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Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2014Environmentandrew suyker, ann arbor, arctic blast, christopher spence, climate change, climate variability, environmental consulting firm, evaporation study, glisa, granite island, great lakes, great lakes evaporation, great lakes ice, high evaporation rate, impact, indicator, john anderton, john lenters, lake michigan, lake superior, lake water balance, light station, limnotech, michigan state university, peter blanken, solar radiation, stannard rock light, university of michigan, water level, weather station, white shoal light

ANN ARBOR — The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes responsible for that welcome outcome are not as simple and straightforward as you might think.

Yes, extreme winter cold increases ice cover on the Great Lakes, which in turn reduces evaporation by preventing water vapor from escaping into the air. But this simplistic view of winter ice as a mere “cap” on Great Lakes evaporation is giving way to a more nuanced conception, one that considers the complex interplay among evaporation, ice cover and water temperature at different times of year. (more…)

Enormous scale of Nile ‘mega lake’ revealed

By Guest PostJanuary 19, 2014Environment, Sciencedavid haberlah, east africa, eastern sahara desert, egypt, exposure, isotope beryllium 10, lake baikal, lake michigan, lake tanganyika, nile mega lake, shoreline deposits, Siberia, sudan, surface area, tim barrows, university of exeter, US, valley, white nile river

The eastern Sahara Desert was once home to a 45,000 km²freshwater lake similar in surface area to the largest in the world today.

A study led by the University of Exeter has revealed that the mega lake was probably formed more than one hundred thousand years ago in the White Nile River Valley in Sudan.

Dr Tim Barrows of the University of Exeter and colleagues used a dating approach based on exposure to cosmic rays to measure the amount of the isotope beryllium-10 in shoreline deposits. Its abundance can be used to calculate how long rocks or sediments have been exposed at the surface of the earth. (more…)

Invasive Mussels Causing Massive Ecological Changes in Great Lakes

By Guest PostApril 23, 2011Environmentalgal production, diporeia, donald scavia, ecosystem, food web, gary fahnenstiel, great lakes, great lakes food web, huron, lake huron, lake michigan, lake superior, mary anne evans, michigan, mussels, non native mussels, quagga, silica levels, university of michigan, zebra, zebra mussels

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The ongoing spread of non-native mussels in the Great Lakes has caused “massive, ecosystem-wide changes” throughout lakes Michigan and Huron, two of the planet’s largest freshwater lakes, according to a new University of Michigan-led study.

The blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of mussels—the zebra and quagga—is stripping the lakes of their life-supporting algae, resulting in a remarkable ecological transformation and threatening the multibillion-dollar U.S. commercial and recreational Great Lakes fisheries. (more…)

Invisible Invasive Species Altering Ecosystems

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2010Environmentair temperatures, asian carp, australia, blue green algae, brackish diatom, climate change, cyanobacteria, dramatic fashion, ecology, ecosystems, elena litchman, european lakes, global change, great lakes, gypsy moths, invasive microbes, invasive species, lake michigan, macroorganism, malaria, microbial invaders, nitrogen fixing rhizobium, nonpathogenic microbes, north american, pathogenic parasitic fungus, portugal, scientific research, subtropical, temperate latitudes, tropical, zebra mussels

Elena Litchman, associate professor of ecology, who works at MSU's Kellogg Biological Station. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — While Asian carp, gypsy moths and zebra mussels hog invasive-species headlines, many invisible invaders are altering ecosystems and flourishing outside of the limelight.

A study by Elena Litchman, Michigan State University associate professor of ecology, sheds light on why invasive microbial invaders shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.

“Invasive microbes have many of the same traits as their larger, ‘macro’ counterparts and have the potential to significantly impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” said Litchman, whose research appears in the December issue of Ecology Letters. “Global change can exacerbate microbial invasions, so they will likely increase in the future.” (more…)

Tag Archives: lake michigan

Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

Enormous scale of Nile ‘mega lake’ revealed

Invasive Mussels Causing Massive Ecological Changes in Great Lakes

Invisible Invasive Species Altering Ecosystems