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Sturgeon studies and students
Great Lakes Echo (4/2)
Researchers at Michigan’s Black Lake are studying threats to sturgeon and using their findings to teach biology to students from kindergarten through high school.
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.
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 |
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Created on September 14, 2000
Last updated on September 25, 2001