Lake Ontario
Template:Redirect-distinguish Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox body of water Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border spans the centre of the lake. On the Canadian side, the major cities are Kingston, Mississauga, Toronto, Hamilton, and St. Catharines. On the American side, the major cities are Rochester and Watertown.
The last in the Great Lakes chain, Lake Ontario serves as the outlet to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River, comprising the western end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Its primary inlet is the Niagara River from Lake Erie. The Long Sault control dam, primarily along with the Moses-Saunders Power Dam regulates the water level of the lake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The name Ontarí'io is most often translated from Huron as "beautiful lake",<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but other translations exist.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Geography
[edit]
Lake Ontario is the easternmost of the Great Lakes and the smallest in surface area (Template:Convert),<ref name="EPAphysical">Template:Cite web</ref> although it exceeds Lake Erie in volume (Template:Convert). It is the 13th largest lake in the world. When its islands are included, the lake's shoreline is Template:Convert long. As the last lake in the Great Lakes' hydrologic chain, Lake Ontario has the lowest mean surface elevation of the lakes at Template:Convert<ref name=EPA/> above sea level; Template:Convert lower than its neighbor upstream. Its maximum length is Template:Convert, and its maximum width is Template:Convert.<ref name=EPA>Template:Cite web</ref> The lake's average depth is 47 fathoms 1 foot (283 ft; 86 m), with a maximum depth of 133 fathoms 4 feet (802 ft; 244 m) in the Rochester Basin.<ref name=EPA/>Template:Sfn The lake's primary source is the Niagara River, draining Lake Erie, with the Saint Lawrence River serving as the outlet. The drainage basin covers 24,720 square miles (64,030 km2).<ref name="EPAphysical"/><ref>A Report on Water Resources and Local Watershed Management Programs Template:Webarchive. The State of the New York Lake Ontario Basin (2000)</ref> As with all the Great Lakes, water levels change both within the year (owing to seasonal changes in water input) and among years (owing to longer-term trends in precipitation). These water level fluctuations are an integral part of lake ecology and produce and maintain extensive wetlands.<ref>Wilcox, D.A, Thompson, T.A., Booth, R.K., and Nicholas, J.R.. 2007. Lake-level variability and water availability in the Great Lakes. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1311, 25 p.</ref><ref>Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Chapter 2.</ref> The lake also has an important freshwater fishery, although it has been negatively affected by factors including overfishing, water pollution and invasive species.<ref name="Christie, W. J. 1974">Christie, W. J. (1974). Changes in the fish species composition of the Great Lakes. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 31, 827–54.</ref>
Baymouth bars built by prevailing winds and currents have created a significant number of lagoons and sheltered harbors, mostly near (but not limited to) Prince Edward County, Ontario, and the easternmost shores. Perhaps the best-known example is Toronto Bay, chosen as the site of the Upper Canada capital for its strategic harbor. Other prominent examples include Hamilton Harbour, Irondequoit Bay, Presqu'ile Bay, and Sodus Bay. The bars themselves are the sites of long beaches, such as Sandbanks Provincial Park and Sandy Island Beach State Park. These sand bars are often associated with large wetlands, which support large numbers of plant and animal species, as well as providing important rest areas for migratory birds.<ref>Maynard, L., and Wilcox, D.A., 1997, Coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes—State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference 1996 background paper: Environment Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 905–R–97–015b, 99 p.</ref><ref>Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.497 p.</ref> Presqu'ile, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, is particularly significant in this regard. One unique feature of the lake is the Z-shaped Bay of Quinte which separates Prince Edward County from the Ontario mainland, save for a Template:Convert isthmus near Trenton; this feature also supports many wetlands and aquatic plants, as well as associated fisheries.
Major rivers draining into Lake Ontario include the Niagara River, Don River, Humber River, Rouge River, Trent River, Cataraqui River, Genesee River, Oswego River, Black River, Little Salmon River, Credit River, Ganaraska River and the Salmon River.
The Welland Canal also drains into the lake.
Geology
[edit]The lake basin was carved out of soft, weak Silurian-age rocks by the Wisconsin ice sheet during the last ice age. The action of the ice occurred along the pre-glacial Ontarian River valley which had approximately the same orientation as today's basin. Material that was pushed southward by the ice sheet left landforms such as drumlins, kames, and moraines, both on the modern land surface and the lake bottom,<ref>Origin of drumlins on the floor of Lake Ontario and in upper New York State; Quaternary geology; bridging the gap between East and West — Department of Geology, University of Toronto Template:Webarchive. Geology.utoronto.ca (November 17, 2011). Retrieved on November 29, 2011.</ref> reorganizing the region's entire drainage system. As the ice sheet retreated toward the north, it still dammed the St. Lawrence Valley outlet, so the lake surface was at a higher level. This stage is known as Lake Iroquois. During that time the lake drained through present-day Syracuse, New York, into the Mohawk River, thence to the Hudson River and the Atlantic. The shoreline created during this stage can be easily recognized by the (now dry) beaches and wave-cut hills Template:Convert from the present shoreline.
When the ice finally receded from the St. Lawrence valley, the outlet was below sea level, and for a short time, the lake became a bay of the Atlantic Ocean, in association with the Champlain Sea. Gradually the land rebounded from the release of the weight of about Template:Convert of ice that had been stacked on it. It is still rebounding about Template:Convert per century in the St. Lawrence area. Since the ice receded from the area last, the most rapid rebound still occurs there. This means the lake bed is gradually tilting southward, inundating the south shore and turning river valleys into bays. Both north and south shores experience shoreline erosion, but the tilting amplifies this effect on the south shore, causing loss to property owners.
Climate
[edit]
The lake has a natural seiche rhythm of eleven minutes. The seiche effect normally is only about Template:Convert but can be greatly amplified by earth movement, winds, and atmospheric pressure changes. Because of its great depth, the lake as a whole does not completely freeze in winter, but an ice sheet covering between 10% and 90% of the lake area typically develops, depending on the severity of the winter. Ice sheets typically form along the shoreline and in slack water bays, where the lake is not as deep. During the winters of 1877 and 1878, the ice sheet coverage was up to 95–100% of the lake. During the War of 1812, the ice cover was stable enough the American naval commander stationed at Sackets Harbor feared a British attack from Kingston, over the ice. The lake has completely frozen over on five recorded occasions: in 1830,<ref>Kingston Chronicle, January 30, 1830, 2, col. 6 ("For several years past we have not been visited with so much snow as has fallen here within the last fortnight. The storm of Wednesday and yesterday could only be equalled by such visitations as are familiar to our Lower Canada friends. The thermometer has ranged from 10° below, to 20° above 0, for the last ten days. The Lake is firmly frozen, and a cheap and safe style of travelling has revived the intercourse with our brethren of the independent portion of the world"); The Republican Compiler [newspaper], February 23, 1830, p. 2, col. 5 ("At Kingston, Upper Canada, the quantity of snow which had fallen had not been equaled for several years.—The Lake (Ontario) was frozen, and crossing had become general"); Perry, Kenneth A, The Fitch Gazetteer: An Annotated Index to the Manuscript History of Washington County, New York, 4 vols. (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1999), 4:565 ("Kingston, Upper Canada, [experiencing] the deepset Template:Sic snow in several yrs., & Lake Ontario frozen over"); Kingston Chronicle [newspaper], January 9, 1830, 2, col. 1 ("the Bay was frozen across this morning"); see also Vermont Chronicle, (Bellows Falls, Vt.) Friday, February 19, 1830, p. 31, col D, quoting the Quebec Gazette: "The Lake (Ontario) was frozen, and crossing had become general."</ref> 1874, 1893, 1912, and 1934.Template:Sfn
When the cold winds of winter pass over the warmer water of the lake, they pick up moisture and drop it as lake-effect snow. Since the prevailing winter winds are from the northwest, the southern and southeastern shoreline of the lake is referred to as the snowbelt. In some winters, the area between Oswego and Pulaski may receive twenty or more feet (600 cm) of snowfall. Also impacted by lake-effect snow is the Tug Hill Plateau, an area of elevated land about Template:Convert east of Lake Ontario. The "Hill", as it is often referred to, typically receives more snow than any other region in the eastern United States. As a result, Tug Hill is a popular location for winter enthusiasts, such as snow-mobilers and cross-country skiers. Lake-effect snow often extends inland as far as Syracuse, with that city often recording the most winter snowfall accumulation of any large city in the United States. Other cities in the world receive more snow annually, such as Quebec City, which averages Template:Convert, and Sapporo, Japan, which receives Template:Convert each year and is often regarded as the snowiest city in the world.
Foggy conditions (particularly in fall) can be created by thermal contrasts and can be an impediment for recreational boaters. Lake breezes in spring tend to slow fruit bloom until the frost danger is past, and in the autumn delay the onset of fall frost, particularly on the south shore. Cool onshore winds also slow the early bloom of plants and flowers until later in the spring season, protecting them from possible frost damage. Such microclimatic effects have enabled tender fruit production in a continental climate, with the southwest shore supporting a major fruit-growing area. Apples, cherries, pears, plums, and peaches are grown in many commercial orchards around Rochester. Between Stoney Creek and Niagara-on-the-Lake on the Niagara Peninsula is a major fruit-growing and wine-making area. The wine-growing region extends over the international border into Niagara and Orleans counties in New York. Apple varieties that tolerate a more extreme climate are grown on the lake's north shore, around Cobourg.
Ecology
[edit]
The Great Lakes watershed is a region of high biodiversity, and Lake Ontario is important for its diversity of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. Many of these special species are associated with shorelines, particularly sand dunes, lagoons, and wetlands. The importance of wetlands to the lake has been appreciated, and many of the larger wetlands have protected status. These wetlands are changing, partly because the natural water level fluctuations have been reduced. Many wetland plants are dependent upon low water levels to reproduce.<ref>Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Chapters 1 and 2.</ref> When water levels are stabilized, the area and diversity of the marsh is reduced. This is particularly true of meadow marsh (also known as wet meadow wetlands); for example, in Eel Bay near Alexandria Bay, regulation of lake levels has resulted in large losses of wet meadow.<ref>Wilcox, D.A, Thompson, T.A., Booth, R.K., and Nicholas, J.R. 2007. Lake-level variability and water availability in the Great Lakes. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1311.Box 4</ref> Often this is accompanied by the invasion of cattails, which displace many of the native plant species and reduce plant diversity. Eutrophication may accelerate this process by providing nitrogen and phosphorus for the more rapid growth of competitively dominant plants.<ref>Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p.</ref> Similar effects are occurring on the north shore, in wetlands such as Presqu'ile, which have interdunal wetlands called pannes, with high plant diversity and many unusual plant species.<ref>Moore, D. R. J. and Keddy, P. A. (1989). The relationship between species richness and standing crop in wetlands: the importance of scale. Vegetation, 79, 99–106.</ref>
Most of the forests around the lake are deciduous forests dominated by trees including maple, oak, beech, ash and basswood. These are classified as part of the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone by Environment Canada, or as the Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or as the Great Lakes Ecoregion by The Nature Conservancy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Deforestation in the vicinity of the lake has had many negative impacts,<ref>Williams, M. 1989. Americans and Their Forests: A Historical Geography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> including loss of forest birds, extinction of native salmon, and increased amounts of sediment flowing into the lake. In some areas, more than 90 percent of the forest cover has been removed and replaced by agriculture. Certain tree species, such as hemlock, have also been particularly depleted by past logging activity.<ref>Keddy, C.J. 1993. Forest History of Eastern Ontario. A report prepared for the Eastern Ontario Forest Group.</ref> Guidelines for restoration stress the importance of maintaining and restoring forest cover, particularly along streams and wetlands.<ref>Environment Canada. 2004. How Much Habitat is Enough? A Framework for Guiding Habitat Rehabilitation in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. 2nd ed. 81 p.</ref><ref>Keddy, P.A. and C. G. Drummond. 1996. Ecological properties for the evaluation, management, and restoration of temperate deciduous forest ecosystems. Ecological Applications 6: 748–762.</ref>
By the 1960s and 1970s, the increased pollution caused frequent algal blooms to occur in the summer.<ref name="Christie, W. J. 1974"/> These blooms killed large numbers of fish, and left decomposing piles of filamentous algae and dead fish along the shores.<ref>Vallentyne, J. R. (1974). The Algal Bowl: Lakes and Man, Miscellaneous Special Publication No. 22. Ottawa, ON: Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Marine Service.</ref>
Water pollution
[edit]Lake Ontario is the most downstream lake of the Great Lakes, so the pollution from all the other lakes flows into it. Lake Ontario was ranked as the most environmentally stressed amongst the five Great Lakes in a 2015 ecological study. Some of the stresses on the lake include excess application of fertilizers in agriculture running into the lake, spillover from obsolete municipal sewage systems, toxic chemicals from industries along the rivers that drain into the lake, and metropolitan drainage from big cities like Toronto, Rochester, and Hamilton.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Randle Reef, the westernmost part of Lake Ontario, has been identified as one of the most contaminated areas on Lake Ontario alongside other areas of concern on Great Lakes. However, a $150-million cleanup project had begun in 2016 and is expected to be completed by 2025.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Human history
[edit]The name Ontario is derived from the Huron word Ontarí'io, which is often translated as "great lake".<ref name=":0" /> In Colonial times, the lake was also called Cataraqui, a French spelling of the Mohawk Katarokwi.<ref>Template:Cite web One translation of the name is "muddy land", or swamp.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The first archaeologically evidence of humans in the Lake Ontario region dates to circa 11,000 BP. These peoples were mobile foragers who based much of their movement and settlement on the seasonal migrations of caribou, but who also used smaller animals and plant resources.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These early settlers likely inhabited the lake margins, but those early lake shores are now either far from the current lake representing earlier, higher waters, or submerged under the modern lake, representing periods of lower lake levels. Lake Ontario reached its modern level circa 4000 BP.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The lake was a border between the Huron people and the Iroquois Confederacy in the pre-Columbian era. In the 17th century, the Iroquois committed genocide against the Huron in southern Ontario and settled the northern shores of Lake Ontario.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When the Iroquois withdrew and the Anishinaabe moved in from the north to southern Ontario, they retained the Iroquois name.Template:Sfn
It is believed the first European to reach the lake was Étienne Brûlé in 1615. European colonization of Lake Ontario was slow and uneven due to the power and organization of the Haudenosaunee, Wendat, and Ojibwe nations. From 1688 to 1694 the Haudenosaunee largely excluded the French from Lake Ontario.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
As was their practice, the French explorers introduced other names for the lake. In 1632 and 1656, the lake was referred to as Lac de St. Louis or Lake St. Louis by Samuel de Champlain and cartographer Nicolas Sanson respectively.<ref>Lake Ontario Facts and Figures Template:Webarchive. Great-lakes.net (February 28, 2005). Retrieved on November 29, 2011.</ref> In 1660, Jesuit historian Francis Creuxius coined the name Lacus Ontarius. In a map drawn in the Relation des Jésuites (1662–1663), the lake bears the legend "Lac Ontario ou des Iroquois" with the name "Ondiara" in smaller type. A French map produced in 1712 (currently in the Canadian Museum of History<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>), created by military engineer Jean-Baptiste de Couagne, identified Lake Ontario as "Lac Frontenac" named after Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau. He was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698.
In the 17th century, reports of an alleged creature named Gaasyendietha, similar to the so-called Loch Ness Monster, being sighted in the lake. The creature is described as large with a long neck, green in colour, and generally causes a break in the surface waves.<ref name=MorningPost>The Morning Post (London, England), Saturday, July 25, 1835; p. 6 "Sea Serpent in Lake Ontario"</ref><ref name=GlasgowHerald>Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), Friday, June 28, 1867 "Another Sea Serpent Sensation: A hideous monster discovered in Lake Ontario"</ref><ref>Pinkwater, Daniel. The Monster of Lake Ontario. New York: Houghton Mifflin Publishing, 2010, pp. 46–47.</ref>
A series of trading posts were established by both the British and French, such as Fort Frontenac in 1673, Fort Oswego in 1722, and Fort Rouillé in 1750. As the easternmost and nearest lake to the Atlantic seaboard of Canada and the United States, population centres here are among the oldest in the Great Lakes basin, with Kingston, Ontario, formerly the capital of Canada, dating to the establishment of Fort Frontenac in 1673.
After the French and Indian War, all forts around the lake were under British control. During the American Revolution, the British controlled Lake Ontario from their bases at Carleton Island, Navy Hall, and Oswego, allowing them to largely excluded the Americans from the lake.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The United States took possession of the forts along the American side of the lake at the signing of the Jay Treaty in 1794. Permanent, non-military European settlement began during the American Revolution with the influx of Loyalist settlers. During the War of 1812, the Royal Navy and US Navy operated substantial shipyards at Kingston, Ontario and Sackets Harbor, New York, respectively, and fought in several engagements for control of Lake Ontario. The Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, were largely demilitarized after the Rush–Bagot Treaty was ratified in 1818. As a result, most of the naval vessels were sold or abandoned.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The lake became a hub of commercial activity following the War of 1812 with canal building on both sides of the border and significant sailing and steamer commerce.
The Frontenac was the first steamer on Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes. This ship was launched in September 1816 from Finkle’s Point (now Bath) near Kingston, ON. Frontenac was constructed by two shipbuilders who had worked for the Americans during the War of 1812 and captained by a former Royal Navy sailing master.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":02">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Americans at Sackets Harbor launched a smaller steamship, the Ontario, in March 1817.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>
As bulk cargoes became increasingly important in Great lakes commerce and the number of improved harbors increased, so did propeller ships.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> The number of propeller ships exceed the number of side-wheel steamers by circa 1857.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The Vandalia was the first propeller ship on the Great Lakes and the second in the United States. Launched at Oswego in 1841, Vandalia's propeller was designed by John Ericsson.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Steamer activity peaked in the mid-19th century before competition from railway lines.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Iron hull construction developed on Lake Ontario during the mid-19th century but did not become widespread until the early 20th century. The first iron-hulled ship on the Great Lakes, the British paddle-wheel gunboat HMS Mohawk, was launched at Kingston in 1843. The Passport and the Magnet, both built for the Royal Mail Line, were launched at Kingston in 1846 and at Niagara in 1847, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a type of scow known as a stone hooker was in operation on the northwest shore, particularly around Port Credit and Bronte. Stonehooking was the practice of raking flat fragments of Dundas shale from the shallow lake floor of the area for use in construction, particularly in the growing city of Toronto.<ref>Snider, Charles Henry Jeremiah, Townsend, Robert B. Tales from the Great Lakes. Toronto: Dundurn Press Limited, 1995, pp. 25.</ref>
Swims across the lake
[edit]
Template:As of, nearly 50 people have successfully swum across the lake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first person who accomplished the feat was a Canadian long distance swimmer Marilyn Bell, who did it in 1954 at age 16. Toronto's Marilyn Bell Park is named in her honour. The park opened in 1984 and is east of the spot where Bell completed her swim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1974, Diana Nyad became the first person who swam across the lake against the current (from north to south).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> On August 28, 2007, 14-year-old Natalie Lambert from Kingston, Ontario, made the swim, leaving Sackets Harbor, New York, and reaching Kingston's Confederation basin less than 24 hours after she entered the lake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On August 19, 2012, 14-year-old Annaleise Carr became the youngest person to swim across the lake. She completed the 32-mile (52-km) crossing from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Marilyn Bell Park in just under 27 hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Settlements
[edit]A large conurbation called the Golden Horseshoe occupies the lake's westernmost shores, anchored by the cities of Toronto and Hamilton. Ports on the Canadian side include St. Catharines, Oshawa, Cobourg and Kingston, near the St. Lawrence River outlet. Close to 9 million people, or over a quarter of Canada's population, live within the watershed of Lake Ontario. The American shore is largely rural, with the exception of Rochester and the much smaller ports at Oswego and Sackets Harbor. The city of Syracuse is Template:Convert inland, connected to the lake by the New York State Canal System. Over 2 million people live in Lake Ontario's American watershed.
.jpg){kind=link}
- Ontario, Canada
- Toronto
- Mississauga
- Hamilton
- Burlington
- Oshawa
- Kingston
- Whitby
- Stoney Creek
- Grimsby
- Oakville
- St. Catharines
- Port Hope
- Cobourg
- Brighton
- Pickering
- Ajax
- Bowmanville
- Belleville
- Trenton
- Niagara-on-the-Lake
- New York, United States
- Rochester
- Greece
- Irondequoit
- Webster
- Oswego
- Fair Haven
- Sackets Harbor
- Cape Vincent
- Three Mile Bay
- Wilson
- Chaumont
- Olcott
- Sodus Point
Islands
[edit]
Several islands exist in the lake, the largest of which being Wolfe Island. Nearly all of Lake Ontario's islands are on the eastern and northeastern shores, between the Prince Edward County headland and the lake's outlet at Kingston, underlain by the basement rock found throughout the region. However, there exist several islands in the northwestern portion of the lake. Notable islands include: Template:Col div
- Amherst Island
- Association Island
- Big Island
- Galloo Island
- Garden Island
- Grenadier Island
- Little Galloo Island
- Nicholson Island
- Simcoe Island
- Toronto Islands (an island chain of 15 smaller islands)
- Waupoos Island
- Wolfe Island
Navigation
[edit]
The Great Lakes Waterway connects the lake sidestream to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence Seaway and upstream to the other rivers in the chain via the Welland Canal and to Lake Erie. The Trent-Severn Waterway for pleasure boats connects Lake Ontario at the Bay of Quinte to Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) via Lake Simcoe. The Oswego Canal connects the lake at Oswego to the New York State Canal System, with outlets to the Hudson River, Lake Erie, and Lake Champlain. The Rideau Canal, also for pleasure boats, connects Lake Ontario at Kingston to the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario.
Several lighthouses exists throughout the lake to help with navigation. Notable historic examples include: Template:Col div
- Braddock Point Light
- Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse
- Gibraltar Point Lighthouse
- Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Light
- Presqu'ile Lighthouse
- Selkirk Lighthouse
- Sodus Point Light
- Stony Point Light
- Thirty Mile Point Light
Template:Col div end A land-based trail that roughly follows the lake's shoreline also exists, the Great Lakes Circle Tour and Seaway Trail. The designated scenic road systems connects all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.<ref>Great Lakes Circle Tour Template:Webarchive. Great-lakes.net (July 5, 2005). Retrieved on November 29, 2011.</ref> As the Seaway Trail is posted on the U.S. side only, Lake Ontario is the only of the five Great Lakes to have no posted bi-national circle tour.
National marine sanctuary
[edit]
The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary covers Template:Convert in U.S. waters in southeastern Lake Ontario. Designated on September 6, 2024, the national marine sanctuary protects historic shipwrecks and an area of great cultural, historical, and spiritual importance to the Native American peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Government of New York jointly administer the sanctuary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economic impact
[edit]
Lake Ontario is the site of several major commercial ports including the Port of Toronto and the Port of Hamilton. Hamilton Harbour is the location of major steel production facilities.
The government of Ontario, which holds the lakebed rights of the Canadian portion of the lake under the Beds of Navigable Waters Act,<ref name=trilliumsco/> does not permit wind power to be generated offshore.<ref name=tsoffshore>Template:Cite news</ref> In Trillium Power Wind Corporation v. Ontario (Natural Resources),<ref name=trilliumsco>Template:Cite web</ref> the Superior Court of Justice held Trillium Power—since 2004 an "Applicant of Record" who had invested $35,000 in fees and, when in 2011 the Crown made a policy decision against offshore windfarms, claimed an injury of $2.25 billion—disclosed no reasonable cause of action.
The Great Lakes once supported an industrial-scale fishery, with record hauls in 1899; overfishing later blighted the industry.<ref name="glearb">Author unknown (1972). The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. Bi-national (U.S. and Canadian) resource book.</ref> However, only recreational fishing activities exist in the 21st century.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Wikivoyage Template:Commons category
- Template:Osmrelation
- Lake Ontario NOAA nautical chart #14820 online
- EPA's Great Lakes Atlas
- Great Lakes Coast Watch Template:Webarchive
- Lake Ontario Bathymetry