Great Lakes shriveling from drought + Mississippi River soon to be CLOSED [View all]

[Berlum]

Last edited Wed Nov 28, 2012, 11:28 AM - Edit history (1)

Was reading two separate threads on DU -- and thought they belonged side by side.

Posted by Bozita in DU's Environment and energy:

As Great Lakes levels plummet, towns try to save harbors

November 27, 2012
As Great Lakes levels plummet, towns try to save harbors
By John Flesher - AP Environmental Writer

Onekama, Mich. — For more than a century, easy access to Lake Michigan has made Onekama a popular place for summer visitors and a refuge for boaters fleeing dangerous storms. Now the community itself needs a rescue, from slumping lake levels that threaten its precious link to open water.

The Great Lakes, the world's biggest freshwater system, are shrinking because of drought and rising temperatures, a trend that accelerated with this year's almost snowless winter and scorching summer. http://www.democraticunderground.com/112729447

and then this, posted by xchrom in the same DU Environment and Energy forum:


Obama Urged to Declare Emergency for Mississippi River

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-28/obama-urged-to-declare-emergency-for-mississippi-river.html

Shippers and lawmakers are pressuring President Barack Obama to declare a federal emergency along the Mississippi River, citing potential “catastrophic consequences” in the Midwest if barge traffic is curtailed by low water on the nation’s busiest waterway.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112729467

NB - Photo updated to comply with reality

An aerial photo of the Mississippi river shows sandy areas where water had been before the drought. The river's levels are now nearing record lows.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/19/drought-sends-mighty-mississippi-river-levels-near-record-lows/