Explorer says Griffin shipwreck may be found
A debris field at the bottom of Lake Michigan may be the remains of the long-lost Griffin, a vessel commanded by a 17th-century French explorer, said a shipwreck hunter who has sought the wreckage for...
View ArticleStraits of Mackinac 'worst possible place' for a Great Lakes oil spill
Because the strong currents in the Straits of Mackinac reverse direction every few days, a rupture of the oil pipeline beneath the channel would quickly contaminate shorelines miles away in both lakes...
View ArticleResearch team warns against overlooking Great Lakes' currents
The history of the Great Lakes is one of people who underestimate their destructive power, often with tragic results. From two massive waves that smashed into Chicago's harbors in 1954 to a rip current...
View ArticleOriginal northern border of Illinois was south of Chicago and Lake Michigan
Chicago residents today might have had a Wisconsin zip code if the originally proposed northern boundary of Illinois had been approved. It was a straight line from the southernmost tip of Lake Michigan...
View ArticleGreat Lakes water level slump over, future unclear
Scientists say the longest period on record of abnormally low Great Lakes water levels has ended, but it's uncertain whether the recovery is temporary or the beginning of a new long-term trend.
View ArticleDiabetes drug found in Lake Michigan could harm fish, researchers say
There is more than one way to measure prescription drug use. The most direct method is to count prescriptions filled by pharmacies. That would show, for example, that more than 180 million...
View ArticleFeds: Sampling finds more Asian carp DNA near Lake Michigan
A federal report says genetic markers of Asian carp are still showing up in Chicago-area waterways.
View ArticleStudy: Diabetes drug affecting fish in Lake Michigan
Researchers have found that pharmaceuticals and personal-care byproducts persist at low levels miles from sewage discharge pipes in Lake Michigan. And a study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee...
View ArticleNew water safety tips for parents and youth
With summer just around the corner, millions of swimmers will enjoy Michigan's Great Lakes beaches and cool water, but waves and currents can be deadly.
View ArticleMarine sanctuary researchers gain access to more shipwrecks
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Michigan is rolling out the buoys and starting another season of work on Lake Huron—the highlight of which is searching for and studying shipwrecks.
View ArticleImage: Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts down to US
Canada has already had its share of wildfires this season, and the smoke from these wildfires is slowly drifting south over the United States' Midwest. The drifting smoke can be seen in this Terra...
View ArticleResearchers to explore strategies for dealing with water-level changes in the...
Extreme water-level fluctuations in the Great Lakes, including historic lows on lakes Michigan and Huron in 2013 and substantial upward trends in 2014, are creating serious challenges for many...
View ArticleFighting invasive species in Michigan's lakes
Everyone knows that clean water is important. But for the state of Michigan, surrounded on three sides by the Great Lakes, it is absolutely essential—to the economy and the environment. That's why the...
View ArticleLake Michigan perch quickly changed course of 'reverse evolution'
Over-fished yellow perch in Lake Michigan have recovered much quicker - by hundreds of years - in reaching reproductive maturity at a later age and larger size than scientists previously thought was...
View ArticleHarvesting invasive cattails to restore marsh biodiversity
The diesel-powered harvester roars as ecologist Shane Lishawa crashes through dense, 7-foot-tall cattails toward an experimental plot established in the marsh in 2011.
View ArticleObama administration designates two new marine sanctuaries
The White House is announcing the designation of two new National Marine Sanctuaries—the first chosen in 15 years—as part of President Barack Obama's efforts to protect the environment.
View ArticleStudy: Straits oil spill could affect vast shoreline areas
A newly released study says hundreds of miles of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron shoreline are at risk of contamination if oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac rupture.
View ArticleRoute 66 becoming green with charging stations, solar panels
Route 66, the historic U.S. highway made famous for attracting gas-guzzling Chevrolet Bel Airs and 1957 Cadillacs traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles, is turning green.
View ArticleResearchers estimate 10,000 metric tons of plastic enter Great Lakes every year
A new study by Rochester Institute of Technology that inventories and tracks high concentrations of plastic in the Great Lakes could help inform cleanup efforts and target pollution prevention.
View ArticleMeteor over Lake Michigan lights up sky in several states
A meteor over Lake Michigan lit up the sky Monday morning across several states in the Midwest.
View ArticleMichigan to offer prize in fight against invasive Asian carp
Faced with the threat that Asian carp could enter the Great Lakes, Michigan is turning to the public for new ideas and plans to offer a prize to whoever comes up with a way to stop the voracious fish.
View ArticleChicago waterways—still flowing after over 100 years
As the city of Chicago has grown in population and industry since it was established more than 180 years ago, so has its need for clean water. Meeting that growing need has presented many challenges....
View ArticleScientists converge to study ozone, an atmospheric mystery near Lake Michigan
For several years, air quality managers have identified elevated levels of ozone in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, area. It remains an atmospheric mystery since high levels of ozone are usually associated...
View ArticleIntensive fishing finds no more Asian carp beyond barrier
Two weeks of intensive fishing in and around a Chicago waterway failed to produce any proof that more Asian carp have made it past electronic barriers intended to keep the invasive species out of Lake...
View ArticleArmy corps to release delayed report on blocking Asian carp
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will release a previously delayed report on measures that could be taken at an Illinois waterway chokepoint to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
View ArticleChanging tides: Lake Michigan could best support lake trout and steelhead
Invasive mussels and less nutrients from tributaries have altered the Lake Michigan ecosystem, making it more conducive to the stocking of lake trout and steelhead than Chinook salmon, according to a...
View ArticleSnowy owl numbers far lower than once thought
Scott Judd trained his camera lens on the white dot in the distance. As he moved up the Lake Michigan shoreline, the speck on a breakwater came into view and took his breath away: it was a snowy owl,...
View Article2018 starts with record cold in parts of the Midwest
Bone-chilling cold gripped much of the central U.S. as 2018 began Monday, breaking low temperature records, icing over some New Year's celebrations and leading to at least two deaths attributed to...
View ArticleFoxconn wants to tap 7 million gallons of water a day
Foxconn Technology Group wants to tap 7 million gallons of water a day from Lake Michigan to meet its needs.
View ArticleLake Michigan has become much clearer in 20 years, but at great cost
Decades ago, Lake Michigan teemed with nutrients and green algae, casting a brownish-green hue that resembled the mouth of an inland river rather than a vast, open-water lake.
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