Lake Michigan–Huron: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 45°48′50″N 84°45′14″W / 45.814°N 84.754°W / 45.814; -84.754
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'''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is a name that may refer to [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Huron]] when they are considered as one hydrological system. They are connected at the [[Straits of Mackinac]], which are {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} wide and {{convert|120|ft|m}} deep,<ref>"[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001804.html Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two]?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.</ref> small in comparison to the body of water as a whole.<ref name="Grady">{{cite book |last= Grady |first=Wayne |title= The Great Lakes|publisher= Greystone Books and [[David Suzuki Foundation]]| location=Vancouver |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-1-55365-197-0 |pages= 42–43}}</ref> On average the water in the two lakes is at an elevation of {{convert|577|ft|m|0}},<ref name=nyt>{{cite book|first=John W. (ed.)|last=Wright|coauthors=Editors and reporters of ''The New York Times''|year=2006|title=The New York Times Almanac|edition=2007|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-14-303820-6|page=64}}</ref> although at times their surfaces react differently to wind stress;<ref name=Mortimer59>{{harvnb|Mortimer|2000|p=59}}</ref> the flow of water between them is generally eastward but at times reversed. The main inflow to the system is from [[Lake Superior]] through [[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario) |St. Mary's River]], and the main outflow is through the [[St. Clair River]].<ref name=Mortimer59>{{harvnb|Mortimer|2000|p=59}}</ref>
'''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is a body of water that consists of [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Huron]], which join at the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. As such, it is the largest freshwater lake in the world and the largest of the North American Great Lakes. Hydrologically it is a single body of water and it is studied as such, but due to the narrowness of the straits connecting them, it is popularly regarded as two separate lakes. The straits are {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} wide and {{convert|120|ft|m}} deep,<ref>"[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001804.html Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two]?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.</ref> small in comparison to the body of water as a whole.<ref name="Grady">{{cite book |last= Grady |first=Wayne |title= The Great Lakes|publisher= Greystone Books and [[David Suzuki Foundation]]| location=Vancouver |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-1-55365-197-0 |pages= 42–43}}</ref> On average the water is in equilibrium at an elevation of {{convert|577|ft|m|0}} in Lake Huron and Michigan,<ref name=nyt>{{cite book|first=John W. (ed.)|last=Wright|coauthors=Editors and reporters of ''The New York Times''|year=2006|title=The New York Times Almanac|edition=2007|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-14-303820-6|page=64}}</ref> although at times their surfaces react differently to wind stress;<ref name=Mortimer59>{{harvnb|Mortimer|2000|p=59}}</ref> the flow of water between them is generally eastward but at times reverses. The main inflow to the system is from [[Lake Superior]] through [[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario) |St. Mary's River]], and the main outflow is through the [[St. Clair River]].<ref name=Mortimer59>{{harvnb|Mortimer|2000|p=59}}</ref>


David Lees in ''[[Canadian Geographic]]'' writes, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan–Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref name=CG>Lees, David. "High and Dry" ''[[Canadian Geographic]]'' (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.</ref> and the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."<ref>Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "[http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/glscf/hydrology.html Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models]." NOAA, 2006.</ref> According to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are [hydrologically] considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref>U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Hydrological Components" [http://www.edisonsault.com/CustServ/USACOE%20LS%20WATER%208%2007.pdf ''Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior'']. August 2007. p.6</ref>
David Lees in ''[[Canadian Geographic]]'' writes, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan–Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref name=CG>Lees, David. "High and Dry" ''[[Canadian Geographic]]'' (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.</ref> and the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."<ref>Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "[http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/glscf/hydrology.html Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models]." NOAA, 2006.</ref> According to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are [hydrologically] considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref>U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Hydrological Components" [http://www.edisonsault.com/CustServ/USACOE%20LS%20WATER%208%2007.pdf ''Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior'']. August 2007. p.6</ref> The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says, "Lake Huron–Michigan, at 45,300 mi2 / 117,400 km2 is technically the world's largest freshwater lake. This is because what have traditionally been called Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are really giant lobes of a single lake connected by the five mile wide Strait of Mackinac."<ref>Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan.[http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3313_3677-15926--,00.html] (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AaQJIiTQ)</ref>

During the last [[ice age]], what is now Michigan–Huron was clearly separated into two lakes, with what is now Lake Huron (known to geologists as [[Lake Stanley]]) separate from what is now Lake Michigan ([[Lake Chippewa]]). Before that [[Lake Chicago]] occupied the southern tip of the Lake Michigan basin, at the southern extent of the glaciers.


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 07:09, 17 September 2012

Lake Michigan–Huron
LocationUnited States, Canada
GroupGreat Lakes
Coordinates45°48′50″N 84°45′14″W / 45.814°N 84.754°W / 45.814; -84.754
TypeGlacial
Primary inflowsSt. Marys River
Primary outflowsSt. Clair River
Basin countriesUnited States, Canada
Surface area45,410 sq mi (117,600 km2)
Max. depth922 ft (281 m)
Water volume2,029 cu mi (8,460 km3)
Residence time100 years
Shore length15,463 mi (8,792 km)
Surface elevation577 ft (176 m)
SettlementsMilwaukee, Chicago, Cheboygan, Port Huron
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Michigan–Huron, sometimes Lake Huron–Michigan, is a body of water that consists of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, which join at the Straits of Mackinac. As such, it is the largest freshwater lake in the world and the largest of the North American Great Lakes. Hydrologically it is a single body of water and it is studied as such, but due to the narrowness of the straits connecting them, it is popularly regarded as two separate lakes. The straits are 5 miles (8 km) wide and 120 feet (37 m) deep,[1] small in comparison to the body of water as a whole.[2] On average the water is in equilibrium at an elevation of 577 feet (176 m) in Lake Huron and Michigan,[3] although at times their surfaces react differently to wind stress;[4] the flow of water between them is generally eastward but at times reverses. The main inflow to the system is from Lake Superior through St. Mary's River, and the main outflow is through the St. Clair River.[4]

David Lees in Canadian Geographic writes, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan–Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."[5] and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."[6] According to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are [hydrologically] considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."[7] The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says, "Lake Huron–Michigan, at 45,300 mi2 / 117,400 km2 is technically the world's largest freshwater lake. This is because what have traditionally been called Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are really giant lobes of a single lake connected by the five mile wide Strait of Mackinac."[8]

During the last ice age, what is now Michigan–Huron was clearly separated into two lakes, with what is now Lake Huron (known to geologists as Lake Stanley) separate from what is now Lake Michigan (Lake Chippewa). Before that Lake Chicago occupied the southern tip of the Lake Michigan basin, at the southern extent of the glaciers.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.
  2. ^ Grady, Wayne (2007). The Great Lakes. Vancouver: Greystone Books and David Suzuki Foundation. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-55365-197-0.
  3. ^ Wright, John W. (ed.) (2006). The New York Times Almanac (2007 ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books. p. 64. ISBN 0-14-303820-6. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Mortimer 2000, p. 59
  5. ^ Lees, David. "High and Dry" Canadian Geographic (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.
  6. ^ Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models." NOAA, 2006.
  7. ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Hydrological Components" Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior. August 2007. p.6
  8. ^ Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan.[1] (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AaQJIiTQ)

Further reading

  • Burg, J. P. (1959). "Precipitation and the levels of Lake Michigan-Huron". Journal Geophysical Research. 64: 1591–1595.
  • De Geer, Sten (1928). The American manufacturing belt. Volume 4 of Geografiska annaler. Svenska Sällskapet för Antropologi och Geografi.
  • Mortimer, Clifford H. (2004). Lake Michigan in motion : responses of an inland sea to weather, earth-spin, and human activities. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 59–78, 190–192, 300–309. ISBN 9780299178345. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Schaetzl, Randall J. (2000). "Postglacial Landscape Evolution of Northeastern Lower Michigan, Interpreted from Soils and Sediments". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 90 (3): 443–466. doi:10.1111/0004-5608.00204. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Schaetzl, Randall J. (2002). "Measurement, Correlation, and Mapping of Glacial Lake Algonquin Shorelines in Northern Michigan". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 92 (3): 399–415. doi:10.1111/1467-8306.00296. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Sellinger, Cynthia E. (2008). "Recent water level declines in the Lake Michigan–Huron system". Environ. Sci. Technol (42): 367–373. doi:10.1021/es070664+. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Shelton, William A. (1912). "The Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway: I". Journal of Political Economy. 20 (6): 541–573.

External links


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