The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and Estuary form the St. Lawrence Seaway. Navigation is now possible with the creation of locks and dams from Western Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. The Great Lakes drain through the St. Lawrence River to the Saint Lawrence Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The water flow originating from the Lake Superior watershed flows through the Great Lakes watersheds and into the St. Lawrence River watershed before being discharged into the Atlantic Ocean. Changing climates and extreme weather events over the millennia have carved new channels through river bottomlands, leaving rock-exposed uplands and fertile valleys behind while altering the location of the St. Lawrence River. Since great rivers often become national or state boundaries, their historic realignment has added or subtracted land from the countries and states that border them. For much of their history, the lands adjacent to these rivers were low-lying bottomlands that flood with the seasons, unconstrained by human structures. However, in the last century, these rivers have become agricultural economic engines as humans reengineered the rivers and their bottomlands with extensive systems of levees, locks and dams, floodwalls, and reservoirs. Through a series of engaging case studies accompanied by illustrative maps and photographs, the author examines the complex and ever-changing St. Lawrence River landscapes and its systems; review historical impacts of climate, economic and population growth, and efforts to manage river landscapes with engineered structures; and make recommendations on future management to protect soil and water resources and facilitate social, economic, and ecosystem balance.
Edited by
Kenneth R. Olson
Department of Natural Resources, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
ISBN 978-93-88417-36-5 (Print)
ISBN 978-93-88417-86-0 (eBook)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-88417-36-5
The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and Estuary form the St. Lawrence Seaway. Navigation is now possible with the creation of locks and dams from Western Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. The Great Lakes drain through the St. Lawrence River to the Saint Lawrence Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The water flow originating from the Lake Superior watershed flows through the Great Lakes watersheds and into the St. Lawrence River watershed before being discharged into the Atlantic Ocean. Changing climates and extreme weather events over the millennia have carved new channels through river bottomlands, leaving rock-exposed uplands and fertile valleys behind while altering the location of the St. Lawrence River. Since great rivers often become national or state boundaries, their historic realignment has added or subtracted land from the countries and states that border them. For much of their history, the lands adjacent to these rivers were low-lying bottomlands that flood with the seasons, unconstrained by human structures. However, in the last century, these rivers have become agricultural economic engines as humans reengineered the rivers and their bottomlands with extensive systems of levees, locks and dams, floodwalls, and reservoirs. Through a series of engaging case studies accompanied by illustrative maps and photographs, the author examines the complex and ever-changing St. Lawrence River landscapes and its systems; review historical impacts of climate, economic and population growth, and efforts to manage river landscapes with engineered structures; and make recommendations on future management to protect soil and water resources and facilitate social, economic, and ecosystem balance.
Media Promotion:
Contents
Western Great Lakes Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway
Kenneth R. Olson, Gerald A. Miller
Eastern Great Lakes Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway
Kenneth R. Olson, Cory D. Suski
Navigation on St. Lawrence Seaway Via Gulf of Saint Lawrence Estuary and the St. Lawrence River
Kenneth R. Olson, Cory D. Suski