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1. A Climatology of Easterly Wind Lake-Effect and Lake-Enhanced Precipitation Events over the Western Lake Superior Region

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-22-0080.1  

   Sandstrom, Joshua D.; Cordeira, Jason M.; Hoffman, Eric G.; Metz, Nicholas D. (February 2023, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology)

   Abstract Lake-effect precipitation is convective precipitation produced by relatively cold air passing over large and relatively warm bodies of water. This phenomenon most often occurs in North America over the southern and eastern shores of the Great Lakes, where high annual snowfalls and high-impact snowstorms frequently occur under prevailing west and northwest flow. Locally higher snow or rainfall amounts also occur due to lake-enhanced synoptic precipitation when conditionally unstable or neutrally stratified air is present in the lower troposphere. While likely less common, lake-effect and lake-enhanced precipitation can also occur with easterly winds, impacting the western shores of the Great Lakes. This study describes a 15-year climatology of easterly lake-effect (ELEfP) and lake-enhanced (ELEnP) precipitation (conjointly Easterly Lake Collective Precipitation: ELCP) events that developed in east-to-east-northeasterly flow over western Lake Superior from 2003 to 2018. ELCP occurs infrequently but often enough to have a notable climatological impact over western Lake Superior with an average of 14.6 events per year. The morphology favors both single shore-parallel ELEfP bands due to the convex western shoreline of Lake Superior and mixed-type banding due to ELEnP events occurring in association with “overrunning” synoptic-scale precipitation. ELEfP often occurs in association with a surface anticyclone to the north of Lake Superior. ELEnP typically features a similar northerly-displaced anticyclone and a surface cyclone located over the U.S. Upper Midwest that favor easterly boundary-layer winds over western Lake Superior. 

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2. Synoptic Conditions and Lake-to-Lake Connections for Days with Lake Effect on All of the Great Lakes

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-23-0006.1  

   Laird, Neil_F; Crossett, Caitlin_C; Britt, Catherine_J; Metz, Nicholas_D; Carmer, Kelly; McBroom, Braedyn_D (May 2024, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology)

   Abstract An investigation of lake effect (LE) and the associated synoptic environment is presented for days when all five lakes in the Great Lakes (GL) region had LE bands [five-lake days (5LDs)]. The study utilized an expanded database of observed LE clouds over the GL during 25 cold seasons (October–March) from 1997/98 to 2021/22. LE bands occurred on 2870 days (64% of all cold-season days). Nearly a third of all LE bands occurred during 5LDs, although 5LDs consisted of just 17.1% of LE days. A majority of 5LDs (56.5%) had lake-to-lake (L2L) bands, and these days comprised 43.5% of all L2L occurrences. 5LDs occurred with a mean of 26.1 (SD = 6.2) days per cold season until 2008/09 and then decreased to a mean of 13.8 (SD = 5.5) days during subsequent cold seasons. January and February had the largest number of consecutive LE days in the GL with a mean of 5.7 and 5.4 days, respectively. As the number of consecutive LE days increases, both the number of 5LDs and the occurrence of consecutive 5LD increase. This translates to an increased potential of heavy snowfall impacts in multiple, localized areas of the GL for extended time periods. The mean composite synoptic pattern of 5LDs exhibited characteristics consistent with lake-aggregate disturbances and showed similarity to synoptic patterns favorable for LE over one or two of the GL found by previous studies. The results demonstrate that several additional areas of the GL are often experiencing LE bands when a localized area has active LE bands occurring. 

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3. Insight Into the Molecular Mechanisms for Microcystin Biodegradation in Lake Erie and Lake Taihu

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02741  

   Krausfeldt, Lauren E.; Steffen, Morgan M.; McKay, Robert M.; Bullerjahn, George S.; Boyer, Gregory L.; Wilhelm, Steven W. (December 2019, Frontiers in Microbiology)
4. Water properties of Arco Lake, Budd Lake, Deming Lake, and Josephine Lake in Itasca State Park from 2006-2009 and 2019-2023.

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/eb8757dedf22ce40e79ca410c2ab9a34  

   Swanner, Elizabeth D; Lascu, Ioan; Harding, Chris; Ledesma, Gabrielle; Leung, Tania; Akam, Sajjad; Chamberlain, Michelle; Ostrander, Chadlin; Heard, Andrew (January 2023, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Depth profiles of water column chemical and physical properties were assessed with seasonal-scale frequency from four lakes in the Itasca State Park from 2006-2009 and from 2019-2023. The data was used to assess the mixing status and major geochemical constituents within the lakes. Several parameters were routinely measured with deployable probes at meter or sub-meter resolution at the deepest location in each lake. Water samples were also collected for laboratory analysis. Bathymetry data collected in 2022 is supplied as rasters. 

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5. Thermokarst lake change and lake hydrochemistry: A snapshot from the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska

   https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2822  

   Stolpmann, Lydia; Nitze, Ingmar; Bussmann, Ingeborg; Jones, Benjamin M; Lenz, Josefine; Meyer, Hanno; Wolter, Juliane; Grosse, Guido (November 2024, EGUshpere)

   The rapid climate warming is affecting the Arctic which is rich in aquatic systems. As a result of permafrost thaw, thermokarst lakes and ponds are either shrinking due to lake drainage or expanding due to lake shore erosion. This process in turn mobilizes organic carbon, which is released by permafrost deposits and active layer material that slips into the lake. In this study, we combine hydrochemical measurements and remote sensing data to analyze the influence of lake change processes, especially lake growth, on lake hydrochemical parameters such as DOC, EC, pH as well as stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in the Arctic Coastal Plain. For our entire dataset of 97 water samples from 82 water bodies, we found significantly higher CH4 concentrations in lakes with a floating-ice regime and significantly higher DOC concentrations in lakes with a bedfast-ice regime. We show significantly lower CH4 concentrations in lagoons compared to lakes as a result of an effective CH4 oxidation that increased with a seawater connection. For our detailed lake sampling of two thermokarst lakes, we found a significant positive correlation for lake shore erosion and DOC for one of the lakes. Our detailed lake sampling approach indicates that the generally shallow thermokarst lakes are overall well mixed and that single hydrochemical samples are representative for the entire lake. Finally, our study confirms that DOC concentrations correlates with lake size, ecoregion type and underlying deposits. 

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