ABSTRACT
The freshwater seas that are called the Laurentian Great Lakes have both lacustrine and oceanic characteristics. As bounded bodies of freshwater which are hydrologically controlled by their watersheds and drainage system, these seas are clearly lakes. The tides of the ocean have their analogy in the wind-driven seiches of the Great Lakes. As a microcosm of the world ocean, the Great Lakes constitute a scientific, resource and management model of the ocean from which much can be learned. The ecosystem approach to the scientific study of the Great Lakes could well be adapted to the investigation of the world ocean. Great Lakes storms are particularly fearsome, however, both because of the suddenness with which they can develop and the steepness of the waves themselves. The Great Lakes are a unique and valuable resource, lying within the most heavily populated and industrialized region of the nation.
