News: Two new shipwrecks found in Lake Erie

By WKYC Reporter Mike O'Mara

LAKE ERIE -- The Black Friday storm of 1893 was horrific. On October 13th, the three masted schooner "Riverside" headed out from the quarry dock at Kelly's Island loaded with 670 tons of stone. The sailboat disappeared in 20-foot waves.

125 years later, underwater explorers David VanZandt and Tom Kowalczyk found the "Riverside" sitting on the bottom of the lake in 80 feet of water.

Tom Kowalczyk said, "As it started to take shape on the sonar display and define itself, I said 'Dave, we got it. This is it.'"

Despite challenging visibility, the two were able to dive on the wreck several times. They could see the windlass used to bring up the big anchors. The fore mast was just a stub, with the rest ripped away in the storm. There were pad eyes for the rigging staring out from the bottom of the lake.

"All the deck hardware is still there, David VanZandt said. "The rigging is still there, and it's in pristine condition."

Christopher Gillcrist, the Executive Director for the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion said, "People forget that the Great Lakes are as bad as any ocean on earth. The waves might not get as big as the North Atlantic, but they come quickly and they can overwhelm a boat just as easily."

A few miles away, the team also found the schooner, "Plymouth," buried under three feet of mud. The 101-foot sailboat had been rammed by the steamer, "Northern Indiana" on June 22, 1852.

Experts say 300 wrecks have already been found in Lake Erie with another 500 still missing. The team from Cleveland Underwater Explorers plans to return to the hunt next summer.

Said Kowalczyk, "We're eager to get out there and say this is the time and this is the one. We're going to go out and find another shipwreck next year."

For more information contact the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion at 1.800.893.1485 x 3.

The Society will be raffling off 3 trips aboard a Great Lakes freighter at the "Treasures on the Lakes" benefit on November 8, 2008 in Cleveland, Ohio. Visit www.inlandseas.org for more details on each prize.

Video Feature: "Lake Erie: Beyond the Surface", Part 4

As the high definition leader in locally produced programming in Northeast Ohio, WKYC is proud to showcase our region's most important natural resource in a year- long effort. Lake Erie: Beyond The Surface is a thirty-minute HD special.

It is the last of four programs dealing with the fate and future of our great lake.

Under the cold murky water of Lake Erie lie thousands of shipwrecks, evidence of our rich maritime heritage.

For centuries, these waters have provided vital shipping lanes, abundant food, and the power to drive industry. But while the water's generosity seemed limitless, the lake itself was not. It's taken decades to reclaim this greatest of resources. We stand by the shores of a cleaner lake, but also at the crossroads of some key decisions.

What does the future hold for this lake? Our region?

Channel 3 explores the growth of international shipping, lakefront development, how Lake Erie will be managed to ensure its future, the newest environmental threat and the lake's role as a renewable energy resource.

VIDEO FEATURE:

To watch the show, click on the picture below:

News: Powerful winds push Lake Erie water east

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Powerful winds blew some of Lake Erie's water east early Wednesday morning.

In just a couple of hours, water levels rose more than 10 feet in Buffalo, New York, while the lake dropped about five feet on the western end, in Toledo.

The National Weather Service says winds gusting to 60 miles an hour acted like a giant fan blowing on a shallow pool.

News: Cold Air Funnel Clouds Spotted on Lake Erie

CLEVELAND -- The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a special marine for the Lake Erie shoreline from Vermilion to Ripley, New York including Ashtabula and Fairport Harbor.

The warning area also extends to five nautical miles off shore. The warning is in effect until 8:30 p.m. Friday night.

At 627 p.m., the National Weather Service says some cold air funnels were reported over Lake Erie just north of Cleveland. It is possible that some of these cold air funnels could become waterspouts.

Waterspouts are possible on Lake Erie through dark. Mariners can expect gusty winds and high waves near any waterspouts. Boaters should seek safe harbor immediately if they see a waterspout or cold air funnel.

To watch video of a cold air funnel we caught on tape: CLICK HERE

News: Lake Erie 'Dead Zone' Studied by NOAA team

By Mike O'Mara

CLEVELAND (WKYC)-- Low oxygen levels detected are driving fish away

For the last two years, the "Laurentian", an 80 foot floating marine laboratory, has been heading out into Lake Erie.

The special team of 40 scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Laboratory and 17 different universities are all trying to figure out what is making Lake Erie sick.

Stephen Brandt is the Director of the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. He is the person running the largest, most comprehensive research field operations every conducted in Lake Erie.

Said Brandt, "people need to understand that we're seeing large scale production of algae and plant life that dies off and sinks to the bottom. When it decays it begins to use up the oxygen. And if it uses up all the oxygen on the bottom, it becomes a dead zone."

Back in the 1970's, many scientists feared that all of Lake Erie was becoming a dead zone. The culprit seemed to be too much phosphates and pollution in the waters draining into Lake Erie that produced choking algae blooms.

Onboard the "Laurentian", NOAA science technician Andrew Yagiela, lowers a probe into the brownish green water.

"This gear", said Yagiela, "will automatically record the levels of sunlight, the flourometer, the oxygen, the temperature, and the conductivity. And this is just one of our tools out here."

Nearby, Mike Quigley was lowering a specially designed lake bottom sediment probe.

"We're looking for organisms near the bottom right now", explained Quigley. "They're useful for determing water quality because they live on the bottom 24-7, and if you have any contaminants or pollutants they won't be there."

Craig McLean, NOAA deputy assistant administrator for research, told Channel 3's Mike O'Mara, "if we find there is no oxygen or very low levels, we also find that it's a dead zone. The walleye and yellow perch will leave. And we know that our human activity contributes to the creation of these dead zones."

"Right now", added Stuart Ludsen, chief scientist for the Lake Erie field study, "the biggest area of concern is the central basin of Lake Erie. The deepest part of the lake is becoming a dead zone. We need to figure out why."

The data from thousands of Lake Erie water and sediment samples will be analyzed and categorized by the NOAA science team. The future of this fresh water sea may depend on the answers generated onboard the "Laurentian".

To Watch Video of Mike O'Mara's report on Lake Erie, CLICK HERE

Feature: Lake Erie Continues to Get Warmer Each Year

Lake Erie continues to get warmer and water levels continue to drop.

And while the lake is much healthier than it was 20 years ago, it's still attracting the attention of scientists who worry that Lake Erie will go back to its unhealthy ways.

Robert Heath, head of the Water Resources Research Institute at Kent State University, says the average water temperature of Lake Erie has increased by about three-fourths of a degree over the last two decades. He says climate models predict further increases in air and lake water temperature.

National Wildlife Federation staff scientist Michael Murray says warmer, shallower water would allow toxins to survive and would allow more invasive species to thrive.

Courtesy: AP