Little ice near the shoreline is the St. Clair River and Lake Erie, near Port Huron, Mich. on March 4, 2013. Ice cover has decreased nearly 70 percent on the five Great Lakes since the early 1970s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The five Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's fresh water and have more than 11,000 miles of shoreline. (Gannett, Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing (Mich.) State Journal)
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ABOARD THE BRISTOL BAY, Mich. - The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bristol Bay has battled pretty much everything the Great Lakes can think up - 14-foot swells that left even experienced guardsmen heaving in the head, stranded animals that floated too far out, barges stuck in shallow shores.
The one thing they don't see as much of - at least not anymore - is ice.
One of the Detroit-based crew's primary responsibilities is ice breaking during the winter, clearing Great Lakes waterways of ice buildup so cargo ships can pass through. ...