Lake Erie

Not to be confused with Lake Eyre. For other uses, see Lake Erie (disambiguation).

Lake Erie
Waabishkiigoo-gichigami / Aanikegamaa-gichigami (Ojibwe)
NOAA satellite image of Lake Erie from July 7, 2023. Light green swirls are algae bloom on the western edge of the lake.
Location of Lake Erie in North America.
Location of Lake Erie in North America.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie and Lake Saint Clair bathymetric map.[1][2][3][4] The deepest point is marked with "×".[5]
LocationNorth America
GroupGreat Lakes
Coordinates42°12′N 81°12′W / 42.2°N 81.2°W / 42.2; -81.2
Lake typeGlacial
Primary inflowsDetroit River[6]
Primary outflowsNiagara River
Welland Canal[7]
Basin countries Canada
 United States
Max. length241 mi (388 km)
Max. width57 mi (92 km)
Surface area9,910 sq mi (25,700 km2)[7]
Average depth62 ft (19 m)[7]
Max. depth210 ft (64 m)[8]
Water volume116 cu mi (480 km3)[7]
Residence time2.6 years
Shore length1799 mi (1,286 km) plus 72 mi (116 km) for islands[9]
Surface elevation569 ft (173 m)[7]
Islands24+ (see list)
SettlementsCleveland, Ohio
Buffalo, New York
Erie, Pennsylvania
Toledo, Ohio
Monroe, Michigan
Leamington, Ontario
Port Colborne, Ontario
References[8]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
The Great Lakes, with Lake Erie highlighted in darker blue

Lake Erie (/ˈɪri/ EER-ee; French: Lac Érié) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally.[6][10] It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes[11][12] and also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point, Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 m) deep, making it the only Great Lake whose deepest point is above sea level.[13]

Situated on the International Boundary between Canada and the United States, Lake Erie's northern shore is the Canadian province of Ontario, specifically the Ontario Peninsula, with the U.S. states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York on its western, southern, and eastern shores. These jurisdictions divide the surface area of the lake with water boundaries. The largest city on the lake is Cleveland, anchoring the third largest U.S. metro area in the Great Lakes region, after Greater Chicago and Metro Detroit. Other major cities along the lake shore include Buffalo, New York; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Toledo, Ohio.

Situated below Lake Huron, Erie's primary inlet is the Detroit River. The main natural outflow from the lake is via the Niagara River, which provides hydroelectric power to Canada and the U.S. as it spins huge turbines near Niagara Falls at Lewiston, New York, and Queenston, Ontario.[14] Some outflow occurs via the Welland Canal, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which diverts water for ship passages from Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie, to St. Catharines on Lake Ontario, an elevation difference of 326 ft (99 m). Lake Erie's environmental health has been an ongoing concern for decades, with issues such as overfishing, pollution, algae blooms, and eutrophication generating headlines.[15][16]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLBathEr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLBathHur was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLBathOnt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLOBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NOAA_GLERL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference StateofOhio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference EPA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nyt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Shorelines of the Great Lakes Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference worldatlas list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLIN F&F was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Erie, Lake - FactMonster". www.factmonster.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2006.
  13. ^ "Great Lakes Profile". Vivid Maps. January 18, 2017. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference twsZ54 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference twsZ61 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT031413 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).