Around the Circle This Week: Sept. 15, 2017

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Unclear Clarity by Konnie LeMay, Lake Superior Magazine

Great Lakes Echo posted an article headlined “Lake Superior loses ground in water clarity” in late August that got some Facebook stir, but the real story may not reflect the alarm the headline raises for Big Lake lovers.

The article reports on a study, “Water Clarity of the Great Lakes: Tracking 1998-2012,” published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research in April. The study was done through the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, the University of California Los Angeles and Colorado State University. Tracking water clarity, or “light attenuation coefficients” via satellite and in situ measurements, the study did indeed find that by 2012, Lake Huron ranked first and Lake Michigan ranked second, apparently ousting Lake Superior as “clearest” of the Great Lakes. Lakes Erie and Ontario ranked far behind those three.

Reading deeper, though, it looks like the clarity issue might be unclear, especially whether clearer waters for lakes Huron and Michigan is a good sign.

During those years studied, 1998-2012, “Lake Superior did not exhibit any changes,” according to an abstract of the study. So unlike what the headline might imply, Lake Superior does not have increasingly muddied waters. The other two lakes did fluctuate with first less and then more water clarity. While the study does not determine why that might be, it did speculate on reasons for the changes in lakes Huron and Michigan, ranging from the positive (phosphorous abatement from farming and other operations) to the more unsettling (the filtering activity of invasive quagga and zebra mussels or the influence of climate change). Increasing clarity of water brought about by mussel filtration could indicate a reduction in phytoplankton (tiny free-floating algae) and the zooplankton that graze on them, which are the important first links in the food chain supporting open-water fishes. 

“This is a change of significant historical and economic importance,” according to the study researchers. “More important may be the ecological implications of the large increases in water clarity in lakes Huron and Michigan.”

Tapping a few local researchers for quick emailed observations about the study and Lake Superior, we learned this:

“I’m no expert on optical properties,” responded Jay Austin, physics professor at the Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth, “but the paper makes it clear that this is the direct result of Michigan and Huron getting clearer as quaggas draw stuff out of the water column; Superior is largely holding steady.”

Joel Hoffman, a research biologist with the U.S. EPA in Duluth, pointed out that fluctuations make any definitive ranking of clarity difficult. He cited a presentation this year by researcher Anett S. Trebitz, researching ecology/limnology at the local EPA office, who reported that the lakewide average in Lake Michigan of extracted chlorophyll a (one measure of the amount of algae growing) were higher in 2015 than previously indicated.

“I suppose part of the issue is that there are a number of factors that affect water clarity,” Joel wrote, “and no single measure is perfect.”

Anett further clarified: "Water clarity is influenced by a number of factors including dissolved substances (such as the organic carbon that makes bog-water tea-colored), suspended sediments (what makes the lake muddy brown near river plumes), and chlorophyll in the cells of free-floating algae (i.e., phytoplankton) and can be measured a number of ways. This study measured clarity via light attenuation coefficient (a measure of the rate at which total light intensity decreases per unit depth) and therefore does not tease apart which of the above factors are driving the change."

Finally we tapped an “unofficial” expert, photographer Christian Dalbec, who spends much of his time in and under Lake Superior (and whose photos of the Madeira wreck near Split Rock are seen above and the Lake wave below). Asked about his observations of water clarity in the Big Lake, Christian notes simply, “Lake Superior is so clear on a good day, I can see over 50 feet down there.”

So seeing clearly can be superior, but it’s not necessarily always good to be No. 1 … or so it appears.

Speaking of zebra mussels: The little invasives have been confirmed in Nipigon Bay, Ontario, reports tbnewswatch. The discovery was not unexpected, especially after the mussels had been found earlier in Thunder Bay Harbour. Invasive zebra mussels were first identified in Lake Superior at the Duluth-Superior harbor in 1989 and invasions into inland lakes followed. This spring a new conservation officer was hired to battle transportation of the mussels between inland lakes – a mussel-sniffing golden retriever named Brady, reported John Myers of the Duluth News Tribune.

Pasties delayed: Hurricane Irma had its effect reaching as far north as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Pasty Central, which ships frozen pasties around the country, sent out an email this week to alert folks: "Now with almost 1 million pasties shipped nationwide, we send many packages to states like Florida and Texas, where cleanup and recovery are on many people's minds. If you are sending gift orders into these areas, we will be working closely with FedEx to coordinate deliveries as life gets back to normal."

Sister acts: The sisters of the St. Scholastica Monastery cut up with a few funny "selfies" to encourage people to attend their open house Saturday (Sept. 16) celebrating 125 years as an independent Benedictine monastery on the campus of the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Sisters will provide tours, mini-retreats, a concert, refreshments and other fun stuff. 1-3:30 p.m. All are welcome.

Backing a bigger lock: Representatives from the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Great Lakes Commission, Lake Carriers' Association, Office of Great Waters and Fednav will join Minnesota's U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan at a press conference in Duluth on Monday (Sept. 18) to back a bipartisan push to fund a new, larger navigation lock at the Soo Locks. The Soo Locks Modernization Act would authorize funding for another Poe Lock-sized structure. The Poe currently is the only lock capable of handling the larger freighters that constitute about 70 percent of the cargo loads through the locks. Unplanned loss of the Poe would nearly shut down regional steel production, put 11 million jobs in jeopardy and cause a $1.1 trillion decrease in GDP, according to Homeland Security projections. The new lock, long sought by the maritime industry and others, made the U.S. Treasury Department's list of 40 infrastructure projects of major economic significance. The Great Lakes Commission is in Duluth on Tuesday and Wednesday for its annual meeting.

A new buoy at Stannard Rock: Stannard Rock Lighthouse, about 45 miles off shore from Marquette and one of the most remote lights in the U.S., got a new high-tech neighbor. “Scientists from the Superior Watershed Partnership and Lentic Environmental Services recently deployed the new buoy about a mile from the lighthouse,” according to an Associated Press story on UpNorthLive.com. “It will provide data on wave height, water temperature, wind speed and other variables.” In a 2011 Lake Superior Magazine story, maritime historian Fred Stonehouse wrote that many modern-day Coast Guardsmen nicknamed the light “Stranded Rock.” Fisherfolk, though, often find good catches by the reef reaching up from the bottom of Lake Superior.

There's something you don't see every day (or night): Ellyn M. (Davies) Conhartoski was driving at night at the border of Bayfield and Ashland counties near Clam Lake when she surprised two elk facing off in the roadway. Her resulting viral video has received more than 3 million views and some news coverage. This has been the third year for elk reintroduction in that northern Wisconsin region by the state DNR. In July, 31 Kentucky elk were released in the area. "Project goals include the addition of up to 75 elk to the northern population in an effort to supplement herd growth and add new genetics," the DNR reports. "Currently, the northern elk population is estimated at approximately 165 animals spread throughout several hundred square miles." Apparently not spread out enough, as far as these two rutting males are concerned.

New Iron Range bridge opening held off a day: The opening to traffic of the new U.S. Highway 53 bridge on Minnesota's Iron Range, scheduled for this evening (Sept. 15), has been delayed by forecasts of heavy rain, reports KBJR TV-6. The new bridge over the Rouchleau mine pit is part of a relocation project between Eveleth and Virginia, which was necessary to allow mining company access to iron ore under the highway. KBJR reported that project director Pat Huston said this morning that heavy rain in the forecast might impair crews' ability to safely make connections if the roadway is wet, and visibility is hampered. If the weather stays dry, it might open late Saturday or early Sunday.

Tragedy at Palisade Head: A 14-year-old girl from Somerset, Wisconsin, died after a fall from the top of Palisade Head on Minnesota’s North Shore Sunday. She was airlifted to a Duluth hospital, the Duluth News Tribune reported. Palisade Head is part of Tettegouche State Park and rises about 300 feet above Lake Superior. It’s a popular destination for climbers, hikers and other visitors.

Islanders unite: Under the lead of Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce, the Town of La Pointe and the Beaver Island Association through Ashland's Northland College, the first-ever Great Lakes Island Summit will take place on Beaver Island on Lake Michigan on Sept. 25-26. The summit organizers hope to attract representatives from all of the inhabited islands on the Great Lakes – about 20 of the 32,000 islands in the lakes, according to the group – with plans to form a coalition to create "a durable, long-term inter-island network." Northland is hosting the Great Lakes Island Initiative website.

In other news from Northland College, President Michael A. Miller (seen here with his wife, Mary), announced his retirement for June 30, 2018, according to Business North. "During his seven years," the story continues, "Miller brought in four new centers — the Indigenous Cultures Center, the Center for Rural Communities [involved in the Great Lakes Islands Initiative above], the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation, and the recently opened Hulings Rice Food Center. He expanded the athletic program, adding women’s hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s golf, and constructed a new stadium." In the story, Miller is quoted about his tenure at the college: “Serving as Northland’s 13th president for the past seven years has been an honor and goes down as my final and greatest professional accomplishment.” 

Photo credits: Christian Dalbec Photography (3 images); St. Scholastica Monestary; Neil Harri for Lake Superior Magazine; Ellen M. Davies; Northland College