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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.
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.
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.
No aquarium for Windsor
CBC News (1/31)
Aquariums in Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago prove to be too much competition for Windsor.
Clarkson receives $1.4 million to study contaminants in Great Lakes fish
North Country Now (1/31)
Clarkson University has received $1.4 million to monitor formerly untraceable contaminants to water supply by studying the effects on fish in each of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes scientists educate communities; put research to work
Great Lakes Echo (1/26)
At the Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve, scientists study the usual Great Lakes issues – invasive species, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. This research is then taken directly to the community, addressing local issues.
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.
2 | Prehistoric glacial movements
Early drainage from these lakes flowed southward through the present Illinois River Valley toward the Mississippi River, through the Trent River Valley between present lakes Huron and Erie and through the Lake Nippissing-Ottawa River Valley from Georgian Bay on Lake Huron downstream to the present Montreal, Quebec, area.
Without the immense weight of the glaciers-thousands of feet thick in places- the land began to rebound. Even today, virtually all of the land in the Great Lakes basin continues to rise. Southern parts of the basin are rising slightly, less than 3 inches per century. The northeastern corner of the Lake Superior basin, however, is rebounding in excess of 21 inches per century.
Graphic: Prehistoric glacial movements and lake shapes
Since the retreat of the glaciers, water levels continued to undergo dramatic fluctuations, some in the magnitude of hundreds of feet. These extremes were caused by changing climates, crustal rebound and natural opening and closing of outlet channels. Within the last 1,000 years, evidence suggests that lake levels exceeded the range of levels recorded since 1865 by an additional five feet on lakes Michigan and Huron. As a consequence of these recent fluctuations, shoreline position and environments have dramatically changed. Dunes, baymouth barriers, embayments and river mouths have all been modified by the forces of water. Many dune formations-some hundreds of feet thick-were established during glacial periods. The tops of these dunes have been continuously sculpted by winds to form the majestic structures now visible.
Today, rebounding of the earth's crust, erosion, and changes in climate continue to alter the shapes and sizes of the Great Lakes. As one of the youngest natural features on the North American continent, the lakes remain a dynamic, evolving system.
