TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A seiche pushes water from one end of a body of water to the other. Scientists take advantage of low water levels to conduct research.
Dr. Todd Crail with the University of Toledo studied native mussels in the lower Great Lakes region. He said that his research is easier when a seiche happens.
“Are there mussels in here? I was studying them in rivers, and lo and behold, they’re here,” Dr. Crail said. “They’re not supposed to be here.”
Because western Lake Erie is the shallowest point of the shallowest Great Lake, its ecosystems are incredibly vulnerable to seiche.
A seiche kicks up when winds pick up. Global warming can make storms strong year-round, including the cold season.
This kicks up strong seiches during the winter, which Dr. Crail said ecosystems are having to adapt.
“It moves all the water out and it freezes the sediment,” Dr. Crail said. “Then the water comes back over, which disallows it from melting any faster.”
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