tagged w/ freshwater
-
-
-
-
If Lake Michigan looks like it has shrunk in the past year, it's not a mirage.
Water levels are eight inches below last July, and 20 inches below their long-term average for this month. The lake now hovers a little less than a foot above its record low for July, set in 1964.
Nature - precipitation, temperature, lack of winter ice cover - is a driving force behind lake levels, but humans have a played a significant role as well.
It long has been acknowledged that historic dredging and mining in the St. Clair River, the primary outflow for Lakes Michigan and Huron, permanently lowered the connected lakes by about 16 inches.
A recently completed $15 million study funded by the U.S. and Canadian governments found that unexpected erosion since a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project on the river in the early 1960s dropped the lakes' long-term average by as much as an additional five inches. But that study, co-led by an Army Corps employee, concluded that the erosion is not ongoing and is therefore not triggering further water loss.
The study authors initially decided there was no need to explore some type of physical fix on the St. Clair to slow the outflow from Michigan and Huron and restore the lost water, but they were overruled by the International Joint Commission, which funded the study and oversees U.S. and Canadian boundary waters issues.
The study authors subsequently evaluated a range of options and concluded a variety of structures could indeed be built to throttle flows on the St. Clair, but they determined that any such project could take decades to complete, cost up to nearly $200 million and inflict harm in some areas of the lakes as well as benefit others.
They also noted such a "fix" could cause trouble for endangered sturgeon in the St. Clair, as well as exacerbate erosion and other problems if high water returns in the coming years, which is a distinct possibility given the vagaries of long-term weather patterns, as are further declines.
The ultimate conclusion of the study submitted to the Joint Commission this spring is that learning to live with ever-fluctuating lake levels is the best way to deal with the problem. But the Joint Commission has not decided whether to accept that recommendation, and on Thursday about 60 people turned out for a public hearing in Milwaukee to weigh in on the issue. Most who spoke didn't buy the study board's recommendation to essentially do nothing.
More at the linkIf Lake Michigan looks like it has shrunk in the past year, it's not a mirage.... more
-
-
A "Suck You" Halloween Message from the Vampires at Rio Tinto/Kennecott Minerals: Suck the Anishinaabe and the Environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DZPyUFiB8
Happy Halloween from your friends at Rio Tinto - Kennecott.
We’re celebrating the holiday by blowing up a frickin rock
The Eagle is sacred you say – we think not.
When money’s at play – the Anishinaabe can rot
To the Indians we say – just go away - suck the tribe
To the elected we say - money’s at play – offer the bribe
Mass murder and what not – that’s how we roll.
The fun of raping Eagle Rock – right in the hole.
We’ve told our kids it’s no fun to camp
It’s more fun as a blood sucking vamp
To us the Upper Peninsula is a place to trash.
At Rio Tinto Kennecott – we’re monsters that mash.
Suck you………
This is ArchAngel: The Environmental Hitman
Evil is as Evil Does
This is ArchAngel: The Environmental Hitman does not encourage or promote violence against the evildoers – but we will expose them….A "Suck You" Halloween Message from the Vampires at Rio Tinto/Kennecott... more
-
-
A glacier on Peru's Huaytapallana Moutain shed half its surface ice in just 23 years, officials said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns of climate change's growing threat to fresh water resources.
"Recent scientific studies indicate that between June 1983 and August 2006, the glacier has lost 50 percent of its surface ice," Erasmo Meza, manager of natural resources and the environment in the central Andean region of Junin, told the official Andina news agency.
He said the five square kilometers (1.9 square miles) of ice shrinkage on Huaytapallana, whose steep, jagged glacier and breathtaking lakes are popular tourist draws, was caused by global warming and presents growing problems in agriculture, health, fresh water resources and disaster mitigation.
To prevent further deterioration on the 5,557-meter (18,230-foot) mountain, the regional government of Junin is developing a project to declare Huaytapallana a natural conservation area -- a move Meza said could help prevent damage from a mining company doing a feasibility study in the area.
Glacier studies are often carried out in the Andes, the so-called "Roof of the Americas" region comprising more than 100 peaks above 5,000 meters (16,500 feet).
But the Huaytapallana studies show a sharper rate of glacial melt than other major findings.
cont.A glacier on Peru's Huaytapallana Moutain shed half its surface ice in just 23... more
-
-
A study warns, freshwater sources would be under threat due to warming and the eco system of tiny organisms. The article states tests which introduced warming showed a change in the distribution of biomass between animals and plants.
"This meant that the distribution of biomass between plants and animals changed from a... situation where you had a large amount of plants and a smaller amount of animal consumers to an 'inverted pyramid' where you have a smaller quantity of plant biomass and a larger amount of animal biomass," he told BBC News."-BBC
The tests where carried on 20 controlled mesocosms to research freshwater eco systems and had half on current temperature and other remaining on a warmer temperature. The study aims was to see what could happen to fresh water eco system if the world became warmer.
The study is found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02321.x/abstractA study warns, freshwater sources would be under threat due to warming and the eco... more
-
-
This documentary explores the plight of those living in low lying areas of the South Pacific who are already feeling the effects of sea level rise and pollution. Water Tomorrow... It is today.This documentary explores the plight of those living in low lying areas of the South... more
-
-
In which fresh water body can you scuba dive down more than 5,350 ft (1.63 km)? Which deep African lake has more fresh water fish species than any other lake in the world? Where might you discover space-like subglacial creatures? The answers to these questions can be found in Circle of Blue’s latest infographic: The Top Ten Deepest Freshwater Lakes in the World.
Using the most recent data, Circle of Blue compiled a list of the top-ten deepest freshwater lakes in the world. The lakes span the world, from Russia to Antarctica. Ranging in depth from some 5000 to 500 feet-deep, the freshwater bodies harbor some of the most diverse and interesting life on the planet.
Circle of Blue strives to identify and describe the dimensions of the global freshwater crisis in ways not imagined only a few years ago. Print these graphics and post them in your classrooms, offices, homes, or whereever you think people should know more about water.In which fresh water body can you scuba dive down more than 5,350 ft (1.63 km)? Which... more
-
-
There are many consequences of climate change. I focused on observable changes in glacial ice. When resorts in the Swiss Alps are offering climate change hiking trips instead of glacier treks, you know we are in trouble (news.bbc.co.uk).There are many consequences of climate change. I focused on observable changes in... more
-
-
Survival International
Indigenous people from south-east Peru are suing Repsol-YPF and US company Hunt Oil over their plans to explore for oil on their land.
Local indigenous organisation FENAMAD has filed a lawsuit asking for an injunction to be placed on both the companies’ activities. The suit argues that the government did not consult with local people before giving the companies permission to work there, as is required under international law, and oil exploration would violate local peoples’ fundamental human rights to ‘enjoy a balanced environment’.
Hunt and Repsol-YPF own the rights to explore in an area known as ‘Lot 76’, which includes land belonging to the Yine, Matsigenka and Harakmbut tribes. At the heart of the Lot is the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, used by many villages in the region and the source of six rivers that are the only fresh water supply for an estimated ten thousand people.
‘FENAMAD hopes that this legal action will paralyze any activity inside the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, as otherwise the very existence of Madre de Dios’s indigenous peoples would be put at risk,’ said FENAMAD spokesperson Jaime Corisepa.
Representatives of villages potentially affected by the exploration met with two Hunt employees at a recent meeting organised by FENAMAD http://fenamad-indigenas.blogspot.com/2009/09/native-communities-of-madre-de-dios.html
The representatives told Hunt they rejected the company’s presence on their land.
Watch a film of the meeting with Hunt http://fenamad-indigenas.blogspot.com/ (in Spanish), entitled ‘See how the Peruvian Amazon’s indigenous peoples say ‘NO’ to Hunt Oil company’.Survival International
Indigenous people from south-east Peru are suing Repsol-YPF... more
-
-
12th Anniversary Retreat
Spirit of Place
Encounters of Spirituality and the Environment
Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.com/kayaktrips.html
---
Wisdom in Wilderness: The Poetic Vision of Mary Oliver, a Spirit of Place kayaking trip retreat
Kayaking 40 miles along the shores of Lake Superior coastline
August 3-7, 2009
Cost: $850 (Limited to 10 persons)
Interfaith kayaking trip along 40 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, while reading journals of 16th Century Jesuit Missionaries to the Ojibwa tribe; discussions of spirituality and nature; hearty meals including smoked fish and homemade bread; Lodging in an Historic Inn and rustic lakeside cabins.
Facilitators: Rev. John Magnuson & Rev. Lee Goodwin
---
God and the Bomb
Science, Faith and the Future of Nuclear Technology
Nov. 12-15, 2009
Pecos Benedictine Monastery, New Mexico
(20 miles north of Santa Fe and 60 miles from Los Alamos)
Historical perspectives on the development of the Atomic Bomb
Small group dialogues on the faith and science with psycho-social insights on the challenge of nuclear technology
Prayers and reflection with members of the Benedictine Community
Ethical considerations for the promise and threat of nuclear energy
Afternoons in Santa Fe and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory with daily hikes in the Sangre de Christo Mountains.
Presenters:
Larry Rasmussen, PhD., Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary
Robert Kraus, PhD., Deputy Director of Research and Development, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Facilitator:
Rev. Jon Magnuson, Director, nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute,
Cost: $850
Limited to 12 persons
Registration Deadline: September 1, 2009
Requires a $250 deposit12th Anniversary Retreat
Spirit of Place
Encounters of Spirituality and the... more
-
-
Ashland, Wisconsin residents Alissa Weitz, 26, and Brian Castillo, 23, will soon be completing their 1,300 mile journey around Lake Superior.
They are a couple in love with Lake Superior and each other - on a modern day lover's adventure.
They arrived in Marquette in late July and spent Lake Superior Day hiking with friends and swimming including jumping off the tall cliffs at the city’s “black rocks.”
A big part of their quest is educating the public about the environmental value of Lake Superior.
Averaging 25 miles a day - with their longest day over 40 miles.
They encountered water temperatures as low as 38 degrees, fog outside of Marquette, rough waves outside of Houghton, Michigan that prevent them from rounding the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula - and instead cut through the Keweenaw Waterway.
They left Ashland, Wisconsin on July 1 and hope to complete their two-month journey around the first week of September.
Weitz is a native of Dubuque, IA & Castillo is a native of Madison, WI.
Graduates of the Northland College outdoor education program in Ashland, Wisconsin, the couple were competitors working for different kayak guiding companies when they met two years ago and fell in love.
They are documenting their adventure at:
http://www.sessiononsuperior.blogspot.com
Thanks to Down Wind Sports in Marquette, Brian picked up a new kayak due to problems with the one used during the first part of the trek. Sea Kayak Specialists of Marquette provided tools and space to repair their equipment.
This video was made in cooperation with the Cedar Tree Institute, Earth Keeper Initiative, Earth Healing Initiative and Turtle Island Project, all northern Michigan non-profits protecting Lake Superior.
Special thanks to the Lake Superior Binational Forum for helping make this video possible.
News coverage of Alissa, Brian:
Marquette:
http://www.miningjournal.net
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/513083.html
BlogsMonroe:
http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/2008/07/25/pair-attempts-to-circle-lake-superior-in-kayaks
Ashland paper:
Marquette Photo:
http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/24/news/doc4888981f7b087681234763.txt
Story prior to trip:
http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486b8dfe3df63322933742.txt
WX Channnel:
http://uservideo.weather.com:80/item/GY56YQ4K0TH0B3CS
Lake Superior Binational Forum
Lissa Radke, LSFB US Coordinator
715-682-1489
http://www.superiorforum.info
Northland College in Ashland, WI:
http://www.northland.edu/Northland
Clean Wisconsin:
http://cleanwisconsin.org
Down Wind Sports:
http://www.downwindsports.com/index.html
http://www.downwindsports.com/about.html
http://www.downwindsports.com/paddling.html
Owners: Bill Thompson, Todd King, Jeff Stasser and Arni Ronis
Marquette: 906-226-7112
514 N. Third Street
Marquette, MI
49855
Houghton: 906-482-2500
308 Shelden Ave.
Houghton, MI
49931
Sea Kayak Specialists:
http://www.seakayakspecialists.com
http://www.seakayakspecialists.com/html/about_sks.html
http://www.seakayakspecialists.com/html/contact_us.html
Sea Kayak Specialists
PO Box 94
Marquette, MI
49855
Sam Crowley
http://www.glsks.org/sam_crowleypage.htm
Nancy Uschold
906-250-4238
Other links:
http://caskaorg.typepad.com/caska/2008/07/superior-sessio.html
UM Sea Grant
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/ais/fieldguide
EcoSuperior Enviro:
http://www.ecosuperior.com
Environment Canada:
http://www.ec.gc.ca
Turtle Island Project official website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Earth Healing Initiative:
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
Cedar Tree Institute: Michigan Earth Keepers, Manoomin Project & 2008 Zaagkii Wings & Seeds project
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
Earth Keeper TV
http://www.youtube.com/yoopernewsman
Turtle Island TV (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
Earth Healing TV
http://www.youtube.com/user/EarthHealingTV
Ashland, Wisconsin residents Alissa Weitz, 26, and Brian Castillo, 23, will soon be... more
-
-
Each year, between July and October, Cambodia's Tonle Sap river, swollen by monsoon rain and excess flow from the nearby Mekong River, reverses its course. As water pours back into Cambodia's Great Lake, swelling its size by over four times, the flood-plain is transformed into a vast breeding ground for over 250 species of fish - a vital source of livelihoods and sustenance for Cambodia's rural poor.
But population growth and economic development in the Mekong basin are threatening fish resources, according to scientists, who say the country's food security could be hanging in the balance.
"This is one of the most intensely fished freshwater areas in the world," said Eric Baran, a research scientist at the World Fish Center, an international fisheries research institute. "The 2.6 million tonnes of fish caught annually in the Mekong basin represent seven times more than the catches of the North American inland fisheries sector and more than 10 times the entire [inland] fish catch in Australia."
But population growth and increased fish consumption is straining Great Lake's fish resources. "Between 1940 and 1995, fish production increased twofold, but population increased threefold," he said. "We are close to a maximum level of production, but the population keeps growing," Baran said.
So Nam, deputy director of the Cambodian government's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, told IRIN: "Population growth is the main concern. Although the catch is now 400,000 tonnes per year," he said, "most of the [fish] are small sized."
The trend to smaller fish was also observed in River At Risk, a 2004 report by Milton Osborne, [] who noted the "regular complaints from [Great Lake] fishers about the difficulty of catching their desired quantities of fish."
Cambodia's heavy reliance on freshwater fish as a source of protein makes it particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in production, said Baran.
"[Cambodia] is a country where fish production is three times pig production and 20 times chicken production. If it loses fisheries, the agriculture sector will not be able to catch up," he said.
Illegal fishing
A rise in illegal fishing due to collaboration between outlaw anglers and local officials, is also a growing problem. Nao Thuok, director of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, said the law was difficult to enforce in a country as reliant on fish as Cambodia. "Families can fish year round," he said. "But the [2006] Fisheries Law only enables them to use small-scale fishing gear. The problem is that families complain they cannot survive and are using larger gear in the spawning season."
To combat illegal fishing and encourage the long-term sustainability of Cambodia's freshwater fisheries, the government has devolved decision-making powers and enforcement to the local level.
Education, capacity building
According to So Nam, the central Fisheries Administration is focusing its efforts on educating fishermen about the challenges of sustainable development. "Education is very important. One of the aims is to strengthen the community by building the capacity of the community, teaching people to do their management, their conservation and their planning," So Nam told IRIN*continues*Each year, between July and October, Cambodia's Tonle Sap river, swollen by... more
-
-
I took a high resolution photo last month about 1 mile offshore on Lake Superior with a weird image at the very bottom - read this article I posted on Gather.com
It's not blurry but it's still not clear what it is - one expert says glare.
What do you think?I took a high resolution photo last month about 1 mile offshore on Lake Superior with... more
-
-
(Marquette, Michigan) - It’s a 1,300 mile, two month odyssey - kayaking around the always beautiful and sometimes treacherous Lake Superior
Ashland, Wisconsin residents Alissa Weitz and Brian Castillo are promoting the protection of Lake Superior - the world’s largest freshwater lake.
The twenty somethings departed Bayfield, Wisconsin on July 1 and hope to complete their journey by September.
The kayaking duo left Marquette, Michigan on Tuesday afternoon, July 22, 2008 to continue their journey.
They arrived in Marquette for Lake Superior Day 2008 - this year that was July 20 2008.
Lake Superior Day is sponsored by the Lake Superior Bi-national Forum and is held annually on the third Sunday of July.
Alissa and Brian spent Lake Superior Day hiking with friends and swimming including jumping off the tall cliffs at the city's "black rocks."
A big part of their quest is educating the public about protecting Lake Superior and why the largest of the Great Lakes is so important..
The trek takes them through the Canada and the United States including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Averaging 25 miles a day - with their longest day was about 40 miles.
They encountered water temperatures as low as 38 degrees, fog outside of Marquette, rough waves outside of Houghton, Michigan that prevent them from rounding the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula - and instead cut through the Keweenaw Waterway.
Thanks to Down Wind Sports in Marquette, Brian picked up a new kayak because of problems with the one used during the first part of their trek.
Weitz is a native of Dubuque, Iowa and Castillo is a native of Madison, Wisconsin.
Alissa is 26 years old and Brian is 23 years old.
Graduates of the Northland College outdoor education program in Ashland, Wisconsin, the couple were competitors working for different kayak guiding companies when they met two years ago and fell in love.
The Kayaker's (Alissa Weitz, Brian Castillo) "Session on Superior" blog about trip around the lake:
http://www.sessiononsuperior.blogspot.com
This video was made in cooperation with the Cedar Tree Institute, the Earth Keeper Initiative, the Earth Healing Initiative and the Turtle Island Project – all northern Michigan-based non-profits seeking to protect Lake Superior.
And special thanks to the Lake Superior Binational Forum for helping make this video possible..
Greg Peterson for Earth Keeper, Earth Healing and Turtle Island TV
---
News coverage of Alissa, Brian:
Marquette paper:
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/513083.html
---
Ashland paper:
Marquette Photo:
http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/24/news/doc4888981f7b087681234763.txt
Story prior to trip:
http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486b8dfe3df63322933742.txt
---
WX Channnel:
http://uservideo.weather.com:80/item/GY56YQ4K0TH0B3CS
---
Lake Superior Binational Forum
Lissa Radke, LSFB US Coordinator
715-682-1489
http://www.superiorforum.info
---
Northland College in Ashland, WI:
http://www.northland.edu/Northland
---
Down Wind Sports:
http://www.downwindsports.com/index.html
Owners: Bill Thompson, Todd King, Jeff Stasser and Arni Ronis
Marquette: 906-226-7112
Houghton: 906-482-2500
---
Sea Kayak Specialists:
http://www.seakayakspecialists.com
Sam Crowley, Nancy Uschold
906-250-4238
---
EcoSuperior Enviro:
http://www.ecosuperior.com
Environment Canada:
http://www.ec.gc.ca
---
Video made in cooperation with:
---
Turtle Island Project official website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Earth Healing Initiative official website:
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
Cedar Tree Institute: (Michigan Earth Keepers, Manoomin Project and the 2008 Zaagkii Wings & Seeds project)
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
Earth Keeper TV
http://www.youtube.com/yoopernewsman
Turtle Island TV (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
Earth Healing TV
http://www.youtube.com/user/EarthHealingTV(Marquette, Michigan) - It’s a 1,300 mile, two month odyssey - kayaking around... more
-
-
Residents of three states and Canada will celebrate the world's largest, deepest and coldest freshwater lake.
Lake Superior Day will be held on July 20, 2008Residents of three states and Canada will celebrate the world's largest, deepest... more
-
