Great Lakes Lecture Flashcards
(34 cards)
Great Lakes
H-O-M-E-S
Watershed
Also called drainage basin, like funnel - includes both rivers and streams, ea lake has it own watershed
Saint Lawerence River
Each lakes watershed flows up to main and through the Saint Lawerence River, hitting the Gulf of St Lawerence before going into the ocean
Nutrient Input
Changes bringing problems: nutrient input (water quality aka eutrophication), invasive species, water levels, toxin input
Diversion
IE- Chicago River being reversed and placed into Mississippi river, built canals that brought water from the river over the hump
EPA
Created largely because of river fires on Cuyahoga River, brought changes in pollution control activities like the EPA
Invasive Species
Zebra mussels, Asian Carp, Sea Lamprey, Alewife
Commercial & Recreational Fisheries
Fishing disrupts if you take too much, total annual values for both about ~ $1-4 billion
Sea Lamprey
Couldn’t get in for awhile, got in through canals that were built for shipping boats
Lake trout
Decimated by Sea Lampreys in 1940s & 1950s, native species rehab
Welland canal
Built for ships to pass from Canada, brought Sea Lampreys, Alewives
Ballast water
Water in ship from other ocean and dumped into great lakes after shipping, this is how a lot of invasive species come in - zebra mussels
About how much (what %) of the North America’s fresh surface water do the Great Lakes hold?
84% (20% of worlds surface area)
What two places hold more fresh water than the Great Lakes?
Polar ice caps & Lake Baikal in Siberia
Where does water poured west of Chicago end up leaving the country (which river does it go into and where does it end up)?
Mississippi River, goes there because of river diversion done in 1900 - goes out to Gulf of Mexico
About how much further does water poured on the ground in Lansing travel to get to Lake Erie then water poured on the ground in Ann Arbor? Why is it so much further than the distance traveled by car? (This was in class question)
From East Lansing to Atlantic Ocean = 4 lakes, about 800 miles
Which Great Lake has the most water? The least?
Most - Superior, least - Erie
What percent of the water held in the Great Lakes exits to the ocean through the St.
Lawrence River each year? (A stock vs flow question)
1%
Which 3 states or provinces use more than 20% of the water used from the Great Lakes?
Ontario, MI & WI
What are 4 main reasons people care about Great Lakes issues (problems)?
Fishing, recreational, withdrawn water uses, environmental concerns
What are four main Great Lake’s issues?
Nutrient input (water quality), invasive species, water levels, toxic input
What are three broad factors by which climate change leads to Great Lakes water level “seesawing” ?
Increased rain and snow, recurring periods of high evaporation and extreme cold air outbursts (polar vortex) & run off
How did the diversion of the Chicago river reduce disease? (Need to know what was leading to the increased disease).
Chicago was dumping raw sewage in Lake MI so Chicago river was reversed in 1900, take sewage away from Lake MI - They were able to do this because it is situated near the Lake MI watershed boundary - went back to 7 to visualize - decreased thypoid and chlorea deaths
Why are some people not happy that Michigan allows Nestles to pump so much water for a very small fee?
Environmental impact
