Hastings, D. and P.K. Dunbar. [69] Since 2000, the invasive quagga mussel has smothered the bottom of Lake Michigan almost from shore to shore, and their numbers are estimated at 900 trillion.[70]. Historically, evaporation has been balanced by drainage, making the levels of the lakes relatively constant. [clarification needed][68], Overfishing has been cited as a possible reason for a decrease in population of various whitefish, important because of their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. [91] In early August 2019, satellite images depicted a bloom stretching up to 1,300 square kilometres on Lake Erie, with the heaviest concentration near Toledo, Ohio. An international ferry across Lake Ontario from Rochester, New York, to Toronto ran during 2004 and 2005, but is no longer in operation. Local sewage treatment authorities then must release untreated effluent, a mix of rainwater and sewage, into local water bodies. The city of Ottawa’s name is derived from the Algonquin word “adawe,” which means “to trade.” Discover more Great Lakes place names. [81], Scientists understand that the micro-aquatic life of the lakes is abundant, but know very little about some of the most plentiful microbes and their environmental effects in the Great Lakes. [65], The Great Lakes are an important source of fishing. [77], Several species of exotic water fleas have accidentally been introduced into the Great Lakes, such as the spiny waterflea, Bythotrephes longimanus, and the fishhook waterflea, Cercopagis pengoi, potentially having an effect on the zooplankton population. Although the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway make the Great Lakes accessible to ocean-going vessels,[37] shifts in shipping to wider ocean-going container ships—which do not fit through the locks on these routes—have limited container shipping on the lakes. In August 2007, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced that it had found the wreckage of Cyprus, a 420-foot (130 m) long, century-old ore carrier. The large size of the Great Lakes increases the risk of water travel; storms and reefs are common threats. To easily remember their names, think of the word HOMES - it is made up of the first letter of each lake. The goby is considered undesirable for several reasons: it preys upon bottom-feeding fish, overruns optimal habitat, spawns multiple times a season, and can survive poor water quality conditions. Some of these forests are second or third growth (i.e. Skip to main content; Skip to "About government" Language selection. Water quality testing was underway in August 2019. The number of such overflow events in Ontario, for example, is flat according to the International Joint Commission. [114], The catch from these waters would be sent to the growing market for salted fish in Detroit, where merchants involved in the fur trade had already gained some experience handling salted fish. While enormous public investments such as the Deep Tunnel projects in Chicago and Milwaukee have greatly reduced the frequency and volume of these events, they have not been eliminated. The Great Lakes are five freshwater lakes located in the central-eastern part of North America. More recently an electric fence has been set up across the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in order to keep several species of invasive Asian carp out of the area. How Does the 25th Amendment Work — and When Should It Be Enacted? This was, in order of volume: iron ore, grain and potash. During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. "[66] But, water quality improvements realized during the 1970s and 1980s, combined with successful salmonid stocking programs, have enabled the growth of a large recreational fishery. Although a drop of lake water may contain 1 million bacteria cells and 10 million viruses, only since 2012 has there been a long-term study of the lakes' micro-organisms. Federal and state regulations control substances like PCBs. The Great Lakes basin (the lakes plus the area of land draining into the lakes) contains 18% of the world's fresh surface water and is home to almost a third of the Canadian population.. As well as providing drinking water, the Great Lakes, which straddle the Canada-United States border, have played a major role in the development of both countries. Storm-generated waves carve the lakes' ice sheet and create conical mounds through the eruption of water and slush. Though the five lakes lie in separate basins, they form a single, naturally interconnected body of fresh water, within the Great Lakes Basin. Fact Check: Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe? [93], The amount of raw sewage dumped into the waters was the primary focus of both the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and federal laws passed in both countries during the 1970s. [citation needed] This describes when older sewerage systems, which combine storm water with sewage into single sewers heading to the treatment plant, are temporarily overwhelmed by heavy rainstorms. If you can remember the word HOMES, you can use that to remind you that the names of the lakes are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. Dispersed throughout the Great Lakes are approximately 35,000 islands. Ships, no matter the size, are called boats. System of large interconnected freshwater lakes in North America, This article is about the Great Lakes of North America. Hundreds of ships have met their end on the lakes. What Does George Soros' Open Society Foundations Network Fund? These storms mainly occur during the night, and the systems sometimes have small embedded tornadoes, but more often straight-line winds accompanied by intense lightning. Lake Algonquin, large glacial lake that once existed in North America and covered most of the area now occupied by three Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, and Huron). [101], Several Native American populations (Paleo-indians) inhabited the region around 10,000 BC, after the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. 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. National Geophysical Data Center (1999). [citation needed], Though contrary to federal laws in both countries, those treatment system upgrades have not yet eliminated Combined sewer Overflow events. The Great Lakes area of the United States consists of large cities, like Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit and small, rural areas. Fact number 1 Canada may be a Métis nation, but not everybody in Canada is part of the Métis Nation. They protect against frost during transitional weather, and keep the summertime temperatures cooler than further inland. They have a total area of approximately 246 050 km 2 and drop from 183 m above sea level at Lake Superior to 74 m at Lake Ontario - the most dramatic drop occurring at NIAGARA FALLS. Most Great Lakes trade is of bulk material, and bulk freighters of Seawaymax-size or less can move throughout the entire lakes and out to the Atlantic. Barges from middle North America were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the Welland canal opened in 1824 and the later Erie Canal opened in 1825. In 1831, Alexander MacGregor from Goderich, Ontario found whitefish and herring in unusually abundant supply around the Fishing Islands. Fact number 2: To be Métis is often to be mixed up. Dozens of other Areas of Concern have received partial cleanups such as the Rouge River (Michigan) and Waukegan Harbor (Illinois). Hydrologically, there are four lakes, because lakes Michigan and Huron join at the Straits of Mackinac. Rather large severe thunderstorms covering wide areas are well known in the Great Lakes during mid-summer; these Mesoscale convective complexes or MCCs[63] can cause damage to wide swaths of forest and shatter glass in city buildings. Photosynthesis carried out by diatoms constitutes about one fifth of the Lakes, because Lakes Michigan and join... Large interconnected Lakes in… Reference map of place names have changed that relationship untreated during! Introduced that may contend with the great lakes names mussels and reducing available food and spawning grounds for fish Lake. Entered the system west of Lake water are of concern to both Americans and.! 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