8
Water Resources Issues of the Laurentian Great
Lakes
J. F. Atkinson
Great Lakes Program, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
e-mail atkinson(dJ,eng.buffalo.edu. Tel: 716-645-2088. Fax: 716-645-3667
Abstract
The Great Lakes of North America hold nearly 20% of the freshwater resource of
the earth. Because of their size and also because of the large populations they
serve, these lakes are a sort of living laboratory, illustrating the effects of
interactions between anthropogenic activities and natural ecosystems.
Management of the Great Lakes also is complicated because they are part of an
international border, and effective management requires binational cooperation, in
terms of both water quality and quantity. The present chapter provides an
overview of the main issues concerning management of the Great Lakes, as well
as current research initiatives and programs designed to address these issues.
Particular emphasis is placed on the issue of contaminated sediments, which poses
one of the most difficult problems, with regard to restoration of beneficial uses of
the lake waters. Specifically, it is shown that traditional approaches may
overestimate the export of contaminants from tributaries out to the lakes.
1 Introduction
Except for the polar ice caps, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America (Fig.
1) represent the single largest freshwater reserve in the world. Holding a combined
total volume of 23000 km 3 , the five lakes account for nearly 20% of the earth's
freshwater. The lakes, along with connecting waterways such as the Detroit River,
Niagara River, and St. Lawrence Seaway; also form a significant portion of the
boundary between Canada and the United States; in fact, Lake Michigan is the
only one of the five lakes fully within the US. Because of their strategic location,
the Great Lakes have provided access to shipping, which has played a major role
in the settling and development of the American mid-west, especially after the
opening of the Erie Canal in the early 1800s. This led to high population growth,
including the establishment of a number of large cities in the Great Lakes basin.
Even today, with a much smaller heavy industrial presence than was seen
historically, 22% of the US gross national product and 25% of its industrial output
H. Rubin / P. Nachtnebel / J. Fuerst! U. Shamir
Preserving the Quality of Our Water Resources
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2002
Water Resources Issues of the Laurentian Great
Lakes
J. F. Atkinson
Great Lakes Program, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
e-mail atkinson(dJ,eng.buffalo.edu. Tel: 716-645-2088. Fax: 716-645-3667
Abstract
The Great Lakes of North America hold nearly 20% of the freshwater resource of
the earth. Because of their size and also because of the large populations they
serve, these lakes are a sort of living laboratory, illustrating the effects of
interactions between anthropogenic activities and natural ecosystems.
Management of the Great Lakes also is complicated because they are part of an
international border, and effective management requires binational cooperation, in
terms of both water quality and quantity. The present chapter provides an
overview of the main issues concerning management of the Great Lakes, as well
as current research initiatives and programs designed to address these issues.
Particular emphasis is placed on the issue of contaminated sediments, which poses
one of the most difficult problems, with regard to restoration of beneficial uses of
the lake waters. Specifically, it is shown that traditional approaches may
overestimate the export of contaminants from tributaries out to the lakes.
1 Introduction
Except for the polar ice caps, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America (Fig.
1) represent the single largest freshwater reserve in the world. Holding a combined
total volume of 23000 km 3 , the five lakes account for nearly 20% of the earth's
freshwater. The lakes, along with connecting waterways such as the Detroit River,
Niagara River, and St. Lawrence Seaway; also form a significant portion of the
boundary between Canada and the United States; in fact, Lake Michigan is the
only one of the five lakes fully within the US. Because of their strategic location,
the Great Lakes have provided access to shipping, which has played a major role
in the settling and development of the American mid-west, especially after the
opening of the Erie Canal in the early 1800s. This led to high population growth,
including the establishment of a number of large cities in the Great Lakes basin.
Even today, with a much smaller heavy industrial presence than was seen
historically, 22% of the US gross national product and 25% of its industrial output
H. Rubin / P. Nachtnebel / J. Fuerst! U. Shamir
Preserving the Quality of Our Water Resources
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2002