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https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Lakes, National Wildlife Federation - Great Lakes, North America, LiveScience - Great Facts About the Five Great Lakes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Great Lakes, Great Lakes - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Great Lakes - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Risk of severe storms persists from Texas to Great Lakes. [40], The Great Lakes contain 21% of the world's surface fresh water: 5,472 cubic miles (22,810km3), or 6.01015 U.S.gallons, that is 6quadrillion U.S gallons, (2.31016 liters). [12] There are also several thousand smaller lakes, often called "inland lakes", within the basin.[13]. It is 350 miles (563 km) long (east to west), and at its greatest width it is 160 miles (258 km) from north to south. "Sea" versus "lake" versus "just part of the ocean" is a bit fuzzy, but there are two things that are universal about seas: They are saline. These storms mainly occur during the night, and the systems sometimes have small embedded tornadoes, but more often straight-line winds accompanied by intense lightning. [65], The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book (1972) notes: "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery. By the mid-1950s, the lake trout populations of Lakes Michigan and Huron were reduced, with the lamprey deemed largely to blame. Has the cause of a rocket failure ever been mis-identified, such that another launch failed due to the same problem? This designation is not universal. This massive saline lake, which is nearly the same size as Japan, borders five countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran. [55] Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. They hold about 90% of the freshwater in the United States and approximately 20% of the world's freshwater supply. Both the province of Ontario and the state of Michigan include in their boundaries portions of four of the lakes: The province of Ontario does not border Lake Michigan, and the state of Michigan does not border Lake Ontario. In addition, the mussels may be a nuisance to industries by clogging pipes. The area of each rectangle is proportionate to the volume of each lake. The glaciers undoubtedly scoured these valleys, widening and deepening them and radically changing the drainage of the area. At least 13 wildlife species are documented as becoming extinct since the arrival of Europeans, and many more are threatened or endangered. [113] The Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company had several vessels at the time and hired workers from all walks of life to help operate these vessels. [102][103] The peoples of the Great Lakes traded with the Hopewell culture from around 1000 AD, as copper nuggets have been extracted from the region and fashioned into ornaments and weapons in the mounds of Southern Ohio. Lakes Huron and Michigan are sometimes considered a single lake, called Lake MichiganHuron, because they are one hydrological body of water connected by the Straits of Mackinac. The greatest concentration of shipwrecks lies near Thunder Bay (Michigan), beneath Lake Huron, near the point where eastbound and westbound shipping lanes converge. By the mid-1980s, most jurisdictions bordering the Great Lakes had controlled phosphate detergents. [11], Though the five lakes lie in separate basins, they form a single, naturally interconnected body of fresh water, within the Great Lakes Basin. This effect can be very localized and overridden by offshore wind patterns. The number of such overflow events in Ontario, for example, is flat according to the International Joint Commission. [10] The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount of meltwater (Lake Algonquin, Lake Chicago, Glacial Lake Iroquois, and Champlain Sea) that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. rev2023.4.21.43403. [49] This is enough water to cover the 48 contiguous U.S. states to a uniform depth of 9.5 feet (2.9m). Storm-generated waves carve the lakes' ice sheet and create conical mounds through the eruption of water and slush. Still missing are the two last warships to sink in the Great Lakes, the French minesweepers Inkerman and Cerisoles, which vanished in Lake Superior during a blizzard in 1918. Some of these forests are second or third growth (i.e. Studies in the Lake Superior region indicate that a river system and valleys formed by water erosion existed before the Ice Age. janetcbl. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Although the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway make the Great Lakes accessible to ocean-going vessels,[31] shifts in shipping to wider ocean-going container shipswhich do not fit through the locks on these routeshave limited container shipping on the lakes. [82], Phosphate detergents were historically a major source of nutrient to the Great Lakes algae blooms in particular in the warmer and shallower portions of the system such as Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, Green Bay, and the southernmost portion of Lake Michigan. The water level in Lake Ontario has remained relatively constant in the same time period, hovering around the historical average level. A similar phenomenon allows wineries to flourish in the Finger Lakes region of New York, as well as in Prince Edward County, Ontario, on Lake Ontario's northeast shore. This is a laker with a conveyor belt system that can unload itself by swinging a crane over the side. Baraka Farrington/Google. "[62], By 1801, the New York Legislature found it necessary to pass regulations curtailing obstructions to the natural migrations of Atlantic salmon from Lake Erie into their spawning channels. Photosynthesis carried out by diatoms constitutes about one fifth of the total photosynthesis.[where?] [121] There are no plans to raise her as the site is being treated as a war grave. Periodic mass die-offs result in vast numbers of the fish washing up on shore; estimates by various governments have placed the percentage of Lake Michigan's biomass which was made up of alewives in the early 1960s as high as 90%. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Members; 912 December 23, 2007; In 1884, the New York Fish Commission determined that the dumping of sawmill waste (chips and sawdust) had impacted fish populations. In the early 19th century, the government of Upper Canada found it necessary to introduce similar legislation prohibiting the use of weirs and nets at the mouths of Lake Ontario's tributaries. [36], The lake levels are affected primarily by changes in regional meteorology and climatology. As the depth decreases, there might be some expansion of the surface area, but that's mostly temporary - it increases the evaporation rate without increasing the inflow, so water is lost over time. Why is the sea salinity high in the Mediterannean and Red Sea and low in Indonesia and Malaysia? [68][69] According to the Inland Seas Education Association, on average a new species enters the Great Lakes every eight months. Overall, this means it's not going to get saltier over time - it keeps pretty much constant salinity, which is pretty much zero compared to the oceans. For the African Great Lakes, see, Large bays and related significant bodies of water, "Evolution of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement", Paul Muldoon and Lee Botts, Michigan State University Press, 2005, Burkhardt Steffen, Amoroso Gabi, Riebesell Ulf, Sltemeyer Dieter, (2001), CO. Brian N. Popp, Edward A. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than to make steel on the spot. The prevailing winds from the west pick up the air and moisture from the lake surface, which is slightly warmer in relation to the cold surface winds above. The unstable West Antarctic ice cap and Greenland ice caps combined would only get us about halfway there. The Great Lakes together form the western part of the St. Lawrence hydrographic system. Removal of trees also destabilized the soil, with greater volumes washed into stream beds causing siltation of gravel beds, and more frequent flooding. How do the Great Lakes influence the regional climate? [90] Reports about this issue on the U.S. side highlight five large municipal systems (those of Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Gary) as being the largest current periodic sources of untreated discharges into the Great Lakes. What lakes comprise the Great Lakes of North America? Dispersed throughout the Great Lakes are approximately 35,000 islands. Image credit: Ted Lawrence/Great Lakes Fishery Commission. In modern times, only about 1% of volume per year is "new" water, originating from rivers, precipitation, and groundwater springs. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. "Sea" versus "lake" versus "just part of the ocean" is a bit fuzzy, but there are two things that are universal about seas: Now, let's see how the Great Lakes look under these criteria. Individually, the lakes rank among the 14 largest in the world (see table). Uplift has continued at a rate of about 1 foot (30 centimetres) every 100 years; this is evidenced by the drowned river mouths of western Lakes Erie and Superior. Water, water everywhere and not a . [65] By 1900, commercial fishermen on Lake Michigan were hauling in an average of 41million pounds of fish annually. The number of American adults who take anti-depressant drugs rose from 7.7% of all American adults in 19992002 to 12.7% in 20112014. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. More recently an electric fence has been set up across the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in order to keep several species of invasive Asian carp out of the lakes. Re: Stupid question about Great Lakes vs Ocean. The Dead Sea in the Middle East isn't called "Dead" for nothing it is too salty for aquatic life! [119] The largest and last major freighter wrecked on the lakes was the SSEdmund Fitzgerald, which sank on November 10, 1975, just over 17 miles (30km) offshore from Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. Eventually, drainage to the east and into the Atlantic Ocean was established, at one time down the valleys of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers and then along the course of the upper St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes are not only notable for their form, but also their functionthey're a crucial waterway contributing to the economy of the area, supporting over 50 million jobs and contributing $6 trillion to gross domestic product (GDP). The surrounding region is called the Great Lakes region, which includes the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The Great Lakes are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada-United States border, which connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Although the lakes contain a large percentage of the world's fresh water, the Great Lakes supply only a small portion of U.S. drinking water on a national basis. [6][7][8][9], The Great Lakes began to form at the end of the Last Glacial Period around 14,000 years ago, as retreating ice sheets exposed the basins they had carved into the land, which then filled with meltwater. The present configuration of the Great Lakes basin is the result of the movement of massive glaciers through the mid-continent, a process that began about one million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. 69-77. As the ice retreat continued, Lake Maumee was drained into Lake Chicago through a valley that now contains the Grand River in Michigan. [88], The amount of raw sewage dumped into the waters was the primary focus of both the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and federal laws passed in both countries during the 1970s. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit can be produced that is typically grown much farther south. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. [51] The Great Lakes coast measures approximately 10,500 miles (16,900km);,[14] but the length of a coastline is impossible to measure exactly and is not a well-defined measure. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [14] At least two human water use activities have been identified as having the potential to affect the lakes' levels: diversion (the transfer of water to other watersheds) and consumption (substantially done today by the use of lake water to power and cool electric generation plants, resulting in evaporation). The project captured 74,000 pieces of trash using this technology between 2020 and 2021, however it does not claim to catch up with 22million pounds (10.0kt) of plastic that ends up in Great Lakes every year. Their drainage basin of about 295,710 square miles (which includes the areas of the lakes themselves and their connecting waterways) extends approximately 690 miles from north to south and about 860 miles from Lake Superior in the west to Lake Ontario in the east. Are there any inland lakes in Michigan with ocean vibes? The present configuration of the Great Lakes basin is the result of the movement of massive glaciers through North America, a process that began about one million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. The Great Lakes are undoubtedly our state's most famous bodies of water, but Michigan is home to plenty of great rivers and inland lakes, too! By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. [clarification needed][64], Overfishing has been cited as a possible reason for a decrease in population of various whitefish, important because of their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. [71] The ruffe, a small percid fish from Eurasia, became the most abundant fish species in Lake Superior's Saint Louis River within five years of its detection in 1986. [120] In 2008, deep sea divers in Lake Ontario found the wreck of the 1780 Royal Navy warship HMSOntario in what has been described as an "archaeological miracle". Also note that Ontario is separated from Erie (and hence the upper lakes) by the Niagara River and a 167 ft/51 m waterfall. The Great Lakes have a humid continental climate, How were the Great Lakes of North America formed? At one high-water stage, the waters of the Huron and Michigan basin formed one large lakeLake Algonquin. 491 likes, 15 comments - Plastic Pollution Coalition (@plasticpollutes) on Instagram on September 15, 2021: " Nurdles are toxic plastic pellets that come from . For instance, western Michigan has apple orchards, and cherry orchards are cultivated adjacent to the lake shore as far north as the Grand Traverse Bay. Although Lake Baikal in Russia has a larger volume of water, the combined area of the Great Lakessome 94,250 square miles (244,106 square kilometres)represents the largest surface of fresh water in the world, covering an area exceeding that of the United Kingdom. Do lakes such as our Great Lakes have tides? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Some people consider the Caspian sea to be a lake and others consider it to be a sea. [66], Since the 19th century, an estimated 160 new species have found their way into the Great Lakes ecosystem; many have become invasive; the overseas ship ballast and ship hull parasitism are causing severe economic and ecological impacts. Why does the salt in the oceans not sink to the bottom? [95] High concentrations of microplastics were discovered in 100 percent of the fish that were studied by researchers from the Rochman Lab. There are five lakes, which are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario and are in general on or near the CanadaUnited States border. [117] Its wreck may have been found in 2004,[118] but a wreck subsequently discovered in a different location was also claimed in 2014 to be Le Griffon. @jamesqf it would take melting the East Antarctic ice shelf (the big stable one). [125] A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including some sailing ships. Implementation of secondary treatment of municipal sewage by major cities greatly reduced the routine discharge of untreated sewage during the 1970s and 1980s. Other answers have suggested some ways of classifying things into seas or lakes, which are good guides, but inevitably there are exceptions to all of them. Mercury compounds have been used in paper mills to prevent slime from forming during their production, and chemical companies have used mercury to separate chlorine from brine solutions. [93] Plastics in the water break up into very small particles known as microplastics. Unsurprisingly, the glacier-sourced melt water wasn't very salty. Its range, which has expanded to Lake Huron, poses a significant threat to the lower lake fishery. Lots of square waves. In the late 1960s, the various state and federal governments began stocking several species of salmonids, including the native lake trout as well as non-native chinook and coho salmon; by the 1980s, alewife populations had dropped drastically. This form of mercury is not detrimental to a majority of fish types, but is very detrimental to people and other wildlife animals who consume the fish. The Wisconsin Fisheries Commission noted a reduction of roughly 25% in general fish harvests by 1875. As of 2007, four car ferry services cross the Great Lakes, two on Lake Michigan: a steamer from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan, one on Lake Erie: a boat from Kingsville, Ontario, or Leamington, Ontario, to Pelee Island, Ontario, then onto Sandusky, Ohio, and one on Lake Huron: the MS Chi-Cheemaun[115] runs between Tobermory and South Baymouth, Manitoulin Island, operated by the Owen Sound Transportation Company. Doty was found in Lake Michigan by an exploration diving team led by dive boat Captain Jitka Hanakova from her boat Molly V.[122] The ship sank in October 1898, probably attempting to rescue a small schooner, Olive Jeanette, during a terrible storm. Can I general this code to draw a regular polyhedron? By taking CO2 out of the water to photosynthesize, diatoms help to stabilize the pH of the water, as CO2 would react with water to produce carbonic acid. The Great Lakes are, from west to east: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Word order in a sentence with two clauses, Connected to the rest of the ocean via either an isthmus, strait, river, or the Black Sea, this will not increase the salinity, since the salts are lost through the outflow, rather than being concentrated by evaporation. [110], Alan B. McCullough has written that the fishing industry of the Great Lakes got its start "on the American side of Lake Ontario in Chaumont Bay, near the Maumee River on Lake Erie, and on the Detroit River at about the time of the War of 1812". Chase (Unsplash: Link) Water in the Great Lakes comes from thousands of streams and rivers covering a watershed area of approximately 520,587 square kilometres (or 201,000 square miles).