Down But Not Out: Lake Superior will start its annual spring replenishment with water levels a little lower than in 2020, but still above its long-term average for this time of year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers noted in a release this week. As of last Friday, Lake Superior was 7 inches above its long-term average for the same date while Lakes Michigan and Huron were 26 inches above their long-term average. Lake Erie (+18 inches) and Lake St. Clair (+25 inches), also were above average while Lake Ontario recently fell 8 inches below its average. According to the release, the Great Lakes basin has experienced four consecutive months of below average precipitation since November. "This combined with a cold air outbreak during February led to increased evaporation across the lakes and caused a St. Clair River ice jam to develop. When ice jams occur, water levels downstream of the restriction decline, while water levels upstream of the restriction rise," the release noted. “Drier conditions this winter aided in seasonal declines on all the lakes,” Detroit District Watershed Hydrology Branch Chief Chris Warren said in the release. “However, as water levels begin their seasonal rise there is still potential for coastal impacts since water levels remain high.” The release added, "Late winter and early spring are typical Great Lakes seasonal rise periods because of increased rainfall and runoff. Water levels typically peak in the summer or early fall. Even with lower lake levels some lakes are still well above average and coastal flooding and shoreline erosion are possible, especially during periods of active weather and increased wave action.
Interestingly … NASA's Earth Observatory website posted a story by Kathryn Hansen this week about ice cover trends on the Great Lakes. "Wild Swings in Great Lakes Ice" notes that while the peak ice cover on the Lakes reached its average of about 53 percent at one point in February. (The two satellite photos here show the ice cover on Feb. 20 and March 3.) "But that’s where the averageness ends," Kathryn writes. "Much of this ice season – which runs from December 1 through April 30 – brought very low levels of ice cover. The exception was early February 2021, when ice made a rapid but short-lived appearance during a visit of frigid Arctic air." Jia Wang, an ice climatologist at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, said of the winter, "So, I would call it low ice year, despite the February cold snap." The chart above shows the progression of ice coverage during the 2020-2021 season. According to Wang, air temperatures are the main factor affecting ice cover on the Great Lakes. This season started with unseasonably mild temperatures, as much as 8° F above normal through mid-January. Lake Erie – the shallowest of the Great Lakes and often the first to freeze – had one of the lowest amounts of ice on record for the time of year.
We're Breaking Up: The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder crew was out and about this week, breaking ice and making headlines as we head into the winter break homestretch for the Great Lakes maritime industry. "We're getting ready for shipping to return to Duluth, the locks of Sault Ste. Marie opens on the 25th, and we need to have everything ready so when ships come in, they can actually get to where they need to go," Deck Watch Officer, ENS Kyle Hanson, told Emma Quinn of KBJR6. Up to the opening of the Soo Locks, the cutter plans trips to Thunder Bay and to the Apostle Islands for additional ice breaking. Reece Lindquist of Fox21 also did a story and video on the operation. (The Alder crew is using this photo of the cutter by the Superior Entry Lighthouse, taken by Dan Mackey, as its Facebook cover shot.) Over in the USCG Sector Sault Ste. Marie, meanwhile, the crew was operating a "vessel" of a different kind, as it posted about this tracked vehicle. "The Upper Peninsula’s weather requires a unique set of equipment to reach all of our Aids to Navigation year round. ANT Sault Ste. Marie used their tracked vehicles to perform maintenance on some range boards on the St. Marys River."
Alien Lakescape: The Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau posted this photo by Nathan Miller that looked more like an alien landscape than a lakescape on the shores of Lake Superior. According to the CVB: "Horseshoe Harbor is one of those places you’d think would be totally inaccessible in winter. A remote, rocky beach east of Copper Harbor, this is a summertime destination for travelers looking for a tranquil spot to take in Lake Superior during adventures in the Keweenaw Peninsula. But if you’re interested in a winter backcountry trek and breathtaking views, grab your skis or snowshoes to check this out. In the winter, it’s often not on visitors’ radar. And for good reason. US-41 is only plowed until … well, the end of US-41. And that’s still a few miles away from the trailhead! A few snowmobilers ride the back roads leading to Horseshoe Harbor in search of familiar locations, otherwise, there’s very little traffic of any sort beyond Fort Wilkins. You’re more likely to see wolf tracks than people!" You can read more about Nathan's Horseshoe Harbor winter adventure on the CVB's website.
Over at the Soo Locks: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District posted several items of interest recently, including a wee video showing a worker vacuuming out a drain in the Poe Lock and this historic photo showing March 4, 1912, when crews were repairing the south pier wall near the Weitzel Lock in Sault Ste. Marie. "This summer, work is scheduled to begin on the pier walls, or approach walls, above the Sabin Lock as work progresses on the New Lock at the Soo project," the Corps posted. The Soo Locks are scheduled to reopen March 25 and maintenance and repair work are wrapping up. A video presentation by Hannah Montoya, a Ranger at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth, tracks "A Ship's Journey from Duluth to the Soo to the Blue," explaining the regular voyages of freighters all the way to the ocean. (Hannah started at the visitor center near the Aerial Lift Bridge as an intern and now works there full time.) Also posted by the Corps is a story by Carrie Fox explains how the Corps crews will use dry blasting techniques in creation of the New Lock to lower the impact on fish larvae and adult spawning near the Soo Locks.
Looking for Rosy Views: Visit Duluth wants your images of the city's Rose Garden to help get it recognized by the World Federation of Rose Societies. "The City of Duluth, MN Government, DuluthParksMN, and the Lake Superior Rose Society are putting together a nomination video for the Leif Erikson Rose Garden to be recognized by the World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS). Every three years the WFRS selects rose gardens throughout the world to receive the Award of Garden Excellence. Please share your pictures of the Rose Garden. We are especially looking for pictures that show the importance of our garden to the community – weddings, family gatherings, community events and people enjoying the flowers," according to the request. If you can add comments about your favorite memories of the Rose Garden, those will help, too. Find details online.
Zebra Mussel Mayhem: The Wisconsin DNR sent out an alert this week warning that "moss balls" used in aquariums have been found to contain zebra mussels. "According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, zebra mussels are regarded as one of the most destructive invasive species in North America," the DNR notes. Moss ball brands with the problem include “Betta Buddy Marimo Balls” and “Marimo Moss Ball Plant Grab N Go.” “We are asking all pet stores and related retailers to please inspect and remove all these products from shelves,” said Amy Kretlow, DNR Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring Specialist. “We are also asking any consumers who may have bought any moss ball products in the past month to please inspect and dispose of them properly; do not flush moss balls or contaminated water down toilets or drains.” If you have this product, the DNR recommends: "Do not dispose of the moss balls in drains, waterways or gardens. Moss balls must be destroyed and disposed of in a sealed container in the trash." Lake Superior, because of its usually chilled temperatures right when the mussels are laying eggs, had managed to keep these invasives more at bay than in the lower Great Lakes. They were first detected in the Duluth-Superior Harbor in 1988. However, temperatures have been higher than average, and the invasive mussels have gotten a better foothold. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a female zebra mussel can produce 30,000 eggs each year. The mussels eat and take up space from native clams and other aquatic life. "In some places in the Mississippi River, there are more than 100,000 zebra mussels per square yard!" MPCA reports. In addition, the invasive mussels have clogged water pipes and add unwelcome weight on everything from boats to buoys. In some of the lower Great Lakes, shipwrecks are unrecognizable under the mass of mussels.
What an Old Prof Knows: Ralph Pifer, retired professor of psychology and philosophy, turned his knowledge of Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula into a slender guidebook – Michigan’s Western U.P. : An Old Professor’s Travel Guide of Twenty-Five Selected Locations (Ironwood to Baraga) – at the end of 2019. Ralph, with the help of the folks at the Settler’s Depot Gallery at Bruce Crossing, came up with 30 not-to-be-missed sites in the Western U.P. He first visited there at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park some 40 years ago with his family. He remembers one day there, "It had turned cold, rainy and foggy, but we took a short hike at the Porkies. Ferns were so thick. Some trees had claw marks perhaps 6 feet off the ground from bears. White pines and hemlocks soared into the sky." Editor Konnie LeMay corresponded with Ralph about the book and his views of visiting that region. You can read the full Q&A on our website. The book can be ordered through Archway Publishing (or your local bookstore, using the ISBN code 978-1-4808-7980-5).
And One More: After a few days of 40° F and up (54° F in Duluth on Sunday) temps, we were yet again lulled into that faux spring – one of our seven seasons here by Lake Superior. The shock, then, of a winter storm on Wednesday – and waking up Thursday to some serious snow shoveling – made many of us think what the Silver Bay Golf Course in Minnesota posted along with this photo of the evening's blow: "Well we thought we would have an early spring … maybe not!"
Photo & graphic credits: Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory; Dan Mackey/USCG; USCG Sector Sault Ste. Marie; Nathan Miller/Keweenaw CVB; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District; Visit Duluth; Wisconsin DNR; Ralph Pifer; Silver Bay (Minn.) Golf Course