Great Lakes of North America: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (653 KB)
The North American Great Lakes constitute the largest system of fresh surface water on the face of the earth (Figure 1) and are linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes cover over 244,000 km2 of surface water; 520,000 km2 of drainage area; and a combined volume of nearly 23,000 km3. Individually, the five Great Lakes are among the fifteen largest freshwater lakes in the world. Main LBMI report - http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original LBMI website - http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm