A Field Study of Maximum Wave Height, Total Wave Energy, and Maximum Wave Power Produced by Four Recreational Boats on a Freshwater Lake Minnesota has more boats per capita than any state in the union. With the increase in both the size and power of boats, particularly wake surfing watercraft, there is increasing interest in understanding the impacts large wakes and prop thrust may have on lake ecology. To this end, MLR hads been supporting independent, unbiased, peer reviewed research into three key questions: 1. How big and how much energy do the wakes of various watercraft produce, and how far must the wake travel to dissipate to the point where it no longer has destructive force? 2. How much energy and how deeply does the prop thrust of various water column go, and what are the impacts. 3. How are boat wakes materially different from wind-driven waves, and what are the quantifiable ecological impacts of wakes on lakes and rivers. Happily the University of Minnesota has the oldest fluid dynamics research institution, the Saint Anthony Falls Lab, SAFL. In February of 2022, the SAFL researcher Jeffrey Marr was the guest speaker at an MLR webinar to present his finding into Phase One, Boat-Generated Wake Study: Overview of research, findings, and next steps
