A seiche rises when the wind blows. This can make the western basin quite shallow, even empty.

Dr. Todd Crail of the University of Toledo studies native mussels in Lake Erie. He said research is easier during a seiche.

Because western Lake Erie is the shallowest point of the shallowest Great Lake, its water is incredibly vulnerable to weather. Dr Crail said mussels have some of the “most fascinating evolutionary adaptations” for this reason.

“The mussels sink into the sediment and suffocate the muscles of the invaders,” Dr Crail said. “You can take them out right away.”

Seiche events can be quite powerful. Lakeside flooding can be dangerous when the water recedes.

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