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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.
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.
No aquarium for Windsor
CBC News (1/31)
Aquariums in Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago prove to be too much competition for Windsor.
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 | The Zebra Mussel
Zebra mussels are a stark example of the explosive growth potential of non-native species. Zebra mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes in the 1960s. Just one year after introduction, their population was estimated at densities of 35,000 per square yard (30,000 per square meter). Many scientists now consider the ecosystem changes caused by zebra mussels to be more significant than the changes caused by nutrient and toxic loadings combined.
See also: GLIN Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes Region
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are small, fingernail-sized mussels native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia. They are believed to have been transported to the Great Lakes via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. The ballast water, taken on in a freshwater European port was subsequently discharged into Lake St. Clair, near Detroit, where the mussel was discovered in 1988. Since that time, they have spread rapidly to all of the Great Lakes and waterways in many states, as well as Ontario and Quebec.
Detailed Map: The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system
See also: Maps illustrating zebra mussel range in North America, 1988-Current
Zebra mussels have had extensive economic impacts. According to a 1995 Ohio Sea Grant study, large water users on the Great Lakes spend an annual average of $350,000 to $400,000 per user just to clear zebra mussels from their intake pipes. The mussels are also affecting the tourism industry, as their sharp-shell remnants clutter beaches and are encrusting historically significant shipwrecks throughout the Great Lakes. Quagga mussels, a near relative of the infamous zebra mussel, are able to survive in deeper waters and different sediment types, effectively expanding the infestation to new areas of the lakes.
Graphics: Zebra mussels (with black stripes) attached to freshwater snails, courtesy Univ. of Michigan, Center for Great Lakes and Aquatic Sciences; Zebra mussels cover a car pulled from the bottom of the Great Lakes, courtesy R. Griffith/Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
