Jessica Zenas
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Andrew Gronewold, Associate Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: School for Environment and Sustainability,
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 2 (11am – 11:50am)
Breakout Room: Room 8
Presenter: 3
Abstract
Due to the slow rising of the land around the Great Lakes known as isostatic or post-glacial rebound, along with the lack of multiple water level gauges per lake, water level data prior to 1918 is often considered unreliable and is frequently unused by scientists. To solve this problem, the water level data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that accounts for isostatic rebound was utilized in order to create a model for water levels from 1918 to the present that could be extrapolated to the years before 1918 and provide accurate data that is adjusted for isostatic rebound. Currently, a water level plot has been developed in R that displays all original data from 1820 to the present. This plot includes all Great Lakes and can be adjusted to show only certain periods of time in the data, such as specific seasonal and monthly averages, to emphasize trends over time in water level changes. Each lake has overall similar trends with slight differences relating to factors outside of the natural environment. However, adjusting for isostatic rebound demonstrated that the water levels prior to 1918 varied from what the original data showed. Depending on the location of each lake’s master gauge, which is the gauge on each lake that is typically the longest running gauge on each lake, some lakes saw higher or lower than recorded water levels. The original water level plot in combination with the isostatic rebound adjustments could lead to an even more accurate water level plot which can be used for future research, predictions, and analysis of trends in water levels.
Authors: Jessica Zenas, Andrew Gronewold, Anika Satish
Research Method: Data Collection and Analysis
