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Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
4 | How levels and flows are measured
Water levels are measured and recorded at many locations around the Great Lakes and on their connecting channels.
The National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presently operates 31 water level gages on the Great Lakes and 18 gages on the connecting channels. In Canada, the Canadian Hydrographic Service maintains 29 water level gages on the Great Lakes and 27 on the St. Lawrence River. Other agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation, also operate recording gages at various locations on the lakes.
See also: Map of Great Lakes Water Level Gauging Stations
Great Lakes water levels are officially measured from the International Great Lakes Datum 1985 (IGLD 1985). This datum is referenced to sea level, as measured at Rimouski, Quebec, near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Because the crust of the earth in the Great Lakes region is continuously rising with respect to sea level, and the rate of movement is not uniform throughout the region, the IGLD must be updated every 25 to 30 years.
See also: FAQ about the International Great Lakes Datum
The rate of flow, or discharge, in a river or Great Lakes connecting channel is determined by measuring the channel depth and width, and the velocity of the flow. Measurements can be made by boat, from a bridge, or from a cableway strung across the river. With sufficient measurements of flow over a range of water levels, mathematical relationships can be developed between levels and discharges for various points along the connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River. These equations are essential to the coordination of outflow data, particularly related to hydroelectric power usage of Great Lakes waters.
Graphics: Water level gaging station; measuring outflows at the Niagara Cableway.
