Red Hot Waters: With summer heating up, the waters in the Great Lakes are heating up, too, with surface temperatures of all but Lake Superior rising to about 70° F and nearing or passing record highs, according to a story this week by Jason Samenow of The Washington Post. The bottom waters of Lake Superior, meanwhile, seem to hover around 40° F, a stark contrast with the shallow Lake Erie, as can be seen in this set of NOAA images from the Great Lake Environmental Research Laboratory. (The top is the surface water, the bottom is the bottom waters.) But the lower temps for Lake Superior vs. the other Great Lakes aren't a cause for celebration. "Lake Superior’s average water temperature reached 55.8 degrees on July 8, over 6° above normal," Jason writes. The other lakes also are 6° to 11° above their average water temperatures for this time of year. "The unusually warm water is a reflection of blistering heat over the Great Lakes region in recent weeks set up by a persistent ridge of high pressure." Jason notes that the water temperatures are appreciated by swimmers, but can trigger environmental problems, like blooms of blue-green algae. Researcher Jay Austin at the Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth noted the rapid warming of Lake Superior in research first published in 2007. "Lake Superior is Changing. Fast," Jay wrote that year. "Lakes like Superior appear to be responding more quickly to climate change than we previously suspected. Our current hypothesis as to why this is occurring has to do with the simultaneous decline in the amount of ice found on these lakes. It's a pretty cool story. I'll also note that many, if not most, of these trend observations have been made before (i.e. increase in temperature, decrease in ice); all we've done is snap them together into a big picture. This research has recently been accepted for publication at Geophysical Research Letters, and was performed by myself and my colleague Steve Colman."
Fender Bender? The Duluth Harbor Cam website posted a speed-up video of the 1,000-foot Presque Isle apparently bumping into the North Pier of the Duluth Ship Canal as it departed Monday morning. It may have grounded in the ship canal, Boatnerd.com reported this week. The incident surprised a few of those strolling beside the canal, as evidenced in a PerfectDuluthDay video, replete with scrapping sounds and a fellow observing “That’s not good” and “Holy Moly!” The damage to the pier seemed minimal and the boat returned to harbor for an inspection before heading out again. Anyone who has tried to navigate through a bank drive-through and left a little car paint on the concrete barrier can commiserate. By Tuesday, the ship left the port with a perfect 10 on pier negotiating, as captured here by Gus Schauer. This seems to have been a season of bumps and grinds on the Great Lakes. This video from Sunday shows two freighters in a head-on collision in the Welland Canal. A barge loaded with diesel fuel and coal tar ran aground at the lower portion of the St. Marys River near Lake Huron in June, as Tanda Gimter reported at the time for MLive.
Border Order: It looks like another month has been added to the closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential crossings. According to USAToday, the border will remained closed until Aug. 21 as will the U.S.-Mexico border. The northern border originally was closed March 21, though commercial traffic across the border is still allowed.
Thumps UP: Several Upper Peninsula businesses got honors from the recently Michigan Honors Small Business awards. Dear to our hearts is Lake Superior Magazine advertiser and supporter Beth Millner Jewelry in Marquette. She earned an honor as the state's Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year and in the U.S. Small Business Administration category. Beth (seen here) does beautiful art jewelry inspired by the local environs and by Lake Superior (like these here). Making the list of 50 Companies to Watch was Northern Wings Repair out of Newberry. Started in a farm pole barn in 2001, it is an FAA-certificated repair station specializing in the repair and overhaul of aircraft brakes and landing gear components, with operations including welding, machining, and non-destructive testing. Orbion Space Technology out of Houghton, also on the "Watch" list, produces a small-satellite propulsion system and was honored as a SmartZone Best Small Business. Another on the SmartZone list was LucidCoast in Marquette, providing innovation services. Honored as among the SBDC Best Small Businesses is Rozie's Foods in Negaunee, which specializes in Relsa, a vegetable blend topping developed by Rozie.
Magnificent Marquette: Enjoy a bird's-eye view of beautiful Marquette in this sky-high video taken over the city on a glorious sunny day this week and posted by Marquette Today.
One More for Lake Superior Day: We're ending with a lovely by-the-shores post from retired Lake Superior Magazine publishers Paul and Cindy Hayden, who are spending their days hanging out with the deer neighbors and enjoying views of Lake Superior. Remember, Lake Superior Day is Sunday (the third Sunday in July) and while many of the usual activities are cancelled for this year, you can always admire the shore by yourself or with family. Or pick up and haul away a bag of trash from a beach to celebrate and protect the Lake. The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve has organized some activities for Sunday, including a Facebook live music performance by One Less Guest beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Photo & graphic credits: NOAA; Gus Schauer; Beth Millner; Marquette Today; Cindy Hayden