Great Lakes & Global Freshwater

Great Lakes&

Global Freshwater

INLAND SEASEDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Protecting the Great Lakes Through Education

INLAND SEASEDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Protecting the Great Lakes Through Education

Inland Seas Education Association

Picture by Google Earth


Distribution of Earth’s Water

Distribution of Earth’s Water

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Earth's Water Freshwater Fresh Surface Water(liquid)

Icecaps &

Glaciers68.7%

Ground Water 30.1%

Salt Water 97%

Fresh Water

3%

Other 0.9% Rivers

2%Surface Water 0.3%

Lakes 87%

Swamps 11%


Global Freshwater Resources


Threatened by rising demands due to rapid population growth– Agriculture – 69%– Industry – 23%– Domestic – 8%– Varies regionally (India uses

90% of its water withdrawals for agriculture)




Threatened by changing climate– Some regions could be stricken

by droughts, others flooded by rain & rising sea levels

Threatened by increased pollution– Over 90% of Europe’s rivers have

elevated nitrate concentrations & 80% of China’s rivers cannot support aquatic life

– Asian rivers have 20 times more lead than the global average from rivers in industrialized countries


Global Fresh Water CrisisGlobal Fresh Water Crisis

More than 1 of every 6 people lack access to safe drinking water (1.1 billion people)

More than 2 of every 6 people lack adequate sanitation (2.6 billion people)

3,900 children die every day from waterborne diseases


What is Being Done?What is Being Done?

Inexpensive water treatment– Pur packets, sand filtration

Green energy solutions– Wind, solar

Biotechnology– Crops that require less water, bacteria

that purify water

Education & information campaigns


The Great LakesThe Great Lakes

Superior

Mic

hig

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Huro

n

Eri

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Ontari

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Largest of the Great Lakes & 2nd largest lake in the world.

Deepest (max = 1,333 ft.) and coldest of the Great Lakes.

So large that it could contain all of the other Great Lakes PLUS three more Lake Eries!

Retention time of 191 years.

Soo locks – first Canadian built 1797 (destroyed War of 1812), US built 1855 (now there are 4 locks)

Lake SuperiorLake Superior

Superior


Lake MichiganLake Michigan

Mic

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an

Second largest Great Lake by volume.

Shores lined by the worlds largest freshwater sand dunes.

Maximum Depth 925 ft.


Chicago Ship & Sanitary Canal (1887-1922)


Lake HuronLake Huron

Huro

n

Third largest Great Lake by volume.

Longest shoreline of the Great Lakes, including the shorelines of its 30,000 islands

Maximum Depth 750 ft.



Lake ErieLake Erie

Eri

e

Smallest Great Lake by volume.

Warmest, shallowest, & most biologically productive of the Great Lakes. (part of the central basin goes anoxic in summer).

Most densely populated Great Lake & is exposed to the greatest effects from urbanization & agriculture.

Maximum depth 215 ft (average depth only 62 ft).

Retention time of 2.6 years.

Erie Canal (1825) connects Lake Erie to Hudson River.


Picture by Google Earth

Niagara FallsNiagara Falls


Lake OntarioLake Ontario

Ontari

o

Smallest Great Lake by surface area but much deeper than Lake Erie (average depth 283 ft, maximum depth 802 ft).

Lies 325 feet below Lake Erie at the base of the mighty Niagara Falls.

Welland Canal (4 canals built 1829-1932) connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, Trent-Severn Waterway (44 locks built 1833-1920) connects Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.




Map provided by The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay



Water Pollution CausesWater Pollution Causes

Pesticides– Fields, lawns, & roadsides

Nutrients– Sewage, manure, & chemical fertilizers

Oil, gas, & additives– Leaking storage tanks, oil-

contaminated ballast water, oil spills, & drips from gas stations, industrial machinery, & cars



Mining– Exposing heavy metals to leaching

from rainwater, mining waste (slurry)

Sediment

Chemical & industrial processes– Radioactive material, heavy metals

Plastic



Personal care products, household cleaning products, pharmaceuticals

Sewage

Air pollution– Mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitric oxides, &

ammonia

Carbon dioxide– Causes acidification



Heat– Discharge of cooling water factories &

power plants

Noise– Ship engines, sonar

Invasive species


Map provided by the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office


Water Pollution Facts for US


40% of rivers & 46% of lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life2/3 of estuaries & bays are either moderately or severely degraded from eutrophication1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, stormwater, & industrial waste are discharged in US waters annually




The Mississippi River (drains 40% of the US) carries 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution to the Gulf of Mexico each year– Results in hypoxic coastal dead zone

each summer

In any given year about 25% of beaches in the US are under advisories or are closed at least once because of water pollution


What Can We Do?What Can We Do?


Freshwater StewardshipFreshwater Stewardship

If you live on a lake, stream or wetland plant a buffer zone of native plants along the waterKeep your lawn small & don’t use fertilizers/pesticidesMake sure your septic system works properly, meets current standards, & is pumped at least every 5 yearsDrive slowly in your boat to avoid shoreline erosion



Plant a rain garden, use a rain barrel to catch water from your roof, consider using permeable pavement in your driveway– Runoff that stays on your property will

not wash contaminants into surface waters

Never dump waste into storm drains– Run directly into rivers

& lakes



Use less salt on driveway in winterSwitch fishing tackle to non-toxic (lead free)Learn as much as you can about freshwater & the threats it facesBecome a steward of & advocate for clean freshwater


SourcesSources

Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Officewww.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc

Google Earthwww.earth.google.com

The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Baywww.gtbay.org

All pictures and drawings not cited during the presentation were provided by Inland Seas Education

Association. These pictures can be used freely for educational purposes if ISEA is correctly attributed. All

commercial use of these pictures requires written consent from ISEA.

Great Lakes & Global Freshwater

Education

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