Greetings from the Coastal Resilience Team!
This month's newsletter contains:
- Lake Michigan Water Level Update
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Blog: Introducing the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
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Resource of the Month: National Weather Service Great Lakes Portal
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Resource of the Month: Ohio Coastal Design Manual
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Community Story: CHAOS
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The water levels on all the Great Lakes have finally dipped below their long-term monthly averages as of October 30, 2020. Lake Michigan was now 10 inches below the highest recorded monthly average in October previously set in 1986. Additionally, the basin is 1 inch below mean water levels from a year ago. From this point and through the winter, water levels are expected to start their seasonal decline. It is predicted that Lake Michigan-Huron will fall between 2-9 inches from November - March 2021.
Here are five things to know about water levels on Lake Michigan for October 2020.
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Introducing the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program |
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Our new blog series will look at the agencies that have a role in building coastal resilience in Wisconsin. This month, we start with the Wisconsin Coastal management Program (WCMP). WCMP is aimed at preserving and improving access to the natural and historic resources of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coasts. They aim to orchestrate the management of ecological, economic, and aesthetic assets of the Great Lakes coastal areas. Some of the objectives that this program tries to accomplish involve improving the implementation and coordination of regulations and policies affecting the coast, planning initiatives, assistance in coastal management, increasing public awareness, and involvement. You may also know WCMP through their annual grants program, which provides grant funding to local governments, nonprofit organizations, schools and universities, and state agencies for coastal resiliency projects. Projects that can be funded through this grant include categories such as wetland protection, pollution control, resource and community planning, education, and preservation projects. |
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National Weather Service Great Lakes Portal |
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The National Weather Service Great Lakes Portal is an interactive tool for users to explore detailed weather information, including wave forecasts. This tool is hosted by the National Weather Service (NWS), a subset of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The landing page of the Great Lakes Portal allows you to see current and forecasted wave heights, wind speeds, and wind gusts for up to 6 days in the Great Lakes region. This will be most useful for mariners, researchers, and even the general public because of the map's ability to portray and forecast extreme weather events.
Zooming into the map, the user is able to see more detail depending upon which layers are selected and the level detail provided. Layers include different hazards and risks (active, beach, swim), lightning density, wind direction, ship observations, radar, water levels, among others, all of which can be selected and deselected by the user.
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Interactive map on Great Lakes Portal landing page |
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Ohio Coastal Design Manual |
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The Ohio Coastal Design Manual is put out by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources office of Coastal Management. This manual focuses on design and engineering principles of constructing coastal structures for erosion control. It provides a comprehensive overview of best practices for structure design. However, it is not too overwhelming for the general lakefront property owner. Even though this manual is geared towards engineers, surveyors, and contractors, it can serve as a great resource to bridge the gap between landowners and these experts. It is ideal for the development of a common language and knowledge basis for those looking to understand what goes into coastal structure design and what elements to look for in a successful project. |
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Design and picture of an armor stone revetment for erosion protection. Photo credit: Ohio Coastal Design Manual |
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Coastal Resilience Stories from Around the Great Lakes |
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Coastal Hazards of Superior (CHAOS) |
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CHAOS is a newly formed community of practice organized by the Coastal programs and Sea Grant programs in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. This group is an outlet for local community leaders, managers, researchers, and communicators to engage over concerns and share knowledge and resources about natural hazards that affect Lake Superior’s coastal communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Recent storms, flooding, and shoreline erosion have strained local communities, making CHAOS’s goal of building collaborations among groups impacted by these hazards even more important.
CHAOS sends out a monthly newsletter filled with a compilation of resources, meeting notes, events, and current news. Membership is free and open to all. To join or for more information, contact Melanie Perello at Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program: melanie.perello@state.mn.us.
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If you have any questions about Lake Michigan coastal hazards or how to approach, plan, and prepare for them, please contact
Adam Bechle
608-263-5133
For more information, visit the Southeast Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Project website
Follow us on Twitter @sewiresilience for updates
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University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute | (608) 262-0905 | 1975 Willow Drive, 2nd Floor, Madison, WI 53706
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