Jan 24 2012 | | 7 Comments
Environment Canada and Canadian Coast Guard personnel recover a sediment trap from an icebreaker on an ice-covered Lake Erie in February 2010. Sediment traps are placed on the bottom of a lake to measure the how much algae sink to the bottom. In this case, algae are thriving in winter below ice. Photo by Michael Twiss, Clarkson University

Ice, cold and the seemingly dormant nature of winter have historically prevented a lot of research on the Great Lakes this time of year. But scientists have discovered a lot of algae hiding out under Lake Erie ice.

Jan 23 2012 | | 5 Comments
City lakes have about four times as much airborne mercury deposited in them than lakes further away. Photo: epc (Flickr)

Little is know about where mercury ends up after it is put into the air.

But new research shows that it is more likely to end up in lakes near cities than those farther away.

Jan 20 2012 | | 13 Comments
chicagoview

Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, was a creative genius that put results ahead of the process.

As collaborations and coalitions proliferate in the Great Lakes region, we need a Wozniak to break us from the chains of groupthink that are stalling environmental progress.

Jan 19 2012 | | 4 Comments
juliecliff

Julie Jilek loves Wisconsin. She loves it so much in fact, that she’s going to every state park to paint a scene. We caught up with Julie to talk about her art and what prompted the project.

Jan 18 2012 | | One Comment
The feds list toxaphene as a contaminant that can cause fish consumption advisories, but not all Great Lakes states test for it. Photo: EPA

Toxaphene is a highly toxic pesticide that has lingered in the Great Lakes since its banning decades ago.

However, the mix of chemicals break down slowly, but appear to be diminishing rapidly in the Great Lakes.

Researchers on Pine Creek, a Manistee River tributary, found brook trout gorging on salmon eggs had high levels of PCBs, especially compared with trout in a nearby stream closed off to salmon. Photo: David Janetski

Removing dams has long been considered a good way to restore the natural flow and ecological balance of a river. But developing research shows that dam removal may allow contaminated fish to spread their toxicity further inland.

Jan 16 2012 | | 13 Comments
Fire blight leaves leaves and trees looking scorched. Photo: Michigan State University

Fire blight scorches apple and pear trees in the Great Lakes region in the spring. The bacteria that causes the disease has grown resistant to treatment, so Michigan officials are seeking a federal exemption for a non-registered pesticide.

Jan 13 2012 | | 5 Comments
Martha

A journey to visit Martha, the last of her species – passenger pigeons.

Martha and other endlings reside in museums from Washington D.C. to Nukus, serving as humbling reminders of human impacts on biodiversity.

Jan 12 2012 | | No Comment
The wireless E. coli detector in prototype form. Photo: Joseph Geary

Testing water for E. coli typically takes one to three days but a new wireless E. coli detector can report levels of the harmful bacteria in under eight hours.

Jan 11 2012 | | 2 Comments
Large ships with flat bottoms are best suited to air lubrication systems. Photo: cseeman (flickr)

Great Lakes ships may soon ride on air.

Engineers believe injecting air under the bottom of the behemoth boats will make them faster and more efficient.