Though the water in eastern Georgian Bay is oligotrophic, some of the coastal embayments and wetlands have begun to show signs of water quality impairment that is thought to be related to human development along the shoreline. The primary objective of my thesis is to provide environmental agencies with the resources to effectively manage water quality in the coastal zone of eastern Georgian Bay. First, I evaluate the ability of the Lakeshore Capacity Model (LCM), developed for inland Precambrian Shield lakes, to predict the trophic status of coastal embayments. Finding that the LCM does not accurately predict trophic status, I develop the Anthro-geomorphic Model (AGM), which uses the level of human development and the degree of mixing between the embayment and open waters of Georgian Bay to predict embayment trophic status. Second, I explore the spatial association between densities of building, dock and road development and Water Quality Index (WQI) scores, an index designed to evaluate wetland condition, for wetlands in the Township of Georgian Bay. I found an inverse relationship between WQI scores and the density of these stressor variables inside wetland catchments, which indicates that these stressors have a negative impact on wetland water quality. I then created a series of mapping products that present building, dock and road densities, along with WQI scores for 61 wetlands in the Township of Georgian Bay, to determine how wetland water quality is spatially associated with densities of these stressor variables. I found that regions with high densities of building, dock and road development were associated with wetlands of lower quality, whereas wetlands in areas that had low densities of development were of higher quality. I used this information to identify areas of conservation priority for management in the Township of Georgian Bay. The results from this thesis will provide environmental managers with resources to protect the valuable coastal waters of eastern Georgian Bay. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / A number of coastal embayments and wetlands of eastern Georgian Bay show signs of water quality impairment thought to be caused by cottage development. The objective of my thesis is to develop and evaluate models designed to measure the impact of human development on water quality in these coastal zones. First, finding that the Ontario Lakeshore Capacity Model, developed for Muskoka lakes, does not accurately predict trophic status in embayments, I develop the Anthro-geomorphic Model, which uses building density and basin morphometry to predict embayment trophic status. Second, I explore the appropriateness of using development densities (building, dock and road) to quantify anthropogenic stress in coastal wetlands. This thesis provides the scientific basis for choosing management practices to protect the coastal waters of Georgian Bay.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/20954 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Campbell, Stuart, D |
| Contributors | Chow-Fraser, Patricia, Biology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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