The National Trust for Historic Preservation today named Lake Geneva one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations, according to a press release.
"We're thrilled," Lake Geneva Mayor Bill Chesen said. "This is such an honor."
The trust, which has been compiling its annual list of Distinctive Destinations since 2000, considers cities with "dynamic downtowns and stunning architecture to cultural diversity and commitment to historic preservation," according to the release.
"The selected destinations boast a richness of character and exude an authentic sense of place," the release said.
The trust describes Lake Geneva as "one of the Midwest's most beautiful natural wonders."
The trust names the following as reasons for the city's selection as a Distinctive Destination:
-- Lake Geneva long has been a vacation destination, especially for Chicagoans, who sought refuge in the area as their homes and businesses were being rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
-- Lake Geneva has a well-preserved mix of homes that display a historical spectrum of American residential architecture, from a Gothic revival cottage and large, picturesque Queen Anne mansions to formal colonial revival houses and progressive craftsman homes.
-- Lake Geneva offers a plethora of recreational activities from relaxing on the beach, to boating, water skiing, hiking, biking and horseback riding.
"Whatever time of year you go, Lake Geneva will leave you charmed," Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in the release. "Its historic small-town appeal, which the local citizens have worked so hard to preserve, makes this resort community a very special place to visit."
"This gives us a great opportunity to show our visitors the real ambience of the area," said Grace Eckland, director of marketing and public relations for the Lake Geneva Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We've always said it's always been the place. We are proud to have this honor, and we hope that it will invite people to come enjoy all we have to offer."
more
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wellcraft Marine Leverages Allure Of The Sea
In its first print advertising in five years, breaking this month, Wellcraft Marine Corp., Cadillac, Mich., celebrates the hardy men of the sea, and those who envision themselves as such - a target market that Wellcraft describes as "old-school boaters." Most Wellcraft buyers are not first-time boat owners.
Five different ads, each in spread, full-page, and half-page formats, feature close-cropped photos of the details of seafaring: a deckful of "freshly outsmarted fish," as one headline reads, or a pair of leathery hands tending a net.
One signature headline, over a skewed water horizon, reads "You've never been seasick. Bet you've been landsick a few times though." Overlaid over all of the ads are faded-in images of nautical gear, such as a depth chart, a block and tackle, a buoy. No boats are shown.
The campaign, created by The Republik of Durham, N.C., runs in eight national and regional boating magazines, from Boating Life to Pacific Coast Sport Fishing, with specific ads chosen to fit each publication's fishing, ocean, or recreational bias.
more
Five different ads, each in spread, full-page, and half-page formats, feature close-cropped photos of the details of seafaring: a deckful of "freshly outsmarted fish," as one headline reads, or a pair of leathery hands tending a net.
One signature headline, over a skewed water horizon, reads "You've never been seasick. Bet you've been landsick a few times though." Overlaid over all of the ads are faded-in images of nautical gear, such as a depth chart, a block and tackle, a buoy. No boats are shown.
The campaign, created by The Republik of Durham, N.C., runs in eight national and regional boating magazines, from Boating Life to Pacific Coast Sport Fishing, with specific ads chosen to fit each publication's fishing, ocean, or recreational bias.
more
Groups sue EPA, want tougher ship discharge rules
The Environmental Protection Agency is requiring oceangoing vessels to exchange their ballast water, or rinse their ballast tanks if empty, before entering U.S. coastal waters and the Great Lakes. Environmentalists say more extensive treatment of ballast tanks is necessary to keep invasive species from foreign ports from damaging U.S. aquatic ecosystems.
Ballast water, which keeps vessels stable in rough seas, is blamed for carrying zebra mussels and many other invasive species into U.S. waters where they have overwhelmed native species and caused other environmental harm.
In their lawsuit filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, three groups contend the EPA permit's requirements are too weak to meet Clean Water Act standards.
"The law does not allow EPA to do what's politically expedient," said Deborah Sivas, director of the Stanford Law School Environmental Clinic. "It requires what is necessary to protect our waters."
The clinic is representing Northwest Environmental Advocates, People for Puget Sound and the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is preparing to file similar litigation in federal court in New York, said Henry Henderson, the group's director of Midwest programs.
Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water, said: "EPA's vessel permit is a practical and protective step forward for preventing pollution from ships and keeping our waters and coasts clean and healthy."
The permit includes rules for 26 types of discharges from ships, such as ballast water, oily bilge water and "gray water" from showers and sinks. It had been scheduled to take effect Dec. 19, but a federal judge in California postponed the date until Feb. 6, giving states more time to impose additional requirements for vessels operating in their waters.
EPA previously exempted ballast and most other ship discharges from regulation under the Clean Water Act. Environmental groups and a half-dozen states sued over that policy, and the 9th Circuit ordered EPA to draw up rules for the discharges.
The permit requires vessels heading for U.S. ports with full ballast tanks to exchange the water at least 200 miles from shore. Ships with empty ballast tanks must rinse them with salt water to kill freshwater organisms lurking in residual puddles or sediment.
But those measures already had been required by Canada and the U.S. Coast Guard.
more
Ballast water, which keeps vessels stable in rough seas, is blamed for carrying zebra mussels and many other invasive species into U.S. waters where they have overwhelmed native species and caused other environmental harm.
In their lawsuit filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, three groups contend the EPA permit's requirements are too weak to meet Clean Water Act standards.
"The law does not allow EPA to do what's politically expedient," said Deborah Sivas, director of the Stanford Law School Environmental Clinic. "It requires what is necessary to protect our waters."
The clinic is representing Northwest Environmental Advocates, People for Puget Sound and the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is preparing to file similar litigation in federal court in New York, said Henry Henderson, the group's director of Midwest programs.
Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water, said: "EPA's vessel permit is a practical and protective step forward for preventing pollution from ships and keeping our waters and coasts clean and healthy."
The permit includes rules for 26 types of discharges from ships, such as ballast water, oily bilge water and "gray water" from showers and sinks. It had been scheduled to take effect Dec. 19, but a federal judge in California postponed the date until Feb. 6, giving states more time to impose additional requirements for vessels operating in their waters.
EPA previously exempted ballast and most other ship discharges from regulation under the Clean Water Act. Environmental groups and a half-dozen states sued over that policy, and the 9th Circuit ordered EPA to draw up rules for the discharges.
The permit requires vessels heading for U.S. ports with full ballast tanks to exchange the water at least 200 miles from shore. Ships with empty ballast tanks must rinse them with salt water to kill freshwater organisms lurking in residual puddles or sediment.
But those measures already had been required by Canada and the U.S. Coast Guard.
more
Lakes ore trade crumbled in December
With a majority of the nation’s blast furnaces idled, the iron ore trade on the Great Lakes took one of its biggest plunges in surely what are decades. Shipments totaled only 3.1 million net tons, a decrease of 42 percent compared to a year ago.
The comparison with the month’s 5-year average was even worse: Shipments were down by nearly 50 percent.
Due to very strong demand for iron ore until just a couple months ago, for the year the trade increased 1.1 million tons over 2007. Shipments also outperformed the trade’s 5-year average by 400,000 tons.
The January 2009 iron ore float will continue the trend of the past couple months. Only 26 U.S.-Flag lakers were in service on the first of this year, a decrease of 35 hulls compared to January 1, 2008. Furthermore, a number of the vessels that were in service as this year began were on their final voyage or voyages of the year.
more
The comparison with the month’s 5-year average was even worse: Shipments were down by nearly 50 percent.
Due to very strong demand for iron ore until just a couple months ago, for the year the trade increased 1.1 million tons over 2007. Shipments also outperformed the trade’s 5-year average by 400,000 tons.
The January 2009 iron ore float will continue the trend of the past couple months. Only 26 U.S.-Flag lakers were in service on the first of this year, a decrease of 35 hulls compared to January 1, 2008. Furthermore, a number of the vessels that were in service as this year began were on their final voyage or voyages of the year.
more
Great Lakes boating a $9 billion business
Senator Carl Levin, D-Michigan, yesterday released the results of a study conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers estimating the annual economic impact – both direct and secondary – of recreational boating on the Great Lakes at $9.4 billion, including $5.1 billion in sales and $1.8 billion in personal income.
According to the report, an average of 911,000 boaters visit the Great Lakes annually, supporting 60,000 jobs.
“This study clearly demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of recreational boaters come to the Great Lakes every year because the lakes are such a treasure, and they bring with them billions of dollars in economic activity and jobs,” said Levin [shown]. “Recreational boating is an important part of our economy in Michigan and around the Great Lakes and this study provides further support for federal funding to keep this economic engine running.”
The John Glenn Great Lakes Recreational Boating Report analyzes the economic importance of recreational boating to the Great Lakes states by tracing the flow of spending throughout the regional economy.
In particular, the report finds that the nearly one million recreational boaters on the Great Lakes each year spend $2.44 billion on boating trips and $1.44 billion on boats, equipment and supplies.
more
According to the report, an average of 911,000 boaters visit the Great Lakes annually, supporting 60,000 jobs.
“This study clearly demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of recreational boaters come to the Great Lakes every year because the lakes are such a treasure, and they bring with them billions of dollars in economic activity and jobs,” said Levin [shown]. “Recreational boating is an important part of our economy in Michigan and around the Great Lakes and this study provides further support for federal funding to keep this economic engine running.”
The John Glenn Great Lakes Recreational Boating Report analyzes the economic importance of recreational boating to the Great Lakes states by tracing the flow of spending throughout the regional economy.
In particular, the report finds that the nearly one million recreational boaters on the Great Lakes each year spend $2.44 billion on boating trips and $1.44 billion on boats, equipment and supplies.
more
Chemical levels decline among those who eat Great Lakes fish.
People in the Great Lakes region -- long known for its high levels of contamination -- are carrying around less of some of the most dangerous and harmful chemicals found there. Thirty years after the national bans on PCBs and DDT, researchers find lower chemical body burdens, even in those who catch and eat sport fish.
What did they do?
Scientists from Wisconsin measured DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) and PCBs in the blood of 293 men and women from 1994 to 1995 and again between 2001 and 2005. The average follow-up time between the first and second blood measurement was almost 10 years. The researchers targeted men and women who sport fish by inviting anglers and charter boat captains to participate. The study also enrolled people with low fish consumption who lived in the same neighborhoods as people who fished.
What did they find?
Over an average of almost 10 years, DDE levels declined in 89% of the study's participants, and PCBs declined in 80%.
Overall, DDE concentrations declined by 43%, or about 5% per year, and PCB concentrations decreased by 33%, or 4% per year.
People who decreased the amount of fish they ate during the study period showed the largest declines. But, decreases were also seen among those who kept their fish consumption steady or even increased their fish intake.
The highest DDE and PCB concentrations were found among older males who fished.
What does it mean?
People living in the Great Lakes region have lower levels of DDT, PCBs and other pollutants than they did a decade ago. Even those who continue to eat sport fish saw a decline in blood levels.
This study is important because it is one of just a few that shows in people how levels of some of the most persistent chemicals change over time. The large study population adds to the strength of the analysis.
Although levels of these chemicals are declining, they are still higher among sports fishermen than among the general population. Sport fishing is an extremely popular recreational activity in the Great Lakes region with more than 1 million fishing licenses issued each year.
Lower PCB levels in both frequent and nonfrequent sport fish eaters could be due to lower levels of the chemicals in the environment and practically no work or home exposure, suggest the authors.
The decline may also reflect a change in the species caught and eaten from Lake Michigan. The majority of the participants fished mostly from that lake, and the fisheries has changed from predominately lake trout to a mix of trout, Chinook salmon and perch.
DDE and PCB levels in Great Lakes fish declined dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s following the ban of the chemicals. Levels stabilized since the mid 1980s. An older study of Great Lake fish eaters and non-fish eaters found that DDT levels had decreased between 1982 and 1989, but PCB levels had decreased very little.
more
What did they do?
Scientists from Wisconsin measured DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) and PCBs in the blood of 293 men and women from 1994 to 1995 and again between 2001 and 2005. The average follow-up time between the first and second blood measurement was almost 10 years. The researchers targeted men and women who sport fish by inviting anglers and charter boat captains to participate. The study also enrolled people with low fish consumption who lived in the same neighborhoods as people who fished.
What did they find?
Over an average of almost 10 years, DDE levels declined in 89% of the study's participants, and PCBs declined in 80%.
Overall, DDE concentrations declined by 43%, or about 5% per year, and PCB concentrations decreased by 33%, or 4% per year.
People who decreased the amount of fish they ate during the study period showed the largest declines. But, decreases were also seen among those who kept their fish consumption steady or even increased their fish intake.
The highest DDE and PCB concentrations were found among older males who fished.
What does it mean?
People living in the Great Lakes region have lower levels of DDT, PCBs and other pollutants than they did a decade ago. Even those who continue to eat sport fish saw a decline in blood levels.
This study is important because it is one of just a few that shows in people how levels of some of the most persistent chemicals change over time. The large study population adds to the strength of the analysis.
Although levels of these chemicals are declining, they are still higher among sports fishermen than among the general population. Sport fishing is an extremely popular recreational activity in the Great Lakes region with more than 1 million fishing licenses issued each year.
Lower PCB levels in both frequent and nonfrequent sport fish eaters could be due to lower levels of the chemicals in the environment and practically no work or home exposure, suggest the authors.
The decline may also reflect a change in the species caught and eaten from Lake Michigan. The majority of the participants fished mostly from that lake, and the fisheries has changed from predominately lake trout to a mix of trout, Chinook salmon and perch.
DDE and PCB levels in Great Lakes fish declined dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s following the ban of the chemicals. Levels stabilized since the mid 1980s. An older study of Great Lake fish eaters and non-fish eaters found that DDT levels had decreased between 1982 and 1989, but PCB levels had decreased very little.
more
Embrace this hard winter for raising the Great Lakes
Do you hate this overly snowy winter?
Can't wait for that red, red robin to come so you can go bob-bob-bobbin' along in a boat?
We hear you.
And here's something that ought to cheer you:
The 39.1 inches of snow last month that made for the second-snowiest December on record in the Great Lakes Bay Region has helped pump the level of lakes Huron and Michigan a foot higher than last year, says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Way down upon the Saginaw River, Saginaw Bay and other points, marinas and dredged channels have a bit more to float the boats, both big and small.
Could this finally be the turnaround in the historically low level of the lakes?
That sure would be nice.
In fact, the Corps of Engineers predicts that the level of lakes Huron and Michigan - really, just one big pond because of their connection at the Straits of Mackinac - will stay higher than last year, at least through April.
It's good news for shippers who can load their boats more heavily, boaters who may not run aground as often, marina owners who've had to dredge because of low water and shoreline owners who despair of the mud flats and vegetation that have replaced beaches.
more
Can't wait for that red, red robin to come so you can go bob-bob-bobbin' along in a boat?
We hear you.
And here's something that ought to cheer you:
The 39.1 inches of snow last month that made for the second-snowiest December on record in the Great Lakes Bay Region has helped pump the level of lakes Huron and Michigan a foot higher than last year, says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Way down upon the Saginaw River, Saginaw Bay and other points, marinas and dredged channels have a bit more to float the boats, both big and small.
Could this finally be the turnaround in the historically low level of the lakes?
That sure would be nice.
In fact, the Corps of Engineers predicts that the level of lakes Huron and Michigan - really, just one big pond because of their connection at the Straits of Mackinac - will stay higher than last year, at least through April.
It's good news for shippers who can load their boats more heavily, boaters who may not run aground as often, marina owners who've had to dredge because of low water and shoreline owners who despair of the mud flats and vegetation that have replaced beaches.
more
Carp roundup is a net gain for Minnesota's lakes
The weather helped scientists, out to rid lakes of the damaging fish, round up 90 percent of the carp in Chanhassen's Lake Susan.
Talk about a great day of ice fishing.
Capitalizing on a quirk of nature -- carp congregate when it's cold -- University of Minnesota biologists pulled more than 3,000 of the unwelcome bottom feeders, some of them as old as 50 years, out of Chanhassen's Lake Susan on Monday.
Working under steadily pelting snowflakes, six commercial fishermen and 10 researchers located the cache of carp under the frozen surface by tracking radio tags placed on some of the fish during the summer.
A 2,000-foot skein net surrounded the fish under the ice as two tractors pulled the catch toward a 15-foot hole where the fish were scooped out onto a conveyer belt to be weighed, measured and counted.
"We probably caught 90 percent of the fish in that lake,'' said biologist Peter Sorensen of the university's Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. "This is an effort to remove the vast majority of the carp to see if we can improve the water quality of the lake."
And, he added, "A lot of these females being removed are just fat with eggs."
more
Talk about a great day of ice fishing.
Capitalizing on a quirk of nature -- carp congregate when it's cold -- University of Minnesota biologists pulled more than 3,000 of the unwelcome bottom feeders, some of them as old as 50 years, out of Chanhassen's Lake Susan on Monday.
Working under steadily pelting snowflakes, six commercial fishermen and 10 researchers located the cache of carp under the frozen surface by tracking radio tags placed on some of the fish during the summer.
A 2,000-foot skein net surrounded the fish under the ice as two tractors pulled the catch toward a 15-foot hole where the fish were scooped out onto a conveyer belt to be weighed, measured and counted.
"We probably caught 90 percent of the fish in that lake,'' said biologist Peter Sorensen of the university's Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. "This is an effort to remove the vast majority of the carp to see if we can improve the water quality of the lake."
And, he added, "A lot of these females being removed are just fat with eggs."
more
Coast Guard urges boaters to go digital
The Ninth Coast Guard District is urging mariners and aviators to start the year off right and make the switch to a digital emergency beacon.
Beginning Feb. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue personnel will only receive distress alerts broadcast using digital 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons.
Search and rescue satellites will no longer process older model analog EPIRBs that only transmit on 121.5 or 243 MHz.
The 406 EPIRB's signal is 50 times more powerful than the 121.5 beacon's, allowing satellites to better detect its signal and provide a more accurate search area for rescue crews.
Satellites are not capable of distinguishing between beacon and non-beacon sources using analog frequencies, making only about one in five alerts actually coming from a beacon. Many false alert signals come from ATMs, pizza ovens and stadium scoreboards.
With analog beacons, the only way to determine if an alert is an actual emergency is to send rescue crews to the area, which costs thousands of dollars, takes resources away from actual emergencies and puts the lives of responders at risk needlessly.
Furthermore, a GPS-embedded 406 EPIRB can shrink a search area to about 100 yards and can also pinpoint the position of a distressed mariner within minutes. Additionally, the number of false alerts with digital beacons is significantly lower than analog beacons.
"The signal from any emergency beacon activated on the U. S. waters of the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, or on land close to these waters, is automatically routed to the Coast Guard's Rescue Coordination Center here," said Jerry Popiel, Acting Chief of the Ninth Coast Guard District Incident Management Branch. "At the RCC, our round-the-clock duty officers assess the signal, determine the appropriate course of action and then dispatch a helicopter, boat or ship to the location to perform a rescue."
EPIRB owners are required by law to provide emergency contact information and a vessel description by registering their beacons with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
more
Beginning Feb. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue personnel will only receive distress alerts broadcast using digital 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons.
Search and rescue satellites will no longer process older model analog EPIRBs that only transmit on 121.5 or 243 MHz.
The 406 EPIRB's signal is 50 times more powerful than the 121.5 beacon's, allowing satellites to better detect its signal and provide a more accurate search area for rescue crews.
Satellites are not capable of distinguishing between beacon and non-beacon sources using analog frequencies, making only about one in five alerts actually coming from a beacon. Many false alert signals come from ATMs, pizza ovens and stadium scoreboards.
With analog beacons, the only way to determine if an alert is an actual emergency is to send rescue crews to the area, which costs thousands of dollars, takes resources away from actual emergencies and puts the lives of responders at risk needlessly.
Furthermore, a GPS-embedded 406 EPIRB can shrink a search area to about 100 yards and can also pinpoint the position of a distressed mariner within minutes. Additionally, the number of false alerts with digital beacons is significantly lower than analog beacons.
"The signal from any emergency beacon activated on the U. S. waters of the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, or on land close to these waters, is automatically routed to the Coast Guard's Rescue Coordination Center here," said Jerry Popiel, Acting Chief of the Ninth Coast Guard District Incident Management Branch. "At the RCC, our round-the-clock duty officers assess the signal, determine the appropriate course of action and then dispatch a helicopter, boat or ship to the location to perform a rescue."
EPIRB owners are required by law to provide emergency contact information and a vessel description by registering their beacons with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
more
Great Lake Bay Regional Alliance to work with lawmakers in promoting regionalism
With its newly minted name, the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance is turning its attention to politics by enlisting support from state lawmakers in Bay, Saginaw and Midland counties.
About 40 members of the regional advocacy group met Monday with legislators at the Doubletree hotel and conference center for a forum on area issues.
"We discussed what we need to work on to make this region successful," said Mike Seward, president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
Seward is serving as president of the Great Lakes Bay Region Board of Directors. The group was formerly known as Vision TriCounty and its mission remains to promote and market the three counties.
Seward said issues discussed Monday included supporting construction of a new terminal at MBS International Airport as well as energy-related projects, such as the proposed coal-fired power plant at Consumers Energy's Karn-Weadock generating complex in Hampton Township.
"We want to make sure we become the true center for energy development and generation in this state," he said.
Bob Van Deventer, president of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce and secretary/treasurer of the Great Lakes Bay Region Board of Directors, said Monday's meeting went well for a first-time event.
"We're gaining trust with each other," Van Deventer said. "I don't think anybody disputes the value of working regionally."
State Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, said the area has pulled together for projects in the past, but the Great Lakes Regional Alliance helps formalize a process for setting goals.
more
About 40 members of the regional advocacy group met Monday with legislators at the Doubletree hotel and conference center for a forum on area issues.
"We discussed what we need to work on to make this region successful," said Mike Seward, president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
Seward is serving as president of the Great Lakes Bay Region Board of Directors. The group was formerly known as Vision TriCounty and its mission remains to promote and market the three counties.
Seward said issues discussed Monday included supporting construction of a new terminal at MBS International Airport as well as energy-related projects, such as the proposed coal-fired power plant at Consumers Energy's Karn-Weadock generating complex in Hampton Township.
"We want to make sure we become the true center for energy development and generation in this state," he said.
Bob Van Deventer, president of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce and secretary/treasurer of the Great Lakes Bay Region Board of Directors, said Monday's meeting went well for a first-time event.
"We're gaining trust with each other," Van Deventer said. "I don't think anybody disputes the value of working regionally."
State Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, said the area has pulled together for projects in the past, but the Great Lakes Regional Alliance helps formalize a process for setting goals.
more
Innovation Fuels acquires rail-served terminal at Milwaukee port
Innovation Fuels Inc. recently purchased a former Shell Oil terminal at the Port of Milwaukee. The company plans to use the facility to produce and ship biodiesel.
The 10-acre terminal is served by Canadian Pacific Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, has access to barges via the Mississippi River and ships via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and is situated near major highways. The terminal features a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, offices, and rail and truck loading facilities.
“This acquisition provides Innovation Fuels with direct, deep-water access to lucrative Great Lakes and Northeast markets, as well as to international ports,” said Innovation Fuels Chief Executive Officer John Fox in a prepared statement.
more
The 10-acre terminal is served by Canadian Pacific Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, has access to barges via the Mississippi River and ships via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and is situated near major highways. The terminal features a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, offices, and rail and truck loading facilities.
“This acquisition provides Innovation Fuels with direct, deep-water access to lucrative Great Lakes and Northeast markets, as well as to international ports,” said Innovation Fuels Chief Executive Officer John Fox in a prepared statement.
more
Great Lakes water level sensitive to climate change
The water level in the Great Lakes has varied by only about two meters during the last century, helping them to play a vital role in the region's shipping, fishing, recreation and power generation industries.
But new evidence by scientists from the University of Rhode Island and colleagues in the U.S. and Canada, published last month in the journal Eos, indicates that the water level in the lake system is highly sensitive to climate changes.
"In the distant past, there were great fluctuations in the water level of the Great Lakes, but it was thought to have been related entirely to the advance and retreat of the glaciers," said URI geological oceanographer John King, who led the study with URI visiting scientist Michael Lewis, emeritus scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada. "But the last time lake levels fell dramatically – down to 20 meters below the basin overflow outlets – it was due to dry climate conditions."
That event, which occurred between 7900 and 7500 years ago in the early Holocene period, caused the lakes to become disconnected as their overflow rivers, including the Niagara River, ran dry.
"People used to say that the oceans are so big, we can dump whatever we want in them and nothing will happen," said King. "They thought of the Great Lakes in the same way, that the system is too large to be sensitive to climate variations. But now we know that to be untrue. We've demonstrated that at least once in the last 10,000 years, climate drove the lake levels down pretty substantially."
Researchers had long assumed that the Great Lakes had been "hydrologically open" and connected since their formation 16,000 years ago during the retreat of the last ice sheet, but recent evidence has found this to be false. Ancient shorelines, submerged beaches, and tree stumps on the floor of some lakes indicate that the water line had been as much as 20 meters below the present lake level.
"We had a multi-proxy approach to this study, and through many lines of evidence we identified this as a dry interval with a climactic cause as opposed to a glacial-related cause," King said.
The climate and water levels in the Great Lakes region are determined by the interplay of three air masses: dry, cold Arctic air from the North, dry warm Pacific air from the West, and warm, moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico. The scientists found that during the period when lake levels receded significantly, the dry air from the Arctic and Pacific was dominant. Later, when precipitation from the tropical air mass became more frequent, the Great Lakes began to flow from one to another as they do today.
more
But new evidence by scientists from the University of Rhode Island and colleagues in the U.S. and Canada, published last month in the journal Eos, indicates that the water level in the lake system is highly sensitive to climate changes.
"In the distant past, there were great fluctuations in the water level of the Great Lakes, but it was thought to have been related entirely to the advance and retreat of the glaciers," said URI geological oceanographer John King, who led the study with URI visiting scientist Michael Lewis, emeritus scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada. "But the last time lake levels fell dramatically – down to 20 meters below the basin overflow outlets – it was due to dry climate conditions."
That event, which occurred between 7900 and 7500 years ago in the early Holocene period, caused the lakes to become disconnected as their overflow rivers, including the Niagara River, ran dry.
"People used to say that the oceans are so big, we can dump whatever we want in them and nothing will happen," said King. "They thought of the Great Lakes in the same way, that the system is too large to be sensitive to climate variations. But now we know that to be untrue. We've demonstrated that at least once in the last 10,000 years, climate drove the lake levels down pretty substantially."
Researchers had long assumed that the Great Lakes had been "hydrologically open" and connected since their formation 16,000 years ago during the retreat of the last ice sheet, but recent evidence has found this to be false. Ancient shorelines, submerged beaches, and tree stumps on the floor of some lakes indicate that the water line had been as much as 20 meters below the present lake level.
"We had a multi-proxy approach to this study, and through many lines of evidence we identified this as a dry interval with a climactic cause as opposed to a glacial-related cause," King said.
The climate and water levels in the Great Lakes region are determined by the interplay of three air masses: dry, cold Arctic air from the North, dry warm Pacific air from the West, and warm, moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico. The scientists found that during the period when lake levels receded significantly, the dry air from the Arctic and Pacific was dominant. Later, when precipitation from the tropical air mass became more frequent, the Great Lakes began to flow from one to another as they do today.
more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Join us on Facebook
