Threats to the Great Lakes' ecosystems, include invasive species, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction.
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Based on the SOGL indicators, the Great Lakes are collectively assessed as “Fair” and “Unchanging.” There has been tremendous progress in restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, including the reduction of toxic chemicals, and a reduction in the establishment of new non-native aquatic species.
As pollution, engineering, population growth and climate change pose challenges to freshwater quality and quantity in America, the safety and amount of water in parts of the U.S. is in question.
Threats & ConservationThe source of toxic pollutants includes decades of industrial waste, raw sewage overflows, runoff from cities, and mining operations. Excess nutrients that throw the ecosystem out of balance enter the lakes from agricultural runoff and untreated sewage.
Significant progress has been made in reducing toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes, but some chemicals, such as PCBs, still pose a threat to human health and the environment. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are higher in the waters of lakes Erie and Ontario than in other lakes.
Climate change's hotter temperatures and society's diversion of water have been shrinking the world's lakes by trillions of litres of water a year since the early 1990s. A close examination of nearly 2,000 of the world's largest lakes found they are losing about 21.5 trillion litres a year.
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.
The following are some of the most important basic factors that give unique character to each lake ecosystem. Climate: Temperature, wind, precipitation, and solar radiation all critically affect the lake's hydrologic and chemical characteristics, and indirectly affect the composition of the biological community.
Researchers have found stunningly high amounts of tiny plastic pieces in all five Great Lakes, which provide drinking water for 40 million people. They've found microplastics in Great Lakes fish, drinking water, bottled water, and beer.
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).
Current pressures on the Lake Michigan ecosystem include increasing use of groundwater by a growing basin population, disruption of the aquatic food web, and habitat alteration.
The net volume loss in natural lakes is largely attributable to climate warming, increasing evaporative demand, and human water consumption, whereas sedimentation dominates storage losses in reservoirs.
The Great Lakes are freshwater ecosystems. Traditionally, Lake Michigan, for example, has been a very low-salt lake, with levels around one milligram of chloride per liter of water. Over the years, due to our increased salt use, that level has steadily but gradually climbed up to 15 milligrams per liter.
Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.
Lake Superior is the Cleanest and Clearest Great LakeBecause of its somewhat isolated location and long cold winters, not much farming is done along Superior's shores. This means lower amounts of nutrients, sediments, and organic material are floating around the lake.
Drinking Water - State of the Great Lakes. The 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement states that “the Waters of the Great Lakes should be a source of safe, high quality drinking water”. Approximately 8.5 million Canadians and 19.5 million Americans get their drinking water from the surface waters of the Great Lakes.