Lake Superior, the largest and deepest and coldest fresh-water lake in the world, is losing water. In the last year the lake level went down a foot. The temperature of the lake is also rising. According to this article, scientists are not certain of the causes but suspect a combination of long-term climate change and short-term meteorological factors.

I grew up on Lake Superior. In the summers I would walk a few blocks to the shore and often just sit there and look at it. It's magnificent to look at in any weather - my mother  made a hobby of photographing the lighthouse in Marquette, where we lived, in every kind of weather - and its cold temperature makes it amazingly clear. You could see straight down to the beautiful sand bottom when swimming or playing near the shore. The temperature does not support a lot of plant life so nothing gets in the way.

I love this lake. No ocean, river, or other body of water can compare to it in pure deep blue beauty or,  for that matter, in sudden danger. When a storm hits it's spectacular. Like the oceans, it also can have a calming effect. When I was at my own personal emotional bottom I liked to walk down and sit on the rocks on the shore and just look at the lake. I knew that my moods would come and go and that I was a blip in time in comparison to this great lake, and that knowledge helped me cope.

It saddens me greatly to read of these changes. Thank you, Chuck Westen, for sending me the article.