Frost nova within the Great Ponds: Ponds nearly frozen completely for brand spanking new in two decades

Lake Superior is much more than 90 % iced over, and experts say there is a possibility it will likely be covered completely before winter's finish the very first time in nearly two decades. Someone has suggested a hike across Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron and Lake Erie are 95 % frozen.

But even without 100 % ice cover, the icy ponds are getting a significant impact on the atmosphere around them.

"The greatest impact we'll see is shutting lower the river effect snow," stated Guy Meadows, director of Michigan Technological University's Great Ponds Research Center in Houghton, on Michigan's snowy Upper Peninsula. Lake effect snow happens when weather systems in the north and west get evaporating lake water that's warmer compared to air, then drop it as being snow after reaching land, he described. An ice cover prevents that evaporation.

Ice around the Great Ponds may also lead to more frigid temps, Meadows noted, since the warmer lake water will not have the opportunity to moderate the temps of individuals same northerly weather systems the actual way it usually does.

If there the elements is cold and calm, the ice can grow fairly rapidly, since the temperature of water is close to the freezing point. However, strong winds can split up ice that's already created, pushing it into open water and piling it up and down both above and underneath the tube.

The Soo Tresses are presently closed for that winter, and all sorts of shipping on Lake Superior has stopped, but ice buildups can cause issues in the spring. Even icebreaker ships can't do much about ice buildup that may be around 25 or 30 ft deep..

The ice may also have results though. Lake Superior's whitefish plus some other seafood, for instance, need ice cover to safeguard their breeding beds from winter storms. Heavy ice, therefore, should result in good fishing.

Meadows stated invasive nuisance species happen to be thriving at the end of Lake Superior recently largely due to warmer temps, so "cooling things down again is a positive thing for the reason that sense."

Cite This Site:

Michigan Technological College. "Frost nova within the Great Ponds: Ponds nearly frozen completely for brand spanking new in two decades.Inch ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 Feb 2014. .Michigan Technological College. (2014, Feb 19). Frost nova within the Great Ponds: Ponds nearly frozen completely for brand spanking new in two decades. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 4, 2014 from world wide web.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140219075111.htmMichigan Technological College. "Frost nova within the Great Ponds: Ponds nearly frozen completely for brand spanking new in two decades.Inch ScienceDaily. world wide web.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140219075111.htm (utilized April 4, 2014).

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New online mapping tool for Great Lakes region

September 9, 2013

Scientists take samples that can inform cleanup and restoration actions for the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration has launched a new online mapping tool for the Great Lakes that will give decision makers, resource managers, and environmental responders better information as they clean up hazardous materials and restore the coastal and estuarine environments.

The new Great Lakes Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) tool features the most comprehensive collection of environmental contaminant data in the region, as well as information on natural resources, habitats, weather, water levels, and currents.

Great Lakes ERMA adds to ERMA coverage in other regions around the nation, and focuses on coastal areas in the Great Lakes Basin from Minnesota to New York and from Ontario to Quebec in Canada. It integrates both static and real-time data from NOAA and other partners into a centralized, easy-to-use format.

By combining environmental contaminant data from NOAA’s Great Lakes Query Manager database with ecological, recreational, cultural, and commercial information, resource managers can compare environmental conditions over time and between locations.

Great Lakes Areas of Concern and NOAA Query Manager sediment sampling stations (orange points) shown in Great Lakes ERMA.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

ERMA helps to illustrate progress in cleaning up contaminated sediment and restoring the health of the Great Lakes, both across the basin and in Areas of Concern -- areas identified by the U.S. and Canada as polluted and in need of cleanup and restoration.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, NOAA developed Great Lakes ERMA,  in collaboration with EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, and University of New Hampshire.

In addition to addressing environmental cleanup and restoration under the initiative, Great Lakes ERMA also improves planning, communication, and coordination for emergency responses to pollution incidents, such as oil and chemical spills. It integrates information from a variety of sources into a common picture, which can provide the response team with a quick visualization of the situation.

NOAA continues to work with federal, state, regional and non-governmental partners in the Great Lakes to incorporate additional, regionally relevant data and information into Great Lakes ERMA, including restoration projects and alternatives, potential climate change impacts, spill response plans, and environmental modeling and forecasts.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

View the original article here

New online mapping tool for Great Lakes region

September 9, 2013

Scientists take samples that can inform cleanup and restoration actions for the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration has launched a new online mapping tool for the Great Lakes that will give decision makers, resource managers, and environmental responders better information as they clean up hazardous materials and restore the coastal and estuarine environments.

The new Great Lakes Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) tool features the most comprehensive collection of environmental contaminant data in the region, as well as information on natural resources, habitats, weather, water levels, and currents.

Great Lakes ERMA adds to ERMA coverage in other regions around the nation, and focuses on coastal areas in the Great Lakes Basin from Minnesota to New York and from Ontario to Quebec in Canada. It integrates both static and real-time data from NOAA and other partners into a centralized, easy-to-use format.

By combining environmental contaminant data from NOAA’s Great Lakes Query Manager database with ecological, recreational, cultural, and commercial information, resource managers can compare environmental conditions over time and between locations.

Great Lakes Areas of Concern and NOAA Query Manager sediment sampling stations (orange points) shown in Great Lakes ERMA.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

ERMA helps to illustrate progress in cleaning up contaminated sediment and restoring the health of the Great Lakes, both across the basin and in Areas of Concern -- areas identified by the U.S. and Canada as polluted and in need of cleanup and restoration.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, NOAA developed Great Lakes ERMA,  in collaboration with EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, and University of New Hampshire.

In addition to addressing environmental cleanup and restoration under the initiative, Great Lakes ERMA also improves planning, communication, and coordination for emergency responses to pollution incidents, such as oil and chemical spills. It integrates information from a variety of sources into a common picture, which can provide the response team with a quick visualization of the situation.

NOAA continues to work with federal, state, regional and non-governmental partners in the Great Lakes to incorporate additional, regionally relevant data and information into Great Lakes ERMA, including restoration projects and alternatives, potential climate change impacts, spill response plans, and environmental modeling and forecasts.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

View the original article here