Lake Erie, Western Basin Aquatic Vegetation

Observations and subtle shifts of vegetation communities in western Lake Erie have USGS researchers concerned about the potential for Grass Carp to alter these vegetation communities. Broad-scale surveys of vegetation using remote sensing and GIS mapping, coupled with on-the-ground samples in key locations will permit assessment of the effect Grass Carp may have already had on aquatic vegetation communities and establish baseline conditions for assessing future effects. Existing aerial imagery was used with object-based image analysis to detect and map aquatic vegetation in the western basin of Lake Erie.