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Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#21

Post by danans »

craigyk wrote: post #12
danans wrote: post #6

I went kayaking in Little Traverse Bay (an inlet of Lake Michigan) a few years back, and it is usually always that clear. It was pretty amazing to be swimming and boating in water as clear as the Caribbean in Michigan. Someone told me it is so clear because of all the springs that empty into the Bay.

I don't know how true this is, but my mom used to live on Lake Michigan when she was ~7 and used to tell me how gross the lakes were before the Clean Water Act, and how amazing the turn-around. If so, it's a nice example for the jaded that government can do some things right.

Little Traverse Bay is surrounded by some surprisingly expensive vacation homes and a high-end town center, so perhaps it's not so surprising that the bay is kept very clean.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#22

Post by bluedino »

danans wrote: post #6

I went kayaking in Little Traverse Bay (an inlet of Lake Michigan) a few years back, and it is usually always that clear. It was pretty amazing to be swimming and boating in water as clear as the Caribbean in Michigan. Someone told me it is so clear because of all the springs that empty into the Bay.

Too bad the water is freezing cold and the beaches are full of rocks.

I have friends and family who will swim in 45 degree water but it's not for me.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#24

Post by maxerickson »

mhurron wrote: post #16
maxerickson wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lake Michigan was fine in the 1980s (when I grew up swimming in it). Even during weather that would really churn things up the water was still fine. Another comment mentions Zebra mussels, which have made the lakes quite a bit clearer in recent years (but not necessarily to good effect).

With the size of the Great Lakes, it wouldn't be that surprising that some bays or inlets would be clean while others were disgusting. I don't know about Lake Michigan, but I wouldn't really have advocated swimming in the parts of Lake Ontario I was around in the '80s.

No one ever even thought about it.

This sounds made up, but my father worked for the state department that oversaw municipal water treatment (as a civil engineer, many cities on Lake Michigan draw water from the lake), so I guess I would have had some awareness of serious issues with the water.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#25

Post by ghshephard »

The descriptions of the shipwrecks pictured on that site all seem to be in water shallower than 15 feet. To make their point about how clear the water is, it might have been useful to show some shipwrecks that are deeper than a swimming pool.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#26

Post by VLM »

danans wrote: post #21
craigyk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know how true this is, but my mom used to live on Lake Michigan when she was ~7 and used to tell me how gross the lakes were before the Clean Water Act, and how amazing the turn-around. If so, it's a nice example for the jaded that government can do some things right.

Little Traverse Bay is surrounded by some surprisingly expensive vacation homes and a high-end town center, so perhaps it's not so surprising that the bay is kept very clean.

The more expensive the land the more grass/ornamental fertilizer runoff the worse the water quality.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#27

Post by markeroon »

smhenderson wrote: post #17
mhurron wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the size of the Great Lakes, it wouldn't be that surprising that some bays or inlets would be clean while others were disgusting. I don't know about Lake Michigan, but I wouldn't really have advocated swimming in the parts of Lake Ontario I was around in the '80s.

I was living in Toronto in the 1990's and I wouldn't swim in Lake Ontario if you paid me. And anyway this is a seasonal effect brought on by a larger than usual ice content this past winter. If I read the article correctly this won't last long and run off from surrounding farms and industry will have the lake algae ridden and opaque before too long...

And now some of our beaches have Blue Flag certification. Incredible.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#28

Post by jonknee »

jsat wrote: post #5

As someone who grew up near Lake Michigan, it is truly bizarre to see the lake this clear. These pictures look like they came out of the Gulf of Mexico!

To be fair, you're looking at a swimming pool depth (the caption says 6-12'). It's clear, but it would be surprising to not be able to see 6'.

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#29

Post by ryanberg »

danans wrote: post #6

I went kayaking in Little Traverse Bay (an inlet of Lake Michigan) a few years back, and it is usually always that clear. It was pretty amazing to be swimming and boating in water as clear as the Caribbean in Michigan. Someone told me it is so clear because of all the springs that empty into the Bay.

I was born and raised in the Traverse City area. The Great Lakes have become remarkably clearer throughout the years. I was told that it was due to the invasive species of Zebra Mussels[1] which have no natural predators in the Great Lakes. As their population exploded, they have significantly increased the clarity of the water.

-- [1] - http://www.noaa.gov/features/earthobs_0508/zebra.html

Re: Lake Michigan Is So Clear Right Now Its Shipwrecks Are Visible from the Air

#30

Post by tjradcliffe »

smhenderson wrote: post #17
mhurron wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the size of the Great Lakes, it wouldn't be that surprising that some bays or inlets would be clean while others were disgusting. I don't know about Lake Michigan, but I wouldn't really have advocated swimming in the parts of Lake Ontario I was around in the '80s.

I was living in Toronto in the 1990's and I wouldn't swim in Lake Ontario if you paid me. And anyway this is a seasonal effect brought on by a larger than usual ice content this past winter. If I read the article correctly this won't last long and run off from surrounding farms and industry will have the lake algae ridden and opaque before too long...

I swam in Lake Ontario near Kingston from the mid-80's up to a few years ago and never had an issue, although after heavy rains in summer there could be pretty high E. coli load near shore due mostly to ducks and geese (solution, swim off a dock).

Fecal matter from birds--like the scads of corrmorants around Kingston--is rich in nutrients, and while agricultural runnoff can be a problem Lake Ontario doesn't suffer from it particularly, and even without it there are plenty of altnernative nutrient sources.

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