The major axis of the lake extends from westsouthwest to eastnortheast for 241 miles 388 km, and the lake has a maximum width of 57 miles. Lake ontario may be the smallest great lake, but its waters run deep. Changes in the physical and chemical environment of the lake due to nonindigenous species, pollution, sedimentation, turbidity, and climate change altered the. The history of lake eries troubles how do we know phosphorus is the culprit. Interesting facts about lake ontario just fun facts. Lawrence river in 2017 and 2019 have taken a toll on homeowners, businesses and shoreline communities, demonstrating the need for governments to take a. Suny college of environmental science and forestry summary. When its islands are includ ed, the lake s shoreline is 712 miles 1,146 km long. The laurentian great lakes, also known as the great lakes of north america encompass five connected inland bodies of water lake superior, lake michigan, lake huron, lake erie and lake ontario.
Nov 9, 2017 hearing on lake ontario flooding draws a crowd. Facts about lake ontario inform the readers about the lake located in canada and united states. Lake erie, fourth largest of the five great lakes of north america. A source of plastic pollution into our great lakes the university of torontos trash team was curious just how much plastic makes its way from the don river into lake ontario, and what kind. Posts about water pollution written by environment probe. From deep in lake ontario, comes a natural coolant date. Areas of concern in the united states on lake superior are. A journey of discovery details the history and discovery of over 26 shipwrecks in lake ontario, many of which have connections to other communities across the great lakes including toledo, cleveland, buffalo, detroit and chicago.
A generation ago, parts of the great lakes, including lake ontario, were dead or dying. Lake ontario is rich in american and canadian history, and this book has stories from the very beginning of both countries to present day. Lawrence river is a binational area of concern shared by canada and the united states. Uranium producer warns of lake ontario pollution the new. Epa 905b95001 the great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book r. Which is one reason its not a total cesspool, experts say. After a spring and summer of flooding and erosion along the lake ontario shoreline, water levels have subsided to nearnormal levels. Pollution of lake erie, lake ontario and the international section of the st. Lake erie algae uncovering the cause of lake eries. I explored further aspects of that situation in pollution and aquatic life in. Massdependent and massindependent variations in the isotope composition of mercury in a sediment core from lake ontario as related to pollution history and biogeochemical processes author links open overlay panel togwell a. Pollution of lake erie, lake ontario and the international. The oldest shipwreck discovered in the great lakes, hms ontario, is described in three. Lake ontario, smallest and most easterly of the great lakes of north america.
Pollutants that enter the lakes whether by direct discharge along the shores. From deep in lake ontario, comes a natural coolant. No one was more surprised than me that the history of the great lakes would be so captivating. The ecological history of lake ontario according to phytoplankton. The water has flooded this area of hilton from both the lake and the overflowing brush creek. Carbon tetrachloride used to make fire extinguishers and pesticides mirex formerly used to make. Lake ontario is one of the five great lakes of north america.
Now in its second edition, pollution of lakes and rivers provides essential insights into presentday water quality problems from an international perspective. Lake ontario is the 14th largest lake in the world. To reconstruct the history of trophic conditions in lake ontarios bay of quinte, a 225km 2 zshaped bay on the northeastern shore of the lake at the head of the st. Some lake ontario areas of concern include the oswego river and rochester embayment on the american side, and hamilton harbour and toronto on the canadian side. Lake ontario waterkeeper is the longest running initiative of swim drink.
Its size and depth help dissipate the bacteria, which our drinkingwater filtration plants kill off with chlorine. Since lake ontario is the downstream great lake, it is impacted by human activities occurring throughout the lake superior, michigan, huron, and erie basins. History of lake ontario contamination from the niagara river by sediment radiodating. Anthony lukas award a landmark work of science, history and reporting on the past, present and. A history of lake superior from the first human habitation. Ottawa cameco, the worlds largest uranium producer, has told the canadian nuclear regulator that its refinery might have leaked uranium, arsenic and fluorides into lake ontario. The aspects of chemical pollution in the great lakes ecosystem are also. An environmental history great lakes books series william. The death and life of the great lakes was one of those books that was fascinating and engaging well beyond my expectations. To comprehend the mess weve made, wed have to drag a finemesh net across the. Great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book epa nepis. Named by the hurons, ontario means lake of shining waters. Great lakes simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Water takes about 6 years to flow through lake ontario to the st. Unveils second phase of plan to reverse great lakes damage news article, sept. The burning river and the dead lake were major impetuses for the federal government to step in and deal with water pollution in cleveland and across the nation. Its also a bit of an horror story without the inevitability of doom. From the shore of lake ontario, its impossible to tell just how serious our plastic pollution problem has become. A gold rush near wawa, ontario yields millions of dollars worth of gold. Lake ontario is a vibrant and unique body of water, but it also needs our help. Pollution in lake ontario microplastics are small plastic particles in our environment which is currently a huge issue to the marine environment, including lake ontario. The international joint commission has identified areas where pollution is. Lake ontario, figure 21, can be considered to have two longi tudinal basins. Explains simply and effectively how lake sediments can be used to reconstruct pollution history includes over 200 additional references and a new chapter on recent climatic change and its effects on water quality and quantity tackles. Water pollution in lake huron 1196 words 5 pages water pollution on lake huron water pollution on lake huron introduction pollution is the presence of dangerous and unwanted substances in the ecosystem that causes imbalance and health hazards to the living. Like the other great lakes, lake ontario used to have an important commercial fishery. The deeper basin, while smaller, is more sharply defined.
Together with the rivers, channels, and smaller lakes that feed or drain them, they make up the largest surface freshwater system on earth. Legends and lore of lake ontario american legends susan peterson gateley on. But despite the improvement, last fall miller, ontarios independent environmental watchdog, who is appointed by queens park, published a scathing assessment of the liberal governments lack of action on the lake. A remedial action plan has been developed for each area.
I settlement the modern history of the great lakes region, from discovery. Cold, clean water from lake ontario has the potential. It forms the boundary between canada ontario to the north and the united states michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, and new york to the west, south, and east. Viagra in the water, fish unfit to eat, environmental standards ignored. Louis bayriver, torch lake, and deer lake delisted. If a storm causes a fast, strong increase in air pressure on one side of a lake, the water level on that side of the lake will drop and suddenly push up the water level on the opposite side of the lake.
Explains simply and effectively how lake sediments can be used to reconstruct pollution history includes over 200 additional references and a new chapter on recent climatic change and its effects on water. The unusual shape of the great lakes has created the possibility of large waves called seiche. The american state of new york surrounds lake ontario on the east and south. International lake erie water pollution board edition, in english. The canadian province of ontario surrounds lake ontario on the southwest, west and north. Changes in the physical and chemical environment of the lake due to non indigenous species, pollution, sedimentation, turbidity, and climate change altered the. Andy gendaszek dove into the shallow water along long lake s shoreline earlier this week, targeting dark, weedy areas downstream from housing developments. To have the cleanest tap water possible, the mike harris government has announced stricter regulations governing the testing of the ontario water supply. In 20, there were 3,024 beach advisories on lake ontario. The first wave of wealthy summer residents arrive on madeline island. All great lakes water flows through lake ontario before it flows to the atlantic ocean.
All the water from the great lakes watershed ends up in lake ontario eventually. While the welland canal connected lake ontario to lake erie as early as the mid1820s, sea lampreys were not reported in lake erie until 1921nearly 100 years later. Long lake pollution study worries suncrest residents the. Early history of the grassy narrows people long ago the ojibway were believed to have migrated. An introduction to the niagara riverlake ontario pollution problem. The pollution from urban areas, while significant, is not the major reason for. The great lakes are five large lakes in eastcentral north america. The death and life of the great lakes by dan egan goodreads.
Clair north of lake erie in 1986, having come from the black and caspian seas, while quagga mussels came to lake erie in 1989 from the dneiper river drainage of ukraine. Lake ontario is the last of the chain of great lakes that straddle the canadaunited states border. Each great lakes state and ontario also has its own bird book. It has been largely destroyed, mostly by overfishing and also by water pollution and invasive species. In the oceanic depths of the great lakes, life and death swirl like coffee and cream. Historical pollution issues in lake superior and northwestern ontario geography of the lake superior. Even though pollution in lake erie was a regional problem, cleveland bore the brunt of the negative publicity. The ecological history of lake ontario according to. Lake ontario levels are higher than they have been in 2017.
Journal of great lakes research the niagara riverlake ontario. History of lake ontario contamination from the niagara river by. In this video, research scientist laura johnson of the national center for water quality research at heidelberg university explains how 40 years of data points to dissolved reactive phosphorus as the primary culprit behind lake eries harmful algal outbreaks. Part of the hamilton, ontario, harbor called randle reef is one of the most polluted sites on canadas side of the great lakes. Pollution of lake ontario with chlorinated hydrocarbons from the niagara river is still occurring, but the worst contamination of the lake occurred in the 1960s. So all the pollution from chicago, sarnia with its petrochemical plants, detroit, cleveland, buffalo, hamilton and toronto and.
An aquatic biography looks to the polluted past and a murky future. Lake michigan and lake huron hit alltime record low levels in 20. Water also drains from the chicago river on the south. Absolute abundance of overall microfossils was low with planktonic production of mostly chrysophycean flagellates or species that as. These highly invasive species have colonized all five of the great lakes. If you like a good true story with a bit of history and a bit worthwhile information, you will very much enjoy this book. Massdependent and massindependent variations in the. Great lakes connection international joint commission. Great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book. Critics say parts of lake ontario are as bad as its ever been.
Of all the polluted waters in the world, lachine canal in quebec is the second image on wikipedias water pollution page. In the 19th century, onondaga lake was a popular tourist attraction, with beaches, resorts and amusement parks. Ontario, michigan, erie and superior have a total coastline of almost 11,000 miles. Over time, industrial development and a growing population led to increases in sewage and industrial discharges that took their toll on the water quality of onondaga lake. Onondaga lake is a lake in central new york, immediately northwest of and adjacent to syracuse, new york. The water of the lakes and the many resources of the great lakes basin have played a major role in the history and development of the united states and canada.