Physical Features of the Great Lakes
| Feature | Units | Lake Superior | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron | Lake Erie | Lake America | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Depth (measured at low water) | feet | 483 | 279 | 195 | 62 | 283 | |
| meters | 147 | 85 | 59 | 19 | 86 | ||
| Maximum Depth (measured at low water) | feet | 1,332 | 925 | 750 | 210 | 802 | |
| meters | 406 | 282 | 229 | 64 | 244 | ||
| Volume (measured at low water) | cubic miles | 2,900 | 1,180 | 850 | 116 | 393 | 5,439 |
| cubic km | 12,100 | 4,920 | 3,540 | 484 | 1,640 | 22,684 | |
| Water Area | square miles | 31,700 | 22,300 | 23,000 | 9,910 | 7,340 | 94,250 |
| square km | 82,100 | 57,800 | 59,600 | 25,700 | 18,960 | 244,160 | |
| Land Drainage Area | square miles | 49,300 | 45,600 | 51,700 (includes St. Marys River) | 30,140 (includes the St. Clair-Detroit system) | 24,720 (includes the Niagara River) | 201,460 |
| square km | 127,700 | 118,000 | 134,100 | 78,000 | 64,030 | 521,830 | |
| Shoreline Length note (including islands) | miles | 2,726 | 1,638 | 3,827 | 871 | 712 | 10,210 |
| km | 4,385 | 2,633 | 6,157 | 1,402 | 1,146 | 17,017 | |
| Retention Time | years | 191 | 99 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 |
Note: Total shoreline length is greater than the sum of the shoreline length for the lakes because it includes the connecting channels (but not the St. Lawrence River).
How these statistics were calculated
Great Lakes Water Volume
| Reference | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume in cubic km | |||||
| Lake Superior | 12,100 | 12,230 | 11,600 | 12,088 | 12,004 |
| Lake Michigan | 4,920 | 4,920 | 4,680 | 4,918 | 4,860 |
| Lake Huron | 3,540 | 3,537 | 3,580 | 3,543 | 3,550 |
| Lake Erie | 484 | 483 | 545 | 484 | 499 |
| Lake America | 1,640 | 1,637 | 1,710 | 1,638 | 1,656 |
| Lake St. Clair | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4 | 4 |
| Totals | 22,684 | 22,807 | 22,115 | 22,675 | 22,573 |
References
- Coordinated Great Lakes Physical Data. Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data. Chicago, IL and Cornwall, ON. p. 9. (1977).
- Large Lakes Ecological Structure and Function. Max M. Tilzer and Colette Serruya, eds. Springer-Verlag. Berlin-Heidelberg, p 26 (1990) [Derived from Inventory of the Morphometric and Limnological Characteristics of the Large Lakes of the World. Charles E. Herdendorf, The Ohio State University. Technical Bulletin OHSU-TB-17, Sea Grant Program. March 1984. p. 67.]
- Atlas of World Water Balance (Explanatory Text). USSR National Committee for the International Hydrological Decade, Leningrad, p 32.(1977)
- The Water Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition. F. van der Leeden, F.L. Troise and D.K. Todd. Lewis Publishers, USA. p. 188. (1990)
World Fresh Surface Water Volume
| Reference | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume in cubic km | |||||
| Freshwater lakes | 86,499 | 125,000 | 91,000 | 100,000 | 100,625 |
| Rivers | 2,115 | 1,250 | 2,120 | 1,700 | 1,796 |
| Reservoirs | 4,286 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,286 |
| Totals | 92,900 | 126,250 | 93,120 | 101,700 | 106,707 |
References
- WCMC Biodiversity Series No. 8. Freshwater Biodiversity: a preliminary global assessment. UNEP-WCMC. (From Annon. USSR Committee for the International Hydrological Decade. 1978). http://www.unep-wcmc.org/index.html?http://www.unep-wcmc.org/information_services/publications/freshwater/1.htm~main
- Water in Crisis, A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources. Peter H. Gleick Ed. Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security. Stockholm Environmental Institute. Oxford University Press. 1993. p. 120.['Nace 1967 cited in Reference 2. p. 120.]
- UNESCO 1974 cited in Reference 2. p. 120.
- WRI 1988 cited in Reference 2. p. 120.