{"id":{"repo_id":"uoit","oai_identifier":"oai:ontariotechu.scholaris.ca:10155/1893"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uoit/oai:ontariotechu.scholaris.ca:10155/1893","repository":{"repo_id":"uoit","name":"Ontario Institute of Technology","base_url":"https://ontariotechu.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Characterizing water quality, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen dynamics in four Lake Ontario coastal wetlands","abstract":"Great Lakes coastal wetlands are “keystone” ecosystems, yet their role in regulating nutrient loadings to receiving waters remains unclear. Over a decade of monitoring by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority revealed that four wetlands (Rouge Marsh, Duffin’s Marsh, Carruthers Marsh, and Frenchman’s Bay) vary as net sinks or sources of phosphorus to Lake Ontario. This thesis aimed to improve our understanding of phosphorus dynamics in these wetlands. Continuous multiparameter sondes (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, pH) were deployed above sediments, collecting data every 30 minutes, accompanied by weekly water samples. Key findings include a shift in algal (chlorophyll a) nutrient limitation from nitrogen in 2022 to phosphorus in 2023, significant temporal and site-specific variations in anoxic event frequency and duration, and the discovery that bioavailable phosphorus (dissolved phosphorus) is not strongly linked to anoxia or internal loading. These results highlight the complexity of phosphorus cycling in these ecosystems.","abstract_html":"Great Lakes coastal wetlands are “keystone” ecosystems, yet their role in regulating nutrient loadings to receiving waters remains unclear. Over a decade of monitoring by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority revealed that four wetlands (Rouge Marsh, Duffin’s Marsh, Carruthers Marsh, and Frenchman’s Bay) vary as net sinks or sources of phosphorus to Lake Ontario. This thesis aimed to improve our understanding of phosphorus dynamics in these wetlands. Continuous multiparameter sondes (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, pH) were deployed above sediments, collecting data every 30 minutes, accompanied by weekly water samples. Key findings include a shift in algal (chlorophyll a) nutrient limitation from nitrogen in 2022 to phosphorus in 2023, significant temporal and site-specific variations in anoxic event frequency and duration, and the discovery that bioavailable phosphorus (dissolved phosphorus) is not strongly linked to anoxia or internal loading. These results highlight the complexity of phosphorus cycling in these ecosystems.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dell’Aquila, Michele"],"institution":"University of Ontario Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Master of Science (MSc)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Applied Bioscience","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Kirkwood, Andrea"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-12-01","date_published":"2024-12-01","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:18Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10155/1893","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Kirkwood, Andrea"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dell’Aquila, Michele"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-03-18T15:19:03Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-03-18T15:19:03Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-12-01"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Applied Bioscience"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MSc)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Ontario Institute of Technology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10155/1893"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Great Lakes coastal wetlands are “keystone” ecosystems, yet their role in regulating nutrient loadings to receiving waters remains unclear. Over a decade of monitoring by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority revealed that four wetlands (Rouge Marsh, Duffin’s Marsh, Carruthers Marsh, and Frenchman’s Bay) vary as net sinks or sources of phosphorus to Lake Ontario. This thesis aimed to improve our understanding of phosphorus dynamics in these wetlands. Continuous multiparameter sondes (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, pH) were deployed above sediments, collecting data every 30 minutes, accompanied by weekly water samples. Key findings include a shift in algal (chlorophyll a) nutrient limitation from nitrogen in 2022 to phosphorus in 2023, significant temporal and site-specific variations in anoxic event frequency and duration, and the discovery that bioavailable phosphorus (dissolved phosphorus) is not strongly linked to anoxia or internal loading. These results highlight the complexity of phosphorus cycling in these ecosystems."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characterizing water quality, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen dynamics in four Lake Ontario coastal wetlands"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Kirkwood, Andrea"],"dc:creator":["Dell’Aquila, Michele"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-03-18T15:19:03Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-03-18T15:19:03Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-12-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["Great Lakes coastal wetlands are “keystone” ecosystems, yet their role in regulating nutrient loadings to receiving waters remains unclear. Over a decade of monitoring by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority revealed that four wetlands (Rouge Marsh, Duffin’s Marsh, Carruthers Marsh, and Frenchman’s Bay) vary as net sinks or sources of phosphorus to Lake Ontario. This thesis aimed to improve our understanding of phosphorus dynamics in these wetlands. Continuous multiparameter sondes (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, pH) were deployed above sediments, collecting data every 30 minutes, accompanied by weekly water samples. Key findings include a shift in algal (chlorophyll a) nutrient limitation from nitrogen in 2022 to phosphorus in 2023, significant temporal and site-specific variations in anoxic event frequency and duration, and the discovery that bioavailable phosphorus (dissolved phosphorus) is not strongly linked to anoxia or internal loading. These results highlight the complexity of phosphorus cycling in these ecosystems."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10155/1893"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:title":["Characterizing water quality, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen dynamics in four Lake Ontario coastal wetlands"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Applied Bioscience"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MSc)"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Ontario Institute of Technology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:18Z"}