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Push to map Great Lakes bottom gains momentum amid promises effort will help fishing and shipping

FILE - In this June 2021 image taken from video provided by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the bow of the Ironton is seen in Lake Huron off Michigan's east coast. (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary via AP, File)
AP
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Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
FILE - In this June 2021 image taken from video provided by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the bow of the Ironton is seen in Lake Huron off Michigan's east coast. (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary via AP, File)

MADISON, WI (AP)— What lies beneath the Great Lakes' waves is largely unknown, but there's a new push to learn more about thousands of shipwrecks, underwater infrastructure, and the impacts of climate change on the bottom of the world's largest freshwater system.

Only 15 percent of the lakes' bottom has been mapped, according to the Great Lakes Observing System. The organization has been pushing since 2018 to secure funding to map the entire lakebed in high-resolution.

Advocates argue the effort would paint a detailed picture of shipwrecks, infrastructure such as pipelines, and topography that would inform storm surge models as the climate warms.

Two Congress members from Michigan introduced a bill that would allocate $200 million for the initiative.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.