14 Scary Facts About The Great Lakes

 14 Scary Facts About The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes have been a popular destination for families and nature lovers ever since families and nature lovers could venture out and about. Often, they are seen as the gentle, small cousins to the ocean, which offers a bounty of dangers and dismaying situations. But alas, the Great Lakes offer just as many dangers, if not more.

 

From tornadoes to blood-sucking fish that swim just below the surface, here is a small selection of scary facts regarding the Great Lakes.

 

1-     Lake Superior Has Produced 'Rogue Waves'

Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, has been known to produce near-mythical “rogue waves," similar to those found at sea.

This is from the Duluth News Tribune: "Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have confirmed the phenomenon of rogue waves on Lake Superior - waves double the size of others at the same time and which have been named as a potential cause of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

2-     They're Home To Thousands Of Shipwrecks

The Great Lakes contain at least 6,000 shipwrecks, with some estimates going has high as 20,000.

Due to sudden changes in the weather, the Great Lakes have become the final resting stop for thousands of ships. According to Chris Gillcrist, executive director of the National Museum of the Great Lakes, the lakes "are home to more shipwrecks per surface square mile than any other body of water in the world."

3-     Lake Michigan's Rip Currents Can Drag Swimmers Away From Shore

Due to the configuration of Lake Michigan, powerful currents can form quickly, creating deadly circumstances for those nearby.

Due to these longshore and rip currents, Lake Michigan is regarded as the most dangerous of the Great Lakes. 

4-     Lake Ontario Can Become So Cold It Is Considered Lethal

"When you hit that cold water you gasp and get what's called cold-water shock," Ted Rankine of the Canadian Safe Boating Council said in an interview yesterday. "You have one minute to get control of your breathing. You have 10 minutes of meaningful movement to rescue yourself. And in the coldest water you have one hour before hypothermia kicks in."

But hypothermia is not what typically kills early-season boating victims, he warned. Many are dead long before their core temperature falls into the danger zone, their muscles rendered immobile by the cold within minutes.

5-     A Cyclone Once Developed On Lake Huron

Hurricanes need strong heat flux to help transfer energy from the water into themselves, and normally, the Great Lakes are too cold for this to occur.

However, in September 1996, a combination of unusually warm lake water and an unusually cold mid-latitude cyclone created the "Huroncane" or "Hurricane Huron," a storm system that greatly resembled typical hurricanes in many ways.

6-     They Contain Enough Water To Flood North And South America

There is enough water in Lake Superior to flood the entire landmasses of North and South America to a depth of one foot. It contains over 3 quadrillion gallons of fresh water.

7-     The Lakes Can Spawn Tornadoes

Lake Michigan has been an occasional source for violent and powerful tornadoes. In 1956, one such tornado destroyed the Saugatuck Lighthouse in Grand Rapids, MI.

 

8-     Blood-Sucking Lampreys Live In The Lakes 

Sea lampreys invaded the Great Lakes in the early 20th century through shipping canals. In their native range, lampreys live part of their lives in salt water, but they have adapted to living entirely in fresh water in the Great Lakes. As adults they spawn in rivers and streams.

 

9-     Radioactive Material Is Stored On The Shores Of The Great Lakes

More than 60,000 tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel is stored on the shores of four of the five Great Lakes — in some cases, mere yards from the waterline — in still-growing stockpiles.

“It’s actually the most dangerous waste produced by any industry in the history of the Earth,” said Gordon Edwards, president of the nonprofit Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.

 

10-                        Piranhas Have Invaded The Great Lakes

The large, South American tropical fish were probably illegally dumped in the Great Lakes by pet-owners who no longer wanted to keep them in aquariums.

Three large vegetarian piranhas with human-like teeth have been discovered in Michigan, amid growing concern among wildlife officials over tropical and invasive fish infiltrating the Great Lakes region.

11-                        Lake Michigan Was The Site Of An Alleged Shark Bite

The Shark Research Institute notes there was a shark attack in Chicago in 1955, when George Lawson was bitten by a bull shark in Lake Michigan.

Though the story seems unlikely, experts say a bull shark wandering this far from sea is not outside the realm of possibility.

12-                        The Lakes Are Eroding

Due to climate change and warmer winters, the water levels of several Great Lakes are rising, creating a path of destruction that includes the loss of beachfront communities and property. 

Climate change is increasing erosion on what’s known as the nation’s “third coast” — the Great Lakes shoreline. And that’s threatening beaches, parks and other recreation areas used by people from cities across the region.