Lake Ontario Facts
Lake Ontario Facts
By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science Contributor |
May 21, 2013 05:53pm ET
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Credit: SF photo Shutterstock
Lake Ontario is the smallest of all the Great Lakes in surface area (7,340 square miles / 18,960 square kilometers), but its waters run deep. It holds about four times the water volume (393 cubic miles / 1,640 cubic km) as Lake Erie , although it is similar in width and length.
The easternmost of the Great Lakes , Lake Ontario is positioned at the base of the Niagara Falls. It is bordered by Ontario, Canada, to the southwest and north and New York to the south.
The St. Lawrence River provides the lake’s outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has a number of lagoons and baymouth bars, which are formations made of sand, mud or other debris that close off bay areas.
There are a number of islands on the lake, including the Thousand Islands region, which is an archipelago of nearly 2,000 islands that line the U.S.-Canadian border. While many of the islands are small or even uninhabitable, the largest is Wolfe Island, which, at 48 square miles (124 square km).
Toronto sits on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario.
Credit: Lissandra Melo Shutterstock
Formation, discovery and history
Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario as it is known today was the result of glacial shifting and melting at the end of the most recent Ice Age.
The first European to see reach Lake Ontario was Étienne Brulé, the French explorer and protégé of Samuel de Champlain, in 1612.
The lake has a rich history of commerce and trade, especially following the War of 1812, when canals were built and traveled by heavy steamships. The lake was a hub of commerce until the railroads were built and eclipsed the steamers as a way to move shipment.
Lake Ontario water temperature
Because of the lake’s depth and the warm weather that comes in from the southwest, Lake Ontario rarely freezes over. Water temperatures reach a high of about 75 F (24C) in August to a low of about 37F (3C) in February.
A red-necked grebe calls to its mate as it sits on its nest in Lake Ontario.