Yahoo Canada Web Search

Search results

  1. greatlakes.guide › watersheds › thegreatlakesThe Great Lakes

    Why are the Great Lakes important? The Great Lakes are a chain of five large, interconnected bodies of water. These five lakes, together with the St. Lawrence River, contain 20% of the world’s fresh water and form the largest surface freshwater system in the world.

    • They Preserve Shipwrecks Really Well. Just about every type of boat or ship you can imagine — from wooden canoes to mine-laying submarines — has deployed on the Great Lakes at some point in time.
    • The Microclimate Is Ideal for Wineries. Water and land have different relationships with heat. By comparison, water takes longer to warm up and cool down.
    • Migratory Birds Use the Lakes as Waystations. Not into fishing? Try birdwatching. Millions of hawks, geese and other birds take biannual pit stops in the Great Lakes basin every year as part of their migration cycles.
    • 150 Fish Species Are Native to the Region. The Great Lakes were born when glaciers receded from this part of the world at the end of the last ice age.
  2. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Great_LakesGreat Lakes - Wikipedia

    The Great Lakes (French: Grands Lacs), also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. (Hydrologically, Michigan and Huron are a single body of water, as they are joined by Straits of ...

    • Pollution
    • Climate Change
    • Invasive Species
    • Sulfide Mining
    • Threats from Climate Change
    • Great Lakes Regional Center
    • Sources

    Despite their great size, the Great Lakes are actually very vulnerable to pollution. The amount of water entering and leaving the lakes each year is less than one percent of the total in the lakes. Persistent chemicals that enter the lakes can remain for many years, with many building up in the food web. The source of toxic pollutants includes deca...

    The impacts of climate change are already being observed in the Great Lakes. Increasing air and water temperatures mean increased evaporation from the lakes, declining lake levels, and worsened water quality. The Great Lakes are already highly stressed, and climate change will worsen existing threats to the Great Lakes, including making the lakes m...

    Invasive species have significantly changed the Great Lakes by competing with native species for food and habitat. They foul beaches, harm fisheries, clog water infrastructure, and lead to the regional extinction of species. More than 180 non-native species have entered the Great Lakes, and a new species is discovered every 28 weeks on average. Mos...

    A proposal to mine sulfide metalsin public forests only miles from Lake Superior threatens wildlife and water in the Great Lakes basin. Sulfide mining has a terrible record of destroying streams and endangering public health. This dangerous form of mining threatens to destroy pristine fish habitat, poison drinking water sources, and pollute the Gre...

    Climate change adds yet another stress to a Great Lakes system already struggling with aquatic invasive species, deleterious land use changes, nonpoint source pollution, toxic chemical contamination, and coastal habitat degradation/wetlands loss. Potential climate change impacts include reduced water levels (due in particular to decreased winter ic...

    Since 1982, the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center has been a leader in protecting the Great Lakes for the wildlife and humans that depend on this invaluable resource. The Great Lakes Regional Center does important workto protect and improve the area in many ways, with focuses on: 1. restoring the Great Lakes 2. stopping inv...

    Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition Great Lakes Science Center, United States Geological Survey The Great Lakes, United States Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

  3. Jun 30, 2017 · Today, the Great Lakes are popular recreation spots for boating, fishing and other recreational activities, and they still serve as an important mode of transportation of goods, but they have not ...

    • Kim Ann Zimmermann
  4. Jun 27, 2024 · Why are the Great Lakes important? The Great Lakes are essential sources of drinking water, irrigation, transportation, and recreation opportunities for both Canada and the United States. These vast bodies of water offer activities such as fishing, hunting, boating, and wildlife watching, contributing to the regional economy on both sides of the border.

  5. People also ask

  6. Oct 2, 2024 · The Great Lakes and their drainage basin. Great Lakes, chain of deep freshwater lakes in east-central North America comprising Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. They are one of the great natural features of the continent and of the Earth. Although Lake Baikal in Russia has a larger volume of water, the combined area of the ...