CLS: Lake Erie Cyanobacterial Blooms with Justin Chaffin

Save the date and plan to attend one or all four sessions of this new lecture series developed by the Lakeside Environmental Stewardship Society (LESS) and Lakeside Wooden Boat Society (LWBS) in partnership with Lakeside Chautauqua.

This Climate Change & Lake Erie Lecture Series, held in Orchestra Hall, features expert scientists and thought leaders presented both with in-person and virtual formats on June 15, June 22, June 29 and July 6. From global climate change to toxic cyanobacterial blooms, each session includes a one-hour thought-provoking and informational lecture followed by Q&A.

Lake Erie Cyanobacterial Blooms: An Overview of Blooms and Ongoing Research

This presentation will cover the problems associated with toxic cyanobacterial blooms (cHABs), why Lake Erie is prone to blooms, and current research aimed at reducing the blooms and forecasting their presence and toxicity. While phosphorus is a main driver of blooms, many other factors have important roles, such as nitrogen, light levels, and water currents. 

Justin Chaffin is the Research Coordinator for Stone Laboratory and conducts his own research on cHABs in Lake Erie. His duties as Research Coordinator include arranging visiting researchers’ visits to Stone Lab, coordination of the REU program, upkeep of analytical equipment, maintenance of the atmospheric mercury monitoring system, and serving as the Chemical & Laboratory Safety Officer. Chaffin is also a licensed captain by the United States Coast Guard. 

His research interest is Lake Erie phytoplankton ecology with particular interest in cHABs. Chaffin’s recent and ongoing research projects include linking experiments and models to predict cHAB toxicity, investigations into central basin cHABs, determining drivers of benthic algal blooms, the effectiveness of data buoys at measuring cHAB biomass, rapid microcystin tests, and saxitoxin production in inland lakes.

Since 2013, Chaffin has coordinated with charter boat captains who collect water samples once a week for his lab to analyze, and then the captains get a weekly update on Lake Erie water quality. 

Additional lectures in the series:
– June 15: Climate Change & What to Do About It with Jordan Kern
– June 22: Addressing Climate Change: Ending 20th Century Air Pollution with 21st Century Action with Jason West
– July 6: Life in a Sacramental Ecology with David McDuffie