It’s easy to get excited about new science: new discoveries, cool things that have never been seen before, a new solution to an old problem. But sometimes, it’s worth taking a step back to look at what’s been done before, and how history can inform future research.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been collecting information on western Lake Erie benthos – the mollusks, snails and worms that live in sediments on the lake bottom – since the 1930s.

Many of these organisms are considered indicators of an ecosystem’s health, so determining changes and trends over time can help management agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluate and track the effectiveness of strategies to protect that health.

Continue reading this article on the Ohio Sea Grant website.