Water science news, explainers, and statistics covering freshwater, hydrology, lakes, rivers, groundwater, ice, and Earth’s connected water systems.
The ocean provides living resources such as fish, shellfish and seaweed; dissolved materials including salt, magnesium and bromine; sand and gravel; offshore oil and natural gas; potential seabed minerals; and renewable energy from wind, waves, tides and currents. Ocean ecosystems also provide services such as carbon storage and coastal protection, although those benefits are not…
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New York’s clearest lakes range from broad Finger Lakes to compact Adirondack waters where a white Secchi disk can remain visible several meters below the surface. The strongest candidates usually combine low algal density with restrained nutrient levels. In deeper basins, suspended sediment can also settle away from the sunlit surface. The Citizens Statewide Lake…
Michigan’s clearest inland lakes concentrate in the northern Lower Peninsula, where deep glacial basins and groundwater can produce striking blue water. Glen Lake, Torch Lake, Crystal Lake and several smaller northern lakes stand out in the state’s latest broad comparison. Their visibility still changes with weather, season and the material entering each basin. This list…
Minnesota’s clearest lakes are concentrated mainly in the forested north, where deep glacial basins receive less soil runoff than many shallow lakes in farm country. Several standouts allow a Secchi disk to remain visible far below the surface. Others combine consistently transparent water with long monitoring records and watersheds that still contain extensive forest. The…
