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Sunday, January 30th, 2022

The Great Lakes are Higher Than They’ve Ever Been, and We’re Not Sure What Will Happen Next

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Link: The Great Lakes are Higher Than They’ve Ever Been, and We’re Not Sure What Will Happen Next
Stephan:   When someone thinks about the rise of the water level in coastal areas, most think of ocean coastal. Few, but locals, think about the Great Lakes. They should. This article explains why.
A storm on Lake Michigan isn’t the same as a storm on the ocean: There are different atmospheric factors and water-flow patterns that determine its ferocity. Credit: Jentara/Deposit Photos

A single road near Lake Superior connects Michigan’s Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to the rest of the state. During major rains, rocks and wood litter the route and cut off travel in and out. Over the summer, drivers have to take a 30-minute detour; in the winter, the trip can take more than two hours. Work crews eventually clear the path with plow-like machines, freeing the tribe’s movement.

Living at Superior’s southern edge, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) manages close to 19 miles of its shoreline. They rely on it for tourism revenue, drinking water, and fish for the tribal hatchery. A full lake is good news for KBIC, but if the levels spill over, it could spell danger for the residents’ subsistence.

This precarious balance shifted toward disaster during the 2018 Father’s Day flood, when more than seven inches of […]

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1 Comment

  1. Rev. Dean on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 10:40 am

    I figured a long time ago that the Great Lakes would also have problems.