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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.
Do detergents contain a good food for algae?
from Stephanie in Ann Arbor, MI, Age 9
Most of the popular brands of detergents in stores contain chemicals called phosphates. Phosphates are an organic substance (also used in fertilizers) that algae can eat to grow quickly and reproduce rapidly in a process that can lead to the eutrophication of a body of water.
Detergents are often confused with regular soap, but they are actually quite different. They are not natural products and should always be carefully used. Many of them contain very powerful chemicals, bleaches, and enzymes that can be dangerous for you as well as the environment. Detergent residues can even last up to ten times longer than soap in rivers and lakes before being broken down by bacteria! All kinds of detergents destroy the external mucus layers that protect fish from bacteria and parasites. They also lower the water's surface tension, making pesticides and other chemicals more easily absorbed by the fish.
You can ask your shop manager where you can find the available environmentally safe detergents (they should be both bio-degradable and phosphate-free).
Related references:
TEACH: Water pollution in the Great Lakes
TEACH: Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs)
Pennsylvania DNR: Act 31 -- The Phosphate Detergent Act
Thank you for your question!
Answered on August 3, 2001