Tag: lake levels

WHAT WILL GLOBAL WARMING BRING? (Short Version)

  • Researchers are developing models to try to determine what the effects of global warming will be on the Great Lakes region. Photo by Jerry Bielicki.

Researchers are trying to determine how global warming might affect this region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

Researchers are trying to determine how global warming might affect this region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports.


Using two different sophisticated computer climate models, researchers are asking questions such as what happens to the water levels in the Great Lakes. Both models predict they drop even farther, causing shipping problems. They predict crops will produce more, and they predict some trees will die off. Peter Sousounis is one of the researchers studying the models. He says the region needs to consider what appears to be happening.


“I’m concerned that we won’t be prepared, we will not have done our homework. I think as a society we can certainly adapt, if we are given enough time. And if we don’t adapt, life might adjust to a new mean state all around.”


While nearly all climatologists believe the earth is warming, not everyone agrees whether the changes will be harmful. Sousounis agrees more research needs to be done to try to determine what the effects might be. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

Lake Levels Scrape Bottom

Much of the industry in the nation’s mid-section relies on
shipments of raw materials on the Great Lakes. Great Lakes ports in the
U-S and Canada handle more than 200-million tons of material annually.
The Lakes are also a source of water and recreation for nearly a third
of
the nation’s population. But, during the last two years, water levels
have
been falling at a record breaking pace. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Low Water Levels Create New Habitat

There’s been a lot of concern about falling water levels on the
Great Lakes. Some of the lake levels have dropped more than a foot.
However… new wildlife habitat is being formed as the water levels
fall.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

NOAA Closing Gauging Stations

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has decided to
remove a total of 13 gauging stations from around the Great Lakes
region. The stations take continual readings of lake levels. NOAA says
the removal is part of an effort to cut costs and remove obsolete
stations, but some policy-makers say the timing couldn’t be worse. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond reports:

Low Lake Levels Impact Work and Play

The water levels of the Great Lakes are down this year…way down.
Lakes Erie, Michigan and Huron are two feet lower than last year at this
time, Lake Superior is down a foot, while Lake Ontario is down three
feet. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports that
lower lake levels will have a big effect on people who work and play on
the Lakes: