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U-M divers retrieve 8,900-year-old piece of wood from Lake Huron
Annarbor.com (12/12)
University of Michigan researchers announced they have found a 5 1/2 foot long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old in Lake Huron.
Superior researchers studying invasives, ballast water
Ashland Current (2/9)
Determining how clean a ship's ballast water must be to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species is the goal of the latest research partnership between the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Lake Superior Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
RIVERKEEPERS: Tending the waterways
Niagara Gazette (2/6)
The goal of the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is two-fold: protecting the water quantity and the quality, as well as connecting people to the waterfront.
Internationally renowned ‘Ocean Doctor’ to speak in Grand Rapids
MLive.com (2/3)
Known as the “Ocean Doctor,” David Guggenheim will speak in Grand Rapids, Mich., about the many similarities between the threats to the oceans and to our Great Lakes.
SUNY Fredonia to lead Great Lakes pollution study
Wall Street Journal (2/3)
Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes will be the focus of a study this summer. Led by the State University of New York at Fredonia, researchers will try to quantify the amount of plastic polluting the fresh water Great Lakes.
SSC students taking part in marine science bowl
Arenac County Independent (1/31)
Teams of Michigan high school students will be heading to Ann Arbor this weekend to take part in the annual Great Lakes Bowl, a quiz event that focuses on questions about marine and freshwater systems and biology.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
If the St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, why aren't the Great Lakes saltwater instead of freshwater?
from Billie Rae in Summerville, South Carolina, Age 12
Great question!
The St. Lawrence River can be divided into three broad sections: the freshwater river, which extends from Lake Ontario to near the city of Quebec; the St. Lawrence estuary, which extends from Quebec to Anticosti Island; and, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which leads into the Atlantic Ocean.
View a map of the St. Lawrence river region
View a map of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system
Originating from Lake Ontario near the Canadian town of Kingston, the St. Lawrence River is freshwater until near the Canadian town of Donnacona in Quebec. In this section, the river is always freshwater and flowing in the direction of the Gulf, or downstream. There are many tributaries that flow into the river, such as the Ottawa and Chateauguay Rivers. Because the water flow is quite fast in this part of the river, the water from the tributaries is kept from entering the center of the St. Lawrence River; this phenomenon creates two separate water masses that flow beside one another for a long distance before mixing completely.
After Donnacona, the river widens considerably and enters the brackish water zone, the area where freshwater and saltwater meet. In this section, the salinity of the water rises from zero to twenty percent! Tidal influences from the Atlantic start to affect the river, and the river becomes an estuary, with one of its main tributaries being Saguenay River. An estuary is where a freshwater river current meets an ocean tide, and is often abundant in wildlife. The St. Lawrence estuary is over 300 miles long, and is one of the most productive marine ecosystems along the Canadian coast. Over 718,000 seabirds of 19 species, such as the Atlantic puffin, the red-throated loon, and the Artic tern, and several different species of whales, such as finback, minke, Beluga, sperm and blue whales, are found in the St. Lawrence estuary.
The estuary deepens considerably as it heads toward the ocean, with the depth increasing from around 80 feet (25 meters) to 1,145 feet (358 meters). Once the waterway passes by Anticosti Island, the estuary becomes known as the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Gulf extends 250 miles from the St. Lawrence River estuary to Newfoundland, where it becomes the Atlantic Ocean, and at its greatest width the Gulf is 500 miles (800 km) wide.
References:
St. Lawrence River and Seaway, Encyclopedia Britannica
The Hydrology of the St. Lawrence Basin, Canada's Digital Collections
The Seabirds of the St. Lawrence, Environment Canada
Maps:
St. Lawrence Region, College of Communication, University of Illinois
St. Lawrence Hydrographic System, Encyclopedia Britannica
Thank you for your question!
Answered on September 1, 2000