from the helm June 2011 Volume LXV, No. 6
The “Great” Great Lakes
W
henever I get into discussions regarding the size of the Great Lakes, I have to go to comparisons. Example: The state of Florida would fit into Lake Michigan. A slight exaggeration, but not that far off. Or, the Great Lakes in aggregate take up the same amount of space as all of Western Europe. When viewed from space, the Great Lakes are one of the most prominent features on Planet Earth. The lakes also contain almost a third of the fresh water on the planet. The shoreline of all five lakes combined equals 10,210 miles, which amounts to more than the entire east and west coasts of the United States put together. The enormity of the Great Lakes is difficult to comprehend. One day a couple of years ago, I was cruising across the mouth of Traverse Bay. I knew that due to my chart—there were no reference points to be seen—I thought to myself, “Here I am in the middle of America, well into a bay, with
editorial staff Editor: Lindsey Johnson Senior editor: Dave Mull Editors-at-large: Heather Steinberger & Roland Schultz Field editor: Tom Thompson Creative staff Art director/production manager: Brook Poplawski Creative consultant: Christy Tuttle Bauhs Contributors Elizabeth Altick, Chris Caswell, Mark Corke, Mike Harris, Tom Horn, Forest Johnson, Chris Lupton, Zuzana Prochazka, Marty Richardson, Mike Roemer, Richard Steinberger, Mark Stevens, Sharon Matthews-Stevens, Colleen H. Troupis, Dave Wallace, Chris Winters
no life or land visible. I could be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.” I’m not really a numbers guy, as you might have figured out if you looked up the actual acreage of Florida and Lake Michigan —42.1 million and 14.3 million acres respectively; maybe more than a slight exaggeration that the state would fit into the lake. But still, these basin stats are impressive (see below). The lakes are enormous. That’s a lot of fresh water for us to enjoy—and protect.
Lake Michigan Length .......................307 mi. Breadth .....................118 mi. Average depth ........279 ft. Maximum depth ......925 ft. Volume ......................1,118 cu. mi. Shoreline length .....1,678 mi. Surface area ............22,300 sq. mi.
Lake huron Length ......................206 mi. Breadth ....................183 mi. Average Depth .......195 ft. Maximum depth ......750 ft. Volume ......................849 cu. mi. Shoreline length .....3,830 mi. Surface area ............23,000 sq. mi.
Lake Superior Length ......................350 mi. Breadth .....................160 mi. Average depth ........489 ft. Maximum depth ......1,333 ft. Volume ...................... 2,935 cu. mi. Shoreline length .....2,730 mi. Surface Area ...........31,700 mi.
Lake erie Length .......................241 mi. Breadth .....................57 mi. Average Depth ........62 ft. Maximum Depth......210 ft. Volume .....................116 cu. mi. Shoreline length .....871 mi. Surface area ............9,910 sq. mi.
Lake ontario Length ......................193 mi. Breadth .....................53 mi. Average Depth .......283 ft. Maximum Depth......802 ft. Volume ......................393 cu. mi. Shoreline length .....712 mi. Surface area ............7,340 sq. mi.
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