General studies : November, 1967 / by John C. Ayers, Joseph C. K. Huang.

5
Gross Currents
The mass movement of water that is designated as "current"
is the primary distributor of everything inanimate that gets into
the lake. Although we do not understand the currents of Lake
Michigan in detail, there are certain larger features that have
been found with a surprising degree of consistency. The two most
firmly established of these features are a general outflow current
along the Michigan shore from Little Sable Point northward toward
the Straits of Mackinac, and the presence of a large eddy near the
eastern shore off Benton Harbor. Both these features were found
in the first significant current study, reported by Harrington
in 1895. Deason (1932) deduced the presence of something like
the Benton Harbor eddy. Ayers et al (1958) found both the eddy
and the outflow current in surveys in 1955. Bellaire (1964) also
found them both. Ayers et al and Bellaire disagree with Harrington
as to the direction of rotation of the Benton Harbor eddy (Fig. 4),
while Deason shows no figure and speaks only of a "swirling action"
in the southeast portion of the lake.
While none of these studies were designed to delineate circulation immediately close to shore, they agree in the establishment
of a major current feature close in to shore in the southeast
corner of the lake. Ayers et al (their Fig. 24) tentatively
identify a thin elongate counterclockwise eddy close against shore
between Michigan City and Benton Harbor (indicated by an X in Fig. 4).
This eddy may be pertinent to the alongshore currents at the plant
site. The matter is discussed later.