Growing Strong Industries
Developing New Ideas
Nurturing Natural Resources
Developing New Ideas
Nurturing Natural Resources
University of Minnesota Duluth
Record low water levels in the Upper Great Lakes are tough on recreation, property values, habitat diversity, and commercial navigation.
Precipitation and evaporation drive the lake levels and the past 10 years have been particularly hard on Lakes Michigan and Huron which are 15 inches below average. Lake Superior was nine inches below average in January 2009, according to NOAA.
The International Joint Commission is addressing this by asking the Army Corps of Engineers and Environment Canada to examine six core areas of concern related to low water levels in the Upper Great Lakes. The information will be used to further discussions on lake levels regulated by the Soo Locks at Sault St. Marie. Currently, flow from Lake Superior into Michigan-Huron is 75,200 cubic feet per second.
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NRRI’s Chemical Extractives Laboratory holds many patents for separating valuable chemicals from plants and natural industry by-products. Now the lab is making it easy for bio-product businesses—agri-chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, and nutraceutical—to have access to their lab’s large library of chemicals. This will save the industries time and money in the costly development of new products.
Mining has long been an economic backbone for Minnesota, fluctuating through the decades with the value of ore. Today, there’s a new mining horizon waiting to be tapped—rich copper, nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt and gold possibilities from the Duluth Complex along the northeastern corner of the state.
Minnesota—with its major continental flyway along the Mississippi—will join the other 47 states that have a comprehensive Breeding Bird Atlas. The six-year project gets underway this spring to assess how many breeding bird species there are, and where, across the entire state. It will also provide baseline data to monitor changes in their populations.
Working knee-deep in a swamp, in the rain, at midnight might not sound like anyone’s dream job, but it is Jennifer Olker’s job, and it leads her to some interesting experiences.
As an NRRI research fellow in the midst of amphibian research, Olker witnessed a wood frog laying eggs, dragonflies emerge from larval form, unique aquatic critters, and has enjoyed spectacular northern lights.
Hear interviews with two NRRI researchers as played on KUMD's Sea Grant Files radio program. The program host is Steve Bortone.
These Sea Grant Files episodes are produced by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program and KUMD Radio (103.3FM). The entire series can be found at: www.seagrant.umn.edu/radio/sgf.