SHARES
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Mike McCormick, co-author of a study on Lake Michigan’s deep water temperatures, stands on an instrument buoy in southern Lake Michigan. Image: NOAA GLERL
By Brandon Chew
The Great Lakes region should expect shorter winters, according to a long-term deep water temperature study of Lake Michigan by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
The agency has a cable with multiple temperature sensors attached to a buoy in Lake Michigan. It stretches nearly 500 feet to the bottom of the lake. The device, known as a thermistor string, has been recording subsurface water temperatures since 1990.