ATC-Soo Locks
Soo Locks Open Today
Lake Superior's maritime gateway to the lower Great Lakes opened just after midnight and officially starts our interlake shipping season today.
The Soo Locks opened at 12:01 a.m. and the U.S. Coast Guard's Katmai Bay was there yesterday, nudging away about a foot of ice. At least seven vessels – two downbound and five upbound – were awaiting the opening of the Poe Lock, the only one that opens until mid-April. The Roger Blough was first in line to come into Lake Superior.
Of course, the locks at Sault Ste. Marie don't look quite this warm yet (this photo by James Smedley is from our Soo Locks puzzle), but you can keep an eye on the locks right now via the U.S. Corps of Engineers webcam.
The intra-lake season opened earlier this week when the Edwin H. Gott left Duluth for Two Harbors at about 4 a.m. Tuesday. The Soo Locks Visitor Center will open today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but then closes until its official May 8 season opening.
Heavy Metal Measuring
Using sediment core samples of Portage Lake and Lake Superior, researchers at Michigan Technological University are tracking historic deposits of mercury and heavy metals to better understand how to deal with sicj contaminants in the region. The core samples tracked heavy metal deposits back more than a century.
ATC - RV Agassiz
A Michigan Tech team of researchers recently published findings of their studies in the Journal of Great Lakes Research. Some of the work was done from the university's research vessel Agassiz (seen in photo).
One particularly interesting discovery was the level of mercury deposited into regional waters during the mining booms at the turn of the 20th century with clear indications of increases during those years.
“We document that the mining effort was discharging mercury at 1,000 times the normal deposition rate in the region,” says W. Charles Kerfoot, a professor of biology and director of the Lake Superior Ecosystem Research Center at Michigan Tech. “We set out to quantify this deposition – and it was a real wake-up call.”
Read about the study at Michigan Tech News.
Researcher's Goodbye to Wolves
For much of his adult life, Rolf Peterson studied the wolves and moose of Isle Royale National Park. This winter, Rolf joined other researchers track the two remain wolves on the island.
ATC - Rolf Peterson
Rolf once said, "Anyone who loves trees, loves wolves," a sentiment echoed in this excerpt from his observations:
"The wolves were heading for shore and we only had one more opportunity to circle overhead before they reached shore. We circled and then headed for the landing spot at the other end of the lake. I craned my neck and kept watching the wolves. I thought it ironic that as the wolves reached shore, they were framed by the long shadows of tall fir trees, trees that existed now only because of previous generations of wolves that had reduced moose density in the 1970s. This scientific finding is 20 years old, but it hasn’t penetrated the thinking of everyone.
"Finally, the wolves disappeared in the trees and we were on approach to land. Without saying it, I thought, 'Thank you, wolves, for all you’ve taught us … I’m sorry, very sorry, that it wasn’t quite enough.' I was quiet and left Donnee without a response as he briefed me on his landing plans and where he would drop me off. Before the engine was quiet, I had dried my eyes … knowing this was the last time anyone would see wolves on Isle Royale this winter, and perhaps for a very long time to come."
Read the full text of Rolf's blog.
Iron Plant on the Iron Range: The CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources wants to build a plant for direct-reduced iron, used in two-thirds of domestic steel production, on Minnesota's Iron Range, reports John Meyers of the Duluth News Tribune.
NERR & Stewardship: The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve in Superior was profiled by Shelley Nelson in the Superior Telegram.
The Most Space: NASA astronaut and Winter, Wisconsin, native Jeff Williams is awaiting his flight for a tour on the International Space Station that will give him more time in space than any other U.S. astronaut, reports Danielle Kaeding for WPR. On August 24, he, who has flown three long-duration space missions, will break the record of 520 days in space recently achieved by Scott Kelly.
Photo credits: Soo Locks by James Smedley; Agassiz and Rolf Peterson courtesy Michigan Tech.