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Wind-Driven Waves Can Damage Shorelines Tuesday, January 13, 2009 | Erie Times-News | GoErie.com | 3D Where to find marine forecasts, data, more By ANNA McCARTNEY is a useful forecasting system [email protected] for all users of the Great Lakes coastal waters who require real- Physical processes have a ma- time information and forecasts jor impact on environmental, of temperatures, currents, water chemical, and biological pro- levels, and waves. cesses and influence many oth- These forecasts provide Na- er types of user activities. Water tional Weather Service marine supply management, waste wa- forecasters with a significant ter management, power plant sit- source of information, which ings, shipping, recreational and should lead to considerable im- commercial boating and fishing, provements both in the accuracy shoreline erosion and redistri- and efficiency of marine fore- bution of sedimentary material casts for the Great Lakes. all rely on good forecasts. GLERL also has exceptional NOAA’s Great Lakes Environ- resources for teachers to make mental Research Laboratory Great Lakes data more acces- (GLERL) has a long history of sible and easy to use with their addressing a wide range of en- students. Great Lakes Water Data vironmental issues in the Great Sets for Teachers (http://people. Lakes and other coastal envi- emich.edu/srutherf/NOAA/) con- ronments. GLERL is the only tains real data extracted from NOAA research laboratory that on-going and historic GLERL has the breadth of scientific ex- research projects, including pertise to address complex Great temperature, dissolved oxygen Lakes ecosystem issues. GLERL and seiche data. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO research and programs provide Data is in a format that is easy important information to deci- to use in the classroom. Middle On Dec. 28, the power of waves fueled by steady winds broke up the ice dunes that were protecting the shoreline and created conditions for a sion-makers and others to help or high school students and seiche in Buffalo. Similar conditions on Jan. 30, 2008, caused high water level and waves of 12 to 16 feet, resulting in a record seiche that them make good choices. teachers can conduct their own caused flooding in Buffalo. All of GLERL’s long-range re- inquiries, support guided inqui- search is targeted toward pro- ries, demonstrate limnological ducing a suite of forecasts and concepts or just practice graph- forecasting capabilities of physi- ing, mapping and mathematics cal and ecological conditions that using real data. will advance an ecosystem-based Can you say ‘seiche?’ approach to management. ANNA McCARTNEY, The Great Lakes Coastal Fore- Newspaper in Education cast System, the GLCFS Web site, coordinator, can be reached by (www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/) e-mail. Weather phenomenon creates dramatic effect on Lake Erie By ANNA McCARTNEY water level to rise on one side of cause of spray. Floodwaters inun- ing; the next day you could take a B Y T HE N UMBERS [email protected] the lake as it goes down on the op- dated the First Ward (west side) boat out,” Leslie said. posite side. The waves slosh back of the city of Buffalo, with entire A similar storm occurred on Theword“seiche”(pronounced and forth between shores of the neighborhoods under water. The Dec. 28 after a record-high tem- 14 saysh) may have no meaning for lake basin and with no warning, Lake Erie water level rose 11 feet perature of 67. The cold front hours you. But people who have experi- cause huge fluctuations where above its eight-foot flood stage for that whipped across the area that The period of a typical seiche across Lake Erie. For other lakes, the enced the phenomena know that the shoreline and harbor water over three hours. According to morning brought damaging winds period is shorter, for example, IN Lake Champlain IN upstate New it can cause death and destruc- levels can rise or fall by many the National Oceanic and Atmo- and created the right conditions Yo rk, it’s four hours; Scotland’s Loch Ness, about 30 MINutes. tion in moments. feet. spheric Administration, this was for another seiche. One of the greatest disasters in Most seiches go unnoticed and the second highest lake level on Winds, as high as 75 mph, Buffalo was caused by a seiche. never cause much damage in the record. wreaked havoc with the Buffalo It was produced by prolonged Great Lakes because they are rel- That same day in Erie, the Bills game and resulted in power 06/26/1954 strong winds pushing the water atively subtle and imperceptible, southwest winds blew steady at outages to thousands. Three duck A seiche 2.44 meters (8 feet) high and 40 KM (25 miles) wide hit toward that end of Lake Erie. It causing water levels on beaches 35 mph and gusted up to 54 mph hunters were rescued from the Chicago’s lakefront. Eight people were killed, most of whom were occurred at 11 p.m. on Oct. 18, to rise just a foot or less. throughout the day. As the water Barcelona Harbor when their swept into the water and drowned while fishing IN Montrose Harbor. 1844, when a wall of water 22 feet However, because Lake Erie is was pushed to the northeast, the duck boats were swamped by high quickly inundated the com- the shallowest of the Great Lakes, high water combined with 12-foot high winds, rain and waves. A sec- mercial and residential districts the effects of storm-driven waves waves and caused flooding on tion of Route 5 was closed near along the waterfront. Without are amplified and when the wind the peninsula and lifted docks Hamburg, N.Y., but fortunately 1890 warning, the water breached the blows from the southwest to the from their moorings. Harry Les- this time the water level in Buf- The year the terM seiche was first promoted by the Swiss hydrologist 14-foot sea wall and flooded the northeast, seiches are more dra- lie, park operations manager at falo did not reach a record high. François-Alphonse Forel who had observed the effect IN Lake waterfront. Seventy-eight people matic. Presque Isle State Park, said: The wicked winds that wreak Geneva, Switzerland. The word originates IN a Swiss French drowned that day, according to Another record seiche in Buf- “Presque Isle Bay filled up with havoc and cause seiches when dialect word that means “to sway bacK and forth.” newspaper accounts. When the falo happened on Jan. 30, 2008. five to six feet of water from one they whip across the waters of winds stopped, the water moved Sustained strong winds following of the strongest storms I had wit- Lake Erie ended 2008 much as SOURCE: www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/Seiche back in the direction from which the passage of a cold front caused nessed since I started working at they began — stirring up waves it came. the Lake Erie water level to rise the park in 1989.” that rip out sections of beach, A seiche occurs in an enclosed substantially. The high water lev- The power unleashed by the cause flooding and trigger dra- body of water such as a lake, bay els and waves of 12 to 16 feet re- waves and high water toppled matic rescues. or gulf. Like water sloshing back sulted in erosion of the lake shore ice dunes that had formed on the and forth in a bath tub, the water and significant flooding at the ex- lake side and broke up the ice on ANNA McCARTNEY, in the lake is pushed by strong treme eastern end of the lake. the bay, which had been dotted Newspaper in Education L EARN M ORE winds and rapid changes in at- Roads along the lake shore with anglers before the storm. coordinator, can be reached by mospheric pressure, causing the were water-covered or closed be- “One day you saw people ice fish- e-mail. What: Visiting scientist lecture, “The Coyotes of Presque Isle,” by Tracy Graziano When: Tonight at 7 p.m. Where: The ToM Ridge Environmental Center Wind-driven waves can damage shorelines For more information, contact: Jeanette Schnars at 835-6975 or visit www.RegSciConsort.com By ANNA McCARTNEY :7&)< 0+""<- What: Presque Isle After DarK program, “Night waLK at Erie Bluffs [email protected] :."2;% */ 2%" <&028);" *# *+") State Park” water that the wind has blown When: Saturday, Jan. 31, 6 to 8 p.m. If you are not sure how to get to Lake Erie is the shallowest of over. the Bluffs, meet the naturalist at the ToM Ridge Environmental the Great Lakes, reaching a max- :6&(" 2%" 4&)< %80 9'*4) Center; departure is at 5:30 p.m. Bring a flashlight. Dress imum depth of 210 feet in the over a given area. appropriately for the outdoors. The waLK will be about one mile long. eastern basin. The axis of Lake :782"/ <"+2%- Fore more information, contact: Brian Gula, environmental Erie runs from southwest to The greater each of the above education specialist, 217-9632 northeast, corresponding to the factors, the larger the waves. direction of prevailing winds. Waves are characterized by: What: Presque Isle Little Naturalist program, “Critters under cover,” Lake topography combined :783" %"&$%2 ,<&028);" #/*( for children ages 3 to 6 accompanied by an adult. Be prepared to be with changing water levels and trough to crest). outdoors for the full hour. strong waves can have extreme :783" '")$2% ,<&028);" #/*( When: Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 1 to 2 p.m. effects on the shoreline. crest to crest). Where: Meet at the Rotary Pavilion to explore Presque Isle forests Because of the lake’s shallow- :5"/&*< ,2&(" &)2"/38' 9"24"") and discover the critters that hide under logs and IN other habitats.
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