Wildlife
Sturgeon studies and students
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Researchers studying the threats to lake sturgeon are using their findings to teach kids about the environment.
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CSI: Invasives
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Great Lakes scientists are using DNA methods to investigate invasive species.
It could help us to better understand where and if they’ll strike next.
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Comparing the states: Hazardous waste penalties
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Pennsylvania has the largest total dollar value of fines for facilities violating hazardous waste regulations in 2012 among the Great Lakes states, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Wisconsin has the smallest. The figures come from an EPA map that reports state compliance with regulations. The map’s dashboard allows users to choose different measures and different years. Here is the total dollar value of penalties incurred by large facilities with hazardous waste violations for each state along with the number of large facilities for each state:
Pennsylvania: $542,364; for 1,103 large facilities.
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On-demand water information
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The U.S. Geological Survey’s WaterNow service can send users up-to-date water information via text or e-mail. Users can visit the service’s mapper and find a gauge located in their area. From there, they send that gauge’s site number to the service by text or e-mail and the service responds with up-to-date data within minutes.
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Comparing the states: Air quality violations
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Illinois has the highest percentage of facilities with air quality violations in 2012 among the Great Lakes states, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Minnesota has the lowest. The figures come from an EPA map that reports state compliance with regulations. The map’s dashboard allows users to choose different measures and different years. Here are the percentages of major facilities with air quality violations for each state:
Illinois: 68 percent of 486 major facilities.
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Picture gallery profiles Lake Michigan’s residents
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The life and people of Lake Michigan is the subject of a gallery showing through May 19 at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Milwaukee’s Marquette University. Perimeter, a project of Kevin J. Miyazki, depicts 277 portraits of Lake Michigan’s unique individuals. To see some of the profiles, click here and scroll right. The project is aimed at “capturing a contemporary portrait of the lake by photographing people whose lives are closest to it,” according to Miyazaki’s website. Portraits feature scientists, fishermen, artists, community leaders, surfers, songwriters and many others.
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Goosinator terminates E. coli
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The developers of a remote-controlled, geese-scaring device called the Goosinator say it controls health-threatening E. coli bacteria deposited by geese droppings. Geese and seagull droppings contribute to beach and park closings, said Dave Colton, the Goosinator’s director of sales. Company officials say their product helps keep areas fowl free. Its bright orange color and glaring teeth scare the geese, according to the product website. And a separate, stationary Goosinator acts like a scarecrow to make sure they don’t return, Colton said.
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Watch time lapse of Lake Erie freezing
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Check out this video that shows Lake Erie freeze over a span of three days. It was created by Great Lakes Vista, a website that captures live feeds and still photos of Lake Erie. The site’s images are captured using an old camcorder in a weatherproof box. Software takes a picture every two minutes in addition to a video stream that runs constantly, according to Mark Lasmanis, the owner and operator of Great Lakes Vista. Those who donate to the site get access to the active video stream as a perk, but the site also features archives of the last hour of still images, which comes in handy if you want to check developing weather conditions.
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Documentary examines Great Lakes through an icy lens
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Project: Ice looks at the impact of ice on the region’s commerce, recreation, culture, geography. It encompasses subjects as diverse as ice breaking and ice fishing.
And it looks at how all those things may be affected by a warming climate.
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Illinois study shows perennial biofuels give off less nitrogen
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Perennial crops like the tallgrass miscanthus can be turned into ethanol like corn, but give off less nitrogen into the atmosphere, according to a University of Illinois study. Limiting nitrogen is important because it can produce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that furthers global warming. And nitrate can contaminate drinking sources and leach into lakes where it contributes to lethal dead zones for fish life. Ethanol is added to gasoline to reduce dependence on the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. But it’s counterproductive to produce ethanol in a way that makes yet another powerful greenhouse gas – nitrous oxide.