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Following improvement of the harmful algal bloom impairment in the 1970s, Lake Erie began experiencing re-eutrophication in the 1990s, largely credited to increased agricultural dissolved P loads. Western Lake Erie, the most impacted basin, is subject to high nutrient input from the Maumee River and more-dilute, but large discharge from the Detroit River. Our study aims to understand how water quality parameters and the phytoplankton community change along a ~31 km-transect originating at the Detroit River mouth and terminating ~10 km northeast of the Maumee River mouth. At 7-8 locations along the transect, we collected water quality measurements and used a FluoroProbe to determine algal community composition. Sampling occurred monthly May-October in 2021 and 2022. 2021 data showed that transect patterns were not consistent through time; however, chlorophyll a, microcystin, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, suspended solids, and total P generally increased along the transect. During both years, algal biomass increased with distance from the Detroit River (more drastically in later months). However, in 2021, diatoms consistently remained a substantial portion of the community, whereas in 2022, cyanobacteria largely replaced diatoms in August-September. This difference may be explained by differences in precipitation, as the Lake Erie basin experienced more precipitation in 2021 than 2022, particularly in June-October. Further exploration of data will help elucidate the effect of Detroit River inflow on conditions in Western Lake Erie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western basin of Lake Erie has a history of recurrent cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) despite decades of efforts between the United States and Canada to limit nutrient loading, a major driver of the blooms. In response, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) created an annual sampling program to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HABs in western Lake Erie. Here we describe the data collected from this monitoring program from 2012-2021. This dataset includes observations on physico-chemical properties, major nutrient fractions, phytoplankton pigments, microcystins, and optical properties for western Lake Erie. This dataset is particularly relevant for creating models, verifying and calibrating remote sensing, and conducting experimental research to further understand the water quality dynamics that enable HABs in this internationally significant body of freshwater. The dataset can be freely accessed from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) at https://doi.org/10.25921/11da-3x54. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]