Beach fouling is a problem in the Great Lakes. We surveyed beaches along the southwestern shore of Saginaw Bay to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling (muck), muck composition, and any relationship between muck accrual and weather conditions. Muck deposition was greater towards the end of the growing season. The Bay City Recreation Area (BCRA) had the highest frequency of muck presence. BCRA muck depth was much greater in 2010 and 2011 than in 2012 and 2013. No sites differed in muck depth in 2012, but in 2013 the two southernmost sites tended to have greater muck depth. BCRA muck composition differed from that of all other sites. Southern sites had the higher percentages of amorphous material, while the northern sites had more fresh algae. There were no simple patterns between muck deposition and weather conditions. A combination of factors may be required to accurately predict muck deposition events.
","abstract_html":"<p>Beach fouling is a problem in the Great Lakes. We surveyed beaches along the southwestern shore of Saginaw Bay to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling (muck), muck composition, and any relationship between muck accrual and weather conditions. Muck deposition was greater towards the end of the growing season. The Bay City Recreation Area (BCRA) had the highest frequency of muck presence. BCRA muck depth was much greater in 2010 and 2011 than in 2012 and 2013. No sites differed in muck depth in 2012, but in 2013 the two southernmost sites tended to have greater muck depth. BCRA muck composition differed from that of all other sites. Southern sites had the higher percentages of amorphous material, while the northern sites had more fresh algae. There were no simple patterns between muck deposition and weather conditions. A combination of factors may be required to accurately predict muck deposition events.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bull, Daniela"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Steven Francoeur, Ph.D., Chair","Gary Hannan, Ph.D.","Kristin Judd, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-03-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-03-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z","subjects":["Algae","Beach Fouling","Cladophora","Great Lakes","Muck","Saginaw Bay","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/708","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Steven Francoeur, Ph.D., Chair","Gary Hannan, Ph.D.","Kristin Judd, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bull, Daniela"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-07-12T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Algae","Beach Fouling","Cladophora","Great Lakes","Muck","Saginaw Bay","Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/708"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Beach fouling is a problem in the Great Lakes. We surveyed beaches along the southwestern shore of Saginaw Bay to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling (muck), muck composition, and any relationship between muck accrual and weather conditions. Muck deposition was greater towards the end of the growing season. The Bay City Recreation Area (BCRA) had the highest frequency of muck presence. BCRA muck depth was much greater in 2010 and 2011 than in 2012 and 2013. No sites differed in muck depth in 2012, but in 2013 the two southernmost sites tended to have greater muck depth. BCRA muck composition differed from that of all other sites. Southern sites had the higher percentages of amorphous material, while the northern sites had more fresh algae. There were no simple patterns between muck deposition and weather conditions. A combination of factors may be required to accurately predict muck deposition events.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling in Saginaw Bay, Michigan"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Steven Francoeur, Ph.D., Chair","Gary Hannan, Ph.D.","Kristin Judd, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Bull, Daniela"],"dc:date.available":["2017-07-12T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Beach fouling is a problem in the Great Lakes. We surveyed beaches along the southwestern shore of Saginaw Bay to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling (muck), muck composition, and any relationship between muck accrual and weather conditions. Muck deposition was greater towards the end of the growing season. The Bay City Recreation Area (BCRA) had the highest frequency of muck presence. BCRA muck depth was much greater in 2010 and 2011 than in 2012 and 2013. No sites differed in muck depth in 2012, but in 2013 the two southernmost sites tended to have greater muck depth. BCRA muck composition differed from that of all other sites. Southern sites had the higher percentages of amorphous material, while the northern sites had more fresh algae. There were no simple patterns between muck deposition and weather conditions. A combination of factors may be required to accurately predict muck deposition events.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/708"],"dc:subject":["Algae","Beach Fouling","Cladophora","Great Lakes","Muck","Saginaw Bay","Biology"],"dc:title":["Spatial and temporal distribution of beach fouling in Saginaw Bay, Michigan"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z"}