Lake Superior, Ontario
Published: August 21, 2008, 2:34 pm
Updated: August 21, 2008, 2:34 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Mark McGinley Physical Attributes
- Altitude: 183 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 82,100 sq. km
- Mean Depth: 147 m
- Maximum Depth: 406 m
- Volume: 12,100 cu. km
- Shoreline Length: 4,400 km
- Drainage Basin: 128,000 sq km
General Description
Lake Superior has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world and is second in volume only to Lake Baikal in Russia. As a result of its large size, waves can reach up to 10 m during storms. Numerous short rivers feed Lake Superior from its drainage basin. Water flows out of the lake into Lake Huron via the St. Mary's River. The offshore waters of Lake Superior are oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic. The lake has only low levels of dissolved minerals because the hard Precambrian rocks of the watershed are not easily dissolved. The introduction of sea lamprey and rainbow smelt as well as over-fishing have depleted the populations of whitefish and lake trout that form the core of the Lake Superior fisheries. The sea lamprey control program implemented by Canada and the United States has been quite effective. Most of the contaminants and dissolved solids enter the lake via the atmosphere.
Watershed
The drainage basin is located on the 1-2 billion year old rocks of the Canadian Shield. The northern continental climate and shallow soils have resulted in an economic focus on forestry, mining and fishing. While the pulp and paper industry is an important economic activity along the north shore of the lake, mining for copper, iron and gold is significant in other areas.
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Citation
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Paul D. N. Hebert (Lead Author);Mark McGinley (Topic Editor) "Lake Superior, Ontario". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 21, 2008; Last revised Date August 21, 2008; Retrieved May 19, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Lake_Superior,_Ontario>
The Authors
The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to improving the understanding of biodiversity at all scales, from the genetic to the macroecological. Based at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, BIO is host to more than 30 university faculty and their research groups representing a wide range of biological expertise. BIO also includes specialized support staff and unique research and outreach capabilities designed to foster both academi ... (Full Bio)
After receiving his Ph.D. in genetics at Cambridge University in 1972, Paul Hebert took up a Rutherford Fellowship at the University of Sydney. He returned to Canada in 1976, accepting a position at the University of Windsor where he was a professor in Biological Sciences and Director of the Great Lakes Institute. He moved to the University of Guelph in 1990 as Chair of the Department of Zoology. He has been a visiting professor at the Australian National University, the Czech Academy of Scienc ... (Full Bio)
Physical Attributes
- Altitude: 183 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 82,100 sq. km
- Mean Depth: 147 m
- Maximum Depth: 406 m
- Volume: 12,100 cu. km
- Shoreline Length: 4,400 km
- Drainage Basin: 128,000 sq km
General Description
Lake Superior has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world and is second in volume only to Lake Baikal in Russia. As a result of its large size, waves can reach up to 10 m during storms. Numerous short rivers feed Lake Superior from its drainage basin. Water flows out of the lake into Lake Huron via the St. Mary's River. The offshore waters of Lake Superior are oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic. The lake has only low levels of dissolved minerals because the hard Precambrian rocks of the watershed are not easily dissolved. The introduction of sea lamprey and rainbow smelt as well as over-fishing have depleted the populations of whitefish and lake trout that form the core of the Lake Superior fisheries. The sea lamprey control program implemented by Canada and the United States has been quite effective. Most of the contaminants and dissolved solids enter the lake via the atmosphere.
Watershed
The drainage basin is located on the 1-2 billion year old rocks of the Canadian Shield. The northern continental climate and shallow soils have resulted in an economic focus on forestry, mining and fishing. While the pulp and paper industry is an important economic activity along the north shore of the lake, mining for copper, iron and gold is significant in other areas.
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(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
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