The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel
The beauty salons, swimming pools and even wireless communications of today’s huge cruise ships all got their start with the “floating palaces” of a century ago.
Waterbodies
‘That’s Vinegar:’ The Ohio River’s History of Contamination and Progress Made – The Allegheny Front
In 1958, researchers from the University of Louisville and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission gathered at a lock on the Monongahela River for routine collecting, counting and comparing of fish species.
At the time, the best way to accomplish this was what’s called lock chamber sampling, or filling a 350-by-56-foot lock with river water, injecting it with cyanide and waiting for the dead fish to float to the top. Archaic, but effective.
On this particular day, researchers opened the chamber to find one fish inside.
One fish.
It shouldn’t have been surprising, said Jerry Schulte, a biologist who managed the source water protection and emergency response team for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission [ORSANCO] for more than two decades. After all, the steel companies that dotted the region’s riverbanks were dumping their contaminated water right into the rivers. The waterways were so acidic that the steel-hulled boats meant to last 20 years rusted out in three and the pH routinely measured less than 4.
Edmund Fitzgerald sinks | Editor S Pick | wnem.com
At the time of her launch in June of 1958, the Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest vessel of her kind. At a length of 729 feet long and 75 feet wide, and equipped with a 7,500 horsepower steam turbine engine, she had the ability to carry an incredible 27,500 tons of cargo.
She and her crew served the Great Lakes for 17 years, until November 10th, 1975. It was on that day, according to the famous tune by Gordon Lightfoot, that the “Witch of November came stealin’.”
That tragic November day marks the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Click here to see underwater video of the wreck.
Garfield beach phone mystery solved after 30 years
"For more than 30 years bright orange "Garfield" phones have been washing up on the French coast to the bemusement of local beach cleaners, who have finally cracked the mystery behind them. Locals had long suspected a lost shipping container was to blame for the novelty landline phones, modelled on the prickly feline cartoon character, that have plagued the northern Finistere beaches for decades."
Hellbenders on the Minds of North Carolina Wildlife Commission
They're around in New York as a protected species, but are not all that often stumbled upon except during flooding conditions.
U.S. Supreme Court may decide public’s access to Great Lakes’ shorelines
"Can anyone access Great Lakes beaches along the waterline, even if they are in front of private, lakefront property? U.S. Supreme Court asked to rule"
Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes
"A Harmful Algal Bloom, or HAB, is a bloom of blue-green algae that potentially contains toxins. HABs can cause fish kills, foul up nearby coastlines and produce conditions that are dangerous to aquatic life, as well as humans. Blooms can range in color from red to bright, neon green to more blue-green. A bloom can look like a scum, foam or mat on top of the water or like paint that has been spilled in the water. They are also sometimes accompanied by an earthy, pungent or musty smell. However, not all algal blooms give off an odor or affect the appearance water and toxins can remain present in the water even when a bloom has dissipated."
"HABs in the Great Lakes region are made up of blue-green algae. While technically not an algae, blue-green algae are a cyanobacteria that contain chlorophyll similar to true algae. They produce rapidly, are typically found at or near the surface of the water and are known to produce toxins."