Lake Erie
| Region | Type | Maps & Charts (if available, no international) |
|---|---|---|
| North America, Mid-West | Lake | Lake Erie |
241 miles long. 62 feet deep. Surface Area of 10,000 sq. miles. Linked to Lake Ontario to east; Lake Huron to west.
Is the smallest of the lakes in volume and is exposed to the greatest effects from urbanization and agriculture. Because of the fertile soils surrounding the lake, the area is intensively farmed. The lake receives runoff from the agricultural area of southwestern Ontario and parts of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Seventeen metropolitan areas with populations over 50,000 are located within the Lake Erie basin. It is the shallowest of the five lakes and therefore warms rapidly in the spring and summer, and frequently freezes over in winter. It also has the shortest retention time of the lakes, 2.6 years. The western basin, comprising about one-fifth of the lake, is very shallow with an average depth of 24 feet and a maximum depth of 62 feet.
Sources
Robert A. McCaughey https://www.epa.gov/greatlakesRelated Locations
Lake HuronCompiler
Peter Richards