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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, Forests and Plants, Latest News, News, Ontario, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? Pitcher plants feast on salamanders, unveiling a brutal side of botanical carnivory

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

In the summer of 2017, Teskey Baldwin, a student at Ontario’s University of Guelph, was studying whether pitcher plants near water capture more insects than those farther away.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/science-says-what-pitcher-plants-feast-on-salamanders-unveiling-a-brutal-side-of-botanical-carnivory/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Climate change, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? Global worming and the Great Lakes (yes, you read that right)

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

Invasion of the earthworms! It sounds like a bad Hollywood movie, but science can be stranger than fiction.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/science-says-what-global-worming-and-the-great-lakes/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Feature Homepage, Lake Michigan, Latest News, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Wisconsin
Coastal erosion researcher appeals for help in finding her remote-control boat

Chelsea Volpano’s coastal erosion study began drawing attention on social media last week, but not for the reasons you would expect.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison student was gathering the final data set for her Ph.D. on October 30 when her small boat stopped responding to the remote control.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/coastal-erosion-researcher-appeals-for-help-in-finding-her-remote-control-boat/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Asian carp, Authors, Feature Homepage, invasive species, Latest News, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? How eDNA research is evolving to create a new era in conservation

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

Thirteen years ago, a live bighead carp was caught within swimming distance of Lake Michigan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/science-says-what-how-edna-research-is-evolving-to-create-a-new-era-in-conservation/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Latest News, Michigan, News, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? How an airlift of wolves saved Isle Royale’s ecosystem and sparked a conservation controversy

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

The wolves of Isle Royale recently came within a hair’s breadth of dying out — victims of years of inbreeding.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/science-says-what-how-an-airlift-of-wolves-saved-isle-royales-ecosystem-and-sparked-a-conservation-controversy/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Anthropocene, Authors, Crawford Lake, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, Ontario, paleontology, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Toronto
Science Says What? The weight of the world rests on a small Canadian lake

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

A tiny lake just an hour’s drive from Toronto made headlines earlier this summer as the best place in the world to illustrate the dawn of a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/science-says-what-weight-world-rests-small-canadian-lake/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Feature Homepage, Latest News, Michigan, microplastics, News, Sharon Oosthoek, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Great Lakes microplastics concentrations exceed safe levels for wildlife

Nearly 90 percent of water samples taken from the Great Lakes over the last ten years exceed safe levels for wildlife. Researchers from the University of Toronto and the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development came to this conclusion after conducting a comprehensive review of microplastics studies.

At the levels surveyed, the researchers say fish and other aquatic wildlife are at risk of ingesting enough microplastics to fill their guts, diluting their regular food and its nutritional value.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/great-lakes-microplastics-concentrations-exceed-safe-levels-for-wildlife/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, dilbit, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, science, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Science Says What? Lessons learned from a deliberate dilbit spill

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

On July 26, 2010, people living along Talmadge Creek in Marshall, Michigan awoke to a sharp, sickening smell.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/science-says-what-lessons-learned-from-a-deliberate-dilbit-spill/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, cyanobacteria, Feature Homepage, Lake Huron, Latest News, Michigan, News, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, sinkhole
Science Says What? Bacteria in Lake Huron sinkhole do a daily tango

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

Earlier this year, a group of Michigan scientists published a study in The Journal of Great Lakes Research entitled “Extant mat microbes synchronize vertical migration to a diel tempo.”

Got that?

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/science-says-what-bacteria-lake-huron-sinkhole-daily-tango/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, flying squirrels, Forests and Plants, News, Research, science, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? Looking for love as northern forests heat up

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

The last couple decades have been good to southern flying squirrels in the upper reaches of the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/science-says-what-looking-love-northern-forests-heat-up/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Books, Books, Authors, Art and Music, Feature Homepage, Habitat Restoration, Hamilton, History and Culture, Lake Ontario, Latest News, News, Ontario, Research, Data and Technology, restoration, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Book Club: Celebrating environmental success stories in the Great Lakes

In his book “Great Lakes Champions: Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds,” John Hartig looks at how 14 Great Lakes residents are working to restore some of the region’s most degraded areas. While significant challenges remain, there is much to celebrate, including the return of sentinel fish and wildlife species, lower contaminant levels in fish and wildlife populations, and greater public access to these waters.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/book-club-celebrating-environmental-success-stories-in-the-great-lakes/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Citizen science, Feature Homepage, Forests and Plants, Latest News, Michigan, News, Ontario, Protect, Research, Research, Data and Technology, science, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
Science Says What? How 5th-graders counting plants can lead to positive change

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

As spring comes to Saginaw Bay, a group of elementary school students are preparing to play an important role in a long-term scientific study.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/science-says-what-how-5th-graders-counting-plants-can-lead-to-positive-change/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, Lake Ontario, Latest News, microplastics, News, Ontario, pollution, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Toronto, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Science Says What: How worried should we be about microplastic pollution?

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

Microplastic pollution has been building up in the Great Lakes since at least the 1970s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/science-says-what-how-worried-should-we-be-about-microplastic-pollution/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Authors, Climate change, Detroit, Feature Homepage, lake erie, Lake Superior, Latest News, Michigan, News, Ontario, Research, Data and Technology, science, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek, Toronto, weather
Science Says What? Climate change, deluges and snow days

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

The Great Lakes contain a whopping 5,500 cubic miles of freshwater, making them one of largest sources of freshwater in the world – large enough in fact to influence the region’s weather which impacts the 40 million people living around the lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/science-says-what-climate-change-deluges-snow-days/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, pollution, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Sharon Oosthoek
How will tire chemicals affect Great Lakes fish? Some scientists hope to find out

Just a couple years ago, nobody had heard of 6PPD-quinone, a chemical by-product of car tires. Until it was discovered that it can kill fish, including species in the Great Lakes.

Researchers with the University of Washington discovered in late 2020 that 6PPD-quinone was washing off roadways and into Seattle’s urban creeks during rainstorms – a death sentence for coho salmon.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/tire-chemicals-great-lakes-fish/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Budget, clean water act, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, News, Pennsylvania, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, pollution, Protect, Rivers, Sharon Oosthoek, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Nonprofit report points to outdated Clean Water Act for the miles of polluted rivers across the U.S.

In 1972, the federal Clean Water Act proclaimed an ambitious goal – “fishable, swimmable” waters across the U.S. by 1983. Today, just over half of assessed river and stream miles across the U.S. remain too polluted for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking water sources.

That assessment comes from a newly released report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), a non-profit group founded in 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/outdated-clean-water-act-polluted-rivers/

Sharon Oosthoek

On:
In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, community, Feature Homepage, lake erie, Lake Ontario, News, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation, Recreation and Tourism, Sharon Oosthoek, sports, Toronto, Tourism
Surfing the Great Lakes: ‘What? People do that here?’

On a cool fall day in 2007, Robin Pacquing slipped on a wetsuit, grabbed a surfboard and headed into Lake Ontario.

As a teenager, Pacquing had been a huge Baywatch fan and learned to love surfing during a family trip to Hawaii. As an adult, she went on to surf the waves off Tofino, British Colombia, never dreaming she might do the same just outside her door.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/surfing-great-lakes/

Sharon Oosthoek