A little over one year ago, The New York Times and USA Today were reporting that the Great Lakes hit all time lows in water levels. According to those reports, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan were 29 inches below their average measurements taken since 1918. Scientists warned communities that they could only expect more tragedy with the Great Lakes. With a lack of rain from climate change, they told everyone to expect levels to continue to drop. (1)
n an April 2013 report from the International Joint Commission, a group with members from the United States and Canada that advises on water resources, said their five-year study concluded that water levels in the lakes were likely to drop even farther, in part because of the lack of precipitation in recent years brought on by climate change. (2)
Yet, after this warning that the Great Lakes were in serious trouble and to expect lower water levels, they’ve encountered quite the surprise.
This is a development that has startled scientists and thrilled just about everybody with a stake in the waterfront, including owners of beach houses, retailers in tourist areas and dockmasters who run marinas on the lake shore. (2)
Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior are at least a foot higher than they were a year ago, and are expected to rise three more inches over the next month. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seven to nine inches higher than a year ago.
Climate scientists cannot ignore the rapid increase of water levels that has occurred in the Great Lakes since the conclusion of the study mentioned above. And contrasted to their damning report of low water levels a year ago, The New York Times reported that levels are rising at a remarkable rate. (1)
Scientists partially attribute the rise in water levels to the frigid winters and abundance of rain in the Midwest, but climate change researchers failed to predict the dramatic reversal of trends. (1)
Ironically, here is a report just a week before the rising levels were noted:
“If the low water levels recorded in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River in recent years continue for sustained periods, the long-term impact on the region’s economy could reach more than $20 billion Canadian dollars by 2050.” One politician wanting to emphasize his knowledge of climate said, “Climate change is real, it’s happening today, the potential economic impact of climate change particularly on water levels is significant.” (3)
Then there are the winters. One of the coldest winters on record covered most of the Great Lakes with ice this past year, including an entirely iced-over Lake Superior, and it took a while for it to melt. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared on June 12 that the Great Lakes total ice cover finally reached 0% . This year was the longest ice has been seen on Lake Superior in 40 years of NOAA records. (4)
The Great Lakes hit the second-highest ice coverage on record on March 6 with 92% of the five lakes covered in ice. Temperatures in the Great Lakes region averaged 7 degrees below normal from January 1 to April 1. More than a third of the Great Lakes remained covered in ice by mid-April this year, and that caused problems for shipping. The Coast Guard was out on the lakes breaking up ice from early December through spring. (4)
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