In 2022, Dr. Sabrina Brown (Project Director), Katelyn Smith (Freshwater Research Technician), and Karrie Smith (Undergraduate Research Assistant), as well as the Summer Undergraduate Research Program students, presented their work at:
- the Defiance College McMaster Symposium,
- the Ohio Academy of Science (OAS) Annual Meeting,
- the Lake Erie & Aquatic Research Network (LEARN) Annual Meeting,
- and the International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Conference.
This research found that in 2024, plankton data reflect the drought that occurred last summer and fall. Cyclotella peaks later in the sampling season as compared to 2023 and 2022, related to the drier conditions. Surirella appears early in the sampling season across all three years and goes away in late summer. Cocconeis persists and peaks in late fall 2024, which strays from the trends in 2022 and 2023. Data from three consecutive years comparing diatom assemblages and chemical parameters provides the City of Defiance with a long-term baseline of the Upper Maumee River Watershed.
See the full poster below:
