This page presents a variety of facts and other information in frequently asked questions (FAQ) format. Topics include geography, hydrology, weather, navigation, shipping, fish and wildlife, history, and others.
Where are the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes are located in North America, along the U.S. – Canadian border. The lakes are bordered by eight U.S. states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York), and the Canadian Province of Ontario.
How many lakes are there?
There are five Great Lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario.
What is the largest lake?
Lake Superior is the largest lake and deepest of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior contains half of the water in all the Great Lakes.
What is the smallest Great Lake?
Lake Erie is shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes.
How deep are the Great Lakes?
The deepest point is in Lake Superior: 1333 feet.
How are water levels measured in the Great Lakes?
The International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) is the common vertical reference used throughout the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system to measure water levels.
What is the acronym for the 5 Great Lakes?
HOMES is an acronym that useful for remembering the names of lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
Which state borders the most lakes?
Michigan, known as the “Great Lakes State,” borders four of the five Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Erie.
How many lakes are partly in Canada?
The Province of Ontario, Canada includes parts of Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
Navigation – Shipping
Can ships travel between the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes are joined together by river systems known collectively as connecting channels, including the St. Marys River, the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, the Niagara River, and the St. Lawrence River.
Can ships in the Great Lakes travel to the Atlantic Ocean?
Ships transiting the Great Lakes can use the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, a marine highway that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
Can ships travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River?
Small ships and boats can access the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). The 28-mile-long canal system is a man-made connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.
The CAWS is the only waterway that allows vessels to travel between the Great Lakes Waterway and the Mississippi River system.
How big are lake carriers (lakers)?
Lake carriers can be up to 1000 feet or more in length.
Do cruise ships operate in the Great Lakes?
Cruise ships and tour boats operate in the Great Lakes seasonally.
What is the Great Loop?
The Great Loop is a waterway that includes part of the Atlantic, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals, and the inland rivers of America’s heartland.
What is a Looper?
A mariner who has completed the Great Loop is known as a ‘Looper’.
What is the Triangle Loop?
The Triangle Loop is a waterway from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario via the Erie and Oswego Canals, to the northern shore of Lake Ontario, then along the St. Lawrence Seaway to Sorel.
Weather
What is a seiche?
A seiche occurs on the Great Lakes when the wind blows for a period time in a single direction, causing the water at one end of a lake to flow in the direction of the wind to the other end. During seiches, levels on the Great Lakes can change as much as five feet over a two to three hour period.
What is lake effect snow?
The Great Lakes region is famous for it’s lake-effect snow phenomenon which can result in astounding snowfall totals. The phenomenon occurs when cool air moves across warmer lake water, causing evaporation, and eventually snowfall.
Do the Great Lakes freeze completely in winter?
Icing on the Great Lakes varies from lake to lake and seasonally. Some of the harshest ice conditions ever recorded in the Great Lakes occurred during the winter of 2013-2014. At one point during March 2014, 92.5 percent of the Great Lakes were covered by ice; the highest percentage of ice coverage seen since 1979.
Fish and Wildlife
What types of fish are found in the Great Lakes?
There are hundreds of species of native and non-native fish in the Great Lakes. Among the most popular sport fish are yellow perch, walleye, musky, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout, coasters (lake dwelling brook trout), steelhead, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and Atlantic salmon.
What is the largest fish in the Great Lakes?
The lake sturgeon is the largest fish in the Great Lakes. Adult lake sturgeon can grow to 7 feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds.
What happened to lake trout in the Great Lakes?
The introduction of sea lampreys decimated lake trout and other important species in the Great Lakes. Eventually, international control measures reduced sea lamprey population. Sea lamprey control efforts continue on an annual basis.
Do fish kills happen in the lakes?
Fish kills occur for a number of reasons. One of the worst fish kills occurred in 1967, when millions of dead alewives washed ashore in Lake Michigan near Chicago.
What are the worst invasive species in the lakes?
Destructive invasive species include zebra mussels, quagga mussels, sea lampreys, alewives, round gobies, and many more.
Where is the Warbler Capital of the World?
Northwestern Ohio is the Warbler Capital of the World, according to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Numerous parks, wildlife areas, and wildlife refuges along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Erie contain habitats that attract warblers as they cross Lake Erie on their annual spring migration.
Environment
What is the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)?
The multi-agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was established to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
What is an Area of Concern (AOC)?
Areas of concern are locations in the Great Lakes region that suffer from degraded environmental conditions as a result of historic or ongoing pollution.
Special Designations
When is Great Lakes Day?
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Days are celebrated in March. Exact days of the week and dates vary.