter:	,
Quote Character:	"

Table Column Descriptions

Date

Lat

Lon

Location

Region

Spatial extent

Surface water conditions

Weather conditions

Air temp

Water temp

Sample collection method

Verification status

Dominant cyanobacterial species

Additional cyanobacterial species present

Additional abundant phytoplankton species present

cells/mL

NU/mL

Relative Abundance (%)

Cyanotoxin presence

Microcystin

Anatoxin -a

Saxitoxin

Cylindrospermopsin

Other Toxins/Metabolites (enter toxin/metabolite, value, and units)

Additional comments on taxonomy/toxins

Column Name:

Date

Lat

Lon

Location

Region

Spatial extent

Surface water conditions

Weather conditions

Air temp

Water temp

Sample collection method

Verification status

Dominant cyanobacterial species

Additional cyanobacterial species present

Additional abundant phytoplankton species present

cells/mL

NU/mL

Relative Abundance (%)

Cyanotoxin presence

Microcystin

Anatoxin -a

Saxitoxin

Cylindrospermopsin

Other Toxins/Metabolites (enter toxin/metabolite, value, and units)

Additional comments on taxonomy/toxins

Definition:

Date of the bloom observation

Latitude position in decimal degrees

Longitude position in decimal degrees

Description of location in waters of the Lake Superior basin

Regional description of where bloom reports occurrred

Aerial estimate of bloom extent. Consistent with bloomWatch App categories.

Description of surface water conditions. Consistent with bloomWatch App categories.

Consistent with bloomWatch App categories.

Air temperature at time of bloom observation

Surface water temperature at time and location for the bloom observation

Description of whether samples were collected and the method used

Indicator of level of verification that a reported bloom was dominated by cyanobacteria

The dominant species of cyanobacteria in a sample

Additional cyanobacterial species present in a bloom samples (co-occuring)

List of additional phytoplankton species present in a bloom sample

Abundance of all cyanobacteria species in a sample

Abundance of all cyanobacteria species in a sample as natural units per mL

Relative abundance of all species of cyanobacteria relative to other phytoplankton species in a sample

Indication of whether toxin samples were collected and analyzed and what the result was

Concentration of microcystins in the sample

Concentration of anatxin-a in the sample

Concentration of saxitoxin in the sample

Concentration of cylindrospermopsin in the sample

Additional information on toxins/metabolites

Additional information on species details, morphology features, etc.

Storage Type:

dateTime

float

string

float

string

float

string

float

string

Measurement Type:

dateTime

ratio

nominal

ratio

nominal

ratio

nominal

ratio

nominal

Measurement Values Domain:

Format	YYYY-MM-DD
Precision

Unit	degree
Type	real

Unit	degree
Type	real

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Inland water body in Lake Superior Basin
Definition	Blooms observed in lakes/reservoirs/ponds with direct connection to Lake Superior
Source

Code Definition

Code	Lake Superior open waters
Definition	Blooms obsrved in offshore Lake Superior
Source

Code Definition

Code	Lake Superior riverine and/or estuarine environment
Definition	Blooms obsvered in rivers or estuaries directly draining to Lake Superior
Source

Code Definition

Code	Lake Superior shoreline/nearshore environment
Definition	Visible from shore or <5 km from shoreline or <30 m deep
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Lake Superior North Shore
Definition	Lake Superior North Shore
Source

Code Definition

Code	Lake Superior South Shore Western Arm
Definition	Lake Superior South Shore Western Arm
Source

Code Definition

Code	Apostle Islands
Definition	Apostle Islands
Source

Code Definition

Code	Cornucopia, WI
Definition	Cornucopia, WI
Source

Code Definition

Code	Port Wing, WI
Definition	Port Wing, WI
Source

Code Definition

Code	Brule, WI
Definition	Brule, WI
Source

Code Definition

Code	Duluth-Superior Twin Ports
Definition	Duluth-Superior Twin Ports
Source

Code Definition

Code	St. Louis River Estuary
Definition	St. Louis River Estuary
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	> Football field
Definition	> Football field in size
Source

Code Definition

Code	Car
Definition	A small patch, including linear patches approximately equivalent to a car's area
Source

Code Definition

Code	Tennis court
Definition	Approximately the size of a tennis court (cummulatively)
Source

Code Definition

Code	Tennis court-football field
Definition	Approximately the size of a tennis court-football field (cummulatively)
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	White Caps
Definition	Visible white caps on the water
Source

Code Definition

Code	Choppy
Definition	Rough water, some wave action
Source

Code Definition

Code	Ripples
Definition	Some water movement from wind disturbance
Source

Code Definition

Code	Calm
Definition	Flat and/or glassy water
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Clear
Definition	Sunny, no clouds
Source

Code Definition

Code	Partly cloudy
Definition	Some cloud cover
Source

Code Definition

Code	Overcast
Definition	Mostly cloud covered conditions
Source

Unit	celsius
Type	real

Unit	celsius
Type	real

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Integrated
Definition	Samples collected and from an integrated depth range
Source

Code Definition

Code	Net tow
Definition	Samples collected via a plankton net tow
Source

Code Definition

Code	Surface grab
Definition	Sample collected from surface waters
Source

Code Definition

Code	No sample collected
Definition	No sample collected
Source

Code Definition

Code	Unknown
Definition	Information is not known
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Suspected based on field observations but unconfirmed via field photos or lab analysis
Definition	Suspected based on field observations but unconfirmed via field photos or lab analysis
Source

Code Definition

Code	Suspected based on field photos or expert field observation, but not otherwise verified
Definition	Suspected based on field photos or expert field observation, but not otherwise verified
Source

Code Definition

Code	Verified via basic microscopic verification of cyanobacterial dominance
Definition	Verified via basic microscopic verification of cyanobacterial dominance
Source

Code Definition

Code	Verified via microscopic enumeration of cyanobacteria and/or presence of cyanotoxins
Definition	Verified via microscopic enumeration of cyanobacteria and/or presence of cyanotoxins
Source

Definition

text

Definition

text

Definition

text

Unit	cells/mL
Type	real

Unit	NU/mL
Type	real

Unit	percent
Type	real

Definition

text

Unit	microgramPerLiter
Type	real

Unit	microgramPerLiter
Type	real

Unit	microgramPerLiter
Type	real

Unit	microgramPerLiter
Type	real

Definition

text

Definition

text

Missing Value Code:

Accuracy Report:

Accuracy Assessment:

Coverage:

Methods:

Data Package Usage Rights

This information is released under the Creative Commons license - Attribution - CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) is required to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.

Keywords

By Thesaurus:
(No thesaurus)	Lake Superior, cyanobacteria, blooms, oligotrophic, Great Lakes, HABs

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

Methods and protocols used in the collection of this data package

Description:

Bloom reports were primarily collected informally via email before 2024. In 2024 a standardized form was developed and all data from 2012 through 2023 was reformatted to the new structure that is used in this data package. Bloom reports are collected using a Google form (https://forms.gle/4dnJWz4n9jzSHzVg9). Bloom reports are reviewed by a group of Lake Superior researchers and managers to ensure reports are complete and consistent with reporting criteria before publication. Verification status reflects the level of confidence in the reported information, from suspected to fully verified. Information including spatial extent, surface water conditions, and weather conditions are categorized to be congruent with the bloomWatch App (https://cyanos.org/bloomwatch/). Additional information on taxonomy and/or toxin analyses can be made available upon request.

People and Organizations

Publishers:

Organization:

Environmental Data Initiative

Email Address:

info@edirepository.org

Web Address:

https://edirepository.org

Id:

https://ror.org/0330j0z60

Creators:

Individual:

Dr. Brenda Lafrancois

Organization:

National Park Service

Position:

Aquatic Ecologist

Email Address:

brenda_moraska_lafrancois@nps.gov

Id:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1301-1756

Individual:

Dr. Kaitlin L. Reinl

Organization:

Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position:

Research Coordinator

Email Address:

kreinl@wisc.edu

Id:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3912-6797

Contacts:

Individual:

Dr. Kaitlin L. Reinl

Organization:

Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve

Position:

Research Coordinator

Address:

14 Marina Dr,

Superior, WI 54880 United States

Phone:

7153994087 (voice)

Email Address:

kreinl@wisc.edu

Id:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3912-6797

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to all data in this dataset:

Time Period

Begin:

2012

End:

2023

Geographic Region:

Description:

Lake Superior and connecting waters.

Bounding Coordinates:

Northern:	50.18096	Southern:	46.58765
Western:	-92.970834	Eastern:	-83.981906

Project

Parent Project Information:

Title:

Lake Superior Bloom Reports

Personnel:

Individual:

Dr. Kaitlin L Reinl

Organization:

Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position:

Research Coordinator

Email Address:

kreinl@wisc.edu

Id:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3912-6797

Individual:

Dr. Brenda Lafrancois

Organization:

National Park Service

Position:

Aquatic Ecologist

Email Address:

brenda_moraska_lafrancois@nps.gov

Id:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1301-1756

Abstract:

Maintenance

Maintenance:

Description:	Bloom observation submissions will be reviewed annually, and the dataset will be updated by May 1 of each year.
Frequency:	annually

Other Metadata

Additional Metadata

additionalMetadata
        |___text '\n      '
        |___element 'metadata'
        |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___element 'unitList'
        |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___element 'unit'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'id' = 'cells/mL'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'name' = 'cells/mL'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n               '
        |     |     |     |___element 'description'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___element 'unit'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'id' = 'NU/mL'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'name' = 'NU/mL'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n               '
        |     |     |     |___element 'description'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___text '\n      '
        |___text '\n   '

Additional Metadata

additionalMetadata
        |___text '\n      '
        |___element 'metadata'
        |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___element 'emlEditor'
        |     |        \___attribute 'app' = 'ezEML'
        |     |        \___attribute 'release' = '2024.05.22'
        |     |___text '\n      '
        |___text '\n   '

Copyright 2024 Environmental Data Initiative. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants #2223103 and #2223104. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Please contact us with questions, comments, or for technical assistance regarding this web site or the Environmental Data Initiative. Please read our privacy policy to know what information we collect about you and to understand your privacy rights.

EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:

Data Package Metadata View Summary

Lake Superior Cyanobacterial Bloom Reports, 2012-present

Data Entities

Data Table

Data Package Usage Rights

Keywords

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

People and Organizations

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Project

Parent Project Information:

Maintenance

Additional Metadata

Additional Metadata

Recently Added

Recently Updated

Data Package Metadata View Summary

Lake Superior Cyanobacterial Bloom Reports, 2012-present

+/- Data Entities

Data Table

+/- Data Package Usage Rights

+/- Keywords

+/- Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

+/- People and Organizations

+/- Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

+/- Project

Parent Project Information:

+/- Maintenance

+/- Additional Metadata

+/- Additional Metadata

Data Entities

Data Package Usage Rights

Keywords

Methods and Protocols

People and Organizations

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Project

Maintenance

Additional Metadata

Additional Metadata