The Climate Of The Great Lakes Basin

Explains the atmospheric processes underlying the characteristic weather patterns of the Great Lakes region and evaluates the role of air pollution and nuclear power plants.

The symposium concluded that there is a high likelihood of a major climatic change in the Great Lakes Basin, and recommended that the U. S. and Canada establish a joint planning group to develop an integrated study of the Great Lakes Basin as a regional pilot project.

This report provides a state-of-the-art review of the climate change effects on lake hydrodynamics and water quality. Most of the engineering cases in this book deal with the ability of existing infrastructure to cope with extreme weather conditions. The case studies are intended to illustrate the advancement in modeling research on lake hydrodynamics, thermal stratification, pollutant transport, and water quality by highlighting the climate change aspects in the application of these techniques. Topics include climate and lake responses, lake thermodynamics, large-scale circulation, wind-waves on large lakes, great lakes ice cover, and water quality.

Of the results of two phases of a study to determine the likely impact of climate change on navigation and hydro power generation in the Great Lakes. The first phase, completed in March 1985, included a review of the climate impacts literature, the construction of a theoretical framework describing the affecting links, and an evaluation of several models for their suitability for climate impact assessment. The second phase was completed in March 1986 and was a preliminary assessment, using the appropriate models.

The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.