Assessing Emerging Cyanobacterial Threats to Lake Superior
New
Challenge
Lake Superior is one of the fastest warming lakes on Earth, despite its size, and its chemistry is influenced by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, which has led to an increase in its alkalinity. This combination of physical and chemical changes will likely influence the biological landscape and physiology of phytoplankton communities by altering the preferred growth conditions of individual species.
Impact Goal
Fill important knowledge gaps in our understanding of the distribution of dominant and rare cyanobacterial species and their potential to drive future Lake Superior cyanobacterial blooms, while providing critical information to help understand a looming threat to nearshore areas of Lake Superior and the culturally important resources Tribal communities rely on in these areas of the lake.
Funding
Partner Organization(s)
Project Lead
Large Lakes Observatory
Safeguarding Lake Superior's Future
Over the past 9,000 years, Lake Superior and its watershed have experienced significant changes, including glacier retreat, ecosystem repopulation and increased human activity. In the last century, anthropogenic activity in the watershed has made its imprint on the lake. Coupled with changing lake chemistry and rising temperatures, the lake's biology is responding, leading to emerging issues such as cyanobacterial blooms. Diverse cyanobacteria inhabit lakes and rivers within the watershed and occasionally enter Lake Superior, posing major environmental concerns and public access challenges for natural resource managers.
This project aims to quantify emerging cyanobacterial threats, assess whether the lake’s chemistry offers future resistance to bacterial blooms, and inform mitigation strategies and policy development to protect the vital natural resource that is Lake Superior.
Project Goals
- Produce a DNA-based cyanobacteria database for regional cyanobacteria strains, including toxicity potential and metabolic profiles
- Develop ArcGIS Story Maps to engage the public and present subsets of the data
- Create a publicly available R-Shiny web app to explore the data collected
- Identify cyanobacterial hotspots where management solutions may be applied
- Inform more comprehensive and effective monitoring strategies for cyanobacterial toxins in Lake Superior and the Twin Ports region, including along Park Point beaches and at Saint Louis River Estuary public access points
Meet the Project Team
Project Lead
Additional Team Members
Project Status
Last Updated
Aug 10, 2026
Impact Location
Duluth
Start Date
Expected Completion
Jun 30, 2028