Spanning two provinces and eight states, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region is an important part of our physical and cultural heritage. We depend on our Great Lakes for drinking water, recreation, transportation, power and economic opportunities.
What are the effects of the Great Lakes?
Together, the Great Lakes make up the largest freshwater system on Earth, containing 84 percent of North America’s fresh surface water. The lakes are a vital resource for water supply, transportation, recreation, and power generation, among other uses.
Why are the Great Lakes important to the United States and Canada?
They provide a source of drinking water to tens of millions of Canadians and Americans. The Great Lakes are important to the economies of both countries, supporting manufacturing, farming, transportation, tourism, recreation, energy production and other forms of economic growth.
Why are the Great Lakes important in history?
The Great Lakes are important sources of drinking water, irrigation, transportation, and recreation opportunities such as fishing, hunting, boating, and wildlife watching. The Great Lakes are a critical component of the regional economy on both sides of the border.
What benefits do the Great Lakes bring?
The system is invaluable as the source of drinking water for more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada. The lakes directly generate more than 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually. They’re also home for more than 3,500 plant and animal species, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
How does the Great Lakes affect the economy?
The Economic Impacts of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System. Cargo shipments on the Great Lakes-Seaway system generate $45 billion of economic activity and 238,000 jobs in Canada and the U.S.
How do the Great Lakes influence our climate?
The Great Lakes modify the local weather and climate. Because water temperatures change more slowly than land temperatures, lake waters gain heat in summer and release heat during cooler months. This results in cooler springs, warmer falls, delayed frosts and lake-effect snow.
What is an important fact about the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system in the world. The five Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario – span a total surface area of 94,600 square miles and are all connected by a variety of lakes and rivers, making them the largest freshwater system in the world.
Does Canada have rights to the Great Lakes?
The water in the Great Lakes is owned by the general public according to the Public Trust Doctrine. The Public Trust Doctrine is an international legal theory – it applies in both Canada and the United States, so it applies to the entirety of the Great Lakes.
Do we share Great Lakes with Canada?
Shared with Canada and spanning more than 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) from west to east, these vast inland freshwater seas provide water for consumption, transportation, power, recreation and a host of other uses. The Great Lakes are one of the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystems.
Why are Great Lakes important to trade?
The Great Lakes Region has always been a center of trade. From the fur trade of the 17th century to modern day, the area’s navigable terrain, waterways, and ports have made it an easy place for goods to exchange hands.
What would happen if the Great Lakes were drained?
3 without the lake, our overall temperatures might increase, say the experts. “Spring and summer would definitely be warmer without the lake, but winters would be considerably colder,” says Dan.
Why should we save the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes hold 1/3 of the world’s surface freshwater, supporting critical drinking water resources, wildlife ecosystems, and the regional economy. ELPC is fighting to protect the lakes for the long-term health and vitality of the Midwest.
Why are the Great Lakes important natural resources?
They are the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem and contain 20 percent of all surface freshwater on the planet. More than 35 million people in eight states and Canada depend on the Lakes for their drinking water.
What are the 3 main negative impacts of the Great Lakes?
Threats to the Great Lakes’ ecosystems, include invasive species, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction.
What was the greatest loss of life on the Great Lakes?
The Lady Elgin disaster
The Lady Elgin disaster remains the greatest loss of life on open water in the history of the Great Lakes. In 1994, a process began to list the shipwreck on the National Register of Historic Places.
Can you drink Great Lakes water?
The Great Lakes are an abundant source of fresh drinking water; with proper treatment, that water is safe to enjoy.
Do the Great Lakes created weather?
Due to the sheer size of these water bodies and the fact that they are landlocked, the Great Lakes create their own weather patterns. For example, cold air masses moving across the warm lake surfaces often result in increased snow or rainfall in the lake region.
Do the Great Lakes cause the climate to be colder?
The massive Lakes act like heat sinks that moderate the temperatures of the surrounding land, cooling the summers and warming the winters. The lakes also act like giant humidifiers, increasing the moisture content of the air. In the winter, this moisture contributes to heavy snowfall known as “lake effect” snow.
How do lakes benefit the environment?
Lakes are highly valued for their recreational, aesthetic, scenic, and water-supply qualities, and the water they contain is one of the most treasured of our natural resources. Lakes constitute important habitats and food resources for a diverse array of fish, aquatic life, and wildlife.
How many lives have been lost on the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes claimed 101 lives in 2021 and 108 in 2020. The highest number of drownings, according to GLSRP modern records, is 117 in 2018.