Cenovus Invests $100,000 for Great Lakes Ice Research Project

DULUTH, Minn. — A research project on the impact that ice has on the Great Lakes is getting new funding.

Cenovus Energy, in partnership with the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Toledo Ohio, will invest $100,000 for research on ice effects on water, specifically in Lake Superior and Lake Erie.

Along with the impact of ice on algae blooms that result in negative swimming conditions and overall oxygen levels.

UMD Professor of Chemistry Kathryn Schreiner said, the funding will go directly to research and supplies.

“The Large Lakes Observatory is the only institute in the world that is focused on the functioning and the health of large lakes worldwide. Because of our location here in Duluth, we’re very focused on Lake Superior and all of the Laurentian Great Lakes here in the U.S. And so what this does is help us understand how theses lakes function in the wintertime. So its really important to Duluth in general. We rely on Lake Superior for our drinking water, four our recreation. Knowing how it functions and knowing more about the health of the lake will help make sure it can stay a resource for many years.”

The hope is that results from phase one will draw in federal funding for future research.