bathymetry

looking at a map this week, i realized not only that i'd never seen the great lakes but just how much fun it would be to do so!

my dad taught me the names in a way i've always remembered using the acrostic "homes"--huron, ontario, michigan, erie and superior.

and i learned a new word this week in relation to them:  bathymetry.  being a water-lover, it seemed important for me to know that this is the study and measure of surface area, volume, elevation and depth.

of course what blog post would be complete without giving the etymology of each lake's name?

huron:  named after the french explorers wyandot or huron
ontario:  wyandot word ontario, or lake of shining waters
michigan:  from the ojibwa word mishigami, or great water
erie:  from the erie tribe erielhonan, or long tail
superior:  french lac superieur, upper lake