The National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences awarded the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $295,875 on October 1, 2025, to investigate winter nitrogen cycling in Lake Erie and its effects on phytoplankton communities under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050).
The project will generate the first quantitative measurements of nitrification, nitrogen uptake, and ammonia regeneration during winter in Lake Erie, assessing how ice phenology influences nitrification rates and how changes in nitrogen availability and speciation affect seasonal phytoplankton communities. Researchers will combine nitrogen cycling rate measurements with phytoplankton community composition data to determine whether different nitrogen substrates favor specific phytoplankton groups, including diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria. The work addresses a gap in Great Lakes research; while recent studies of other lakes suggest under-ice processes critically determine nitrogen forms available to spring and summer phytoplankton, winter nitrogen cycling remains poorly understood in the Great Lakes despite the region's importance to drinking water supply, recreation, and fisheries.
The award supports undergraduate students at the University of Michigan and Bowling Green State University, plus a graduate student at BGSU. The team will develop a curriculum module on the Great Lakes and water quality for high school students. Performance takes place in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028.