CBC News – Water levels below average in all Great Lakes, except Erie, says Environment Canada
“What we see in our climate change research for water levels is more extreme, so even higher highs, but even lower lows”
Water levels at Lake Superior are 18 centimetres below the long-term average. (Nicky Shaw/CBC)
This recent article from CBC News highlights newly released data from Environment and Climate Change Canada showing that all of the Great Lakes— except Lake Erie— are currently experiencing below-average water levels for this time of year. A relatively dry fall has been identified as a key contributor to the drop, with Lakes Superior and Ontario now at their lowest levels since 2013, and Lakes Michigan and Huron at their lowest since 2014.
While water levels in the Great Lakes naturally fluctuate— by as much as two metres from season to season— this year’s shift is noteworthy after a decade of consistently higher-than-average levels. As Frank Seglenieks, a water resources engineer with Environment Canada, explains, the drop may come as a surprise to shoreline property owners and lake users accustomed to recent years of elevated water levels.
Climate change is expected to exacerbate these fluctuations, intensifying both the highs and lows. Seglenieks noted that future variability could increase by 30 to 40 centimetres on either side of the existing two-metre range. A wetter-than-average summer would be required to restore water levels across most of the lakes back to seasonal norms.
With the Great Lakes serving as a critical freshwater resource, these developments highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and forecasting. National-scale efforts like the Canada1Water project (C1W) are essential in this regard. By providing detailed climate and hydrological data, C1W helps researchers and policymakers track long-term trends and manage the growing uncertainty around Canada’s freshwater systems.
“So even where I said the range was about two metres for each lake. So, you know, add 30 or 40 centimetres on either side of that.”