Science of Weather: Sea Life Michigan, Temperature and Light Cycles
As soon as you walk into Sea Life Michigan located at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, you will come across two freshwater exhibits which represent the Great Lakes here in Michigan.
Lauren Grauer, Lead Aquarist at Sea Life Michigan, "If you ever tried to jump in a local lake in the Springtime, you know that it is freezing, it is absolutely so cold. Throughout the summer, the lakes in Michigan heat up from the sun hitting them all day, and it kind of stores that heat. So you know in the early Fall it is kind of warm to jump into, it's easier to swim in when it's sunny out. We try to mimic that here at Sea Life, by increasing and decreasing the temperature of our two freshwater exhibits. So the fish get what it would be like if they were in the wild. So it is a lot closer to their natural habitat than it would be if we didn't adjust their natural temperatures."
This gives the freshwater fish a sense of what season it is based on the temperature cycle.
"So right now these tanks are about probably 57 to 60 degrees sitting around that range, we still keep them kind of cool, we have giant chillers by the side of our building, that keep the water nice and cool in here, otherwise they would be set a little bit warmer so it's a perfect temperature for them in the summer-time." Replies Lauren.
Adding onto that, Sea Life also mimics the suns pattern.
"The lights also do that, so we try to turn them off earlier as the season change too. So we simulate the light cycle in the winter how we lose sunlight in the winter, so they also lose sunlight. They turn off a little bit earlier in the winter and they stay on a little bit longer in the summer. So again they mimic the seasons that they would normally live in the wilds of Michigan." Lauren explains.
Different weather elements are all important for each and every habitat. Let's go ahead and check out other exhibits.
"This is our ocean tank, it is 120-thousand gallons. We have a giant life support room that has all of the different filtration needs to keep the water clean and clear and the animals happy and healthy." Lauren Grauer, Lead Aquarist at Sea Life Michigan.
This tank is kept at a higher temperature, to represent the sea creatures' natural habitat.
We keep the temperature in this tank around 76 degrees year-round, it's about what the temperature of the ocean that these guys would live in is. We keep the lights on in the same pattern for the summer and then we shorten the day a little bit for the winter just like our freshwater exhibits. That way they can kind of tell when it is summer and when it is winter." Adds Lauren.
Now that's the Science of Weather. In Auburn Hills, Meteorologist Kylee Miller.