What regions contain the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes Region spans Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Coverage of New York and Pennsylvania is shared between NOAA’s Great Lakes and North Atlantic Regions.
Where can the Great Lakes be found?
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.
Which U.S. states border the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes give us the largest supply of fresh water on the earth. These lakes are bordered by the six Midwestern states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
What is the source of the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes began to form at the end of the Last Glacial Period around 14,000 years ago, as retreating ice sheets exposed the basins they had carved into the land, which then filled with meltwater.
Can you get to the ocean from the Great Lakes?
Yes, you can indeed sail from the Great Lakes to the ocean. In this case, the ocean you’d arrive at is the Atlantic Ocean. All five lakes connect to this ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. This river is also the Great Lakes Basin drainage outflow.
Who owns Great Lakes?
The water in the Great Lakes is owned by the general public according to the Public Trust Doctrine. The Public Trust Doctrine is an international legal theory – it applies in both Canada and the United States, so it applies to the entirety of the Great Lakes.
Are all the Great Lakes connected?
The five Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario – span a total surface area of 94,600 square miles and are all connected by a variety of lakes and rivers, making them the largest freshwater system in the world.
Are the Great Lakes natural or manmade?
As one of the youngest natural features on the North American continent, the lakes remain a dynamic, evolving system. Four of the five Great Lakes are at different elevations, leading like a series of steps toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Who controls Great Lakes water?
The International Joint Commission (IJC) regulates the outflows to balance how water levels affect upstream and downstream interests in Canada and the United States. To learn more about how water flows into the lakes, read about the Great Lake Watersheds and the IJC’s regulation of Lake Superior and Lake Ontario.