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U-M divers retrieve 8,900-year-old piece of wood from Lake Huron
Annarbor.com (12/12)
University of Michigan researchers announced they have found a 5 1/2 foot long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old in Lake Huron.
Superior researchers studying invasives, ballast water
Ashland Current (2/9)
Determining how clean a ship's ballast water must be to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species is the goal of the latest research partnership between the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Lake Superior Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
RIVERKEEPERS: Tending the waterways
Niagara Gazette (2/6)
The goal of the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is two-fold: protecting the water quantity and the quality, as well as connecting people to the waterfront.
Internationally renowned ‘Ocean Doctor’ to speak in Grand Rapids
MLive.com (2/3)
Known as the “Ocean Doctor,” David Guggenheim will speak in Grand Rapids, Mich., about the many similarities between the threats to the oceans and to our Great Lakes.
SUNY Fredonia to lead Great Lakes pollution study
Wall Street Journal (2/3)
Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes will be the focus of a study this summer. Led by the State University of New York at Fredonia, researchers will try to quantify the amount of plastic polluting the fresh water Great Lakes.
SSC students taking part in marine science bowl
Arenac County Independent (1/31)
Teams of Michigan high school students will be heading to Ann Arbor this weekend to take part in the annual Great Lakes Bowl, a quiz event that focuses on questions about marine and freshwater systems and biology.
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.
How many times do you clean the Great Lakes a year? What chemicals are used in the process?
from Charles of Post Middle School in Detroit, Michigan, Age 13
Unlike a swimming pool, the Great Lakes are not cleaned by chemicals, such as chlorine. However, the lakes do have a natural cleaning and purification process. Wetlands, which are moisture-rich land areas found around rivers, lakes, and streams, store water during times of flood. The wetlands filter sediment and other pollutants out of the water, and when the water is naturally released back into the water source, such as in a time of drought, the water is cleaner.
Humans can also clean up the lakes (although we are also the main reason for lake pollution). Dredging, which is the removal of sediment from the bottom of a waterway, is often used to rid the lake or river of contaminated sediments. Many policies and laws that are passed by state governments also help clean up the lakes, such as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978. And check out TEACH's Areas of Concern module to find out what the Great Lakes region is doing to clean up the most polluted areas of the Great Lakes region.
Thank you for your question!
Answered on August 1, 2000