Soo locks

The Sault Locks (usually called the Soo Locks) allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. The locks are the busiest in the world, passing an average of 12,000 ships per year. This is achieved in spite of the locks being closed during the winter months, January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes. The winter months are used to inspect and maintain the locks.

Related Topics:
Ship - Lake Superior - Great Lakes

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The locks bypass the rapids of the St. Marys River where the water falls 7 meters (21 feet) from Lake Superior. St. Mary's Rapids, in French Sault Ste. Marie, gives its name to both the Canadian and American cities at the site. The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge between the United States and Canada permits vehicular traffic to pass over the locks.

Related Topics:
St. Marys River - Canadian - American - Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge - United States - Canada

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Since the 1980s, an invasive species of mussel known as Zebra mussels have been multiplying in the Great Lakes. Likely introduced via the ballast water of foreign ships entering the lakes through the locks, they kill native fish, crowd out other native species, and encrust piers, ships, and pipes. Revised shipping regulations have been designed and are currently under consideration to prevent the introduction of other non-native species to the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Related Topics:
Invasive species - Mussel - Zebra mussels - Ecosystem

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