On this week's program, host Phil Tower speaks with Dr. Robert Sterner, Director of The Large Lakes Observatory and a Biology Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Dr. Sterner is also president of The Northeastern Association of Marine and Great Lakes Laboratories. Despite its pristine and cold waters, Lake Superior….the largest freshwater lake in the world, is warming. In fact, as we learn in this conversation with guest Dr. Robert Sterner, Director of The Large Lakes Observatory, research conducted by The Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth shows that over the last 100 years, we've lost about 15 days of ice cover," Ozersky said. "So loss of ice and loss of winter is stimulating these summertime algal blooms." It's important to note that in July 2012, the first algae bloom ever recorded was spotted on Lake Superior. About 30 days after a 500-year storm washed zoo animals out of their enclosures, sediment that could be seen from space was dumped into the lake. Sterner reminded us that freshwater is an incredibly vital resource for the planet, and the Great Lakes themselves make up 20% of the world's fresh surface water.
Read about The Large Lakes Observatory via CBS News.
The Large Lakes Observatory Online:
Dr. Robert Sterner on Twitter - @bobsterner on Twitter:
Large Lakes Observer Newsletter

In the second part of the program, Phil welcomed Michael Wildschut, Director of the award-winning January series at Calvin University. The January Series is a FREE 15-day lecture series that takes place each year at Calvin University and aims to cultivate deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day. The 2024 January Series runs from January 15 - February 2, Monday through Friday, in the Covenant Fine Arts Center on Calvin University's campus. Attendees will also be able to watch and listen to the 15 noontime presentations virtually, both live and until midnight PST on the day of each presentation. Registration to watch speakers is available beginning in late November on the January Series website.The series is free and open to the public.
Online: The January Series at Calvin University