Within the past ten years mercury has become more apparent in water tests. [69] By 1900, commercial fishermen on Lake Michigan were hauling in an average of 41 million pounds of fish annually. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the pollutants that enter any of the Great Lakes are generally retained and become more concentrated over time. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie have many successful wineries because of the moderating effect, as does the Niagara Peninsula between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. [77], Several species of exotic water fleas have accidentally been introduced into the Great Lakes, such as the spiny waterflea, Bythotrephes longimanus, and the fishhook waterflea, Cercopagis pengoi, potentially having an effect on the zooplankton population. Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act",[131] diversion of water from the Great Lakes Basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors through the Great Lakes Commission, which rarely occurs. Storm-generated waves carve the lakes' ice sheet and create conical mounds through the eruption of water and slush. [100] There is a positive correlation between the surface area and the chlorophyll concentration of diatom cells. Between 2012 and 2019 more than 160 new species have been discovered.[82]. The immigration routes still have an effect today. The largest and last major freighter wrecked on the lakes was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank on November 10, 1975, just over 17 miles (30 km) offshore from Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. Native habitats and ecoregions in the Great Lakes region include: Logging of the extensive forests in the Great Lakes region removed riparian and adjacent tree cover over rivers and streams, which provide shade, moderating water temperatures in fish spawning grounds. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. The Great Lakes are the source of food, transportation, and drinking water for millions living in Canada and the United States. The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures to some degree, but not with as large an influence as do large oceans; they absorb heat and cool the air in summer, then slowly radiate that heat in autumn. In the 19th century and early 20th centuries, iron and other ores such as copper were shipped south on (downbound ships), and supplies, food, and coal were shipped north (upbound). The entire crew of 23 drowned, except one, Charles Pitz, who floated on a life raft for almost seven hours.[127]. In the early 21st century, Lake Superior's shores are 91% forested, Lake Huron 68%, Lake Ontario 49%, Lake Michigan 41%, and Lake Erie, where logging and urbanization has been most extensive, 21%. The surrounding region is called the Great Lakes region, which includes the Great Lakes Megalopolis.[11]. They have a total area of approximately 246 050 km 2 and drop from 183 m above sea level at Lake Superior to 74 m at Lake Ontario - the most dramatic drop occurring at NIAGARA FALLS. [120] The Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company had several vessels at the time and hired workers from all walks of life to help operate these vessels. Hydrologically, there are four lakes, because lakes Michigan and Huron join at the Straits of Mackinac. The Great Lakes area of the United States consists of large cities, like Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit and small, rural areas. Except when the water is frozen during winter, more than 100 lake freighters operate continuously on the Great Lakes,[115] which remain a major water transport corridor for bulk goods. After railroads and surface roads developed, the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, except for ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, have now vanished. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, described as "the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades",[135] was funded at $475 million in the U.S. federal government's Fiscal Year 2011 budget, and $300 million in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. Clogging pipes water levels in the Great Lakes are the largest Lake Erie and Lake has. Term used on the Lakes, see, large bays and related significant bodies water. Her as the site is being treated as a prototype it is subject to occasional, unexplained interruptions service. Fifth of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Lakes... 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