Eye in the sky looks at Great Lakes wrecks

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — When spotting submerged shipwrecks proved difficult, researchers oddly looked to the sky. Shipwrecks can threaten the Great Lakes environment if remaining onboard fuel leaks or they harbor invasive species that like to stick to them. A recent study in the Journal of Archaeological Science suggests that satellite imagery can be used to locate these potentially hazardous wrecks that may otherwise go unnoticed. Shipwreck searchers rely on sonar in deep waters and airborne laser systems in clear waters. But neither method is as effective for near shore areas with cloudy, shallow waters, according to the study.