great lakes

Invasive species could thrive in the Great Lakes due to cuts to federal funding, staff

Rebecca Thiele

Sea lamprey decimated popular Great Lakes fish from the 1920s to the 1950s. Since then, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has been applying a pesticide to keep the invasive species from reproducing.

The yearly maximum frozen surface area of Lake Michigan has decreased on average from the early 1970s to 2023.

Less ice on Lake Michigan means more shoreline damage and warming, but also more snow

Rebecca Thiele

The yearly maximum frozen surface area of Lake Michigan has decreased on average from the early 1970s to 2023.

Conservation advocates gather at the Indiana Statehouse for Audubon Great Lakes Advocacy Day.

Audubon Society: wetlands, clean energy can save state’s birds

Rebecca Thiele

It’s estimated North America has lost more than three billion birds over the past 50 years — mostly due to climate change and habitat loss.

Studies predict the Great Lakes and other large freshwater bodies around the world will move toward acidity as they absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which also causes climate change. Experts say acidification could disrupt aquatic food chains and habitat.

Scientists: Atmospheric carbon might turn lakes more acidic

Associated Press

Scientists are building a sensor network to spot Lake Huron water chemistry trends. It’s a first step toward a hoped-for system that would track carbon dioxide and pH in all five Great Lakes over multiple years.