Environment

Snow, now field runoff, could close beaches

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By ALEXANDRA HARAKAS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Even after all the snow Michigan received this winter is gone and melted, it could still find a way to adversely impact summer vacations. A new study by the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan suggests that extreme precipitation is linked to the need for beach closures. Intense precipitation may cause runoff from farm fields and increase bacteria such as E. coli in the water, leading officials to close beaches. The study focuses on 12 Great Lakes cities from May through September in 2000-06: Detroit and Grand Rapids; Buffalo and Rochester in New York; Chicago and Rockford in Illinois; Cleveland and Toledo in Ohio; Erie, Penn.; Gary, Ind.; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Minneapolis. During the period studied, beaches in eight of those cities were closed for 100 days.

Environment

Climate change’s impact on wine grapes under study

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By DANIELLE WOODWARD
Capital News Service
LANSING –If you sip your favorite wine and it tastes a bit funny, climate change may be the culprit. More extreme weather, like unpredictable springs and long summer droughts, is to blame for changes in grape production, said Erwin Elsner a small fruit educator at Michigan State University. Scientists say extreme weather is one of the consequences of climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. What that means to wine production is as yet unclear, and it’s still too early to tell for certain, Elsner said. “If we could tell our growers that they could expect consistent warming trends, it would be beneficial, but at this point all we have is a more unpredictable climate.