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Biophysical effects of a decadal shift in summer wind direction over the Laurentian Great Lakes
Author(s) -
Waples James T.,
Klump J. Val
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2001gl014564
Subject(s) - bay , oceanography , benthic zone , environmental science , storm , geology , climatology
Analysis of summer surface wind fields over the Laurentian Great Lakes from 1980 to 1999 show a statistically significant shift in wind direction beginning around 1990. Directional changes in the average wind field over the Great Lakes basin are consistent with a southward migration of the dominant summer storm track. In Green Bay (NW Lake Michigan), we show that the new wind field has most likely resulted in a decrease in water mass exchange with Lake Michigan leading to a decrease in bottom water hypoxia, warmer bottom water temperatures and an increase in benthic microbial metabolism.