How will climate change affect Lake Superior?

As the climate warms and air temperatures increase, Lake Superior's surface water warms, creating higher evaporation rates and altering stratification, which determines water nutrient levels and availability of food sources at different depths, influencing change in the ecosystem.



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Climate change is already taking a significant toll on the Great Lakes region. Rising temperatures exacerbate algal blooms in Lake Erie, leading to bacteria-polluted drinking water in Toledo, Ohio, potentially causing a number of harmful health conditions for half a million residents.

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According to the average of their simulation ensemble, by 2040–2049, the average annual water levels of Lake Superior, Michigan-Huron, and Erie are projected to increase by 0.19, 0.44, and 0.28 m, respectively, relative to 2010–2019 under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario.

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What would happen if Lake Superior dried up? Without Lake Superior, areas near the lake would see far less snow each winter, and the distribution of snow in the central and eastern regions around the lake would be far different. The effects would not be limited to snow.

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10% of the entire planet's fresh water are contained in one inland sea. The amount of snow that gets melted and runs into the Great Lakes each year is so vast, that there is zero chance of running low. Droughts don't exist up there. Here in Perth Western Australia we have a dam, little rain and treated water.

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What you can do to fight climate change:
  1. School yourself. Well done! ...
  2. Conserve water. The water that we drink and bathe in comes from the Great Lakes. ...
  3. Travel smart. You can 'greenify' your daily commute. ...
  4. Limit consumption. ...
  5. Eat less meat. ...
  6. Eat locally grown food. ...
  7. Push for change. ...
  8. Talk to people.


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Frozen Fury: The 1913 White Hurricane The White Hurricane of 1913 was a storm so large that it ravaged the entire Great Lakes region and so intense that its 80-mph winds equaled those of a Caribbean hurricane.

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The surface water temperature in Lake Superior is getting colder recently, despite some recent warm water around Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Duluth said Wednesday.

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Water levels in the Great Lakes have fluctuated since 1860. Over the last few decades, water levels have declined slightly for most of the Great Lakes (see Figure 1). The past few years, however, have shown notable increases toward the top of the historical range.

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