Tag: Research, Data and Technology
One world, two Great Lakes
A tropical lake in Central Africa might not seem like the first place you would look to gain insights into North America’s Great Lakes. But that’s just what researchers from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio have been doing for the past three years.
Lake Victoria is the largest of Africa’s Great Lakes, the second largest in the world after Lake Superior.
Stunning new research reveals the Great Lakes pre-date North America
It is widely known by lovers of the Great Lakes that their unique shape was caused by glaciers melting and receding northward. That was approximately 20,000 years ago. However, new research published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests this treasured landmass started forming hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the theory of plate tectonics, when Pangea likely separated into the continents we recognize today.
Are the ash trees doomed?
The emerald ash borer (EAB) has devastated ash trees across North America. But researchers in Ohio discovered something unexpected — some ash trees are surviving. These ‘lingering ash’ not only resist EAB but can even kill its larvae.
Scientists suspected genetic resistance and tested their theory by cloning and crossbreeding surviving trees.
Saving mussels one dive at a time
Biological collection specialists are divers who travel around the country relocating freshwater mussels and other vulnerable aquatic species before river restoration projects begin.
In September of 2024, a team of 20 divers scoured 40,000 square meters of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. In just two weeks, the team found, identified, marked, tagged, and relocated every native freshwater mussel within their search area.
Points North: A Sticky Solution for Microplastics
By Michael Livingston, Interlochen Public Radio
Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Microplastics are everywhere.