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Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

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Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#111

Post by bregma »

lettergram wrote: post #71
godtoldmetodoit wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in south west Michigan and absolutely took them for granted. After almost 5 years in Austin we decided to come back to Michigan with the birth of our first child. I missed the lakes terribly, just totally took for granted that not everywhere has fresh water surrounding them on all sides. In this climate change age, being close to so much fresh water really helps calm my nerves knowing that I am in a spot th…

> In this climate change age The Great Lakes only exist because the massive ice sheet melted and left the lakes as a deposit some 10-15,000 years ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few thousand years the lakes largely dissipate. That said I grew up near the lake, definitely something that’s awesome to live near

The depths of all the lakes except Eerie are below mean sea level. It would require a prolonged period of new orogeny for the lakes to disappear. Since that hasn't happened in a few billion years in the area, it's more likely that the sun will expand to encompass the orbit of the Earth and vapourize the entire planet first.

Hardly something that will happen in a few thousand years. But you never know.

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#112

Post by avgcorrection »

justusthane wrote: post #3
shotta wrote: post #2

I have always loved this song about a shipwreck on the Great Lakes. https://youtu.be/FuzTkGyxkYI

I have to say, I grew up on Lake Superior in Wisconsin, and it’s funny to hear the Edmund Fitzgerald referred to as just “a shipwreck.” In this area, the sinking of the Fitzgerald easily has more cultural relevance than the Titanic. In the small towns that surround Lake Superior, it’s not uncommon to run into someone who lost a loved one, so be careful making jokes in bars — and there are jokes[1]. The mystery of it…

> I have to say, I grew up on Lake Superior in Wisconsin, and it’s funny to hear the Edmund Fitzgerald referred to as just “a shipwreck.”

How should one address it? The Great, Most Exalted, Venerable Shipwreck?

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#113

Post by mikepurvis »

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #85
sbradford26 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always felt that if you want big sandy beaches you go to Lake Michigan, somewhere like Grand Haven or Ludington.

Same lake, just around the bend. I've never been to the western shore of Huron in Michigan, so can't compare to ours in Ontario. But along ours there's some lovely sandy beaches. Erie can get pretty gross.

I don't know about the southern shore of Erie, but the Canadian side has Long Point, Rock Point, Port Dover, Turkey Point, and Burwell. They're all amazing and the water is shallow enough to be pretty family friendly as well as warming up quickly in the early summer.

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#114

Post by bregma »

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #103
throwaway894345 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is true ("only b/c of melting ice sheet; will dissipate in next few thousand years") then wouldn't we expect water levels to be continuously dropping? Seems more likely that they exist because rain/meltwater makes its way to the basin and keeps them filled (irrespective of whether or not they were originally filled with meltwater from the ice sheet 15kya).

I believe a lot of it is ultimately fed by hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of smaller lakes upstream. The Canadian Shield is dotted with gazillions of lakes, it's crazy to fly over it. And I think it's safe to assume most of those lakes are glacial remnant water, not sure if they're fully refreshed by rain and snow.

I know it's the internet and facts are as real as birds, but just in case you want some: [0].

[0] https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Missions/Great-Lakes-Informat...

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#115

Post by cmrdporcupine »

ycombinete wrote: post #99
hashamali wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is beautifully written.

I couldn’t help noticing that as well! While reading it I was pining for lakes I’ve never seen in a country I’ve never been to.

Thanks, I think I'd rather write poetry than code for $$ these days, but, uh, that wouldn't pay my mortgage or feed my kids, so.

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#117

Post by bregma »

khuey wrote: post #88
lettergram wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In this climate change age The Great Lakes only exist because the massive ice sheet melted and left the lakes as a deposit some 10-15,000 years ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few thousand years the lakes largely dissipate. That said I grew up near the lake, definitely something that’s awesome to live near

The Great Lakes will eventually go away, but not for the reason you think. Niagara Falls is eroding its way upstream and will eventually reach Lake Erie, at which point Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan will all drain away downstream.

How would that work. Would the Niagara gorge suddenly be able to increase its capacity orders of magnitude beyond its physical limits? Would the Detroit and St. Clair rivers suddenly be able to deliver an increased flow into Eerie?

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#118

Post by dehrmann »

webstrand wrote: post #19
dncornholio wrote: post #9

I think to call it a sea it must be huge and salty. The arguments against this in the article is that Baltic sea is "pretty fresh", so it actually is salty. They also say the Dead sea is a lake, which is logical because it's tiny. If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know. Until then, these are just lakes! Which is fine, because a sea is not better than a lake, and vice versa.

The Sea of Galilee is actually freshwater. But on the other hand lake doesn't imply freshwater, e.g. The Great Salt Lake.

I think this is just because it's been called that historically. It's smaller than Lake Tahoe, so there isn't much debate about it being a lake.

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#119

Post by gilbetron »

suifbwish wrote: post #108
godtoldmetodoit wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in south west Michigan and absolutely took them for granted. After almost 5 years in Austin we decided to come back to Michigan with the birth of our first child. I missed the lakes terribly, just totally took for granted that not everywhere has fresh water surrounding them on all sides. In this climate change age, being close to so much fresh water really helps calm my nerves knowing that I am in a spot th…

You live in one of the states where there is no squatter law and where you can legally shoot and kill someone for trying to steal your car. There is no maximum rifle magazine size. Castle doctrine for the win. Michigan has some interesting demographics. About half of the population in Michigan is concentrated in about 4-5 cities, the other half of the population are spread across much more area and more spread apart.…

I don't know why you are getting downvoted - as a lifelong michigan resident, the politics are weird and getting weirder. The Michigan Militia and their offshoots are still around and still scary.

Re: Are the Great Lakes really inland seas?

#120

Post by cmrdporcupine »

mikepurvis wrote: post #113
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same lake, just around the bend. I've never been to the western shore of Huron in Michigan, so can't compare to ours in Ontario. But along ours there's some lovely sandy beaches. Erie can get pretty gross.

I don't know about the southern shore of Erie, but the Canadian side has Long Point, Rock Point, Port Dover, Turkey Point, and Burwell. They're all amazing and the water is shallow enough to be pretty family friendly as well as warming up quickly in the early summer.

Yeah I've been to those, Long Point in particular is amazing.
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