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    Spring

what's new:

Welland Canal Begins 75th Year of Operation

The Welland Canal officially opened March 21 this year, marking the start of its 75th year of operation. It was the earliest start ever in the history of the present canal, the original version of which was constructed in 1829 to enable ships to get around Niagara Falls.

The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened March 23 for its 48th shipping season with the transit of the St. Lambert Lock by the M/V Beluga Emotion, destined for Valleyfield, where the multipurpose cargo vessel will take on a load of cement pipe. The Seaway's 47th navigation season commenced on March 25 in 2005, when the system remained open for 280 days—one day shy of the record 281 days set in 2004.

Wisconsin to Host Mercury Pollution Conference

The 8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant will be held August 6-11, 2006, at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wis. This will be the first conference in the series to integrate mercury science and policy issues, and it is expected to draw more than 800 scientists, academics and policy makers as well as representatives of industries and nongovernmental organizations involved in mercury issues from around the world. At its conclusion, a mercury pollution declaration will be released—a statement of scientific consensus likely to become an important source of information for policy makers worldwide as they address the widespread and growing problem of mercury in the environment. For more information, visit the conference website at mercury2006.org.

Great Lakes Rip Current Awareness Campaign Continues

The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network is continuing to support a three-year-old effort spearheaded by NOAA's National Weather Service and the U.S. Lifesaving Association by to create greater public awareness of the dangers of rip currents. Though rip currents are often associated with ocean beaches, they also occur in all of the Great Lakes. A regional workshop on the topic is planned for June 6 in Manitowoc, Wis. For more information, contact Gene Clark or Ron Kinnunnen, or visit www.miseagrant.umich.edu/rip.

Great Lakes Near Long-Term Average Water Levels
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the water levels on four of the five Great Lakes were close to their long-term average in March, when the lakes typically have passed the low point of their cyclical six-month decline and lake levels start to rise. Lake Michigan-Huron was still about 1.3 feet below below its long-term average level in March, but Lake Superior, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair were all less than six inches below theirs, while Lake Erie was about 2.5 inches above average.

Due to below-normal precipitation over the entire basin during the last 12 months, the Corps' six-month forecast calls for water levels on all of the lakes to remain at or slightly below their long-term averages, which means water levels will rise only two to four inches before peaking in July.

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last updated on 23 March 2006 by wittman
www.seagrant.wisc.edu/communications/greatlakes/