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Quasi-periodic decadal cycles in levels of lakes Michigan and Huron
Hanrahan, J. L., Kravtsov, S. V., & Roebber, P. J. (2009). Quasi-periodic decadal cycles in levels of lakes Michigan and Huron. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 35(1), 30-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2008.11.004
While Great Lakes' seasonal water-level variations have been previously researched and well documented, few studies thus far addressed longer-term, decadal cycles contained in the 143-yr lake-level instrumental record. Paleo-reconstructions based on Lake Michigan's coastal features, however, hinted to an approximate 30-yr quasi-periodic lake-level variability. in the present study, spectral analysis of 1865-2007 Lakes Michigan/Huron historic levels revealed 8 and 12-yr period oscillations; these time scales match those of large-scale climatic signals previously found in the North Atlantic. While the existing paleodata are inadequate to the task of asserting significance of the 30-yr signal, it is suggested here that this cycle is due to intermodulation of the two near-decadal signals. Furthermore, water budget analysis argues that the North Atlantic decadal climate modes translate to the lake levels primarily through precipitation and its associated runoff. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
