are great lakes fresh water
The Great Lakes contained 21% of the world's surface fresh water around the year 2000: 5,472 cubic miles (22,810 km3), or 6.0Ã1015 U.S. gallons (2.3Ã1016 liters). This is enough water to cover the 48 contiguous U.S. states to a uniform depth of 9.5 feet (2.9 m).
The Great Lakes, which contain one-fifth of the worldâs above-ground fresh water supply, are sometimes referred to as Americaâs ânorthern coast.â As communities along the rest of the nationâs shorelines brace for rising waters brought by climate change, however, and spend billions on replacing sand swept out to sea in storms, the communities of the ...