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Water Quality of the Great Lakes

Water Quality of the Great Lakes. A look at the largest fresh surface water system on Earth using GIS Leah Shimko. Environmental Issues. PCBs, DDT, fertilizers, untreated human waste, phosphate detergents Accelerated eutrophication Low DO Low biodiversity

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Water Quality of the Great Lakes

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  1. Water Quality of the Great Lakes A look at the largest fresh surface water system on Earth using GIS Leah Shimko

  2. Environmental Issues • PCBs, DDT, fertilizers, untreated human waste, phosphate detergents • Accelerated eutrophication • Low DO • Low biodiversity • Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S. - 1972

  3. Project Goals • Basic Data • Watershed Boundaries • Political Boundaries • Maps of Pollution Levels • Select Contaminants • Try to show change in quality pre-1972 to post-1972

  4. Major Data Sources • GLENDA – Great Lakes Environmental Database, EPA (tables) • GLIN – Great Lakes Information Network (shapefiles) • Canada (.e00 interchange files) • 1996-2003 • P, Cl, N, Si, K, Ca, Alkalinity, Temp., Turbidity, pH, DO …

  5. Is Ontario the best or is another lake Superior?

  6. Na+ TDS

  7. Work Remaining • Compare data to acceptable levels • Effects • Pre-1972 data – there’s still a chance • Organization

  8. Conclusions • Levels of pretty much everything are higher in Lake Ontario in comparison to Lake Superior, • …but at least Lake Erie appears to be more of a dump than Lake Ontario.

  9. ? 's Lake “Less of a dump than Erie” Ontario

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