By Darby Hinkley/The Alpena News
This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.
ROGERS CITY — BEN gets around.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/autonomous-vessel-rogers-city-lake-huron/
By Darby Hinkley, The Alpena News
This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.
ALPENA — A trio of researchers who have been studying the Alpena-Amberley Ridge are joined this month by a group of undergraduate students from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/marine-archaeology-research-texas-lake-huron-shipwrecks/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
The United States and Canada now have over 40 years of collaborative history in use of an ecosystem approach to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/international-ecoystem-approach-restoration-great-lakes/
Oxygen levels have dropped in hundreds of lakes in the United States and Europe over the last four decades, a new study found.
And the authors said declining oxygen could lead to increased fish kills, algal blooms and methane emissions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ap-hundreds-lakes-united-states-europe-losing-oxygen/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
A type of algae that a recent study found collects microfibers brings up questions about microplastic pollution impacts and how it could affect human health.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/05/algae-vacuum-microplastics-greater-health-threat/
Watershed cleanups are popular ways of dealing with local plastic pollution, but once large plastic trash disintegrates into microplastics, they're nearly impossible to pick up.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/05/plastic-debris-great-lakes-drinking-water-food/
Microplastics act like a chemical sponge, soaking up contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/05/chemical-impact-microplastic-pollution/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Brandon Chew, Great Lakes Echo
It was atmospheric pressure waves that produced 6-foot water waves in Lake Michigan on April 13, 2018, damaging docks and cottages and submerging breakwalls in Ludington.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/meteotsunami-great-lakes-contaminants/
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded grants to Central Michigan University and Clarkson University to continue monitoring coastal wetlands and fish contaminants throughout the Great Lakes basin.
Central Michigan will receive $10 million to monitor approximately 1,000 wetlands over the next five years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/ap-epa-great-lakes-grants-central-michigan-clarkson/
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2021/04/23/looking-back-the-ups-and-downs-of-great-lakes-ice-cover-in-2021/
By Ben Goldfarb, Hakai Magazine
This story originally appeared in Hakai Magazine and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
In the world of competitive sportfishing, the name Arostegui is royalty.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/microfishing-angling-recreational-fishing/
As COVID-19 changed the pattern of life around the Great Lakes region in 2020, it also altered the pattern of Great Lakes drownings in unfortunate if predictable ways.
With larger than normal crowds and a fatigue with restrictions, the rise in drownings isn’t a surprise.
“You get no lifeguards, heavier beach crowds, more people who were just escaping their house in the heat, going to the beach, and you’re putting more people into a dangerous situation,” said Chris Houser, a professor in the school of environment at University of Windsor.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/drownings-increase-research-connection-covid-19-restrictions/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/scientists-bottom-food-web-great-lakes/
As the pandemic wears on, antidepressant use is on the rise.
Claims for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increased by 17% in Canada between 2019 and 2020, according to one report. In the United States, the number of prescriptions filled per week for antidepressant, anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia medications increased 21% between Feb.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/fish-study-pandemic-antidepressant-freshwater-ecosystems/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/report-lake-michigan-more-storms-less-fish/
Restoring one of the rapids on the St. Marys River is helping diverse fish species recover in the river that connects lakes Superior and Huron, according to a recent study.
The post Rapids return means fish returns first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/03/31/rapids-return-means-fish-returns/
The Michigan Craft Beverage Council recently awarded $34,644 to study how to produce new varieties of apples for cider making.
The post Red-fleshed apples could keep Michigan cider makers in the black first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/03/30/red-fleshed-apples-could-keep-michigan-cider-makers-in-the-black/
As spring comes to the Great Lakes region and icy roads and sidewalks become a distant memory, a new study shows the salt we apply over the winter can linger in summertime rivers at alarming levels.
The University of Toronto study measured chloride in four Greater Toronto Area rivers and found it was high enough in many locations to put at least two-thirds of aquatic life at risk during early stages of their development.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/salt-levels-wintertime-de-icing-toronto-rivers-summer/
Of the many possible new invasive threats to the Great Lakes, 144 stand out in particular, according to a study released in 2021.
The study lists 144 fish, plants and invertebrates that could invade the Great Lakes or expand their range within them. The species were listed by the risk of damage they pose to the Great Lakes environment or culture and the likelihood they’d be introduced by one of six pathways.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/great-lakes-invasive-species-early-detection/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Powerful gusts linked to global warming are damaging water quality and creating a hazard for fish in Lake Erie and perhaps elsewhere in the Great Lakes, according to researchers.
Extremely high winds occasionally churn up deep water with low oxygen and high levels of phosphorus in Erie’s central basin and shove it into the shallower western section, creating a hazard for fish and insects on which they feed.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-scientists-climate-whipped-winds-great-lakes-hazards/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/university-michigan-discovery-lake-erie-dead-zone/
Deep below the cold, dark surface of Lake Superior, sensors strung like pearls along a vertical steel cable sway with the currents. Recording the lake’s dropping temperatures as winter sets in, their gentle rhythm belies their worrying readings: the lake is getting warmer.
Jay Austin heaved several of these science experiments off a boat last fall – tossing concrete blocks into the deep water to anchor the cable of sensors stretching down from floating platforms just below the surface.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/lake-superior-researchers-impact-warming-winters/
Two simple, white signs marked “WPSC” on small posts are all that mark its existence to most of the public. The posts sit on either side of a narrow road that turns to gravel then disappears shortly after into the woods and is the gateway to the oldest continuously operating – and most storied – waterfowl hunting club in North America.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/winous-point-conservation-research-history-oldest-hunting-clubs/
After spending several months reporting on the PFAS crisis, an alarming realization hit — taco night might be poisoning me.
I learned that the type of nonstick pans that I used to fry the fish usually contain the toxic chemicals, also called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Research alerted me to their use in some types of parchment paper used to roll tortillas, while the aluminum foil in which I wrapped leftovers raised a red flag with its “nonstick” label.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-home-testing-pets-blood-household/
By Terri Cook, Eos
This story originally appeared in Eos and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
During the mid-1930s, in the wake of devastating Dust Bowl–era storms, the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/big-benefits-from-experimental-watersheds/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-fish-wildlife-researchers-michigan/
Salt-speckled sidewalks, driveways and highways are synonymous with winter in the Great Lakes region. But while road salt is highly effective at deicing surfaces, the safety that salt provides for humans places a heavy burden on freshwater ecosystems.
“We have an unhealthy addiction to road salt,” said Claire Oswald, a hydrologist and associate professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/road-salt-reducing-usage-great-lakes-freshwater-ecosystem/
Michigan and the Great Lakes region — with an abundance of fresh water, warming winters and less fire-prone forests — stand to attract millions of new residents in the coming years looking to escape flooded coastal areas and the parched land of the West.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/water-great-lakes-climate-refuge-prepared/
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — The Clinton River, which runs through parts of Macomb County, is one of three southeastern Michigan rivers expected to be studied as part of an effort to improve water quality and wastewater treatment in the region.
The monitoring is part of the Great Lakes Water Authority’s Regional River Water Quality Monitoring Program, according to the Macomb County Public Works office.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-program-study-clinton-river-water-quality/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Yue Jiang, Great Lakes Echo
They glide over the lake, waiting for the best time to catch fish.
In the blink of an eye, they dive into the water without hesitation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/u-s-canadian-researchers-birds-conservation-research/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Kalah Harris, Great Lakes Echo
Herring gulls are aquatic birds that feed at the water’s surface and so are restricted to feeding on prey fish at the surface and shallow nearshore waters.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/herring-gull-eggs-monitor-great-lakes-ecosystems/
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2021/02/04/five-decades-of-great-lakes-ice-cover-data-and-where-to-find-it/
The way J. Ellen Marsden remembers it, when she first suggested calling a new Great Lakes invasive species the quagga mussel, her colleague laughed, so the name stuck.
At the same time, it was no laughing matter. The arrival of a second non-native mussel, related to the already established zebra mussel, was a major complication in what was becoming one of the most significant invasive species events in American history.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/invasive-mussels-legacy-beyond-great-lakes/
Polluting factories go uninspected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Leadership positions sit vacant at the U.S. Geological Survey’s climate science centers. And U.S. Department of Agriculture research into environmental issues important to farmers is unfinished.
The ranks of scientists who carry out environmental research, enforcement and other jobs fell in several agencies — sharply in some — under former President Donald Trump, federal data shows.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-biden-environmental-challenge-vacant-scientist-jobs/
Since the late 1980s, four of the five Great Lakes have played host to an increasing number of invasive mussels. First came zebra mussels, followed shortly thereafter by quagga mussels, both members of the Dreissenid family whose native range includes the waters around Ukraine.
Today, the filter-feeders comprise more than 90% of the total animal biomass of the Great Lakes (barring Lake Superior, whose depth and water chemistry make it a less suitable habitat for the two species of mussel).
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/invasive-mussels-phosphorus-chemistry-great-lakes/
The final part of a 5-part series on trans-border U.S. and Canadian environmental research projects.
The post Thirty-five years of restoring Great Lakes Areas of Concern has a hopeful future first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/01/22/thirty-five-years-of-restoring-great-lakes-areas-of-concern-has-a-hopeful-future/
The fourth part of a 5-part series on trans-border U.S. and Canadian environmental research projects.
The post With all eyes on Great Lakes freshwater, concerned cross-border researchers work to conserve it first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/01/21/with-all-eyes-on-great-lakes-freshwater-concerned-cross-border-researchers-work-to-conserve-it/
The first (second, third etc.) part of a 5-part series on trans-border U.S. and Canadian environmental research projects.
The post U.S., Canadian researchers conduct binational birds conservation research first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/01/20/u-s-canadian-researchers-conduct-binational-birds-conservation-research/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — One of the world’s longest-running wildlife field studies has fallen prey to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since 1959, a research team has spent most of the winter observing the interplay between wolves and moose at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/ap-pandemic-interrupts-longtime-isle-royale-wolf-moose-study/
The second part of a 5-part series on trans-border U.S. and Canadian environmental research projects.
The post Herring gull eggs help monitor Great Lakes ecosystems first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/01/19/herring-gull-eggs-help-monitor-great-lakes-ecosystems/
The first part of a 5-part series on trans-border U.S. and Canadian environmental research projects.
The post A look at binational scientific research on the Great Lakes first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/01/18/binational-research/
America’s rivers are changing color — and people are behind many of the shifts, a new study said.
One-third of the tens of thousands of mile-long (two kilometer-long) river segments in the United States have noticeably shifted color in satellite images since 1984.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/ap-one-third-of-americas-rivers-have-changed-color-since-1984/
In 1991, a Lake Michigan fishing vessel crew netted an object they later deposited on a beach in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It was subsequently identified as a fully-armed Sidewinder missile. While this is an extreme example of unexploded ordnance (UXO) pollution, it highlights the issue of old military munitions in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/unexploded-ordnance-lake-erie-shoreline-site-munitions-study/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin must prevent pollution from forever chemicals known as PFAS while developing ways to reduce the chemicals’ use, according to a 25-point action plan released Wednesday by Gov. Tony Evers’ administration after a year of study.
Nearly 20 state agencies, along with the University of Wisconsin, worked on the report to tackle the growing pollution and public concern around PFAS, which is shorthand for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-wisconsin-action-plan-reduce-pfas-chemical-use/
By Oliver Morrison, PublicSource, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
A single PFAS chemical featured in the movie “Dark Waters” last year about contamination from a Teflon plant in Parkersburg, W.Va. resulted in a $670 million court settlement. A community study showed the chemical was linked to six diseases: kidney cancer, increased cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia and testicular cancer.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/pfas-chemicals-pittsburgh-scientist/
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2020/11/20/lake-effect-snow-what-why-and-how/
Scientists at dozens of colleges and universities around the country are hoping early detection of COVID-19 infections can come from a not-so-glamorous sampling process.
With collection devices set up in campus sewer systems, researchers are sampling waste from residence halls and other buildings for evidence of the virus.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/campus-covid-19-sewage-testing-early-infections/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-stressed-climate-change-worse/
An estimated 9,887 metric tonnes (22 million pounds) of plastics make their way into the Great Lakes every year. Now a new project aims not only to suck out some of that plastic but stop it from getting into the lakes in the first place.
It began last summer with Toronto Harbour’s installation of three Seabins – devices that look like trash cans in the water but behave like vacuum cleaners, said Christopher Hilkene, CEO of Pollution Probe.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/seabins-trap-plastics-great-lakes-canada/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/pfas-news-fish-wisconsin-canada/
