Water is important to us in Michigan and the Midwest in general. Our fresh water is a valuable resource, a resource that we work hard to protect. It doesn't matter what your political leanings are, nor does it matter what your economic status is, because we all enjoy what the great lakes provide. Our wildlife is prevalent, and it is a fact that wildlife in the southern United States and north of us in Canada is also dependent on the great lakes water basin.
Just this past weekend, I was able to view some migratory birds called the "Buffalo Head", which are awesome little diving ducks that have physical characteristics like a penguin. Their natural habitat is near the arctic circle, and they are on their way back north now that the weather is warming up.
The last few years of drought in the Midwest have caused the Great Lakes water levels to be down 12" over the past 2-3 years. An interesting fact is that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down an additional 12" beyond the lowering levels of Lakes Superior, Erie and Ontario. The NOAA and National Weather people attribute this to the ongoing dry conditions. Many of our Great Lakes ship captains and water based commercial businesses believe that the issue goes beyond the dry conditions.
In previous years there has been dredging in Lake St. Clair, which is north of Detroit and is part of the Great Lakes since it is part of the body of water that connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. Some believe that the dredging that occurred went too deep, and that the effect is similar to pulling the plug out of a bath tub. In other words, the dredging may have created a pathway for the water to travel to underground water systems or voids in the earth's crust. Remember, there is a great inverted salt dome under Michigan and the lakes, which is the remnant of a great saltwater sea from millions of years ago. In fact, 38% of the world's salt comes from mines in Michigan.
A delta is forming in Lake St. Clair, and my daughter may be part of a science team that will be studying this delta this summer. A delta is a formation that occurs when there is some type of drainage, such as the drainage of the Mississippi river into the Gulf of Mexico. The question that needs to be resolved is this: Why is a delta forming, what is being drained and where is it going?
...to be continued....
Kevin Karpinski,
Adventure Operator & Professional Guide
Entrepreneur - pineneedlepeople.com
Just this past weekend, I was able to view some migratory birds called the "Buffalo Head", which are awesome little diving ducks that have physical characteristics like a penguin. Their natural habitat is near the arctic circle, and they are on their way back north now that the weather is warming up.
The last few years of drought in the Midwest have caused the Great Lakes water levels to be down 12" over the past 2-3 years. An interesting fact is that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down an additional 12" beyond the lowering levels of Lakes Superior, Erie and Ontario. The NOAA and National Weather people attribute this to the ongoing dry conditions. Many of our Great Lakes ship captains and water based commercial businesses believe that the issue goes beyond the dry conditions.
In previous years there has been dredging in Lake St. Clair, which is north of Detroit and is part of the Great Lakes since it is part of the body of water that connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. Some believe that the dredging that occurred went too deep, and that the effect is similar to pulling the plug out of a bath tub. In other words, the dredging may have created a pathway for the water to travel to underground water systems or voids in the earth's crust. Remember, there is a great inverted salt dome under Michigan and the lakes, which is the remnant of a great saltwater sea from millions of years ago. In fact, 38% of the world's salt comes from mines in Michigan.
A delta is forming in Lake St. Clair, and my daughter may be part of a science team that will be studying this delta this summer. A delta is a formation that occurs when there is some type of drainage, such as the drainage of the Mississippi river into the Gulf of Mexico. The question that needs to be resolved is this: Why is a delta forming, what is being drained and where is it going?
...to be continued....
Kevin Karpinski,
Adventure Operator & Professional Guide
Entrepreneur - pineneedlepeople.com
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