Global climate change has caused temperatures in all environments to increase due to anthropogenic releases of greenhouse gasses. Freshwater ecosystems have been especially affected, as many lake organisms rely on high dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations for survival, and recent studies suggest that deep-water declines in DO are directly related to higher air and water temperatures. In this study, a 30 year dataset (1993 – 2022) of DO concentrations and temperature of Acton Lake, a reservoir located 5 miles north of Miami University, was used to determine long term trends in temperature and DO. The purpose of this study is to determine if Acton Lake exhibits similar DO and temperature trends as other temperate lakes. Data were compiled from Miami University faculty, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. R Studio version 4.3.1 was used to visualize long term trends. We found that both DO and temperature did not exhibit the expected long term trends in surface waters nor deep waters, possibly due to land management changes in the lake’s watershed. In addition to long term trends, Anoxic Factor (AF), a measure of the length of anoxia at the bottom of the lake, was measured. We found that AF was positively correlated with air temperature, indicating that with continued increasing air temperatures, AF may increase, threatening organisms that depend on deep water DO to survive. This work was important to me, as I would like to continue working in research and data collection after my graduation from Miami. The opportunity to conduct my own research project has provided me with comprehensive knowledge of biological data collection which will greatly benefit me in my future career.
Author(s): Evan G. Youngblade and Lesley B. Knoll
Advisor: Lesley B. Knoll, Biology
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