Edmund Fitzgerald - Gitche Gumee

Date 9-21-05

Conditions on the Great Lakes can be extremely treacherous, and the enclosed nature of the lakes can produce very steep waves. Steep short period waves can be particularly hazardous to large ships such as the Edmund Fitzgerald, especially when they exceed 5 m in height. The height of waves generated on the lakes is primarily a function of wind speed and the fetch or distance over which they are generated. Of secondary, yet substantial, importance is the degree of surface layer stability present over the lake.

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes in surface area (82101 km2) and volume (12101 km3). It has the capacity to contain the water volume of the four other lakes plus three additional Lake Eries. Given its immense size, it is capable of sustaining waves in excess of 10 m, or the height
of a four story home.

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