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Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide

  • Case Studies
  • Climate & Environment
    • Physical Characteristics
    • People in the Great Lakes
    • Climate & Natural Processes
    • Coastal Hazards & Risks
    • Climate Change
    • Planning for Climate Change
  • Local Stories
  • Maps, Tools & Data
  • Library
  • People & Organizations
  • Events & Funding
  •  Home
  •  About
  •  Help
  •  Contact
  • Case Studies
  • Climate & Environment
    • Physical Characteristics
    • People in the Great Lakes
    • Climate & Natural Processes
    • Coastal Hazards & Risks
    • Climate Change
    • Planning for Climate Change
  • Local Stories
  • Maps, Tools & Data
  • Library
  • People & Organizations
  • Events & Funding

Climate & Environment

  • Physical Characteristics
  • People in the Great Lakes
  • Climate & Natural Processes
  • Coastal Hazards & Risks
  • Climate Change
  • Planning for Climate Change

Climate & Environment

  • Climate & Environment

Climate & Environment Introduction

Great Lakes AVHRR image (USACE)The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin is a dynamic, ever evolving environment. Climate variability is the norm for the region and not the exception. This vast region is continuously affected by hydrologic and climatic forces. It has been, and will continue to be, a major indicator of global climate change.

Ever since the last glaciers retreated more than 10,000 years ago, Great Lakes water levels have varied dramatically, as have the flows of water between these five massive lakes and their combined outflow to the Atlantic Ocean. The Great Lakes affect human activities and all aspects of the natural environment, from weather and climate to wildlife and habitat. Our knowledge of the geophysical, ecological, and socioeconomic characteristics of the system is improving over time but we will continue to be challenged by uncertainty and the randomness of nature.

 

Climate & Environment Section of the Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide:

  • Physical Characteristics
  • People in the Great Lakes
    • Economy & Human Uses
  • Climate & Natural Processes
    • Prior Climate
    • Lake Levels
    • Storms, Storm Surge & Waves
    • Sediment Transport & Erosion
  • Coastal Hazards & Risks
    • Defining Hazards & Risks
    • Types of Hazards
  • Climate Change
    • Future Climate
    • Climate Change Resources
    • Primary Impacts of Climate Change
  • Planning for Climate Change

Continue on to Physical Characteristics

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  •  Climate & Environment
  •  Local Stories
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Great Lakes Coastal Resilience

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