Lake Superior Feeling The Water Pinch

(CBS)  At first glance it's hard to believe Lake Superior could be said to be "disappearing." It's huge. But all along its 1,800-mile coast, you can see land where there used to be water, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.

"All these used to be under water," a police officer said while gesturing at pilings.

At 18 inches below normal, the lake looks different — above and below the water level. Ron and Jackie Polomski are being forced to move their boat from their old marina to one with deeper water.

"We know there is a cyclic up and down of the lake," Ron said. "I mean, history shows you that. But not this low."

Boaters are complaining.

"Two sailboats got hung up and needed to be towed — one guy ran through it and broke his props," boater Mitch Omer said.

But the real complaint comes from commercial shippers. Every inch the water falls forces the freighter fleet to drop another 8,000 tons of cargo. That adds up to a huge loss: $1.5 million annually per ship.

"A vessel is doing just the same amount of work with less tonnage, so they're less efficient." said Adolph Ojard, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port.

At nearly 32,000 square miles, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. But over the last decade its levels have dropped nearly 2.5 feet — that's 16 trillion gallons of water just gone … enough to give 2,000 gallons or more to every man, woman and child on earth.

But water levels also are down across the entire Great Lakes Basin, and experts are racing to find out why.

Two big factors are a drought that is dumping 20 percent less rain into the lake, and warmer winter temperatures that mean less ice cover and more evaporation.

It's said that man changes levels by inches; Mother Nature by feet. The question is whether man is affecting nature.

"Within a couple of years, they should be rising again," said Doug Wilcox, ecologist and branch chief of the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center. "If they continue to go lower and lower, that would indicate to me that we're outside the bounds of the natural pattern."

Scientists hope it's just another cycle and that Superior will rise again. But with 16 trillion gallons to replace, it'll take time and patience on the part of those who live, and make a living, on this lake.

[octavianfdlr]

ianlou, you said:

"Ah..........what?

Who give two Sheets about what's melting on Mars or Jupiter, we can't live there."

Just the response I have come to expect from Global Warming Luddites (to use drocedus' term)! (The Luddites, you may recall, opposed industrialization, just like the Global Warming propagandists do today.)

The argument has been made that global warming (such as is occurring now on Earth, Mars, and Jupiter) can only be explained by the action of humans. But humans have not affected Mars or Jupiter. Therefore, what's happening on Mars and Jupiter falsifies your cherished belief, ianlou, that government action can change global warming.

Who cares? Every climate scientist. Who should care? Everyone who does not want to be railroaded by power-hungry governments.

Why do the Global Warming bunch keep trying to deny whats happening on Jupiter and Mars? Or say it's not important? Because not one of them is a climate scientist!

[rwbgirl]

Global warming predictions are variable b/c the environment is a complex interconnected system. Changing one variable can have any number of possible effects. It is proven that the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have significantly changed since industrialization. The carbon balance has been altered. I am reluctant to throw out decades of research b/c a president backed by big oil loudly yells that global warming is a myth.

[camos1]

Scientists have known for years that the increased solar activity contributes to global warming, about 30% of it. This, as well as increased dust storm activity (on Mars) and orbital differences, account for warming on other planets. You Luddites should just shut up - you're embarrassing yourselves. You do not have the intellectual ability or the will to comprehend complex issues that have more than one variable.

[frb01]

Lack of a real winter season for the past couple years is probably the reason, the Great Lakes experienced low water in the 60's for most of the next forty years we have had above average levels, the last couple years the trend has been downward.

[ianlou]

octavianfdlr

Ah..........what?

Who give two Sheets about what's melting on Mars or Jupiter, we can't live there.

Further, neither of those two planets are covered with water, plants, animals and polluting humans which, I thought, this discussion was all about.

Are you saying that humans have a negligible impact on Earth since global warming seems to be happening to all planets? Next time you fly across America, look out the plane window and ask yourself if you can see any sign of the impact of man on the landscape below.

[octavianfdlr]

ianlou asks "Could ether of you explain to me why you are so adamant about the non-existence of global warming?" My answer: as soon as you, ianlou, explain why you are so adamant about the non-existence of global warming! What's that? You can't explain a falsehood? Neither can I.

I believe that Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are all experiencing global warming. Many propagandists, disguising themselves as scientists, would have us all believe that the only possible explanation for global warming is anthropogenic greenhouse gases.

I do not believe that any actual scientists have ever claimed that anthropogenic greenhouse gases are causing the ice caps of Mars to melt.

I do not believe that any actual scientists have ever claimed that anthropogenic greenhouse gases have caused the weather on Jupiter to intensify to the point that there are now two red spots.

Do you really believe that we can control the climate on Mars, ianlou? What's in that "cool-aid!"

[andrew_693]

I still remember when the Lewinski scandal was happening and the USS Cole got attacked Clinton decided to hit Bin Laden, they were all saying that Clinton was "wagging the dog". Look at them know, they can't get enough of war. Had all this global warming be happening during Clinton's presidency the first thing they would have blamed would have been his ***. But hey, since there is a cocaine snorting drunk christian in the presidency let's pretend that everything is good and perfect, there is no torture, no global warming, katrina never happened, and Cheney's Enron didn't collapse. ............Carter was right, "Bush is the worst president ever!!"

[harp1963]

The polar ice caps are visably smaller than in the 1970's, lakes are drying up, and we have record hot summers year after year. No, the polluting Republicans are right, we're a bunch of hysterical idiots and there is no such thing as global warming. Lets just keep polluting.

[williams8499]

Well you think perhaps that water has been found on mars that the aliens are stealing our water. Strange as it may sound the usage of this water is definitely somewhere.

[ianlou]

ianlou, like the man said, You don't want to join any club that would have You as a member.
Posted by DRinUK at 12:34 PM : Jun 22, 2007

I love that quote,
"I won't belong to any organization that would have me as a member" Groucho Marx.

Notice "the man" said "I" instead of "You"
A fine man who didn't take himself to seriously.