Michigan

Scientists just discovered cold, dark sinkholes in Lake Michigan. What’s living in them?

Published

5 months ago

August 27, 2024

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Scientists just discovered cold, dark sinkholes in Lake Michigan. What’s living in them?

One of the most amazing discoveries about the Great Lakes is that there are so many discoveries to be made.

The latest: sinkholes at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

On Aug. 21, a team of scientists confirmed there are more than 40 sinkholes on the lakebed in the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

This isn’t the first time sinkholes have been found in the Great Lakes. In 2001, scientists found sinkholes at the bottom of Lake Huron in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Lake Huron’s sinkholes have attracted the attention of scientists ever since, especially once they found dancing bacteria in them.

You read that right. It’s kind of like a tango.

So, how did scientists find the Lake Michigan sinkholes? How big are they? And do they know what’s hiding in them?

We answer 10 questions.

More: We know more about the surface of Mars than about the floor of Lake Michigan. But what we do know is remarkable.

When were Lake Michigan’s sinkholes discovered?

In 2022, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were out surveying the lakebed in the Wisconsin’s marine sanctuary when circular depressions showed up on sonar scans.

The depressions stretched for miles, piquing everyone’s curiosity, said Russ Green, superintendent with the marine sanctuary. A shipwreck hunter who was out looking for a wreck also noted them at about the same time, Green said.

The first time scientists were able to take a closer look was on Aug. 21. Using a remotely operated vehicle, they confirmed they are in fact sinkholes.

They were “perfect, little circles,” said Steve Ruberg, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

More: Wisconsin’s national marine sanctuary is a museum beneath the water. Here’s what to know.

Where are the sinkholes?

The sinkholes are about 14 miles southeast of Sheboygan, roughly 450 feet below the surface. They extend south in a line towards Port Washington.

How big are they?

The sinkholes range in size from 300 to 600 feet across.

The scientists found roughly 40, although Ruberg said there are likely more.

How do sinkholes in the Great Lakes form?

Whether it’s on land or on the lake bottom, sinkholes form when water dissolves rock, causing the surface layer to collapse and form a hole.

Lake Michigan sits on a layer of limestone bedrock. Over time, groundwater flowing under the lake erodes the bedrock, forming caverns, Ruberg said. Eventually, parts of the ceilings collapsed, forming sinkholes.

Does anything live in the sinkholes?

Not many organisms can withstand the cold, dark and oxygen-deprived conditions.

However, the temperature holds at a fairly constant 38 degrees Fahrenheit at the bottom, Ruberg said, and there are a few critters that “doing their thing in the dark down there.” There are freshwater shrimp, known as opossum shrimp as well as deepwater sculpin, which is a small fish. And of course, invasive quagga mussels survive.

Scientists expect there are also bacteria that can handle extreme environments, but they have yet to explore what kinds.

Can the sinkholes cause problems in the lake?

It’s not yet clear how the sinkholes contribute to the lake’s ecosystem, chemistry and water levels.

In Lake Huron, the groundwater that flows through the sinkholes have high levels of salt and sulfur, Ruberg said.

It’s possible that the groundwater seeping in through the sinkholes will contribute to lake levels in a “very small way, but it’s part of the whole equation we use to see where the lake levels are potentially going to go,” Ruberg said.

So far, the scientists haven’t found groundwater coming out of the sinkholes that they were able to explore, but they will likely find some when they get out deeper, Ruberg said.

There are dancing bacteria in Lake Huron’s sinkholes?

There sure are. But scientifically, it’s referred to as microbial migration.

At the bottom of Lake Huron’s Middle Island sinkhole, there are mats of purple-colored cyanobacteria that produce oxygen from sunlight. There are also white-colored bacteria that eat sulfur to get energy. The bacteria are a kind of carpet on the lake floor.

Scientists discovered that the bacteria flip-flop twice a day to compete with each other. In the early evening hours, the purple bacteria rise, blocking the white bacteria’s access to sunlight. When the sun comes out, they switch positions; the white sulfur-eaters move below and the purple cyanobacteria can start producing oxygen again.

The two bacteria do that “tango” every day, completely changing the color of the mat, said Greg Dick, a professor at the University of Michigan and director of the Cooperative Institute of Great Lakes Research.

It’s not uncommon to see animals migrate on a daily basis, Dick said, but it’s not often seen with microbes.

When it comes to the sinkholes in Lake Michigan, scientists have just begun to explore them. So it’s unclear whether bacteria do a daily dance − or other unheard of things.

What will scientists explore next?

Ruberg believes the sinkholes in Lake Michigan are probably similar to the ones in Lake Huron, but scientists won’t know for sure until they investigate further — one of their many next steps. Another avenue of exploration will be to see how much salt and sulfur is seeping into Lake Michigan, he said.

But Ruberg said there is a chance they will find something that’s never been seen in the Great Lakes before.

What can we learn from Great Lakes sinkholes?

The sinkholes are valuable natural laboratories.

“It’s an extreme environment,” Dick said. “We typically have to go to Antarctica or Yellowstone National Park or some exotic location to get these extreme ecosystems, but this is in our backyard in the Great Lakes.”

The dark, low-oxygen and sulfur-rich conditions in the deep sinkholes are similar to early conditions on Earth, Dick said. They can help scientists learn more about Earth’s early history before there was oxygen.

More: Want to explore a Lake Michigan shipwreck? Wisconsin’s marine sanctuary just made it easier.

Haven’t the bottom of the Great Lakes been explored?

Not really.

In fact, only 15% of the bottom of the Great Lakes has been mapped in high resolution. Scientists have said they know more about the surface of Mars than they do about the bottom of the largest fresh surface water system on earth.

But that may soon change.

The Lakebed 2030 Initiative by the Great Lakes Observing System, or GLOS, is an effort by scientists, agencies and other organizations to map and fully explore the lake bottoms.

And two Michigan representatives proposed a bipartisan bill earlier this year that would authorize $200 million to map the bottoms of all five lakes. The lakes could be mapped within eight years with proper funding, according to a 2021 report by the observing system.

Until then, there will likely be many more discoveries.

More: Lake Michigan shipwreck hunters discover historic schooner unseen for 131 years

Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com or follow her on X @caitlooby.

Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort at jsonline.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

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Michigan

How Ohio State’s national championship affects the Michigan rivalry

Published

4 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

How Ohio State’s national championship affects the Michigan rivalry

The book on Ohio State’s 2024 season is closed, culminating in a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for the program’s first national title since 2014.

Any other year, the Buckeyes’ story would have been over on Nov. 30, when Ryan Day and his team fumbled away an opportunity to exorcise their Michigan demons, losing at home as 20 ½-point favorites.

Sixth-year safety Quinten Johnson, the only player on the Wolverines’ roster who had ever lost to OSU, said entering the game the team was going to embrace the villain role.

It did. Michigan’s defense bullied the Buckeyes in the trenches and smothered them in the secondary, while a sputtering offense showed its mettle on its final drive, running the ball on 10 straight plays before kicking a go-ahead 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left.

A talented OSU senior class, of whom many decided to forego the draft after last season for another crack at a title, finished their careers 0-4 against the Wolverines and watched (and reacted) as they planted a block “M” flag at midfield. Before the game, OSU fans heckled the maize and blue villains persistently.

When the clock hit zero, the Wolverines waived goodbye to a sea of red in the stands as boos and chants of “(expletive) Ryan Day” reverberated through Ohio Stadium.

But thanks to the expanded 12-team playoff, the Buckeyes were able to add a redemption chapter to their story and were wearing a national champion cape at the end.

In the history of the college football, no team has faced a tougher path to the championship. OSU fell to No. 8 in the CFP bracket after losing to Michigan but outscored its four postseason opponents – No. 9 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Notre Dame – by a combined score of 145-75.

“The story gets to get told now, and it’s a great story about a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations,” Day told ESPN on the field right after the game. “There’s a point where there’s a lot of people that counted us out, and we just kept swinging and kept fighting. It’s the reason why you get into coaching is to see guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and then reach their dreams. This is what happened tonight.”

Day was in the toughest situation of anyone in the program. Jim Harbaugh lost his first five meetings against the Buckeyes, and even as frustrations mounted from the Michigan fanbase that was yearning to stop an eight-game skid in the rivalry, the former Michigan quarterback never faced the scrutiny Day was under after losing this year’s game.

OSU administration stood by Day immediately after the loss, and he rewarded them with a title. Athletic director Ross Bjork knew the Buckeyes would still reach the expanded CFP this season and wanted to present a united front before the team began its playoff journey.

Perhaps Day wouldn’t have kept his job if it weren’t for the 12-team field. Or perhaps, if the expanded playoff was instituted earlier, he would have gotten a rematch against Michigan in the postseason.

The previous three meetings all were top-five matchups, with the loser likely earning a playoff spot as well.

Michigan went 15-0 during its national title run in 2023, which included an interception from Ohio native Rod Moore to stamp a Michigan 30-24 victory in Ann Arbor.

Whose title is more impressive surely will be debated between fanbases for years to come. The Wolverines didn’t face the same gauntlet of a schedule as OSU did this year but only three of their games were decided by one score.

The Buckeyes (14-2) beat six teams this season that finished inside the Associated Press Top 25, including a revenge game against the Ducks, but they did lose to an unranked Michigan team without star cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland and with a former walk-on at quarterback.

After the loss, according to The Athletic, the Day family hired around-the-clock security at their house after receiving threats.

The morning after the game, I was eating breakfast at my hotel near Columbus and overheard an OSU fan lambasting Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly for their game plan against the Wolverines. He said he wouldn’t be as excited if the Buckeyes went on to win it all.

The emotions of the loss were still fresh, and surely fans can revel in a national title no matter the path. But the 2024 season is now over, and the countdown is officially on for the 2025 showdown in Ann Arbor.

The result of the Nov. 30 game might have fueled Buckeyes’ national title run, but it also generated a wave of momentum for Michigan. Sherrone Moore’s program followed with another upset over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl and signed its first top-10 recruiting class since 2019, highlighted by five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Even before this year’s matchup, Day told a local TV station that losing to Michigan was one of the worst things that has happened in his life. The rivalry is historically known for both programs being consumed by each other 365 days a year.

The primary critique of the expanded CFP was it would devalue regular-season matchups. The Buckeyes wouldn’t have been at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta celebrating Monday night if it wasn’t for the new format.

But considering the postgame fracas and the emotion on both sides of the rivalry after the upset, it’s hard not to envision the rivalry cooling off anytime soon. Day will still be facing pressure to beat Michigan and avoid falling to 1-5 in the series, while Moore will be looking to lead the Wolverines back to the CFP after finishing 8-5 this season, especially with a more favorable schedule in 2025.

BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

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Michigan

Michigan basketball ‘hungry’ for a ranked win, gets two shots this week

Published

11 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Michigan basketball ‘hungry’ for a ranked win, gets two shots this week

ANN ARBOR — Earlier this season, Michigan played a handful of home games against non-power-conference teams and destroyed them all. The closest margin in those games was 31 points. During that time, Michigan’s freshmen starters, especially Syla Swords, were eager for bigger challenges. They bugged their coach about it.

“‘I want that next great team. I want another ranked team,’” Swords said, according to Kim Barnes Arico. “She’s relentless.”

The Wolverines will get a couple of chances this week. They visit No. 23 Minnesota on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, 7 local, B1G+) and host No. 21 Michigan State on Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network).

Michigan (13-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) has won three straight, most recently Saturday’s 87-71 victory over Rutgers at Crisler Center. Michigan’s defense was locked in from the start. Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller entered as the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer at 20 points per game. She missed all eight of her shots against Michigan and didn’t score.

“We threw a lot of bodies at her and just made her feel uncomfortable,” Barnes Arico said after the game.

One of those defenders was Te’Yala Delfosse, an athletic 6-foot-3 forward who tallied 10 points and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench. Delfosse was sidelined with an injury for about two months, missing valuable preseason practice time and not debuting until Michigan’s sixth game on Nov. 24.

“She’s so long, she’s so disruptive,” Barnes Arico said. “She just gives us something different than everyone else.”

Three other Michigan freshmen have been consistently producing all season in the starting lineup. Swords had 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists against Rutgers. Mila Holloway had 13 points, seven assists and five boards, while Olivia Olson added 13 points and four rebounds.

Barnes Arico was impressed with Swords’ on-court postgame TV interview in which she downplayed her scoring. “I’m here to win games,” Swords said. “I’m not here to score.”

“I think that’s kind of the mentality of our freshmen, which is pretty incredible,” Barnes Arico said. “They’re so unselfish. … They make extra passes, they find each other, they play basketball the right way.”

The veterans are contributing too. Jordan Hobbs is capable of scoring 20 in any game (she did it last week). Greta Kampschroeder has embraced her role as the center in Michigan’s all-guard starting lineup and is shooting 42 percent from 3. Yulia Grabovskaia, a legitimate center at 6-foot-5, has played her best recently.

Michigan, currently ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 poll, is 13-0 this season against unranked teams (those teams have not been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll at all season). The five losses have come against top-10 teams (three of those teams are still in the top four; the other are two are still top 15).

“It’s our time to get a ranked win,” Olson said after the Rutgers game. “We’re hungry for it.”

Minnesota (17-2, 5-2) is 11-0 at home in Dawn Plitzuweit’s second season as head coach. The Gophers average the fewest turnovers per game in the country.

Michigan State is 15-3 (5-2) entering Wednesday night’s home game against Penn State. The Spartans have been strong defensively, forcing turnovers and blocking shots at a high rate.

Barnes Arico hopes Michigan’s previous games against top competition will help her young team. “I just think experience is the greatest teacher,” she said. “There is nothing like it. I could try to simulate it in practice all day long.”

Her players, especially the rookies, are eager for what awaits this week. Big games are why they came to Michigan.

After losses, Barnes Arico said they came to her with a message: “‘We learned this, learned this, studied this — we’re prepared for the next one.’ I don’t know if they always are, but they think they are.”

We’re about to find out.

BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

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