Learning from Lake Huron

Learning from Lake Huron. . , Lake Huron's basin was formed by glacier movement over 20,000 years ago. The lake was created when melting ice filled the basin gouged by the glaciers. Lake Huron took its present shape around 3,000 years ago., Lake Huron is the second largest Great Lake, based on a subsurface area of 23,000 square miles. It is the third biggest lake based on volume, behind Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The surface of the lake is 577 feet above sea level with an average depth of 195 feet, and a maximum depth of 750 feet., In 1970, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, pronounced no-ah), became a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce to give better protection of life and property from natural disasters. NOAA's mission is "to understand and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social and environmental needs.", At the Fort Gratiot Light Station, NOAA measures temperature, wind speed and barometric pressure from the top of the tower and uses the information to predict weather changes. The gage house, seen in front of you, measures water levels on the lake., Lake Huron Statistics , Length - 206 mi / 332 km , Breadth - 183 mi /295 km , Depth - 195 ft / 59 m average , 750 ft / 229 m maximum , Volume - 849 cubic mi / 3,538 cubic km , Shoreline - 3,830 mi / 6,164 km , [Water] Retention/Replacement Time - 22 years , Outlet - St. Clair River to Lake Erie, [Top right photo caption reads] , NOAA topography map showing Lake Huron depth range, based on color. Underwater land formations can be seen., [Bottom left photo caption reads] , MODIS satellite image of the Great Lakes, This project was funded, in part, by the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, Department of Environmental Quality and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce