Lake Superior

Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, and ranks as the second largest in the world by surface area. It is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide, with an average depth of 489 feet.

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Who uses the Great Lakes' water?

By Dave Rosenthal • Dec 14, 2017

The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River make up the world's biggest freshwater system -- and an enormously valuable resource. It supplies drinking water for millions of residents and powers the region's economy.

Last year, 42 million gallons were withdrawn from the basin each day, according to a new report from the Great Lakes Commission. Here's where it went.

Expect snow, not ice on the Great Lakes this winter

By Elizabeth Miller • Dec 4, 2017

Note: Updated on Dec. 6, based on lake surface temperatures in November, which significantly lowered predictions for the ice cover. --

Over the past two winters, the Great Lakes have had a below-average ice cover. And that’s expected to continue this year.

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1:08

Elizabeth Miller reports.

The final days of the Edmund Fitzgerald

By Dave Rosenthal • Nov 9, 2017

For the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's final voyage, mlive has put together an interactive graphic about the doomed freighter. It provides some of the radio chatter that surrounded the freighter as it was pummeled by a powerful storm on Lake Superior.

Crystal clear Great Lakes might not be so healthy

By Dan Kraker • Nov 6, 2017

At Brighton Beach outside Duluth, the waters of Lake Superior are stunningly clear. Looking into about six feet of water, it’s easy to see smooth rocks at the bottom.

But Lake Superior has lost its long-held title as the clearest of the Great Lakes. A recent study showed that lakes Michigan and Huron have changed drastically.

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3:38

Dan Kraker reports