Difference between revisions of "Great Lakes" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[image:Great Lakes from space.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The Great Lakes from space]]
[[image:Great Lakes from space.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The Great Lakes from space]]
 
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The '''Great Lakes''' are a group of five large [[lakes]] on or near the [[United States]]-[[Canada|Canadian]] border.  They are the largest group of [[fresh water]] lakes on the earth and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system is the largest fresh-water system in the world. They are sometimes referred to as [[lake|inland sea]]s.
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The Laurentian '''Great Lakes''' are a group of five large [[lake]]s in [[North America]] on or near the [[Canada]]-[[United States]] border.  They are the largest group of [[fresh water]] lakes on Earth. The Great Lakes-[[Saint Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]] system is the largest fresh-water system in the world. They are sometimes referred to as [[inland sea]]s.  
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==Lakes==
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<gallery>
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Image:Great Lakes Lake Superior.png|[[Lake Superior]]
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Image:Great Lakes Lake Michigan.png|[[Lake Michigan]]
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Image:Great Lakes Lake Huron.png  |[[Lake Huron]]
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Image:Great Lakes Lake Erie.png  |[[Lake Erie]]
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Image:Great Lakes Lake Ontario.png|[[Lake Ontario]]
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</gallery>
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<br style="clear: left"/>
  
==Lakes==
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The Great Lakes are:
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*[[Lake Superior]] (the largest by volume, area, and depth; larger than [[Scotland]] or [[South Carolina]])
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*[[Lake Michigan]] (the second-largest by volume and third-largest by area; the only one entirely in the U.S.)
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*[[Lake Huron]] (the third-largest by volume; the second largest in area)
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*[[Lake Erie]] (the smallest by volume and most shallow of all the great lakes)
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*[[Lake Ontario]] (the second-smallest in volume and smallest in area, much lower elevation than the rest)
  
 
[[Image:Grlakes_lawrence_map.png|thumb|250px|right|Map of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Watershed]]
 
[[Image:Grlakes_lawrence_map.png|thumb|250px|right|Map of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Watershed]]
The Great Lakes are (west to east, general direction of water flow):
 
  
*[[Lake Superior]] (the largest and deepest, larger than the [[Czech Republic]])
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Lakes Michigan and Huron, being hydrologically intertwined, are sometimes considered to be one entity: [[Lake Michigan-Huron]]. Considered together, Michigan-Huron would be larger in surface area than Lake Superior, but smaller in total water volume.
*[[Lake Michigan]] (the only one entirely in the U.S., the second largest in volume)
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*[[Lake Huron]] (the second largest in area)
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[[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Lake St. Clair]], a much smaller lake, is part of the Great Lakes system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, but is not considered one of the "Great Lakes."  [[Lake Nipigon]] is another large lake that is part of the same hydrological system, but not part of the Great Lakes proper. Other lakes of notable mention that are not considered part of the "Great Lakes", but are part of their hydrological system are [[Lake Nipissing]], [[Lake Simcoe]], [[Lake Winnebago]], [[Oneida Lake]], the [[Finger Lakes]] of [[Upstate New York]], and [[Lake Champlain]]. The system also includes the rivers that connect the lakes: [[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Marys River]] between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, the [[St. Clair River]] between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, the [[Detroit River]] between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, and the [[Niagara River]] and [[Niagara Falls]], between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.  (Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron through the [[Straits of Mackinac]].) Large islands and [[Bruce Peninsula|a peninsula]] divide Lake Huron into the lake proper and [[Georgian Bay]].
*[[Lake Erie]] (the smallest in volume and shallowest)
 
*[[Lake Ontario]] (the smallest in area, much lower altitude than the rest)
 
  
A commonly used [[mnemonic]] for remembering the names of the lakes is HOMES, for '''H'''uron, '''O'''ntario, '''M'''ichigan, '''E'''rie, and '''S'''uperior, although this mnemonic puts the lakes in no particular order. Alternative mnemonics such as ''Sister Mary Hates Ecumenical Overtures'' or ''She Made Harry Eat Onions'' place them in west-east order.
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The lakes are bounded by [[Ontario]] (all of the lakes except Michigan), [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Michigan]] (all but Lake Ontario), [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[New York]]. Four of the five lakes straddle the U.S.-Canada border; the fifth, Lake Michigan, is entirely within the [[United States]]. The [[Saint Lawrence River]], which marks the same international border for a portion of its course, is a primary outlet of these interconnected lakes, and flows through [[Quebec]] and past the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] to the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]].
  
Lakes Michigan and Huron, being hydrologically intertwined, are sometimes considered to be one entity: [[Lake Michigan-Huron]]. Considered together, Michigan-Huron would be larger in surface area than Lake Superior, but smaller in total water volume.
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[[Image:North_America_satellite_orthographic.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Great Lakes are clearly visible in this satellite image of North America]]
  
A much smaller sixth lake, [[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Lake St. Clair]], is part of the Great Lakes system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, but is not considered one of the "Great Lakes". The system also includes the rivers that connect the lakes: [[St. Mary's River]] between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, the [[St. Clair River]] between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, the [[Detroit River]] between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, and the [[Niagara River]] and [[Niagara Falls]], between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.  (Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron through the [[Straits of Mackinac]].) Large islands and a peninsula divide Lake Huron into the lake proper and [[Georgian Bay]].
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Sprinkled throughout the lakes are the approximately 35,000 [[Islands of the Great Lakes|Great Lakes islands]], including [[Manitoulin Island]] in Lake Huron, the largest island in any inland body of water (also home to the world's largest lake within a lake: [[Lake Manitou]]), and [[Isle Royale]] in Lake Superior, the largest island in the largest lake (each island large enough to itself contain multiple lakes).
  
The lakes are bounded by [[Ontario]] (all of the lakes but Michigan), [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Michigan]] (all but Ontario), [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[New York]]. Four of the five lakes straddle the U.S.-Canada border; the fifth, Lake Michigan, is entirely within the [[United States]]. The [[Saint Lawrence River]], which marks the same international border for a portion of its course, is a primary outlet of these interconnected lakes, and flows through [[Quebec]] and past the [[Gaspe Peninsula|Gaspé Peninsula]] to the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]].
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Today, 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water is contained in the five great lakes: 5,472 cubic miles (22,812&nbsp;km³), or 6 quadrillion U.S.&nbsp;gallons (22.81 quadrillion litres) in all. It is enough water to cover the contiguous 48 states to a uniform depth of 9.5 feet (2.9&nbsp;m). The combined [[surface area]] of the lakes is 94,250 square miles (244,100&nbsp;km²) &mdash; larger than the states of [[New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Connecticut]], [[Rhode Island]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Vermont]] and [[New Hampshire]] combined or the provinces of [[Prince Edward Island]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] combined.
  
[[image:NorthAmericaSatelliteImage.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Great Lakes are clearly visible in this satellite image of North America]]
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The Great Lakes coast measures 10,900 miles (17,549&nbsp;km) (including islands and connecting channels), nearly as long as the total US ocean coastline (19,928 km, or 12,383 mi), including Alaska.
  
Sprinkled throughout the lakes are the approximately 35,000 [[Great Lakes islands]], including [[Manitoulin Island]] in Lake Huron, the largest island in any inland body of water, and [[Isle Royale]] in Lake Superior, the largest island in the largest lake (each island large enough to itself contain multiple lakes).
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The [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]] and [[Great Lakes Waterway]] opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. However the move to wider ocean-going container ships — which do not fit through the [[canal lock|lock]]s on these routes — has limited shipping on the lakes. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze over in winter, and most shipping stops during that season. Some [[icebreaker]]s operate on the lakes.
  
The [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]] and [[Great Lakes Waterway]] opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. However the move to wider ocean-going container ships - which do not fit through the [[canal lock|lock]]s on these routes - has limited shipping on the lakes. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze over in winter, and most shipping stops during that season. There are some [[icebreakers]] that operate on the lakes.
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The lakes have an effect on weather in the region, known as [[lake effect snow|lake effect]]. In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce very heavy snowfall, especially along lakeshores to the east such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and New York. It is not uncommon for heavy snow to occur during completely clear skies because of this phenomenon. The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures somewhat, by absorbing heat and cooling the air in summer, then slowly radiating that heat in autumn. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit typically grown farther south can be produced in commercial quantities. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie are home to many wineries as a result of this, as is the [[Niagara Peninsula]] between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.  A similar phenomenon occurs in the [[Finger Lakes]] region of New York. Related to lake effect, is the occurance of [[fog]] over medium-sized areas, particularly along the shorelines of the lakes. This is most noticible along Lake Superior's shores, due to its [[maritime climate]].
  
The lakes have an effect on weather in the region, known as [[lake effect snow|lake effect]].  In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce very heavy snowfall, especially along lakeshores to the east such as in Michigan, Ontario, and New York.  The most infamous example is the [[Blizzard of '77]] in which previous heavy snowfall and strong winds running the length of Lake Erie covered [[Buffalo, New York]] in drifting snow.  The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures somewhat, by absorbing heat and cooling the air in summer, then slowly radiating that heat in autumn.  This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit typically grown farther south can be produced in commercial quantities.
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The Great Lakes have also been observed to help strengthen storms, such as [[Hurricane Hazel]] in 1954, and a [[Tornadoes of 2007#May 15|frontal system in 2007]] that spawned a few tornadoes in [[Michigan]] and [[Ontario]], picking up the warmth and energy from the lakes to fuel them. Also observed in 1996, was a rare [[subtropical cyclone]] forming in [[Lake Huron]], dubbed the [[1996 Lake Huron cyclone]].
  
 
{| border=0 cellspacing=2 cellpadding=0 width=600 style="font-size:smaller; clear:both;"
 
{| border=0 cellspacing=2 cellpadding=0 width=600 style="font-size:smaller; clear:both;"
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   bar:Superior from:-732 till:600 width:194 color:blue1
 
   bar:Superior from:-732 till:600 width:194 color:blue1
     $elevation at:600 text:"600 ft~(183 m)"
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     $elevation at:600 text:"600 ft (183 m)"
 
     $avgdepth at:117 shift:(0,1) text:"483 ft (147 m)"
 
     $avgdepth at:117 shift:(0,1) text:"483 ft (147 m)"
     $maxdepth at:-732 text:"1332 ft (406 m)"
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     $maxdepth at:-732 text:"1,332 ft (406 m)"
  
 
   bar:Michigan from:-348 till:577 width:113 color:blue5
 
   bar:Michigan from:-348 till:577 width:113 color:blue5
     $elevation at:577 text:"577 ft~(176 m)"
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     $elevation at:577 text:"577 ft (176 m)"
     $avgdepth at:298 shift:(0,2) text:"279 ft~(85 m)"
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     $avgdepth at:298 shift:(0,2) text:"279 ft (85 m)"
 
     $maxdepth at:-348 text:"925 ft (282 m)"
 
     $maxdepth at:-348 text:"925 ft (282 m)"
  
 
   bar:Huron from:-173 till:577 width:101 color:blue3
 
   bar:Huron from:-173 till:577 width:101 color:blue3
     $elevation at:577 text:"577 ft~(176 m)"
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     $elevation at:577 text:"577 ft (176 m)"
 
     $avgdepth at:382 shift:(0,1) text:"195 ft (59 m)"
 
     $avgdepth at:382 shift:(0,1) text:"195 ft (59 m)"
 
     $maxdepth at:-173 text:"750 ft (229 m)"
 
     $maxdepth at:-173 text:"750 ft (229 m)"
  
 
   bar:Erie from:359 till:569 width:49 color:blue2
 
   bar:Erie from:359 till:569 width:49 color:blue2
     $elevation at:569 text:"569 ft~(173 m)"
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     $elevation at:569 text:"569 ft (173 m)"
     $avgdepth at:507 align:left shift:(30,2) textcolor:textoutsidebar text:"62 ft (19 m)"
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     $avgdepth at:507 align:left shift:(30,2) textcolor:textoutsidebar text:"62 feet (19 m)"
     $maxdepth at:359 text:"210 ft~(64 m)"
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     $maxdepth at:359 text:"64 m (210 ft)"
  
 
   bar:Ontario from:-559 till:243 width:44 color:blue4
 
   bar:Ontario from:-559 till:243 width:44 color:blue4
     $elevation at:243 text:"243 ft~(74 m)"
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     $elevation at:243 text:"243 ft (74 m)"
     $avgdepth at:-40 shift:(0,2) text:"283 ft~(86 m)"
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     $avgdepth at:-40 shift:(0,2) text:"283 ft (86 m)"
     $maxdepth at:-559 text:"802 ft~(244 m)"
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     $maxdepth at:-559 text:"802 ft (244 m)"
  
 
   align:left shift:(35,0) textcolor:green
 
   align:left shift:(35,0) textcolor:green
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|- valign=top
 
|- valign=top
 
!align=right| Source:
 
!align=right| Source:
| [[EPA]]'s [http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/gl-fact1.html Great Lakes Atlas: Factsheet #1].
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| [[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]]'s [http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/gl-fact1.html Great Lakes Atlas: Factsheet #1].
 
|}
 
|}
  
==Geologic pre-history==
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==Geological pre-history==
<gallery>
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The Great Lakes were formed at the end of the last [[ice age]] about 10,000 years ago, when the [[Laurentide ice sheet]] receded. When this happened, the glaciers left behind a large amount of meltwater (see [[Lake Agassiz]]) which filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Because of the uneven nature of glacier [[erosion]], some higher hills became [[Islands of the Great Lakes|Great Lakes islands]]. The ''[[Niagara Escarpment]]'' follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin &ndash; [[Herbert Simon]] called this escarpment ''the spinal cord of my native land''.
Image:Great Lakes Lake Superior.png|Lake Superior
 
Image:Great Lakes Lake Michigan.png|Lake Michigan
 
Image:Great Lakes Lake Ontario.png|Lake Ontario
 
Image:Great Lakes Lake Huron.png|Lake Huron
 
Image:Great Lakes Lake Erie.png|Lake Erie
 
</gallery>
 
The Great Lakes were formed at the end of the last [[ice age]], about 10,000 years ago, when the [[Laurentide ice sheet]] receded. When this happened, large glaciers left behind a large amount of meltwater (see [[Lake Agassiz]]) which filled up these holes, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Because of the uneven nature of glacier [[erosion]], some higher hills became [[Great Lakes islands]]. The ''[[Niagara Escarpment]]'' follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin [[Herbert Simon]] called this escarpment ''the spinal cord of my native land''.
 
 
 
==Economy of the Great Lakes==
 
  
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==Economy==
 
The lakes are extensively used for [[transport]], though [[cargo]] traffic has decreased considerably in recent years.  The [[Great Lakes Waterway]] makes each of the lakes accessible.
 
The lakes are extensively used for [[transport]], though [[cargo]] traffic has decreased considerably in recent years.  The [[Great Lakes Waterway]] makes each of the lakes accessible.
  
During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Anything and everything floated on the lakes. Some ended up on the bottom due to storms, fires, collisions and underwater hazards. (See ''[[Edmund Fitzgerald]]'' and ''[[Le Griffon]]''.)  [[Barges]] from middle [[North America]] were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the [[Erie Canal]] opened in [[1825]].  By 1848, with the opening of the [[Illinois_and_Michigan_Canal|Illinois and Michigan Canal]] at [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], direct access to the Mississippi River was possible from the lakes.  With these two canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans.
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During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Anything and everything floated on the lakes. Some ended up on the bottom because of storms, fires, collisions and underwater hazards. (See ''[[SS Edmund Fitzgerald|Edmund Fitzgerald]]'' and ''[[Le Griffon]]''.)  [[Barge]]s from middle [[North America]] were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the [[Erie Canal]] opened in 1825.  By 1848, with the opening of the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal]] at [[Chicago]], direct access to the Mississippi River was possible from the lakes.  With these two canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans.
  
 
The main business of many of the passenger lines in the 1800s was transporting [[immigration|immigrants]]. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lakes as a freight destination as well as for being a magnet for immigrants. After railroads and surface roads developed the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, excepting ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, now has vanished.
 
The main business of many of the passenger lines in the 1800s was transporting [[immigration|immigrants]]. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lakes as a freight destination as well as for being a magnet for immigrants. After railroads and surface roads developed the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, excepting ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, now has vanished.
  
Yet, the immigration routes still have an effect today. Immigrants often formed their own communities and some areas have a pronounced ethnicity, say Dutch, German, Polish or Finnish, among many others. Since many immigrants settled for a time in New England before moving westward, many areas  on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes also have a New England feel, especially in home styles and accent.
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Yet, the immigration routes still have an effect today. Immigrants often formed their own communities and some areas have a pronounced ethnicity, such as Dutch, German, Polish, Finnish, and many others. Since many immigrants settled for a time in New England before moving westward, many areas  on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes also have a New England feel, especially in home styles and accent.
  
Since general freight these days is transported by railroads and trucks (lorries), domestic ships mostly move bulk cargoes, such as [[iron ore]] and its derivatives, [[coal]] and [[limestone]] for the [[steel]] industry. The domestic bulk freight developed because of the nearby mines. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than try to make steel on the spot. Ingredients for steel, however, are not the only bulk shipments made.
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Since general freight these days is transported by railroads and trucks, domestic ships mostly move bulk cargoes, such as [[iron ore]] and its derivatives, [[coal]] and [[limestone]] for the [[steel]] industry. The domestic bulk freight developed because of the nearby mines. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than try to make steel on the spot. Ingredients for steel, however, are not the only bulk shipments made. Grain exports are also a major shipping commodity on the lakes.
  
Because the lake maritime community largely developed independently, it has its own language. Ships, no matter the size, are referred to as ''boats''. When the sailing ships gave way to steamships, they were called ''steamboats''&mdash;the same term used on the Mississippi. The ships also have a distinctive design. Ships that primarily trade on the lakes are known as ''lakers''. Foreign boats are known as ''salties''.
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In the 19th and early 20th centuries, iron and other ores such as copper were shipped south on (downbound ships) and supplies, food staples, and coal were shipped north (upbound). Because of the location of the coal fields in [[Pennsylvania]] and [[West Virginia]], and the general northeast track of the [[Appalachian Mountains]], railroads naturally developed shipping routes that went due north to ports such as [[Erie, Pennsylvania]] and [[Ashtabula, Ohio]].
  
One of the more common sights on the lakes is the 1,000 by 105-foot (305 by 32-meter), 60,000 U.S. [[long ton]] (60,000 [[metric ton]]) self-unloader. This is a laker with a huge conveyor belt system that can unload itself by swinging a crane over the side. Understandably, because most things go by land and the fact that one modern ship is the equivalent of many older ships, the Great Lakes fleet is a fraction of what it once was.
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Because the lake maritime community largely developed independently, it has its own language. Ships, no matter the size, are referred to as ''boats''. When the sailing ships gave way to steamships, they were called ''steamboats''&mdash;the same term used on the Mississippi. The ships also have a distinctive design. Ships that primarily trade on the lakes are known as ''[[Lake freighter|lakers]]''. Foreign boats are known as ''salties''.
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One of the more common sights on the lakes is the 1,000 by 305-foot (105&nbsp;by&nbsp;32-m), 60,000 U.S. [[long ton]]s (61,000 [[tonne|metric tonnes]]) self-unloader. This is a laker with a huge conveyor belt system that can unload itself by swinging a crane over the side. Today, the Great Lakes fleet is much smaller in numbers than it once was because of the increased use of overland freight and the use of larger ships replacing the need for many smaller ships.
  
 
===Modern economy===
 
===Modern economy===
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The Great Lakes are used as a major [[mode of transport]] for bulk goods. The brigantine ''[[Le Griffon]]'', which was commissioned by [[René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]], was built at Cayuga Creek, near the southern end of the [[Niagara River]], to become the first sailing ship to travel the upper Great Lakes on [[August 7]], [[1679]].
  
The Great Lakes are used as a major mode of [[transport]] for bulk goods. The brigantine ''[[Le Griffon]]'', which was commissioned by [[René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]], was towed to the southern end of the [[Niagara River]], to become the first sailing ship to travel the upper Great Lakes on [[August 7]], [[1679]].
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In 2002, 162 million net [[ton]]s of dry bulk cargo were moved on the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, coal, stone, grain, salt, cement, and potash. The iron ore and much of the stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo but most container ships cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because they are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years.
  
In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo was moved on the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, coal, stone, grain, salt, cement and potash. The iron ore and much of the stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo but most container ships cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because they are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years.   
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[[Image:Carlb-lake-ontario-02.jpg|right|thumb|Wolfe Islander III, Kingston, Ontario]]
 
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Recreational boating and tourism are major industries on the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including a couple of [[sailing|sailing ships]]. Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing represent a US$4 billion a year industry with [[salmon]], [[Coregonus|whitefish]], [[smelt]], [[lake trout]], and [[walleye]] being major catches.
[[Image:Carlb-lake-ontario-02.jpg|right|350px|Wolfe Islander III, Kingston, Ontario]]
 
Recreational boating and tourism are major industries on the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including a couple of [[sailing|sailing ships]]. Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing represent a 4 billion dollar ([[United States dollar|USD]]) a year industry with [[salmon]], [[whitefish (genus)|whitefish]], [[smelt]], [[lake trout]], and [[walleye]] being major catches.
 
  
 
The Great Lakes are used to supply drinking water to tens of millions of people in bordering areas. This valuable resource is collectively administered by the state and provincial governments adjacent to the lakes.
 
The Great Lakes are used to supply drinking water to tens of millions of people in bordering areas. This valuable resource is collectively administered by the state and provincial governments adjacent to the lakes.
  
===Passenger Traffic on the Lakes===
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===Passenger traffic===
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Several ferries operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including [[Isle Royale]], [[Pelee, Ontario|Pelee Island]], [[Mackinac Island]], [[Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)|Beaver Island]], both [[Bois Blanc Island]]s, [[Kelleys Island, Ohio|Kelleys Island]], [[South Bass Island]], [[North Manitou Island]], [[South Manitou Island]], [[Harsens Island]], [[Manitoulin Island]], and the [[Toronto Islands]]. [[2007|As of 2007]], two car ferry services cross the Great Lakes, both on Lake Michigan: a steamer from [[Ludington, Michigan]] to [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]] and a high speed catamaran from [[Milwaukee]] to [[Muskegon, Michigan]].  [[Spirit of Ontario I|An international ferry]] across Lake Ontario from [[Rochester, New York]] to [[Toronto]] ran during 2004 and 2005, but is no longer in operation.
  
Several ferries operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including [[Isle Royale]], [[Pelee Island]], [[Mackinac Island]], [[Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)|Beaver Island]], both [[Bois Blanc Island]]s, [[Kelleys Island]], [[South Bass Island]], [[North Manitou Island]], [[South Manitou Island]], [[Harsens Island]], [[Manitoulin Island]], and the [[Toronto Islands]]. [[As of 2005]], three car ferry services cross the Great Lakes: a steamer across Lake Michigan from [[Ludington, Michigan]] to [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]]; a high speed catamaran on a second Lake Michigan route from [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] to [[Muskegon, Michigan]]; and an international ferry across Lake Ontario from [[Rochester, New York]] to [[Toronto, Ontario]].
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===Shipwrecks===
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Travel on the Lakes has not been without risks.  There are parts where no land is visible because of the immense size of the Lakes: thus they are sometimes referred to as ''inland seas''.
  
===Perils on the Inland Seas===
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[[Storm]]s and [[reef]]s are a common threat, and many thousands of [[ship]]s have sunk in these waters. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 10,000 ships have sunk or been stranded since the early 1800s, many with partial or total loss of crew. This area is prone to sudden and severe storms, particularly in the autumn from late October until early December.  The [[Great Lakes Storm of 1913]] became the worst Great Lakes storm on record: at least 12 ships sank, and 31 more were stranded on rocks and beaches. At least 248 sailors lost their lives over that weekend.  The [[SS Edmund Fitzgerald|SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']], which sank [[November 10]], [[1975]], was famously the last major freighter lost on the lakes.  She sank almost 20 miles offshore from [[Whitefish Point]] in [[Lake Superior]]. For many years in the late 1700s and early 1800s, wars were fought over the control of the Lakes and many warships were built for the inland seas, ranging from small and swift sloops-of-war to three-deckers capable of standing in any [[line of battle]].  [[USS Freedom (LCS-1)]] is the newest warship to be built on the Great Lakes.  The [[Rush-Bagot Treaty|Rush-Bagot Agreement]] of 1817 limits the number of armed vessels permitted on the Great Lakes.
  
Travel on the Lakes has not been without risks.  [[Storm]]s and [[reef]]s are a common threat, and many thousands of [[ship]]s have sunk in these waters, the number estimates varying widely. The [[Edmund Fitzgerald|SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']], lost November 10, 1975, was the last major freighter lost on the lakes. The greatest concentration of these wrecks lies beneath [[Thunder Bay (Michigan)]] in Lake Huron near the point where eastbound and westbound shipping lanes converge.  This area is prone to sudden and severe storms, particularly in the autumn from late October until early December. In one single storm, the [[Great Lakes Storm of 1913]], at least 19 ships went down across the lakes in 2 days time, killing at least 248 sailors. 8 of these vessels lie in the vicinity of [[Thunder Bay (Michigan) | Thunder Bay]].  Today there is a NOAA Marine Archeology Research Station located in the [http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/ Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary].  Here divers can explore more the than 200 shipwrecks that form one of the most concentrated and best preserved marine archeology sites in the world.
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The greatest concentration of these wrecks lies near [[Thunder Bay (Michigan)]], beneath Lake Huron, near the point where eastbound and westbound shipping lanes converge.  Today there is a U.S. [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] Marine Archeology Research Station located in the [[Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary]].  Here divers can explore more than 200 shipwrecks that form one of the most concentrated and best preserved [[maritime archaeology]] sites in the world.
  
 
===Invasive species===
 
===Invasive species===
 +
The Great Lakes have suffered from the introduction of many non-native species.  Since the 1800s, more than 160 [[invasive species]] have invaded the Great Lakes ecosystem from around the world, causing severe economic and ecological impacts.  Other terms used to describe invasive species include nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and aquatic pests.
  
The Great Lakes have been hit economically by various [[invasive species]], two of the most significant being the [[sea lamprey]] and [[zebra mussel]]. The mussel clogs pipes leading to the lake and causes approximately $1 billion in damages per year while destroying native species. The lamprey feeds on the sport fish of the lake, making it less attractive to fishermen. An electric fence has been set up across the mouth of the Great Lakes in order to keep an invasive species of carp out of the area.
+
"Over 160 invasive species threaten the ecological balance of the Lakes. They deprive fish of food, cause blooms of toxic algae, and foul boats, spawning areas and drinking water intakes. On average one new invasive enters the Great Lakes every eight months."  [http://http://www.greatlakeseducation.org/about_isea/?id=204]
 +
 
 +
[[Zebra mussel]] infestations in the Great Lakes and inland waters illustrate the severity of the problems stemming from invasive species introduction and spread. This nonindigenous [[mollusk]] is an efficient filter feeder that competes with native [[mussels]] and impacts fish populations by reducing food and available spawning habitat. The utility and manufacturing industries around the region, depending on Great Lakes water for production, are expending substantial time and money cleaning intake and discharge pipes clogged by the zebra mussel. The [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] estimates the economic impact to these industries to be $5 billion dollars over the next decade. [http://www.glc.org/ans/]
 +
 
 +
Approximately 10 percent of nonindigenous aquatic species introduced into the Great Lakes have had significant impacts, both economic and ecological. The remaining 90 percent have potentially harmful impacts but are insufficiently researched and understood. Besides the zebra mussel, several other species have been particularly harmful. The invasion of the [[sea lamprey]], a parasite that attaches to large fishes with a sucker mouth armed with teeth that consume flesh and fluid from its prey, has resulted in substantial economic losses to recreational and commercial fisheries. Protection of the Great Lakes fishery (both native and nonindigenous species) from sea lamprey predation has required annual expenditures of millions of dollars to finance chemical control programs.
 +
 
 +
[[Alewife]], introduced through the canal systems built in the Great Lakes, littered beaches each spring and altered food webs, causing increased water turbidity. These impacts subsided with the intentional introduction of salmonids that were stocked as predators to keep alewife populations under control. The [[ruffe]], a small [[percid]] fish, became the most abundant fish species in Lake Superior's [[St. Louis River]] within five years of its detection in 1986. Its range, which has expanded to Lake Huron, poses a significant threat to the lower lake fishery. Five years after first being observed in the [[St. Clair River]], the [[round goby]] can now be found in all of the Great Lakes. The goby is considered undesirable for several reasons: It preys upon bottom-feeding fishes, overruns optimal habitat, spawns multiple times a season, and can survive poor water quality conditions. [http://www.glc.org/ans/pdf/briefpapercomplete.pdf]
 +
 
 +
An electric fence has been set up across the mouth of the Great Lakes across the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]] in order to keep several invasive species of [[Asian carp]] out of the area. Having voracious appetites, these fish feed upon native fish species to grow to 90 pounds and nearly four feet long. [http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/in/031704_great_lakes.htm]
  
 
==Political issues==
 
==Political issues==
 +
=== Great Lakes water use and diversions ===
 +
The [[International Joint Commission]] was established in 1909 to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters, and to advise Canada and the United States on questions related to water resources. Concerns over diversion of Lake water are of concern to both Americans and Canadians. Some water is diverted through the [[Chicago River]] to operate the [[Illinois Waterway]] but the flow is limited by treaty. Possible schemes for bottled water plants and diversion to dry regions of the continent raise concerns. Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act"[http://www.ohiodnr.com/water/planing/greatlksgov/fedstatut.htm], diversion of water from the Great Lakes basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors, which rarely occurs. International treaties regulate large diversions. In 1998, the Canadian company [[Nova Group]] won approval from the Province of Ontario to withdraw 158,000,000 US [[gallon]]s (600,000&nbsp;m³) of Lake Superior water annually to ship by tanker to Asian countries. Public outcry forced the company to abandon the plan before it began. Since that time, the eight Great Lakes Governors and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec have negotiated the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement [http://www.cglg.org/projects/water/docs/12-13-05/Great_Lakes-St_Lawrence_River_Basin_Sustainable_Water_Resources_Agreement.pdf] and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact [http://www.cglg.org/projects/water/docs/12-13-05/Great_Lakes-St_Lawrence_River_Basin_Water_Resources_Compact.pdf] that would prevent most future diversion proposals and all long-distance ones. The agreements also strengthen protection against abusive water withdrawal practices within the Great Lakes basin. On December 13, 2005, The Governors and Premiers signed these two agreements: the first is between all ten jurisdictions. It is somewhat more detailed and protective, but cannot be enforced in court because enforcement arrangements can be made only between the federal governments. The second is just between the U.S. states, which, if approved by all eight state legislatures which border the Great Lakes and the U.S. Congress, could be enforced in U.S. federal court.
  
The [[International Joint Commission]] was established in 1909 to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters and to advise Canada and the United States on questions related to water resources. Concerns over diversion of Lake water are of concern to both Americans and Canadians. Some water is diverted through the [[Chicago River]] to operate the [[Illinois Waterway]] but the flow is limited by treaty. Possible schemes for bottled water plants and diversion to dry regions of the continent raise concerns. Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act"[http://www.ohiodnr.com/water/planing/greatlksgov/fedstatut.htm], diversions of water from the Great Lakes basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors, which rarely occurs. International treaties regulate large diversions. In 1998, the Canadian company [[Nova Group]] won Canadian approval to annually withdraw 600,000 m&sup3; (158,000,000 US gal) of Lake Superior water to ship by tanker to drought-stricken Asian countries. Public outcry forced the abandonment of the plan before it began.
+
===Coast Guard live fire exercises on the Great Lakes===
 +
In August of 2006 the [[United States Coast Guard]] published a notice in the [[Federal Register]] that they intended to designate 34 areas in U.S. portions of the Great Lakes including 14 in Lake Michigan, at least five miles offshore as permanent safety zones for live fire machine gun practice. The USCG reserved the right to hold target practice whenever the weather allowed with a two hour notice. These firing ranges would be open to the public when not in use.[http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061026/1050342.asp] In response to requests from the public, the Coast Guard held a series of public meetings in nine U.S. cities to solicit comment. During these meetings many people voiced concerns about the plan and its impact on the environment.[http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=529028]
  
The [[Rush-Bagot Agreement]] of 1817 limits the number of armed vessels permitted on the Great Lakes. Some are wondering if this agreement will survive the aftermath of [[September 11, 2001]].
+
<p>A preliminary health risk assessment stated that the “proposed training will result in no elevated risks for a freshwater system such as the Great Lakes… or generic marine environments using ‘realistic worst case’ assumptions, and further investigation is not recommended.  If typical rather than worst case assumptions were used the predicted risk would be even less.” This assessment is based on lead levels after 5 years which are only 1/3 of those allowed by the US EPA.  After 15 years, one could infer, that lead levels could meet or exceed EPA safe levels for lead. [http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf97/413051_web.pdf] The Coast Guard established an information page about their proposal.[http://www.uscgd9safetyzones.com]
  
[[Lake Champlain]] in upstate [[New York]] briefly became the sixth "Great Lake of the [[United States]]" on [[March 6]], [[1998]], when [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] signed Senate Bill 927. This bill, which reauthorized the [[Sea Grant Program]], contained a line penned by Senator [[Patrick Leahy]] (D-VT) declaring [[Lake Champlain]] to be a Great Lake. Not coincidentally, this status allows neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds allocated to these national resources. Following a small uproar (and several ''[[New York Times]]'' articles), the Great Lake status was rescinded (although [[Vermont]] universities continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake.)
+
<p>On December 18, 2006 the Coast Guard announced its decision to withdraw the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish 34 safety zones for live-fire training on the Great Lakes. Officials said they will look into alternative ammunition, modifying the proposed zones, and have more public dialogue before proposing a new plan. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06358/748661-358.stm]
  
===Great Lakes ecological challenges===
+
=== Restoration ===
 +
In the U.S. Congress, the [[Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act]] [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h5100ih.txt.pdf] puts into practice priority recommendations of a $20 billion Great Lakes clean-up plan released in December as part of the [[Great Lakes Regional Collaboration]] [http://www.glrc.us], a planning process established by President Bush in 2004. A bipartisan group of U.S. legislators introduced the bill, including U.S. Sens. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-Grand Rapids) and Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago). The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act would:
  
The Lakes provided fish to the Native groups who lived near them or upon their shores.  Early European settlers were astounded by both the variety and numbers of fish. Historically, fish populations were the early indicator of the condition of the Lakes, and have remained one of the key indicators even in our technological era of sophisticated analyses and measuring instruments. According to the bi-national (U.S. and Canadian) resource book, ''The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book'', "the largest Great Lakes fish harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at some 67,000 tonnes (147 million pounds)," though the beginning of environmental impacts on the fish can be traced back nearly a century prior to those years.
+
*Stop the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species by enacting a comprehensive national program.
 +
*Prevent the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes by authorizing the Corps of Engineers to maintain and operate the dispersal barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and prohibit the importation and sale of Asian carp.
 +
*Restore fish and wildlife habitat by reauthorizing the Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act at $20 million.
 +
*Prevent sewage contamination by reauthorizing the State Revolving Loan Fund and provide $20 billion over five years to assist communities nationally with improving their wastewater infrastructure.
 +
*Clean up contaminated sediment under the Great Lakes Legacy Act by authorizing $150 million per year.
 +
*Phase out mercury in products by establishing a new grant program and improving existing research programs.
 +
*Coordinate and improve Great Lakes programs by establishing the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process.
  
By 1801, New York legislators found it necessary to pass regulations curtailing obstructions to the natural migrations of Atlantic salmon from Lake Erie into their spawning channels.  In the early nineteenth century, Upper Canada’s government found it necessary to introduce similar legislation prohibiting the use of weirs, nets, etc. at the mouths of Lake Ontario’s tributary watercourses.  Other protective legislation was passed, as well, but enforcement remained difficult and often quite spotty.
+
The ''Healing Our Waters(R) - Great Lakes Coalition'' [http://www.restorethelakes.org] has formed to help groups and citizens across the United States advocate for restoring the health of the Great Lakes.
  
On both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, the proliferation of dams and impoundments multiplied, necessitating more regulatory effortsThe decline in fish populations was unmistakable by the middle of the nineteenth century.  The decline in [[salmon]] was recognized by Canadian officials and reported as virtually a complete absence by the end of the 1860s, the Wisconsin Fisheries Commission noted a reduction of roughly a quarter in general fish harvests by 1875.
+
=== Additions to the five Great Lakes ===
 +
[[Lake Champlain]], on the border between upstate [[New York]] and northwestern [[Vermont]], briefly became labeled by the U.S. government as the sixth "Great Lake of the [[United States]]" on [[March 6]], [[1998]] when [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] signed Senate Bill 927This bill, which reauthorized the [[National Sea Grant Program]], contained a line penned by Senator [[Patrick Leahy]] (D-VT) declaring [[Lake Champlain]] to be a Great Lake.  Not coincidentally, this status allows neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds allocated to these national resources.  The claim was viewed with some amusement by other countries, particularly in the [[Media in Canada|Canadian media]], and the lake is small compared to other Canadian lakes (such as [[Great Bear Lake]] which has over 27 times more surface area). Following a small uproar (and several ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' articles), the Great Lake status was rescinded on [[March 24]] (although [[Vermont]] universities continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake).
  
Overfishing was cited as responsible for the decline of the population of various [[whitefish]], important due to their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. Moreover, between 1879 and 1899, reported whitefish harvests declined from some 24.3 million to just over 9 million.  Recorded sturgeon catches fell from 7.8 million pounds in 1879 to 1.7 million in 1899.
+
Similarly, there has been interest in making [[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Lake St. Clair]] a Great Lake.  In October, 2002, backers planned to present such a proposal at the [[Great Lakes Commission]] annual meeting, but ultimately withheld it as it appeared to them to have too little support.
  
There were, however, other factors in the declines besides overfishing and the problems posed by dams and other obstructions.  [[Logging]] in the region removed tree cover near stream channels which provide spawning grounds, and this affected necessary shade and temperature-moderating conditions.  Removal of tree cover also destabilized soil, allowing soil to be carried in greater quantity into the streambeds, and even brought about more frequent flooding.  Running cut logs down the Lakes’ tributary rivers also stirred bottom sediments.  In 1884, the New York Fish Commission determined that the dumping of sawmill waste (e.g., chips and sawdust) was impacting Lakes fish populations.
+
===Ecological challenges===
 +
Before the arrival of Europeans, the lakes provided fish to the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|native]] groups who lived near them. Early European settlers were astounded by both the variety and quantity of fish. Historically, fish populations were the early indicator of the condition of the Lakes, and have remained one of the key indicators even in our technological era of sophisticated analyses and measuring instruments.  According to the bi-national (U.S. and Canadian) resource book, ''The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book'', "the largest Great Lakes fish harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at some 67,000 tonnes (147 million pounds)," though the beginning of environmental impacts on the fish can be traced back nearly a century prior to those years.
 +
 
 +
By 1801, New York legislators found it necessary to pass regulations curtailing obstructions to the natural migrations of Atlantic salmon from Lake Erie into their spawning channels.  In the early nineteenth century, Upper Canada’s government found it necessary to introduce similar legislation prohibiting the use of weirs and nets at the mouths of Lake Ontario’s tributaries.  Other protective legislation was passed as well, but enforcement remained difficult and often quite spotty.
 +
 
 +
On both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, the proliferation of dams and impoundments multiplied, necessitating more regulatory efforts.  The decline in fish populations was unmistakable by the middle of the nineteenth century.  The decline in [[salmon]] was recognized by Canadian officials and reported as virtually a complete absence by the end of the 1860s. The Wisconsin Fisheries Commission noted a reduction of roughly 25 percent in general fish harvests by 1875. These dams prevent sturgeon spawning, too. Many Michigan rivers sport multiple dams that range from mere relics to those with serious loss of life potential. The State's dam removal budget has been frozen in recent years. In the 1990s the state was removing 1 dam per year.
 +
 
 +
Overfishing was cited as responsible for the decline of the population of various [[whitefish]], important because of their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. Moreover, between 1879 and 1899, reported whitefish harvests declined from some 24.3 million pounds (11 million kg) to just over 9 million pounds (4 million&nbsp;kg).  Recorded sturgeon catches fell from 7.8 million pounds (1.5 million&nbsp;kg) in 1879 to 1.7 million pounds (770,000&nbsp;kg) in 1899. Giant Fresh water mussels were wiped out for buttons by early Great Lakes entrepreneurs.
 +
 
 +
There were, however, other factors in the declines besides overfishing and the problems posed by dams and other obstructions.  [[Logging]] in the region removed tree cover near stream channels which provide spawning grounds, and this affected necessary shade and temperature-moderating conditions.  Removal of tree cover also destabilized soil, allowing soil to be carried in greater quantity into the streambeds, and even brought about more frequent flooding.  Running cut logs down the Lakes’ tributary rivers also stirred bottom sediments.  In 1884, the New York Fish Commission determined that the dumping of sawmill waste (chips and sawdust) was impacting fish populations.
  
 
The Great Lakes are international, and in situations that require regulation, a lack of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada might be predicted to have disastrous consequences.  In the development of ecological problems in the Great Lakes, it was the influx of parasitic [[lamprey]] populations after the development of the [[Erie Canal]] and the much later [[Welland Canal]] that led to the two federal governments attempting to work together – which proved a very complicated and troubled road.
 
The Great Lakes are international, and in situations that require regulation, a lack of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada might be predicted to have disastrous consequences.  In the development of ecological problems in the Great Lakes, it was the influx of parasitic [[lamprey]] populations after the development of the [[Erie Canal]] and the much later [[Welland Canal]] that led to the two federal governments attempting to work together – which proved a very complicated and troubled road.
  
Nevertheless, despite the ever more sophisticated efforts to eliminate or minimize the lamprey, by the mid 1950s Lake Michigan and Huron’s lake trout populations were reduced by about 99%, with the lamprey deemed largely to blame.  A result was the bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
+
Nevertheless, despite the ever more sophisticated efforts to eliminate or minimize the lamprey, by the mid 1950s Lakes Michigan's and Huron’s lake trout populations were reduced by about 99%, with the lamprey deemed largely to blame.  A result was the bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
  
Other ecological problems in the Lakes and their surrounds have stemmed from urban sprawl, sewage disposal, and toxic industrial effluent.  These, of course, also affect aquatic food chains and fish populations.  Some of these glaring problem areas are what attracted the high-level publicity of Great Lakes ecological troubles in the 1960s and 1970s.  Evidence of chemical pollution in the Lakes and their tributaries now stretches back for decades.  In the late 1960s, the recurrent phenomenon of the surface of river stretches (e.g., Ohio’s [[Cuyahoga River]]) catching fire, due to a combination of oil, chemicals, and combustible materials floating on the water’s surface, came to the attention of a public growing more environmentally aware.  Another aspect that caught popular attention was the “toxic blobs” (expanses of lake bed covered by various combinations of such substances as solvents, wood preservatives, coal tar, and metals) found in Lake Superior, the St. Clair River, and other portions of the Great Lakes region.
+
Other ecological problems in the Lakes and their surroundings have stemmed from urban sprawl, sewage disposal, and toxic industrial effluent.  These, of course, also affect aquatic food chains and fish populations.  Some of these glaring problem areas are what attracted the high-level publicity of Great Lakes ecological troubles in the 1960s and 1970s.  Evidence of chemical pollution in the Lakes and their tributaries now stretches back for decades.  In the late 1960s, the recurrent phenomenon of the surface of river stretches (see Ohio’s [[Cuyahoga River]]) catching fire from a combination of oil, chemicals, and combustible materials floating on the water’s surface, came to the attention of a public growing more environmentally aware.  Another aspect that caught popular attention was the “toxic blobs” (expanses of lake bed covered by various combinations of such substances as solvents, wood preservatives, coal tar, and metals) found in Lake Superior, the St. Clair River, and other portions of the Great Lakes region.
  
 
According to the authoritative bi-national source ''The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book'', "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."
 
According to the authoritative bi-national source ''The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book'', "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."
  
==Major cities along the lakes==
+
The annual [http://www.glbconference.org/ Great Lakes Bioneers Conference] held in [[Traverse City]], [[Michigan]] addresses many of these problems with local speakers, workshops and tools. The conference is a satellite conference of the [[Bioneers]] Conference in San Rafael, California. The Traverse City site focuses on durable ecological and socially just solutions to a diverse set of issues in the Great Lakes [[bioregion]].
'''Lake Superior'''
+
 
*[[Duluth, Minnesota]]
+
==Important cities along the lakes==
*[[Thunder Bay, Ontario]]
+
Cities with a population greater than 100,000 are in bold.
*[[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]]
+
 
*[[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]]
+
{{listdev}}
*[[Marquette, Michigan]]
 
*[[Houghton, Michigan]]
 
  
 +
{{col-start}}
 +
{{col-3}}
 +
'''Lake Erie'''
 +
*[[Ashtabula, Ohio]]
 +
*'''[[Buffalo, New York]]'''
 +
*'''[[Chatham-Kent, Ontario]]'''
 +
*'''[[Cleveland, Ohio]]'''
 +
*[[Conneaut, Ohio]]
 +
*'''[[Erie, Pennsylvania]]'''
 +
*[[Fort Erie, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Kingsville, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Leamington, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Lorain, Ohio]]
 +
*[[Monroe, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Nanticoke, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Port Colborne, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Port Dover, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Sandusky, Ohio]]
 +
*'''[[Toledo, Ohio]]'''
 +
*[[Turkey Point, Ontario]]
 +
{{col-3}}
 +
'''Lake Huron'''
 +
*[[Alpena, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Bay City, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Blind River, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Collingwood, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Goderich, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Owen Sound, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Midland, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Mackinac Island, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Mackinaw City, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Parry Sound, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Port Huron, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Port Sanilac, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Sarnia, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Thessalon, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Tobermory, Ontario]]
 +
{{col-3}}
 
'''Lake Michigan'''
 
'''Lake Michigan'''
*[[Green Bay, Wisconsin]]
+
*[[Benton Harbor, Michigan]]
 +
*'''[[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]'''
 +
*[[Escanaba, Michigan]]
 +
*'''[[Gary, Indiana]]'''
 +
*'''[[Green Bay, Wisconsin]]'''
 +
*[[Holland, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Kenosha, Wisconsin]]
 +
*[[Mackinaw City, Michigan]]
 
*[[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]]
 
*[[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]]
*[[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
+
*[[Michigan City, Indiana]]
*[[Chicago, Illinois]]
+
*'''[[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]'''
*[[Gary, Indiana]]
+
*[[Muskegon, Michigan]]
*[[Ludington, Michigan]]
+
*[[Norton Shores, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Racine, Wisconsin]]
 +
*[[Saint Joseph, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]]
 
*[[Traverse City, Michigan]]
 
*[[Traverse City, Michigan]]
 +
{{col-end}}
  
'''Lake Erie'''
+
{{col-start}}
*[[Toledo, Ohio]]
+
{{col-3}}
*[[Cleveland, Ohio]]
 
*[[Erie, Pennsylvania]]
 
*[[Buffalo, New York]]
 
*[[Detroit, Michigan]]
 
*[[Windsor, Ontario]]
 
 
 
 
'''Lake Ontario'''
 
'''Lake Ontario'''
*[[Rochester, New York]]
+
*[[Ajax, Ontario]]
*[[Hamilton, Ontario]]
+
*'''[[Burlington, Ontario]]'''
*[[Toronto, Ontario]]
+
*[[Clarington, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Cornwall, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Gananoque, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Grimsby, Ontario]]
 +
*'''[[Hamilton, Ontario]]'''
 +
*'''[[Kingston, Ontario]]'''
 +
*[[Lincoln, Ontario]]
 +
*'''[[Mississauga, Ontario]]'''
 +
*[[Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario]]
 +
*'''[[Oakville, Ontario]]'''
 +
*'''[[Oshawa, Ontario]]'''
 +
*[[Oswego, New York]]
 +
*'''[[Pickering, Ontario]]'''
 +
*[[Picton, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Port Hope, Ontario]]
 +
*'''[[Rochester, New York]]'''
 +
*'''[[St. Catharines, Ontario]]'''
 +
*'''[[Toronto, Ontario]]'''
 +
*'''[[Whitby, Ontario]]'''
 +
{{col-3}}
 +
'''Lake Superior'''
 +
*[[Ashland, Wisconsin]]
 +
*[[Duluth, Minnesota]]
 +
*[[Houghton, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Marquette, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Marathon, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Nipigon, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Paradise, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]]
 +
*[[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]]
 +
*[[Superior, Wisconsin]]
 +
*'''[[Thunder Bay, Ontario]]'''
 +
*[[Wawa, Ontario]]
 +
{{col-3}}
 +
'''Detroit River''''
 +
*'''[[Detroit, Michigan]]'''
 +
*'''[[Windsor, Ontario]]'''
 +
{{col-end}}
  
'''Lake Huron'''
+
==Trivia==
*[[Bay City, Michigan]]
+
*The names of the five Great Lakes are often remembered with the [[mnemonic]] HOMES, from the first letter of the name of each lake.  Additionally, the phrase '''S'''uper '''M'''an '''H'''elps '''E'''very '''O'''ne is sometimes used to remember the lakes in west-to-east order.
*[[Sarnia, Ontario]]
+
*[[Ontario]] is the only [[province]] in [[Canada]] that borders any of the Great Lakes.  Ontario borders [[Lake Huron|Huron]], [[Lake Ontario|Ontario]], [[Lake Erie|Erie]], and [[Lake Superior|Superior]].
 +
*Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that lies entirely in the United States.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 +
{{wiktionary}}
 +
*[[Detroit River]]
 +
*[[Edmund Fitzgerald]]
 +
*[[Great Lakes Commission]]
 +
*[[Great Lakes Areas of Concern]]
 +
*[[International Boundary Waters Treaty]]
 +
*[[Lake Saint Clair (North America)]]
 +
*[[Lake surfing]]
 +
*[[List of cities along the Great Lakes]]
 +
*[[Michigan Underwater Preserves]]
 +
*[[Muskellunge]]
 +
*[[Northern Pike]]
 
*[[Sixty Years' War]] for control of the Great Lakes
 
*[[Sixty Years' War]] for control of the Great Lakes
*[[International Boundary Waters Treaty]]
+
 
 +
==References==
 +
<!-- ----------------------------------------------------------
 +
  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a
 +
  discussion of different citation methods and how to generate
 +
  footnotes using the <ref>, </ref> and  <reference /> tags
 +
----------------------------------------------------------- —>
 +
<div class="references-small">
 +
<references />
 +
*Beltran, R. ''et al''.  ''The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book''.  (Washington & Ottawa: United States Environmental Protection Agency and Government of Canada, 1995, ISBN 0-662-23441-3).
 +
*Dempsey, Dave  ''On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century''.  (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-87013-705-0).
 +
</div>
 +
{{Citations missing|date=December 2006}}
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
{{External links}}
 +
{{commonscat}}
 +
*[http://www.greatlakes.org/ Alliance for the Great Lakes]
 +
*[http://www.ppl.nl/bibliographies/all/?bibliography=water Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law] See '''Great Lakes; St. Lawrence River and Seaway'''. Peace Palace Library
 +
*[http://www.cglg.org/ Council of Great Lakes Governors]
 +
*[http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakes/default.asp?lang=En&n=7E5E6AF1-11 Environment Canada - Great Lakes page]
 +
*EPA: [http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/ Great Lakes National Program Office]
 +
*[http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/index.html EPA's Great Lakes Atlas]
 +
*[http://www.glbconference.org/ Great Lakes Bioneers Conference]
 +
*[http://www.glc.org/ Great Lakes Commission]
 +
*[http://www.inlandseas.org/index.html Great Lakes Historical Society]
 
*[http://www.great-lakes.net/ Great Lakes Information Network]
 
*[http://www.great-lakes.net/ Great Lakes Information Network]
*[http://www.glc.org/ Great Lakes Commission]
+
*[http://www.glu.org/ Great Lakes United]
*EPA: [http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/ Great Lakes National Program Office]
+
*[http://www.greatlakeswiki.org GreatLakesWiki]
*Environment Canada&mdash;Ontario Region: [http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakes/default.asp?lang=En&n=7E5E6AF1-1 Our Great Lakes]
+
*[http://www.restorethelakes.org/ Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition]
 +
*[http://www.greatlakeseducation.org/ Inland Seas Education Association - Protecting the Great Lakes Though Education]
 
*[http://www.ijc.org/ International Joint Commission]
 
*[http://www.ijc.org/ International Joint Commission]
 +
*[http://www.hhpl.on.ca/GreatLakes/ Maritime History of the Great Lakes]
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*[http://www.midwestlakes.org/ Midwest Lakes Policy Center]
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*[http://www.nature.org/greatlakes Nature Conservancy's Great Lakes Program]
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*[http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakes/default.asp?lang=En&n=7E5E6AF1-1 Our Great Lakes]
 +
*[http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-75-1390/science_technology/great_lakes_pollution/  CBC Digital Archives - Troubled Waters: Pollution in the Great Lakes]
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Revision as of 00:19, 25 May 2007

For other uses, see Great Lakes (disambiguation).
The Great Lakes from space

The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. They are the largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system is the largest fresh-water system in the world. They are sometimes referred to as inland seas.

Lakes


The Great Lakes are:

  • Lake Superior (the largest by volume, area, and depth; larger than Scotland or South Carolina)
  • Lake Michigan (the second-largest by volume and third-largest by area; the only one entirely in the U.S.)
  • Lake Huron (the third-largest by volume; the second largest in area)
  • Lake Erie (the smallest by volume and most shallow of all the great lakes)
  • Lake Ontario (the second-smallest in volume and smallest in area, much lower elevation than the rest)
Map of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Watershed

Lakes Michigan and Huron, being hydrologically intertwined, are sometimes considered to be one entity: Lake Michigan-Huron. Considered together, Michigan-Huron would be larger in surface area than Lake Superior, but smaller in total water volume.

Lake St. Clair, a much smaller lake, is part of the Great Lakes system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, but is not considered one of the "Great Lakes." Lake Nipigon is another large lake that is part of the same hydrological system, but not part of the Great Lakes proper. Other lakes of notable mention that are not considered part of the "Great Lakes", but are part of their hydrological system are Lake Nipissing, Lake Simcoe, Lake Winnebago, Oneida Lake, the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York, and Lake Champlain. The system also includes the rivers that connect the lakes: St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, the St. Clair River between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, and the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac.) Large islands and a peninsula divide Lake Huron into the lake proper and Georgian Bay.

The lakes are bounded by Ontario (all of the lakes except Michigan), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (all but Lake Ontario), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Four of the five lakes straddle the U.S.-Canada border; the fifth, Lake Michigan, is entirely within the United States. The Saint Lawrence River, which marks the same international border for a portion of its course, is a primary outlet of these interconnected lakes, and flows through Quebec and past the Gaspé Peninsula to the northern Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Lakes are clearly visible in this satellite image of North America

Sprinkled throughout the lakes are the approximately 35,000 Great Lakes islands, including Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, the largest island in any inland body of water (also home to the world's largest lake within a lake: Lake Manitou), and Isle Royale in Lake Superior, the largest island in the largest lake (each island large enough to itself contain multiple lakes).

Today, 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water is contained in the five great lakes: 5,472 cubic miles (22,812 km³), or 6 quadrillion U.S. gallons (22.81 quadrillion litres) in all. It is enough water to cover the contiguous 48 states to a uniform depth of 9.5 feet (2.9 m). The combined surface area of the lakes is 94,250 square miles (244,100 km²) — larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire combined or the provinces of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador combined.

The Great Lakes coast measures 10,900 miles (17,549 km) (including islands and connecting channels), nearly as long as the total US ocean coastline (19,928 km, or 12,383 mi), including Alaska.

The Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. However the move to wider ocean-going container ships — which do not fit through the locks on these routes — has limited shipping on the lakes. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze over in winter, and most shipping stops during that season. Some icebreakers operate on the lakes.

The lakes have an effect on weather in the region, known as lake effect. In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce very heavy snowfall, especially along lakeshores to the east such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and New York. It is not uncommon for heavy snow to occur during completely clear skies because of this phenomenon. The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures somewhat, by absorbing heat and cooling the air in summer, then slowly radiating that heat in autumn. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit typically grown farther south can be produced in commercial quantities. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie are home to many wineries as a result of this, as is the Niagara Peninsula between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. A similar phenomenon occurs in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Related to lake effect, is the occurance of fog over medium-sized areas, particularly along the shorelines of the lakes. This is most noticible along Lake Superior's shores, due to its maritime climate.

The Great Lakes have also been observed to help strengthen storms, such as Hurricane Hazel in 1954, and a frontal system in 2007 that spawned a few tornadoes in Michigan and Ontario, picking up the warmth and energy from the lakes to fuel them. Also observed in 1996, was a rare subtropical cyclone forming in Lake Huron, dubbed the 1996 Lake Huron cyclone.

Relative elevations, average depths, maximum depths, and volumes of the Great Lakes.
Notes: The area of each rectangle is proportionate to the volume of each lake. All measurements at Low Water Datum.
Source: EPA's Great Lakes Atlas: Factsheet #1.

Geological pre-history

The Great Lakes were formed at the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet receded. When this happened, the glaciers left behind a large amount of meltwater (see Lake Agassiz) which filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. The Niagara Escarpment follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin – Herbert Simon called this escarpment the spinal cord of my native land.

Economy

The lakes are extensively used for transport, though cargo traffic has decreased considerably in recent years. The Great Lakes Waterway makes each of the lakes accessible.

During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Anything and everything floated on the lakes. Some ended up on the bottom because of storms, fires, collisions and underwater hazards. (See Edmund Fitzgerald and Le Griffon.) Barges from middle North America were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the Erie Canal opened in 1825. By 1848, with the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal at Chicago, direct access to the Mississippi River was possible from the lakes. With these two canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans.

The main business of many of the passenger lines in the 1800s was transporting immigrants. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lakes as a freight destination as well as for being a magnet for immigrants. After railroads and surface roads developed the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, excepting ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, now has vanished.

Yet, the immigration routes still have an effect today. Immigrants often formed their own communities and some areas have a pronounced ethnicity, such as Dutch, German, Polish, Finnish, and many others. Since many immigrants settled for a time in New England before moving westward, many areas on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes also have a New England feel, especially in home styles and accent.

Since general freight these days is transported by railroads and trucks, domestic ships mostly move bulk cargoes, such as iron ore and its derivatives, coal and limestone for the steel industry. The domestic bulk freight developed because of the nearby mines. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than try to make steel on the spot. Ingredients for steel, however, are not the only bulk shipments made. Grain exports are also a major shipping commodity on the lakes.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, iron and other ores such as copper were shipped south on (downbound ships) and supplies, food staples, and coal were shipped north (upbound). Because of the location of the coal fields in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the general northeast track of the Appalachian Mountains, railroads naturally developed shipping routes that went due north to ports such as Erie, Pennsylvania and Ashtabula, Ohio.

Because the lake maritime community largely developed independently, it has its own language. Ships, no matter the size, are referred to as boats. When the sailing ships gave way to steamships, they were called steamboats—the same term used on the Mississippi. The ships also have a distinctive design. Ships that primarily trade on the lakes are known as lakers. Foreign boats are known as salties.

One of the more common sights on the lakes is the 1,000 by 305-foot (105 by 32-m), 60,000 U.S. long tons (61,000 metric tonnes) self-unloader. This is a laker with a huge conveyor belt system that can unload itself by swinging a crane over the side. Today, the Great Lakes fleet is much smaller in numbers than it once was because of the increased use of overland freight and the use of larger ships replacing the need for many smaller ships.

Modern economy

The Great Lakes are used as a major mode of transport for bulk goods. The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was built at Cayuga Creek, near the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first sailing ship to travel the upper Great Lakes on August 7, 1679.

In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved on the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, coal, stone, grain, salt, cement, and potash. The iron ore and much of the stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo but most container ships cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because they are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years.

Wolfe Islander III, Kingston, Ontario

Recreational boating and tourism are major industries on the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including a couple of sailing ships. Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing represent a US$4 billion a year industry with salmon, whitefish, smelt, lake trout, and walleye being major catches.

The Great Lakes are used to supply drinking water to tens of millions of people in bordering areas. This valuable resource is collectively administered by the state and provincial governments adjacent to the lakes.

Passenger traffic

Several ferries operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including Isle Royale, Pelee Island, Mackinac Island, Beaver Island, both Bois Blanc Islands, Kelleys Island, South Bass Island, North Manitou Island, South Manitou Island, Harsens Island, Manitoulin Island, and the Toronto Islands. As of 2007, two car ferry services cross the Great Lakes, both on Lake Michigan: a steamer from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan. An international ferry across Lake Ontario from Rochester, New York to Toronto ran during 2004 and 2005, but is no longer in operation.

Shipwrecks

Travel on the Lakes has not been without risks. There are parts where no land is visible because of the immense size of the Lakes: thus they are sometimes referred to as inland seas.

Storms and reefs are a common threat, and many thousands of ships have sunk in these waters. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 10,000 ships have sunk or been stranded since the early 1800s, many with partial or total loss of crew. This area is prone to sudden and severe storms, particularly in the autumn from late October until early December. The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 became the worst Great Lakes storm on record: at least 12 ships sank, and 31 more were stranded on rocks and beaches. At least 248 sailors lost their lives over that weekend. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank November 10, 1975, was famously the last major freighter lost on the lakes. She sank almost 20 miles offshore from Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. For many years in the late 1700s and early 1800s, wars were fought over the control of the Lakes and many warships were built for the inland seas, ranging from small and swift sloops-of-war to three-deckers capable of standing in any line of battle. USS Freedom (LCS-1) is the newest warship to be built on the Great Lakes. The Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1817 limits the number of armed vessels permitted on the Great Lakes.

The greatest concentration of these wrecks lies near Thunder Bay (Michigan), beneath Lake Huron, near the point where eastbound and westbound shipping lanes converge. Today there is a U.S. NOAA Marine Archeology Research Station located in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Here divers can explore more than 200 shipwrecks that form one of the most concentrated and best preserved maritime archaeology sites in the world.

Invasive species

The Great Lakes have suffered from the introduction of many non-native species. Since the 1800s, more than 160 invasive species have invaded the Great Lakes ecosystem from around the world, causing severe economic and ecological impacts. Other terms used to describe invasive species include nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and aquatic pests.

"Over 160 invasive species threaten the ecological balance of the Lakes. They deprive fish of food, cause blooms of toxic algae, and foul boats, spawning areas and drinking water intakes. On average one new invasive enters the Great Lakes every eight months." [1]

Zebra mussel infestations in the Great Lakes and inland waters illustrate the severity of the problems stemming from invasive species introduction and spread. This nonindigenous mollusk is an efficient filter feeder that competes with native mussels and impacts fish populations by reducing food and available spawning habitat. The utility and manufacturing industries around the region, depending on Great Lakes water for production, are expending substantial time and money cleaning intake and discharge pipes clogged by the zebra mussel. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the economic impact to these industries to be $5 billion dollars over the next decade. [2]

Approximately 10 percent of nonindigenous aquatic species introduced into the Great Lakes have had significant impacts, both economic and ecological. The remaining 90 percent have potentially harmful impacts but are insufficiently researched and understood. Besides the zebra mussel, several other species have been particularly harmful. The invasion of the sea lamprey, a parasite that attaches to large fishes with a sucker mouth armed with teeth that consume flesh and fluid from its prey, has resulted in substantial economic losses to recreational and commercial fisheries. Protection of the Great Lakes fishery (both native and nonindigenous species) from sea lamprey predation has required annual expenditures of millions of dollars to finance chemical control programs.

Alewife, introduced through the canal systems built in the Great Lakes, littered beaches each spring and altered food webs, causing increased water turbidity. These impacts subsided with the intentional introduction of salmonids that were stocked as predators to keep alewife populations under control. The ruffe, a small percid fish, became the most abundant fish species in Lake Superior's St. Louis River within five years of its detection in 1986. Its range, which has expanded to Lake Huron, poses a significant threat to the lower lake fishery. Five years after first being observed in the St. Clair River, the round goby can now be found in all of the Great Lakes. The goby is considered undesirable for several reasons: It preys upon bottom-feeding fishes, overruns optimal habitat, spawns multiple times a season, and can survive poor water quality conditions. [3]

An electric fence has been set up across the mouth of the Great Lakes across the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in order to keep several invasive species of Asian carp out of the area. Having voracious appetites, these fish feed upon native fish species to grow to 90 pounds and nearly four feet long. [4]

Political issues

Great Lakes water use and diversions

The International Joint Commission was established in 1909 to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters, and to advise Canada and the United States on questions related to water resources. Concerns over diversion of Lake water are of concern to both Americans and Canadians. Some water is diverted through the Chicago River to operate the Illinois Waterway but the flow is limited by treaty. Possible schemes for bottled water plants and diversion to dry regions of the continent raise concerns. Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act"[5], diversion of water from the Great Lakes basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors, which rarely occurs. International treaties regulate large diversions. In 1998, the Canadian company Nova Group won approval from the Province of Ontario to withdraw 158,000,000 US gallons (600,000 m³) of Lake Superior water annually to ship by tanker to Asian countries. Public outcry forced the company to abandon the plan before it began. Since that time, the eight Great Lakes Governors and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec have negotiated the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement [6] and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact [7] that would prevent most future diversion proposals and all long-distance ones. The agreements also strengthen protection against abusive water withdrawal practices within the Great Lakes basin. On December 13, 2005, The Governors and Premiers signed these two agreements: the first is between all ten jurisdictions. It is somewhat more detailed and protective, but cannot be enforced in court because enforcement arrangements can be made only between the federal governments. The second is just between the U.S. states, which, if approved by all eight state legislatures which border the Great Lakes and the U.S. Congress, could be enforced in U.S. federal court.

Coast Guard live fire exercises on the Great Lakes

In August of 2006 the United States Coast Guard published a notice in the Federal Register that they intended to designate 34 areas in U.S. portions of the Great Lakes including 14 in Lake Michigan, at least five miles offshore as permanent safety zones for live fire machine gun practice. The USCG reserved the right to hold target practice whenever the weather allowed with a two hour notice. These firing ranges would be open to the public when not in use.[8] In response to requests from the public, the Coast Guard held a series of public meetings in nine U.S. cities to solicit comment. During these meetings many people voiced concerns about the plan and its impact on the environment.[9]

A preliminary health risk assessment stated that the “proposed training will result in no elevated risks for a freshwater system such as the Great Lakes… or generic marine environments using ‘realistic worst case’ assumptions, and further investigation is not recommended. If typical rather than worst case assumptions were used the predicted risk would be even less.” This assessment is based on lead levels after 5 years which are only 1/3 of those allowed by the US EPA. After 15 years, one could infer, that lead levels could meet or exceed EPA safe levels for lead. [10] The Coast Guard established an information page about their proposal.[11]

On December 18, 2006 the Coast Guard announced its decision to withdraw the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish 34 safety zones for live-fire training on the Great Lakes. Officials said they will look into alternative ammunition, modifying the proposed zones, and have more public dialogue before proposing a new plan. [12]

Restoration

In the U.S. Congress, the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act [13] puts into practice priority recommendations of a $20 billion Great Lakes clean-up plan released in December as part of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration [14], a planning process established by President Bush in 2004. A bipartisan group of U.S. legislators introduced the bill, including U.S. Sens. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-Grand Rapids) and Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago). The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act would:

  • Stop the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species by enacting a comprehensive national program.
  • Prevent the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes by authorizing the Corps of Engineers to maintain and operate the dispersal barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and prohibit the importation and sale of Asian carp.
  • Restore fish and wildlife habitat by reauthorizing the Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act at $20 million.
  • Prevent sewage contamination by reauthorizing the State Revolving Loan Fund and provide $20 billion over five years to assist communities nationally with improving their wastewater infrastructure.
  • Clean up contaminated sediment under the Great Lakes Legacy Act by authorizing $150 million per year.
  • Phase out mercury in products by establishing a new grant program and improving existing research programs.
  • Coordinate and improve Great Lakes programs by establishing the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process.

The Healing Our Waters(R) - Great Lakes Coalition [15] has formed to help groups and citizens across the United States advocate for restoring the health of the Great Lakes.

Additions to the five Great Lakes

Lake Champlain, on the border between upstate New York and northwestern Vermont, briefly became labeled by the U.S. government as the sixth "Great Lake of the United States" on March 6, 1998 when President Clinton signed Senate Bill 927. This bill, which reauthorized the National Sea Grant Program, contained a line penned by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) declaring Lake Champlain to be a Great Lake. Not coincidentally, this status allows neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds allocated to these national resources. The claim was viewed with some amusement by other countries, particularly in the Canadian media, and the lake is small compared to other Canadian lakes (such as Great Bear Lake which has over 27 times more surface area). Following a small uproar (and several New York Times articles), the Great Lake status was rescinded on March 24 (although Vermont universities continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake).

Similarly, there has been interest in making Lake St. Clair a Great Lake. In October, 2002, backers planned to present such a proposal at the Great Lakes Commission annual meeting, but ultimately withheld it as it appeared to them to have too little support.

Ecological challenges

Before the arrival of Europeans, the lakes provided fish to the native groups who lived near them. Early European settlers were astounded by both the variety and quantity of fish. Historically, fish populations were the early indicator of the condition of the Lakes, and have remained one of the key indicators even in our technological era of sophisticated analyses and measuring instruments. According to the bi-national (U.S. and Canadian) resource book, The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, "the largest Great Lakes fish harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at some 67,000 tonnes (147 million pounds)," though the beginning of environmental impacts on the fish can be traced back nearly a century prior to those years.

By 1801, New York legislators found it necessary to pass regulations curtailing obstructions to the natural migrations of Atlantic salmon from Lake Erie into their spawning channels. In the early nineteenth century, Upper Canada’s government found it necessary to introduce similar legislation prohibiting the use of weirs and nets at the mouths of Lake Ontario’s tributaries. Other protective legislation was passed as well, but enforcement remained difficult and often quite spotty.

On both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, the proliferation of dams and impoundments multiplied, necessitating more regulatory efforts. The decline in fish populations was unmistakable by the middle of the nineteenth century. The decline in salmon was recognized by Canadian officials and reported as virtually a complete absence by the end of the 1860s. The Wisconsin Fisheries Commission noted a reduction of roughly 25 percent in general fish harvests by 1875. These dams prevent sturgeon spawning, too. Many Michigan rivers sport multiple dams that range from mere relics to those with serious loss of life potential. The State's dam removal budget has been frozen in recent years. In the 1990s the state was removing 1 dam per year.

Overfishing was cited as responsible for the decline of the population of various whitefish, important because of their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. Moreover, between 1879 and 1899, reported whitefish harvests declined from some 24.3 million pounds (11 million kg) to just over 9 million pounds (4 million kg). Recorded sturgeon catches fell from 7.8 million pounds (1.5 million kg) in 1879 to 1.7 million pounds (770,000 kg) in 1899. Giant Fresh water mussels were wiped out for buttons by early Great Lakes entrepreneurs.

There were, however, other factors in the declines besides overfishing and the problems posed by dams and other obstructions. Logging in the region removed tree cover near stream channels which provide spawning grounds, and this affected necessary shade and temperature-moderating conditions. Removal of tree cover also destabilized soil, allowing soil to be carried in greater quantity into the streambeds, and even brought about more frequent flooding. Running cut logs down the Lakes’ tributary rivers also stirred bottom sediments. In 1884, the New York Fish Commission determined that the dumping of sawmill waste (chips and sawdust) was impacting fish populations.

The Great Lakes are international, and in situations that require regulation, a lack of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada might be predicted to have disastrous consequences. In the development of ecological problems in the Great Lakes, it was the influx of parasitic lamprey populations after the development of the Erie Canal and the much later Welland Canal that led to the two federal governments attempting to work together – which proved a very complicated and troubled road.

Nevertheless, despite the ever more sophisticated efforts to eliminate or minimize the lamprey, by the mid 1950s Lakes Michigan's and Huron’s lake trout populations were reduced by about 99%, with the lamprey deemed largely to blame. A result was the bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Other ecological problems in the Lakes and their surroundings have stemmed from urban sprawl, sewage disposal, and toxic industrial effluent. These, of course, also affect aquatic food chains and fish populations. Some of these glaring problem areas are what attracted the high-level publicity of Great Lakes ecological troubles in the 1960s and 1970s. Evidence of chemical pollution in the Lakes and their tributaries now stretches back for decades. In the late 1960s, the recurrent phenomenon of the surface of river stretches (see Ohio’s Cuyahoga River) catching fire from a combination of oil, chemicals, and combustible materials floating on the water’s surface, came to the attention of a public growing more environmentally aware. Another aspect that caught popular attention was the “toxic blobs” (expanses of lake bed covered by various combinations of such substances as solvents, wood preservatives, coal tar, and metals) found in Lake Superior, the St. Clair River, and other portions of the Great Lakes region.

According to the authoritative bi-national source The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."

The annual Great Lakes Bioneers Conference held in Traverse City, Michigan addresses many of these problems with local speakers, workshops and tools. The conference is a satellite conference of the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California. The Traverse City site focuses on durable ecological and socially just solutions to a diverse set of issues in the Great Lakes bioregion.

Important cities along the lakes

Cities with a population greater than 100,000 are in bold.

Lake Erie

  • Ashtabula, Ohio
  • Buffalo, New York
  • Chatham-Kent, Ontario
  • Cleveland, Ohio
  • Conneaut, Ohio
  • Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Fort Erie, Ontario
  • Kingsville, Ontario
  • Leamington, Ontario
  • Lorain, Ohio
  • Monroe, Michigan
  • Nanticoke, Ontario
  • Port Colborne, Ontario
  • Port Dover, Ontario
  • Sandusky, Ohio
  • Toledo, Ohio
  • Turkey Point, Ontario

Lake Huron

  • Alpena, Michigan
  • Bay City, Michigan
  • Blind River, Ontario
  • Collingwood, Ontario
  • Goderich, Ontario
  • Owen Sound, Ontario
  • Midland, Ontario
  • Mackinac Island, Michigan
  • Mackinaw City, Michigan
  • Parry Sound, Ontario
  • Port Huron, Michigan
  • Port Sanilac, Michigan
  • Sarnia, Ontario
  • Thessalon, Ontario
  • Tobermory, Ontario

Lake Michigan

  • Benton Harbor, Michigan
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Escanaba, Michigan
  • Gary, Indiana
  • Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Holland, Michigan
  • Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • Mackinaw City, Michigan
  • Manitowoc, Wisconsin
  • Michigan City, Indiana
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Muskegon, Michigan
  • Norton Shores, Michigan
  • Racine, Wisconsin
  • Saint Joseph, Michigan
  • Sheboygan, Wisconsin
  • Traverse City, Michigan

Lake Ontario

  • Ajax, Ontario
  • Burlington, Ontario
  • Clarington, Ontario
  • Cornwall, Ontario
  • Gananoque, Ontario
  • Grimsby, Ontario
  • Hamilton, Ontario
  • Kingston, Ontario
  • Lincoln, Ontario
  • Mississauga, Ontario
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • Oakville, Ontario
  • Oshawa, Ontario
  • Oswego, New York
  • Pickering, Ontario
  • Picton, Ontario
  • Port Hope, Ontario
  • Rochester, New York
  • St. Catharines, Ontario
  • Toronto, Ontario
  • Whitby, Ontario

Lake Superior

  • Ashland, Wisconsin
  • Duluth, Minnesota
  • Houghton, Michigan
  • Marquette, Michigan
  • Marathon, Ontario
  • Nipigon, Ontario
  • Paradise, Michigan
  • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
  • Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
  • Superior, Wisconsin
  • Thunder Bay, Ontario
  • Wawa, Ontario

Detroit River'

Trivia

  • The names of the five Great Lakes are often remembered with the mnemonic HOMES, from the first letter of the name of each lake. Additionally, the phrase Super Man Helps Every One is sometimes used to remember the lakes in west-to-east order.
  • Ontario is the only province in Canada that borders any of the Great Lakes. Ontario borders Huron, Ontario, Erie, and Superior.
  • Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that lies entirely in the United States.

See also

  • Detroit River
  • Edmund Fitzgerald
  • Great Lakes Commission
  • Great Lakes Areas of Concern
  • International Boundary Waters Treaty
  • Lake Saint Clair (North America)
  • Lake surfing
  • List of cities along the Great Lakes
  • Michigan Underwater Preserves
  • Muskellunge
  • Northern Pike
  • Sixty Years' War for control of the Great Lakes

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Beltran, R. et al. The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. (Washington & Ottawa: United States Environmental Protection Agency and Government of Canada, 1995, ISBN 0-662-23441-3).
  • Dempsey, Dave On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century. (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-87013-705-0).

External links

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North American Great Lakes
Lake Superior | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron | Lake Erie | Lake Ontario

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Coordinates: 45° N 84° W

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