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Nature Lakes, Ponds & Swamps

The Great Lakes

The Natural History of a Changing Region

by (author) Wayne Grady

illustrated by Emily Damstra

Publisher
Greystone Books Ltd
Initial publish date
May 2011
Category
Lakes, Ponds & Swamps, Environmental Science
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781553651970
    Publish Date
    Oct 2007
    List Price
    $20.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781553658047
    Publish Date
    May 2011
    List Price
    $34.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781553658931
    Publish Date
    Oct 2007
    List Price
    $23.95

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Description

Five immense lakes lie at the heart of North America. They cover an area of nearly 95,000 square miles and hold more than 5,500 cubic miles of water. Together they comprise the world's largest freshwater system, containing 95 percent of the continent's fresh water - and one-fifth of the planet's total supply. Home to 40 million people, the Great Lakes' drainage basin is the hub of industry and agriculture in North America. More than a region; it is almost a nation in itself.

The Great Lakes: A Natural History of a Changing Region is the most authoritative, complete and accessible book to date about the biology and ecology of this vital, ever-changing terrain. It begins with an account of the geological formation of the lakes and an overview of the lakes' role in relatively recent human history. Grady takes readers through the lakes basin, defined and explored by its three component forest ecosystems: the Boreal, the Great Lakes/St Lawrence and the Carolinian Forests. Representative flora and fauna species are profiled, along with notable physical, climatic, and environmental features.

The Great Lakes is both a first-hand tribute and an essential guide to a fascinating ecosystem in eternal flux.

About the authors

Wayne Grady is the general editor of this series of literary anthologies devoted to the world's natural wonders. One of Canada's foremost popular science writers and the winner of three Science in Society awards from the Canadian Science Writers' Association, he is the author of twelve nonfiction books on such diverse adventures as hunting dinosaurs in the Gobi Desert, investigating global warming at the North Pole, and discovering the wild in an urban metropolis. His books include the bestselling Tree: A Life Story, written with David Suzuki, and Bringing Back the Dodo. His most recent book is the award-winning The Great Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region. He lives near Kingston, Ontario.

Wayne Grady's profile page

Emily Damstra's profile page