Lake Superior is heating up. It might not seem like it if you take a dip in its barely tolerable waters anytime except the hottest August day. But nearly every year, the 31,700-square-mile lake warms a little.
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The all-time daily average high temperature record for Lake Superior is 71°F, which was recorded in mid-August 2010.
The Great Lakes are struggling under the combined weight of many ailments, from invasive species and toxic chemicals to the nutrient runoffs that fuel Lake Erie's chronic algae problem. And in many cases, climate change is making it worse.
These lake surface temperatures are projected to rise by as much as 7°F by 2050 and 12.1°F by 2100. Higher temperatures, increased precipitation, and lengthened growing seasons are likely to result in increased production of blue-green and toxic algae in the lakes.
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.
Lake Superior is warming up three times as fast as the global average, which is around 0.61 degrees (0.34 Celsius) per decade. Sharma said Lake Superior's summer water temperatures were warming at the world's second-fastest rate, referring to her previous research.
As for pollution, Lake Superior is the cleanest of the five Great Lakes. The lake's massive size helps dilute any pollutants that enter the water. Plus, it has fewer farms along its shores, reducing pollution. However, even though the lake is doing great, it could be doing better.
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.
Lake Erie averages the highest ice coverOf the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie typically reaches the highest annual maximum ice cover, often exceeding 80 percent.
Lake Erie is the shallowest, warmest, and most productive of the Great Lakes. Three distinct basins provide a variety of offshore habitats. The Detroit River, Maumee River, and smaller tributaries drain into the western basin, which averages 24 feet deep and contains extremely nutrient-rich water.
Frozen Fury: The 1913 White HurricaneThe 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.