Development of recurrent coastal plume in Lake Michigan observed for first time

Abstract

NOAA CoastWatch satellite imagery from early 1996 captured the initiation, development, and decay of a recurrent coastal plume in southern Lake Michigan (Figure 1). For the past 4 years intermittent satellite coverage has revealed a late winter‐early spring plume in the lake, a feature also observed by Mortimer [1988]. In 1996, clear weather conditions allowed researchers to observe the plume's development for the first time and they also collected water samples from helicopter and a small boat.