The shores of Lake Ontario border several big cities, as it divides two countries. Most notably, Toronto is on the Canadian side of the lake, and Rochester is on the United States side. Most of the borders are made up of wetlands, making it the ideal environment for a wide variety of animals and plants to live and prosper.
Unfortunately, deforestation and pollution have been detrimental to the population of many of these species. For this reason, the area surrounding Lake Ontario is now protected.
The Creation Story
Lake Ontario formed during the last Ice Age, shaped by the Wisconsin ice sheet. It was considered a bay on the Atlantic Ocean for some time until it expanded to what it is today. You can even see sandbanks in some areas up to 25 miles from the beach, indicating where the original shorelines were over 1,000 years ago.
The lake continues to expand to this day, as climate change has caused glaciers to melt. This leads to higher water levels and rippling effects that erode the shores over time.
Miles of Beach
Few people know that Lake Ontario is surrounded by 634 miles of shoreline. An additional 78 miles make up the shores that can be found on the lake’s many islands. Due to its depth, which is an average of 283 feet and 802 feet at its deepest, the lake remains unfrozen throughout the winter.
Lake Ontario is most known for connecting to the Niagara River, home of the infamous Niagra Falls. Nine other rivers flow into this Great Lake, including the Don River, Cataraqui River, Genesee River, Oswego River, Trent River, Black River, Humber River, Little Salmon River, and the Salmon River.
Introducing the Thunderfish
Lake Ontario's banks are thousands of years old, containing 400 cubic miles of unexplored waters. While this mission was thought to be valuable, it couldn’t possibly be done without a bit of help.
Introducing the ThunderFish! A small and truly adorable yellow submarine replica, the ThunderFish is similar to a drone. Unlike a drone, however, this technological masterpiece functions underwater. It also has a sonar-powered camera that can take high-resolution images of its surroundings.
Guided From Land
While the ThunderFish may look like someone could fit inside, it isn’t designed for a human to ride. This means the exploration team was left on land while navigating it around the lake bed. To the surprise of many, the underwater drone fulfilled its purpose!
The ThunderFish sent many clear images to the team, but did it capture anything worth their time? It was time to learn if the rumors were true! The explorers may not have known what they were looking for, but it was pretty clear there was something down there. So what was in the photos?