• Sunday-What'sUP June 8 - 07:27 pm

Yesterday Edie and I were on the way back to the Copper Country from Marquette when we noticed a bunch of mini-icebergs floating in Keweenaw Bay. After passing Bishop Baraga at L'Anse, on we cruised to Baraga's village limits, where I whipped out my smartphone for the little movie above.

To my surprise this morning I stumbled on the reference above to June 7th by the good Bishop himself. Amazing coincidence that we recorded the same observation with our phone that Baraga recorded with his pen in 1836.

This Shoebox Memory would have appeared on time this morning except for a complication I have never before encountered: the video was recorded in the wrong plane, 90 degrees off. After all the trouble of uploading it, you would have had to turn your monitor on its side to see it :o( So I selected "rotate" in the Youtube edit area... and there it sat ALL DAY, saying "check back later". Finally I got tired of checking back, downloaded an App on my phone, and flipped it the right way in about 5 minutes.

There have been amazing advances in technology, from simple handwritten diaries to the multimedia arsenals we carry around in our pockets. But they sure can be frustrating. >:/

Have a good week :o)

very interesting

Great research Charlie! Thanks for posting this!

This proves that weather, like history, indeed repeats itself.;>

Great information today!

In addition to The Most Reverend Baraga observing ice on Lake Superior in June, Samuel Champlain wrote about finding ice he could walk on along the shores of Lake Superior in June 1608 (Climate, History, and the Modern World by H.H. Lamb). Both of these gentlemen lived during what geologists call the Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1315 to 1850, give or take a few years. This was a time of slightly cooler temperatures than those of today. In the Alps and parts of Norway, glaciers grew and engulfed several towns and farms (Histoire du Climat Depuis l’an Mil by E. Ladurie). The Little Ice Age followed a time known as the Medieval Warm Period, during which temperatures were a bit warmer than those of today. The ice we see on Lake Superior this June is not unprecedented, but it is an interesting reminder of how variable the climate system can be.

Charlie, very nice research, video and good information. Makes an enjoyable read.

I'm getting spoiled with these fantastic videos and I have stayed at the Baraga Lakeside Inn many a time.

VERY interesting, Dr Nat!
Thank you for that.

Should we assume that the 'global warming' is officially over?

Is this whole book online? Also, this has got to be a record for ice this late.

Very cool video, thanks Charlie.

The earths path around the Sun is not a perfect circle, it is an elliptical path. I believe that causes a variation in the climate.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

Mr. Kuusisto is correct, variations in Earth's orbit (known as Milankovitch cycles) do influence climate, but so do many other things, including: the Sun's energy output, plate tectonics, weathering of silicate minerals, ocean currents, ocean oscillations, volcanic eruptions and much, much more. It is also undoubtedly influenced by many things we don't understand yet. Climate is an incredibly complex, but fascinating system.

Sitting in my room near the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, I had an
urge to check in on PastyCam. I imagine the people I talk with
today will be surprised to hear about the icebergs back in the U.P.
Thanks for that information about the weather from Bishop Baraga's
diary.