Ice forming along Chicago River

The Chicago River just west of where it enters Lake Michigan with what is known as  brash ice, floating fragments of ice usually less than two meters across. Image: Greg Monahan

Photo Friday: Warm Great Lakes clash with frigid air to produce steam fog

This color-enhanced picture from the NASA Earth Observatory shows how the cold air moving across warmer waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior during this week’s arctic storm transformed water vapor into steam fog. NASA says one of its satellites on  Jan. 6 captured the data used here to illustrate the difference between snow (bright orange), water clouds (white), and mixed clouds (peach). Here’s what steam fog looked like near Chicago and from the ground view.

Snowy mitten

Take a look at the NASA Earth Observatory’s remarkable photo of the gigantic snowstorm this week that affected all of the Great Lakes region, plus many other states.

Michigan residents support disaster relief after Philippine typhoon

Public interest in (and donations for) the devastating Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines is alarmingly low compared to similar recent international disasters, a recent report says.

But some Michigan residents, like Hollyann Powers and her family, are working to make sure information gets out – and leads to action.

Even water rich Great Lakes residents must adapt to climate change

According to a new report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 40 percent of the world’s population will live under severe water stress by 2050. While the Great Lakes region is water rich, the report suggest that even water wealthy areas should work toward adaptive policies to secure freshwater’s future.

Sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Gulf of St. Lawrence, the outlet of the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean, is building toward its annual peak accumulation of sea ice, according to a recent photograph captured from NASA’s Aqua satellite. According to NASA, each year, the amount of frozen seawater, known as sea ice, in the Arctic Ocean builds from September through February or March as surface air temperatures drop below freezing. As it reaches the peak of its expansion, it begins to form in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.