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Discover how a climate change story can be used to teach about the processes and changes occurring in large lakes like Lake Superior. Explore historical records and present-day data to understand the impacts of climate change on the lake.
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Using a climate change story to teach about large lake processes Jay Austin Associate Professor Large Lakes Observatory /Department of Physics University of Minnesota Duluth Teaching Climate Change: Lessons from the Past 20 June, 2012
The Past and Present • The Past: What sorts of records allow us to reliably look into the past? • The Present: How do we understand how Lake Superior is changing right now?
Comparing SSM to globe ~0.1C/yr
Regional Air Temperature Anomaly ~0.06C/yr
NOAA’s NDBC buoys(“The Present”) • Three buoys in Lake Superior • 1979-Present • April-November • AT,WT, WS/WD • (also buoys in other lakes)
45006 * 45001 * 45004 * 45006
NDBC 45001 (Central) Water Temperature (Max. Temperatures) ~0.12C/yr
Summer stratification Warm water overlies cooler water- surface layer can be relatively thin (~10-30m)
Winter Stratification Cool water overlies warmer water- surface layer very deep- often comprises entire water column
Central Buoy WT, 2006 Max temp., mid August Fall Cooling Rapid warming Buoy recovered Slow warming Summer Overturn
Magnuson et al. 2000 Formation dates Breakup dates
Summer Water Temperature depends on last winter’s ice cover (1998)
Length of season 10d later/century 12d earlier/century 22d longer/century