Category Archives: Great Lakes

by

Cold rain and snow

What is your favorite type of weather?

Love the winters here in NY. I am a weather junkie. Always have been. Growing up in Memphis on the Mississippi River, weather was always happening. Mostly remember the hot wet summers but we would also get ice in the winter or spring. Maybe even a snow! Here in NY, the Catskill Mountains, on top of Old Clump, winter, fall, spring and summer are magical. Seems like it snows every day in the winter. This year. January was whether dry but END OF January and March have made up for it. We have a micro environment here. We get the end of the “Lake effect” snow and more. More rain and ice this year. Climate change is noticeable. Can’t deny it. Will see what spring and summer brings.

by

The H2O highway

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-st-lawrence-seaway-connects-mid-america-to-sea

‘The 63rd navigation season on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System was launched on March 22nd during an official opening ceremony.

“Moving goods by water through the Seaway ensures trade is flowing freely between the U.S.
and Canada while also reducing emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“After 62 years of operation, the binational Seaway System remains a model of international
cooperation and partnership and showcases how we can work together to address the challenges
of climate change.”

Keep reading….

by

Lake Ontario: Property owners updated on funding

https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/featured/2018/04/21/132346/lake-ontario-property-owners-updated-on-funding

Problem was, officials assigned to dole out the funding soon realized the damage totals of claims filed far exceeded the $45 million total the state initially allocated, Welch said.
“Wouldn’t you know (it), that funding was $45-50 million short,” he said.
In response, after months of delay, state officials with the governor’s office began to allocate additional monies this year, Welch said. First came a combined state Assembly-Senate $10 million funding allocation in January, followed by an additional $40 million this spring as the state budget process moved along, bringing the entire total to more than $90 million – the amount initially requested, Welch pointed out.
“With the extra $50 million, it should cover everyone’s expenses. (So) what’s the issue (as to the delays)?” he asked.

Look like IJC could rectify this somehow with the state of NY.

by

There’s a Persistent Hum in This Canadian City, and No One Knows Why – The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/world/canada/windsor-hum.html

The Windsor hum is back in the news! NYT reporting: “The University of Windsor report said the hum’s likely source was blast furnace operations on Zug Island on the Detroit River, which is densely packed with manufacturing. Activists complained that United States Steel, which operates the furnaces, has been uncooperative and secretive. A company spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.”

They also identify othwr places in the world with this low frequency hum like Taos.

by

Meet the bloody red shrimp, Lake Superior’s newest invasive critter | Minnesota Public Radio News

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/02/16/lake-superior-first-bloody-red-invasive-shrimp-discovered

”

Bloody red shrimp were first found in lakes Ontario and Michigan in 2006, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. They’re now documented in all the Great Lakes.

The species eats waterfleas and algae. They can become food for bigger fish, and competition for smaller ones, according to the University of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant Institute.”

by

U.S., Canada slow to tackle Great Lakes chemical pollution, says report | MLive.com

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/ijc_tap_great_lakes_report.html

“In November, the IJC issued a 25-page report advising both governments take decisive steps to protect human health and the environment by reducing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the lakes. The brominated flame retardants, which are bioaccumulative and found in many products, have been in use since the 1970s and exposure has been linked to cancers, reproductive health, thyroid, neurobehavioral and developmental disorders.”

US and Canada efforts towards cleaning up PCBs and other toxic chemicals in Au Sable river and Lake Huron.

by

Great Lakes water quality issues to be focus of public forum – News – Voice News

http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2016/09/09/news/doc57d2f5619eab5141364661.txt

Weigh in on environmental issues on Oct 4, in Toronto Canada. If you are a citizen of the US or Canada you are invited to participate. Go to IJC.ORG to find out more. So your part to protect the Great Lakes.

by

Lake Ontario water colours: What the lake’s hue can tell you — Lake Ontario Waterkeeper

http://www.waterkeeper.ca/blog/2016/9/2/lake-ontario-water-colours-what-the-lakes-hue-can-tell-you

“Blue is water’s signature colour. When light shines on a body of water all the wavelengths of light in the light spectrum are absorbed with the exception of the blues, indigos, and violets. Sometimes green light doesn’t get absorbed either. These unabsorbed colours are what we see. Clouds, sunshine, and shadows do beautiful things to the colour of water, making it appear in different shades of blues, purples, blacks, greys, and greens.”

Gabrielle Parent-Doliner

Read on….fascinating