During the 1960s, Lake Erie was declared a “dead lake” due to eutrophication and pollution. The children's book, The Lorax, written by Dr.
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Although small in volume, Lake Erie is a thriving, productive environment. It has survived challenges brought about by pollution, over-fishing, eutrophication, invasive species and harmful algal blooms.
Lake MichiganThe Great Lakes are all water bodies that swimmers should think twice about entering. Lake Michigan in particular is the roughest of the Great Lakes, and poses a major risk to those thinking of taking a dip. This body of water is often named the most dangerous lake in the United States.
as did fertilizer and pesticides from agricultural runoff. Dead fish began to appear along the Lake's shoreline, leading to the coining of the phrase “Lake Erie is dead,” which started to appear in national publications in the late 1960s.
Dead ZonesThis stratification of lake water is due to the different densities of water with temperature change. The bacterial activity increases as dead algae and other materials settle to the bottom of the lake. Since the hypolimnion is much smaller than the upper layers, the oxygen can be depleted during the summer.
Evaporation continues throughout the winter. Lake Erie, as the shallowest and southernmost lake, is also the warmest and may not always freeze over. If ice cover is insignificant, the open water continues to lose vapor to the dry winter air, dropping water levels.
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.
Lake Michigan's riptide and longshore tides are unparalleled when it comes to danger among all the Great Lakes. In fact, due to its unnaturally strong winds, it's not unusual for this lake to have strong rip currents that can be dangerous for swimmers.
It's the 'forgotten' Great LakeLake Huron is often overlooked compared with the other four Great Lakes. Superior has a reputation as the coldest, deepest and largest.
Lake Michigan has been responsible for around 45 percent of Great Lakes drownings this year, more than double the death toll of any other Great Lake, she continues.
Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it's just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don't typically live farther north than North Carolina.
The good news is that because Lake Erie is so shallow and turns over every 2.6 years, that it can get healthy pretty fast if the problem sources are reduced/eliminated.
Lake Erie has a lake retention time of 2.6 years, the shortest of all the Great Lakes. The lake's surface area is 9,910 square miles (25,667 km2). Lake Erie's water level fluctuates with the seasons as in the other Great Lakes.
Lake Michigan wrecks: the oldest and the mostestLake Michigan contains more shipwrecks than any of the other Great Lakes, as well as the oldest recorded one: the French ship Griffon, the first European vessel to sail the Lakes.
Geology of Lake InferiorLake Inferior is an underground lake that is located beneath Lake Superior. It is believed to be formed by a process known as karstification, which is the dissolution of limestone and dolomite rock. This process creates sinkholes, caves, and underground rivers and lakes.
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).
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.
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.