Research
Overview
The Research and Monitoring Program of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System performs two primary functions:
- Facilitate and coordinate scientific understanding of estuaries
- Monitor baseline conditions of estuarine ecosystems at all 27 NERR sites
NERR System Research Priorities
- Habitat and ecosystem coastal processes
- Anthropogenic (human) influences on estuaries
- Habitat conservation and restoration
- Species management
- Social science and economics
Old Woman Creek NERR Research
Research on brackish-water estuaries has demonstrated the importance of non-developed wetlands in providing natural and cultural benefits. One of the objectives of studies undertaken at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and State Nature Preserve is to determine the extent that freshwater estuaries and Great Lakes coastal wetlands perform similar functions.
 The information derived from the research program at Old Woman Creek is useful in developing sound management practices for coastal wetlands of Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes.
Over 200 research and monitoring projects have been completed at Old Woman Creek. A complete list of publications resulting from work undertaken at this site through 2000 is available in Old Woman Creek Technical Report #14. In 2003, the significance of Old Woman Creek research for resource managers was featured in NOAA magazine.
Recent Articles Featuring Research at Old Woman Creek:
Publications:
The OWC Technical Report series, and training and educational programs make information about research conducted in the Reserve available to academics, scientists and local decision-makers.
Technical Bulletins:
The Movement of Sediment in the Old Woman Creek Watershed. A study by Case Western Reserve University by Christopher Wilson, Dr. Gerry Matisoff and Dr. Peter Whiting
Changes in the Old Woman Creek Plant Community Following Reduced Water Levels by Dawn Trexel-Knoll and David A. Francko
Site Profile:
The Ecology of Old Woman Creek, Ohio: An Estuarine and Watershed Profile
This document incorporates the results of over 200 research and monitoring projects completed by the professional staff and visiting researchers, including comprehensive lists of all organisms that have been identified in the Old Woman Creek estuary. Chapters include summaries of research relating to the area's history, geology, soils, climate, hydrology, chemistry, biology, ecology, archaeology, and land use:
Atlas:
An Atlas of the Aquatic and Wetland Biota of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and State Nature Preserve
Atlas of the Dragonfly Larvae (Class Insecta: Order Odonata: Suborder Anisoptera)
by Tamara S. Keller, Anne M. Stearns, and Kenneth A. Krieger
National Center for Water Quality Research
Heidelberg College Tiffin, Ohio, USA 44883 March 2007
Atlas of the Aquatic and Semiaquatic True Bugs (Class Insecta: Order Hemiptera)
by Anne M. Stearns and Kenneth A. Krieger
National Center for Water Quality Research Heidelberg College Tiffin, Ohio, USA 44883 January 2008
Atlas of the Mayfly Larvae (Class Insecta: Order Ephemeroptera)
by Tamara S. Keller, Anne M. Stearns, and Kenneth A. Krieger
National Center for Water Quality Research
Heidelberg College Tiffin, Ohio, USA 44883 February 2007
Research Assistance
Reserve staff are available to advise and assist with on-site field research. The Research Coordinator provides direction on OWC NERR research needs, access to relevant data necessary to develop research, and information about on-site laboratory and living facilities.
Research Facilities and Equipment
The Old Woman Creek NERR has specialized facilities for estuarine research with the flexibility to accommodate future research needs:
- Analytical chemistry laboratory
- Low-level radioisotope laboratory
- Microscope/balance room
- Microbiology laboratory
- General laboratory area
Basic limnological field and laboratory equipment are available for researchers’ use on-site. Shallow draft boats and other aquatic sampling and monitoring gear are also available for on-site research activities. A small research library is housed in the Center.
Potential Funding Sources for Research at Old Woman Creek
In addition to traditional funding sources, such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S Department of Agriculture, other funding sources for Lake Erie based research include:
NERRS Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRF) offers qualified master’s and doctoral students an opportunity to address scientific questions of local, regional and national significance. The result is high-quality research focused on improving coastal management.
GRF funds support management-related research projects that are conducted in a National Estuarine Research Reserve and enhance scientific understanding of the Reserve’s ecosystem. While Graduate Research Fellows receive hands-on experience, Reserve managers and coastal decision-makers receive vital ecological data. Projects are based on the Reserve’s local needs, the Reserve System’s national priorities and the students’ interest.
Visit the GRF Web site for more information.
Old Woman Creek NERR Monitoring Program
The purpose of the monitoring program at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and State Nature Preserve is to document both long-term changes and short term variability in this estuary. This is the same goal at all of the 27 NERR sites around the country and forms the basis of the NERR System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP). SWMP provides a long-term data set of selected meteorological and water quality parameters collected at all NERR sites. Nationally, this data set has been effective in addressing questions posed by both coastal decision makers and scientists on “no discharge zones” for boaters, impacts of urban runoff, and impacts of various agricultural practices.
Staff use grab samples, sondes, and automated dataloggers to gather data on these water quality parameters:
- Depth
- Water Temperature
- Conductivity
- Turbidity
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Selected Nutrients
An automated on-site weather station collects the following meteorological parameters:
- Air Temperature
- Wind Speed
- Wind Direction
- Relative Humidity
- Barometric Pressure
- PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation)
- Precipitation
SWMP Data Downloads
SWMP data can be accessed from the NERR Centralized Data Management Office. When downloading data from this site, please examine the metadata. Persons retrieving data may contact the OWC Research Coordinator for more information.
For more information about research and monitoring contact:
David Klarer, Ph.D.
Research Coordinator
Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve
2514 Cleveland Road East
Huron, Ohio 44839
(419) 433-4601
E-mail Dr. Klarer |