NU’s Integrative Watershed Analysis Centre studying Lake Nipissing

The work of Nipissing University’s Integrative Watershed Analysis Centre was featured recently in the journal Environmental Monitor.

The article discusses the Bays Project the Centre is currently working on to build a better understanding of systems at work in and around Lake Nipissing, and how these systems might be manifesting in the lake, sometimes as the toxic blue green algae. To collect data, the team uses large buoys that measure water quality properties - like temperature, turbidity, pH levels and more. The buoys also serve as weather stations, measuring wind speed and direction, air temperature, air pressure and precipitation. The combination helps the team to see how weather patterns can directly influence what is happening in the lake. This information helps improve the understanding of water quality conditions in different parts of the lake, including bays of interest for drinking water quality, recreation and fish habitat.

The data collected by the buoys is also available online, where students and educators can use the information for presentations, papers, or simply general interest.

The Bays Project began in 2013, with a buoy anchored in Lake Nipissing’s Callander Bay. With investment from the Ontario Ministry of Environment, the project has expanded with buoys added in Cache Bay and the West Arm.

You can check out the full Environmental Monitor article, here.
You can learn more about Nipissing University’s Integrative Watershed Analysis Centre, here.
You can access the data collected from the buoys, here.