Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/great-lakes-echo/page/8/)
This August photographer Ken Scott captured this panorama, highlighting a storm front moving over Lake Michigan, near Northport, Mich. The photo was taken just before sunset, showing colorful clouds and a low hanging sun. This photo was featured on Earth Science Picture of the Day.
This photo was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Aqua satellite from the International Space Station. It highlights a late-summer “whiting event” visible across Lake Ontario. Whiting events are caused by changes in the water’s temperature, which leads to increased photosynthesis by phytoplankton and other microscopic marine life. That photosynthesis reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the water, which changes the water’s acidity. Change in acidity and temperature then allows fine particles of calcium carbonate to form in the water column, and it’s these particles that cause the characteristic lightening, or “whiting,” of the water’s color.
Michigan State University Media Sandbox Instructor Troy Hale, with the help of his students, launched a weather balloon containing five HD cameras and a GPS unit into “space” this summer. The balloon launch recorded video at approximately 100,000 ft., or the “edge of space.” It was the second launch. An earlier attempt ended in Lake Erie and the equipment could not be recovered. Hale said he is planning more experiments, including a launch from Spartan stadium.
//
Detroit Public TV will live broadcast the Great Lakes Week summit in Milwaukee, Wisc., September 9-12, 2013. During Great Lakes Week there will be a series of conferences to discuss Great Lakes issues, hosted by the International Joint Commission, the EPA, the U.S. Areas of Concern Program, the Great Lakes Commission, The Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition (representing 120 organizations) and Environment Canada, as well as the Council of Great Lakes Industries, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and the newly organized Council of the Great Lakes Region. Issues discussed include how to spend federal money for the lakes, invasive species, climate change, algae blooms and which cities should be allowed to tap into Great Lakes water. Tune in on Echo Monday – Thursday for new broadcasts.
The Glen Lake Association operates the longest running boat washing program in Michigan. The effort pays off by keeping Big and Little Glen lakes nearly free of invasive species and the free service takes less than five minutes to complete.
Once common in Michigan’s rivers and lakes, sizable beds of wild rice have dwindled to less than a dozen, the result of invasive species, higher water levels from dams and lakefront property owners seeking to clear the way for water recreation.
Property owners believe their waterfronts are more natural than they really are, according to a recent University of Wisconsin survey.
It won’t be long before kids head back to school – back to friends, homework and yes, lunch in the cafeteria. Last year Echo reporters visited Lewton Elementary School to find out what kids know about where their lunch comes from.
Truckloads of algae plucked from Great Lakes beaches are sent to landfills. Beach managers want a green alternative. Composting might fit the bill, but it’s trickier than you might think.
Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.