Euan Reavie, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate

Position and Focus

Dr. Reavie directs NRRI’s Field Station in Ely, Minnesota. His research interests include limnology and paleolimnology of lakes and rivers, environmental indicator development using freshwater algae, and assessment of technologies for effective treatment of ballast water.

Recent studies include:

• development of environmental quality indicators in North America’s Great Rivers using algal communities;
• tracking long–term pollution trends using fossil remains in sedimentary profiles from northern Minnesota;
• assessing the efficacy of potential ballast water treatments intended to prevent non–native species introductions to the Great Lakes; and,
• long–term monitoring of Great Lakes phytoplankton responses to stressors, including nutrient enrichment and climate change.

Background

Postdoctoral, Geology, University of Toronto, 1998 - 2000
Ph.D., Biology, Queen's University, 1994 – 1997
M.S., Biology, Queen's University, 1992 – 1994
B.S., Biology, Queen's University, 1988 – 1992

Current Publications

Kireta AR, Reavie ED, Sgro GV, Angradi TR, Bolgrien DW, Hill BH, Jicha TM. 2012. Planktonic and periphytic diatoms as indicators of stress on great rivers of the United States: Testing water quality and disturbance models. Ecological Indicators 13(1):222-231.

Kireta AR, Reavie ED, Sgro GV, Angradi TR, Bolgrien DW, Jicha TM, Hill BH. 2012. Assessing the condition of the Missouri, Ohio, and Upper Mississippi rivers (USA) using diatom-based indicators. Hydrobiologia

Reavie ED, Juggins S. 2011. Exploration of sample size and diatom-based indicator performance in three North American phosphorus training sets. Aquatic Ecology 45:529-538.

Reavie ED, Allinger LE. 2011. What have diatoms revealed about the ecological history of Lake Superior. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 14(4):396-402.

Niemi GJ, Reavie ED, Peterson GS, Kelly JR, Johnston CA, Johnson LB, Howe RW, Host GE, Hollenhorst TP, Danz NP, Ciborowski JJH, Brown TN, Brady VJ, Axler RP. 2011. An integrated approach to assessing multiple stressors for coastal Lake Superior. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 14(4):1-21.

Click here to view complete publication list.

Project list for Euan Reavie :

(A link will go to the project's current report, an arrow will take you to a project's home page)

Great Lakes Biological Monitoring: Phytoplankton
The primary objectives of the Great Lakes phytoplankton program are to: 1) collect phytoplankton from the Great Lakes; 2) identify and enumerate phytoplankton, maintaining quality assurance standards; 3) maintain a database of phytoplankton data; 4) interpret phytoplankton data, including evaluation of long-term trends in phytoplankton and food web dynamics; 5) dissemination of data and interpretations through reports, presentations, peer-reviewed journals and on the internet.

Paleolimnology Workplan: Building a Long-term Water Quality Record for the White Iron Chain of Lakes
The White Iron Chain of Lakes (WICOL) comprises the lower portion of the Kawishiwi Watershed, draining an area of 1,200 square miles of northern Minnesota’s Rainy River Basin. Water quality in the WICOL has been subject to human-induced environmental changes since settlement of the region approximately 150 years ago. By describing in detail impacts caused by past environmental insults, we may be able to predict the impacts of future development scenarios. Our paleolimnological assessment will offer pre-settlement baselines, environmental trends, and the timing and magnitude of changes related to human activities. These evaluations will provide important background and remedial information.

Lake of the Woods Paleolimnology Assessment
Lake of the Woods has been placed on Minnesota`s impaired list for nutrients and eutrophication indicators, so the future of the lake has become a high profile concern for the Ontario and Minnesota governments and the lake`s diverse group of stakeholders. Research recommendations and data gaps suggested that improved coordination of monitoring efforts and the construction of a long-term ecological reconstruction for the lake were logical steps in management of the resource. NRRI`s objective in this investigation is to collect sediment cores and use archived materials to provide long-term trends and trajectories of lake conditions for use in resource management.

A Whole-lake Assessment of Long-term Human Impacts to Lake Superior
This study will enable us to track pronounced local and global influences in the Lake Superior depositional basins and build a tangible understanding and awareness of how human activity has and continues to change environmental quality. Our analyses of depositional cores will better describe the effects of local and global stressors and the sensitivity of the lake to these stressors. Analyses of historical trends will be performed in the context of past and current retrospective studies and we will ensure that results are effectively communicated to the public and managing agencies. Our findings will provide support for and encourage sustainable environmental practices and will demand progressive action from policy makers. Better understanding will lead to more informed decision making, balancing potential short term economic benefit with long term ecological degradation.

Research Development Testing and Evaluation Facility for Ballast Treatment in the Great Lakes Region
The Great Ships Initiative (GSI) is a innovative collaboration whose objective is to end the problem of ship-mediated invasive species in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, including through independent research and demonstration of environmental technology, financial incentives and consistent basin-wide harbor monitoring. The NRRI`s task in this effort is to develop, test and apply methods to evaluate the effectiveness of candidate treatments systems in their ability to exterminate algae and protozoans.