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Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
Do the Great Lakes create their own weather systems?
from Heidi of St. Bernard School in Brantford, Ontario, Age 12
The Great Lakes themselves do affect the hydrologic cycle. The large surface area of the Great Lakes causes quite a bit of evaporation, which contributes to much of the moisture in the region. This moisture will either stay in the air and create those hot, humid days of summer, or condense and form clouds and, eventually, precipitation. This precipitation (rain, snow, sleet) will either fall back into lakes or will be absorbed by soil and become groundwater*. And some groundwater eventually enters back into the lakes, starting the cycle all over again.
Great Lakes weather is also affected by air masses from other regions. While the prevailing winds in this region are from the west, cold, dry weather from the Arctic region as well as the hot, humid weather from the Gulf of Mexico can also affect the Great Lakes weather system, causing quick and sometimes drastic changes in the weather (have you ever heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait five minutes!"). Autumn and spring are especially affected by clashes of warm and cold air that can produce strong winds and storms.
*Water that is not absorbed by the soil is called surface runoff, which can contribute to water pollution. For more information on surface runoff, see the second page of the TEACH Great Lakes Areas of Concern topic.
Reference:
Natural Processes in the Great Lakes Region, Great Lakes Atlas, Environment Canada
Thank you for your question!
Answered on July 17, 2000