Water Quality in Offshore Lake Ontario during Intensive Sampling Years 2003 and 2008: Results from the LOLA (Lake Ontario Lower foodweb Assessment) program.

Intensive sampling of the offshore waters of Lake Ontario occurs on a five-year cycle. The 2003 and 2008 binational sampling program is known as the Lake Ontario Lower foodweb Assessment (LOLA). Research cruises were conducted in spring (April), summer (July or August) and fall (September) along several north-south transects. Trophic indicators in this data package include nutrients (total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved silicate(Si02), and total dissolved inorganic nitrogen(nitrate and nitrite), water clarity (Secchi depth), and chlorophyll a. Other measurements measured include density and biomass of zooplankton, assessment of phytoplankton and the microbial food web, benthic community assessment, and water column profiles (temperature, fluorescence, turbidity, and oxygen).