Why lakes are dangerous

Heavy rains and flooding can create strong currents and rapidly change the depth and clarity of water. Families should also be aware of man-made storm channels and reservoirs that can be empty one minute and full of water the next.

If you are planning an outing that involves open water, check the weather and water conditions before you leave home and again when you arrive. Stay alert for changes while you are on site and always stay out of the water if you hear thunder or see lightning.

You might also like:. Keeping Kids Safe in Open Water. His family members made it to safety, but the boy did not. In August, a man drown while swimming in Lake Michigan off the beach at Frankfort, despite being resuscitated by first responders and taken to Munson Medical Center.

The number of people who have drown in Lake Michigan has risen steadily since , according to the GLSRP, which tracks drownings, provides life guard training and advocates for water safety education. One is because there are highly populated areas around the lake, as well as communities like Frankfort that are popular tourist destinations. Most people think of rip currents, but depending on which beach and where swimming, there can be different kinds of currents.

Rip currents, the most well-known type of current, can occur at any beach when there is wave action. As waves push water over the sand on the lake bottom, a channel can be created, which continues to get larger as water surges out back toward the lake through it.

People caught in these currents find themselves being pulled out into deeper water, even while actively swimming against the current. These channels and currents can form and change location very quickly when there is high wave action.

Swimmers caught in a rip current should not try to fight the current, but swim parallel to the shore until they leave the channel, and can them swim back to shore. Longshore currents are caused by winds and waves hitting the shoreline at an angle and pushing water down the length of the beach in one direction. People caught in a longshore current can find themselves far down the beach from where they entered the water. Small children may be pulled off sandbar formations, the water depth along the shore can change.

The GLSRP website advises swimming with a longshore current until the pull breaks, and then swimming to shore. A scientist explains, " Because CO2 is denser than air, it hugged the ground in low-lying clouds and killed the villagers while they slept, like a malevolent blanket. The University of Michigan notes , "This process is identical to the removal of the cap from a bottle of soda—when the cap is removed there is no more pressure to keep the gas dissolved in the soda, and bubbles are formed.

Once bubbles form in the lake, they rise rapidly and drag the deep water toward the surface, at which point additional deep water is drawn upward and depressurized. This leads to a chain reaction that eventually results in the violent release of enormous amounts of lethal CO2 gas. Because the gas content of these lakes is currently very high, catastrophes similar to those in and could occur at any time. The water is a beautiful deep blue color, and it's located fairly close—about 62 miles km —from the mainland.

It has been deemed the second largest underwater sinkhole in the world. Extending about ft meters across, and feet meters deep, its barrier reef is second in size only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Beneath the surface lies a complex series of tunnels, which are home to various forms of coral and other wildlife. Scientists believe the hole was formed roughly , years ago—during the ice age. The caves make diving through the Great Blue Hole dangerous. However, what's worse is that scientists discovered that as they descended into the hole, signs of life became scarce.

There's actually a thick layer of hydrogen sulfide spanning the entire width of the sinkhole. Underneath that there's no oxygen, and no life. As you can see, Earth is a wondrous place, but dangers lurk in the most innocuous-looking places. Be careful out there. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

By Jaime Trosper. Don't be fooled by the beautiful scenery. Follow Us on. Mono Lake. The lake had no fish, but trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies thrived in its unique waters. Up until , this strikingly beautiful lake was healthy and strong. But then Los Angeles, which was just beginning a giant growth spurt, drained the Mono Basin streams to keep its businesses and growing citizenry hydrated. This scandalous mishandling of natural resources went on for almost 50 years and when it was halted in , Mono Lake had lost half its volume, its salinity had doubled, and became a toxic alkaline lake teeming with carbonates, chlorides and sulfates.

A committee was formed to compel Los Angeles to right its wrong but the restoration project will take decades to complete. Lake Monoun. Twelve of the fatalities were riding in a truck that stalled and when they exited the truck to investigate, the lethal gas killed them.

Lake Nyos. In , Lake Nyos, just 62 miles from Lake Monoun, exploded after a pocket of magma on the lakebed leaked carbon dioxide into the water, transforming it into carbonic acid. Dramatic earth movement, possibly set off by a landslide, abruptly emitted a giant cloud of carbon dioxide from the lake, killing thousands of people and animals in local towns and villages.

The tragedy was the first known massive asphyxiation triggered by a natural event. The lake continues to pose a menace because its natural wall is fragile and even the slightest tremor could destroy it.