Trailblazer Tuesdays

🌱Trailblazer Tuesdays🌱 

             Lake Erie is the warmest of all of the Great Lakes, but it also freezes over more than the other lakes. It is the fourth largest when measured in surface area, with round 25,700 square kilometers and the smallest by water volume, with 484 cubic km. Lake Erie touches four U.S. states; New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. As the southernmost of the Great Lakes, the majority of Lake Erie's water flows in through the Detroit River from the upper lakes ; Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron ; as well as tributaries such as the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. Its main outlet is Niagara falls The Niagara River, the source of the falls, runs 58 kilometers and connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Lake Erie has a tail-like shape, which is reflected in its name, which is derived from erielhonan, the Iroquoian word for "long tail."  Due to its southernmost position, Lake Erie is the warmest of all of the Great Lakes. While temperatures have reached as high as 85 F (29 C), water temperatures are generally in the low 70s F (21 C to 24 C) during the summer months, making Lake Erie a popular recreational area. 

            During the winter, water temperatures reach freezing, and the lake freezes over more than the other Great Lakes because of its shallowness. Its average depth is 19 m and its maximum depth is 64 m.Water levels are 7.6 to 9.1 m in the lake's shallowest area, making it possible for strong winds to kick up fairly powerful waves.Lake-effect snow has a huge impact on the surrounding communities.Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie is basically a divot formed from a moving glacier and is relatively young; less than 4,000 years old in its current configuration.Several native peoples lived on lake's shores, including the Erie tribe and the Iroquois. Lake Erie was the last of the Great Lakes to be explored by Europeans. French explorer Louis Joliet "discovered" the lake in 1669. The lake also played a pivotal role in the War of 1812.

           By the 1960s, Lake Erie had become sort of a "poster child" for water pollution. Pollutants from factories, waste from city sewers, and fertilizer and pesticides from farms made their way to the lake. As a result, levels of phosphorus and nitrogen increased, which led to algae blooms. The toxic algae caused "dead zones" by depleting the oxygen, and dead fish littered the shoreline. And in 1969, the Cuyahoga River, which flows through Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire. The federal government responded to this situation by passing the Clean Water Act in 1972. The law tightened regulations on industrial dumping. While the water quality of Lake Erie has much improved, the lake continues to be prone to algae blooms and still has dead zones. 

Lake Erie also has its own legendary lake monster , Bessie, which is mostly likely a huge sturgeon.

References 

www.livescience.com

Sabrina Merks