| Revision as of 05:20, 17 September 2012 editBinksternet (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, File movers, Pending changes reviewers494,034 edits Not a lake but a system of hydrology← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:07, 17 September 2012 edit undoKwamikagami (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Template editors475,358 edits add Dan's wordingNext edit → | ||
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| Some sources have recognised the single body of Lake Michigan-Huron as the largest lake in the world, | |||
| ⚫ | '''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is a |
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| ⚫ | David Lees in '']'' 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" '']'' (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.</ref> and the ] 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. "." NOAA, 2006.</ref> According to the ], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are 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" . August 2007. p.6</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | '''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is a body of water that consists of ] and ], which join at the ]. Physically it is a single body of water and it is studied as such, and some sources describe it as the largest lake in the world, but due to the relative narrowness of the connecting straits, and historical naming conventions, most authors describe lakes Michigan and Huron separately. The straits are {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} wide and {{convert|120|ft|m}} deep.<ref>"?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.</ref> Though this is 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 ]| location=Vancouver |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-1-55365-197-0 |pages= 42–43}}</ref> it is nonetheless sufficient for them to exist in ]. They therefore lie on average at the same elevation, {{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> though 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 ] through ], and the main outflow is through the ].<ref name=Mortimer59>{{harvnb|Mortimer|2000|p=59}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | David Lees in '']'' 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" '']'' (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.</ref> and the ] 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. "." NOAA, 2006.</ref> According to the ], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are 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" . 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. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AaQJIiTQ)</ref> | ||
| During the last ], what is now Michigan–Huron was clearly separated into two lakes, with what is now Lake Huron (known to geologists as ]) separate from what is now Lake Michigan (]). Before that ] occupied the southern tip of the Lake Michigan basin, at the southern extent of the glaciers. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 08:07, 17 September 2012
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Great Lakes. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2012. |
| Lake Michigan–Huron | |
|---|---|
| Location | United States, Canada |
| Group | Great Lakes |
| Coordinates | 45°48′50″N 84°45′14″W / 45.814°N 84.754°W / 45.814; -84.754 |
| Type | Glacial |
| Primary inflows | St. Marys River |
| Primary outflows | St. Clair River |
| Basin countries | United States, Canada |
| Surface area | 45,410 sq mi (117,600 km) |
| Max. depth | 922 ft (281 m) |
| Water volume | 2,029 cu mi (8,460 km) |
| Residence time | 100 years |
| Shore length | 5,463 mi (8,792 km) |
| Surface elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
| Settlements | Milwaukee, Chicago, Cheboygan, Port Huron |
| Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Some sources have recognised the single body of Lake Michigan-Huron as the largest lake in the world,
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. Physically it is a single body of water and it is studied as such, and some sources describe it as the largest lake in the world, but due to the relative narrowness of the connecting straits, and historical naming conventions, most authors describe lakes Michigan and Huron separately. The straits are 5 miles (8 km) wide and 120 feet (37 m) deep. Though this is small in comparison to the body of water as a whole, it is nonetheless sufficient for them to exist in equilibrium. They therefore lie on average at the same elevation, 577 feet (176 m), though at times their surfaces react differently to wind stress; 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.
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." 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." According to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac." 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."
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
- "Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.
- Grady, Wayne (2007). The Great Lakes. Vancouver: Greystone Books and David Suzuki Foundation. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-55365-197-0.
- 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) - ^ Mortimer 2000, p. 59 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMortimer2000 (help)
- Lees, David. "High and Dry" Canadian Geographic (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.
- Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models." NOAA, 2006.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Hydrological Components" Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior. August 2007. p.6
- Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan. (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
- Lake Iroquois
- Drifting Buoys Track Water Currents in the Great Lakes Straits of Mackinac
- Great Lakes water level observations
