Climate change could affect Lake Superior economy

Katey Rusch in WDIO.com: Over the years data has indicated that the temperature of Lake Superior is rising and water levels are lowering. Now a new study shows this could be a trend that negatively affects the area economy. "If you can't get to an ocean you have to get to a great lake," said Kim Colburn-Lidell, who was visiting the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Sunday.

Lake Superior is home to state and national parks as well as vacations. But according to a new study, due to pollution the lake's climate is warming for the worse. "We can't put this off any longer the time is now," said Bayfield Mayor, Larry MacDonald.

The study called the "Great Lakes National Parks in Peril the Threats of Climate Disription" was conducted by two environmental organizations, the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the National Resources Defense Council. The study indicates that Lake Superior's temperature has risen by 4.5 degrees since the 1976. The study predicts this temperature could rise 14 degrees in this century. This is a scary thought to the Mayor of Bayfield, Wisconsin, whose city tourism depends on lake destinations.

"Our tourism economy is based on the Apostle Islands and the clear water and the clean air," said MacDonald. "If any of that is affected negatively so are we." The other concern about this study for Mayor MacDonald is lowering Lake Superior water levels which according to the study could drop by two feet in the next fifty years.

...The study is based on the impact climate change will have on the Great Lakes National Parks but Mayor MacDonald said the findings of this study should concern all who live on the big lakes, including those affected by the shipping industry. "For every inch the lake goes down the shipping industry is greatly affected," said MacDonald. "Everything is going to cost more to ship."...

The entrance to the harbor at Grand Marais, Cook County, Minnesota, USA, on the north shore of Lake Superior. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the breakwater at the harbor. US Army Corps of Engineers photo

Report assesses Wisconsin's climate change impacts, adaptation strategies

University of Wisconsin-Madison: A statewide collaborative of scientists and diverse stakeholders is proposing a multitude of measures to help protect and enhance Wisconsin's natural resources, economic vitality, and public well-being as the state's climate becomes warmer and wetter. Their report, "Wisconsin's Changing Climate: Impacts and Adaptation," was released today by the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI). It is available online here.

"This report is the first comprehensive survey of climate change impacts in Wisconsin, and it provides information that will help decision-makers begin to plan for the kinds of changes we're likely to see in the years ahead," says Lewis Gilbert, associate director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and member of WICCI's science council.

Public officials, resource managers, business owners, and farmers are among the many groups expected to draw upon the new report's recommendations as they anticipate and address the impacts of current and future climate change across the state.

"We need to think about what climate change could mean for our natural resources and actively plan to address the issue," says Jack Sullivan, director of science services at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Sullivan coordinates efforts within the agency to evaluate how a changing climate may alter its management responsibilities and how to minimize negative impacts.

UW-Madison scientists already have documented changes in Wisconsin's climate that have occurred over the past 60 years, including a 1.3 degree Fahrenheit increase in the annual average temperature — 2.5 degrees in winter — and more frequent occurrences of heavy rainfall.

Using sophisticated computer models, the scientists also have projected that Wisconsin's average temperature is likely to rise an additional 4 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-century and that more total precipitation and more intense storms are highly probable in many parts of the state….

A (female?) juvenile Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) hovering over potential prey, shot by Dori, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Scientists say climate change partially to blame for increase in Wisconsin's rain events

Chad Dally in the Wausau Daily Herald (Wisconsin): Rain and flooding that wreaked havoc on central Wisconsin in September could become more common because of global climate change, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

More than 3.5 inches of rain fell on the Wausau area between Sept. 22 and Sept. 24. Storms that severe have occurred an average of two to four times per decade since 1950, said Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist at the UW-Madison Center for Climatic Research. But Vavrus said they are projected to happen more often, possibly causing more flooding and taxing stormwater sewer systems.

The number of 3-inch rain storms per decade is projected to increase by 30 percent to 40 percent by mid-century, and 40 percent to 65 percent by 2100 -- which means a storm like the one in September could occur six or seven times in a decade. "A 30 to 40 percent increase from that may not be very much, but they can also be very expensive, so even a little increase matters," Vavrus said.

Damage assessments from the September storm have climbed above $10 million solely for public infrastructure in the state, according to Wisconsin Emergency Management, which does not calculate monetary damage to homes and businesses….

Barneveld, Wisconsin, shot by Ylem

Wisconsin's governor asks for federal disaster help

WSIN (Wisconsin): On Saturday, Gov. Jim Doyle formally requested a federal disaster declaration for three southern Wisconsin counties hit hard by recent storms and flooding. “These floods have devastated the lives of so many Wisconsin families," Doyle said. "I’m hopeful that the federal government will provide assistance to help those affected begin to recover from this disaster.”

The request came after the Federal Emergency Management Agency completed its assessment of the damage. Doyle's letter seeks assistance for families and businesses suffering from severe weather that struck Grant, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties last week.

Beginning on July 22, a string of storms moved through southern Wisconsin and produced torrential rain, hail and strong winds. Flooding was widespread in the Milwaukee area, and hundreds of homes were affected. On July 23, Grant County was hit by flash flooding.

Officials with FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and Wisconsin Emergency Management wrapped up their damage assessments in the flooded communities on Saturday. “I want to recognize the state, local and federal officials who have been moving quickly to respond to the damage caused by a string of severe storms,” Doyle said….

Local reporters interview Wisconsin State Governor Jim Doyle June 9, 2008, at the site of a 245-acre lake in the town of Lake Delton, Wis., which overflowed earlier that day, destroying several homes as it breached a local highway, and completely drained into the nearby Wisconsin River. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Paul Gorman/Released)