NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP -- New research suggests climate change might not cause Great Lakes' water levels to drop as much as previous studies have indicated; it may cause them to rise.
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory say they've devised a new way to predict future water levels. In a newly published journal article, NOAA scientists say it involves different methods of measuring evaporation of water from the soil and plants within the Great Lakes watershed.
Earlier studies based projections about evaporation only on air temperature. The NOAA researchers used additional factors that indicate less water than previously believed will be converted into vapor.
Low water levels can affect the environment and cause heavy losses for shippers and other Great Lakes businesses.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC