Do the Great Lakes have visible tides?

Answer 1

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IndianaFrenchman is bang on!!
A tide of 1 to 4 cm would not be noticeable at the shore because the water in the Great Lakes is always moving. Even on a calm day there will be "waves" which are actually caused by seiches and this constant motion would mask any actual lunar tides. Also, there is almost constant boat traffic out there somewhere, and the "lakers" can create some huge waves.
Check out the link below to an article about tides in the Napanee River and the links to NPR stories on Great Lakes Water levels.

Source(s):

http://naturestuff.net/site/index.php?op…
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story…
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story…

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Asker's Comment:

thanks, now i know

Answer 2

The same forces are at work on lakes as on oceans -- the moon pulls on inland lakes, too. However, you won't find large tides on lakes as you do on oceans; lakes just don't have enough water in them for large tides to occur.

Dr. David Hollander -- a specialist in lake systems at Northwestern University -- was asked about tides on inland lakes. He said that the Great Lakes sometimes experience slight changes in water levels over short time scales, and in spring, there's a substantial influx of water due to melting of winter snows farther north. Yet, none these changes in water level can be called a true tide.

However, there is some disagreement on the subject. According to the Canadian Hydrologic/Hydrographic Service, the Great Lakes experience tides from 1 to 4 cm, the strongest being on Lakes Superior and Erie. These tides are often masked out by meteorologically induced phenomena, such as a seiche (pronounced "sayshe"). When wind pushes down on one part of a lake, the water surface rises in another part, producing waves (most noticeable on Lake Erie because the lake is so shallow).

Read TEACH's segment, Great Lakes water levels, for more information; if you'd like a more in depth explanation, download the Great Lakes Commission's Living with the Lakes brochure.

hot links for additional reading at web page.

Source(s):

http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/chat/an…

Answer 3

No visible tides in the 5 Great Lakes.

If you are looking for tides go to the East Coast of North America.