Low ice on the Great Lakes this winter
Ice coverage has reached a record low in the Great Lakes for this time of year.
Great Lakes
A Career of Leadership in Great Lakes Research
After 31 years serving the Great Lakes community, we celebrate the career of Dr. Thomas Johengen as he retires from the University of Michigan. After …
Why NOAA tracks water levels in the Great Lakes
Millions of people rely on the Great Lakes for recreation, industry, and drinking water, and changing water levels can have positive or negative impacts on …
New study shows promise of forecasting meteotsunamis
On the afternoon of April 13, 2018, a large wave of water surged across Lake Michigan and flooded the shores of the picturesque beach town of Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks, and flooding intake pipes. Thanks to a local citizen’s photos and other data, NOAA scientists reconstructed the event in models and determined this was the first ever documented meteotsunami in the Great Lakes caused by an atmospheric inertia-gravity wave.
Climate-driven shifts in deep Lake Michigan water temperatures signal the loss of winter
Climate change is causing significant impacts on the Great Lakes and the surrounding region. As the largest surface freshwater system in the world, the Great Lakes have an enormous impact, seen and unseen, on the more than 34 million people who live within their collective basin. Because of their unique response to environmental conditions, Earth’s large lakes are considered by scientists as key sentinels of climate change. A long-term study published in Nature Communications today from NOAA reveals a warming trend in deepwater temperatures that foreshadows profound ecological change on the horizon. While less visible than the loss in ice cover and increasing lake surface temperatures, this latest index of climate change adds to the growing evidence of climate change impacts in the region.
NOAA unveils 10-year roadmap for tackling ocean, Great Lakes acidification
Today, NOAA unveiled its new 10-year research roadmap to help the nation’s scientists, resource managers, and coastal communities address acidification of the open ocean, …
NOAA unveils 10-year roadmap for tackling ocean, Great Lakes acidification Read More >
NOAA researchers model risk of Asian carp invasion in Lake Huron
New research by NOAA and partners finds that two species of invasive Asian carp — the bighead carp and silver carp, collectively known as bigheaded carps — could be capable of establishing populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and affecting the health of ecologically and economically important fish species such as yellow perch.
NOAA teams up with Viking to conduct and share science aboard new Great Lakes expedition voyages
NOAA plans to expand its research in the Great Lakes region as the agency teams up with the travel company Viking to carry scientists aboard …