teach.GLIN.net
GLIN Daily News About GLIN
AboutEnvironmentHistory/CultureGeographyPollutionCareers/BusinessTeachers' Corner
water photo
What's New?

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.

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.

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.

No aquarium for Windsor
CBC News (1/31)
Aquariums in Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago prove to be too much competition for Windsor.

Clarkson receives $1.4 million to study contaminants in Great Lakes fish
North Country Now (1/31)
Clarkson University has received $1.4 million to monitor formerly untraceable contaminants to water supply by studying the effects on fish in each of the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes scientists educate communities; put research to work
Great Lakes Echo (1/26)
At the Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve, scientists study the usual Great Lakes issues – invasive species, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. This research is then taken directly to the community, addressing local issues.

TEACH Calendar of Events
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.
TEACH Questions & Answers

Great Lakes Facts & Figures
(Figures in blue represent the largest in the category; figures in red represent the smallest in the category)

  Superior Michigan Erie Huron Ontario
Length 350 mi
(563 km)
307 mi
(494 km)
241 mi
(388 km)
206 mi
(332 km)
193 mi
(311 km)
Breadth 160 mi
(257 km)
118 mi
(190 km)
57 mi
(92 km)
183 mi
(245 km)
53 mi
(85 km)
Average
depth
483 ft
(147 m)
279 ft
(85 m)
62 ft
(19 m)
195 ft
(59 m)
283 ft
(86 m)
Maximum
depth
1,332 ft
(406 m)
925 ft
(282 m)
210 ft
(64 m)
750 ft
(229 m)
802 ft
(244 m)
Volume 2,900 mi3
(12,100 km3 or 12,100,000,000,
000,000 liters)
1,180 mi3
(4,920 km3 or 4,920,000,000,
000,000 liters)
116 mi3
(484 km3 or 484,000,000,
000,000 liters)
850 mi3
(3,540 km3 or 3,540,000,000,
000,000 liters)
393 mi3
(1,640 km3 or 1,640,000,000,
000,000 liters)
Water
surface area
31,700 mi2
(82,100 km2)
22,300 mi2
(57,800 km2)
9,910 mi2
(25,700 km2)
23,000 mi2
(59,600 km2)
7,340 mi2
(18,960 km2)
Drainage
basin area
49,300 mi2
(127,700 km2)
45,600 mi2
(118,000 km2)
30,140 mi2
(78,000 km2)
51,700 mi2
(134,100 km2)
24,720 mi2
(64,030 km2)
Shoreline length* 2,726 mi
(4,385 km)
1,638 mi
(2,633 km)
871 mi
(1,402 km)
3,827 mi
(6,157 km)
712 mi
(1,146 km)
Elevation 600 ft
(183 m)
577 ft
(176 m)
569 ft
(173 m)
577 ft
(176 m)
243 ft
(74 m)
Outlet St. Marys River to Lake Huron Straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron Niagara River and Welland Canal St. Clair River to Lake Erie St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean
Replacement time** 191 years 99 years 2.6 years 22 years 6 years
* = including islands
** = the amount of time it takes nature to replace all of the water in the lake


Created on September 14, 2000
Last updated on September 25, 2001

Return to Great Lakes Vault of Knowledge