Changes in Island Area and Water Levels between 2001 and 2020 in The Massasauga Provincial Park, Lake Michigan-Huron, Ontario

Keywords: Canada, GIS, Great Lakes, islands, island area, remote sensing
Session Type: Virtual Guided Poster Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 8

Abstract

The Laurentian Great Lakes undergo fluctuating water levels that affect the size and shape of islands
within the lakes. During the period of 2001-2020, Lake Huron experienced a longer than average period
of low water levels, a record low water level, and a near-record high water level, thus making it an ideal
time period for quantifying changes in island area under a fluctuating water level regime. During my
summer research, I examined the size of islands in The Massasauga Provincial Park to determine how
islands are changing over time and what role water level might play in island morphology. Satellite and
aerial imagery were used to digitize island areas in ArcGIS Pro for five-year intervals within the study
period. I performed t-tests, ANOVA tests, and correlations to analyze statistical relationships between
island area and water level. The percent change in island area was moderately correlated with the
percent change in water level. A significant difference in island area existed between most of the years,
thus indicating that island area does change with water level changes. The results have implications for
island biogeography theory, which postulates that island area is a major influence on species occurrence on islands. Future research should include additional years of imagery as well as additional islands from other archipelagoes in the lake.