Otsego Lake Data To Serve National Research Project

OTSEGO COUNTY—The work of SUNY Oneonta Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Kiyoko Yokota was recently selected for a National Science Foundation Research Opportunity Award, supplement to a Collaborative Research Project: “MRA: On thin ice-implications of shorter winters for the future of freshwater phytoplankton phenology and function.”

The $50,356.00 award, via the University of Missouri-Columbia, enables Dr. Yokota to purchase sampling gear and provide paid undergraduate research experiences in winter limnology—the exploration of the biological, geological, physical, and chemical characteristics of lakes during the winter season. Samples and data from Otsego Lake will be analyzed in conjunction with those from 17 other lakes across the continental U.S.

According to 175 years of ice cover data captured for Otsego Lake, the scientists at the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station recorded zero days of ice cover for the winters of 2001-2002, 2011-2012, 2016-2017, and 2023-2024. In winter 2022-2023, complete ice cover formed on February 4, but the lake was completely free of ice by February 20, with total duration of 16 days.

“For this most recent research initiative, we have been sampling Otsego Lake since May 2024 and will continue until April 2026,” Dr. Yokota said.

“Last winter, Otsego Lake technically had a complete ice cover, but it was too thin to walk on for sampling or recreation, activities that traditionally took place every year with certainty,” continued Yokota. “This winter, a lake-wide ice cover was first observed last Sunday from our Biological Field Station Boathouse. With the predicted temperatures, we expect the ice to thicken this week. Over the next two weeks, we are planning to do under-ice sampling and conduct ice driving training for our BFS Volunteer SCUBA Dive Team.”