document_title: Great Lakes

question_text: where does the water for the great lakes come from

question_tokens: where does the water for the great lakes come from

text: Great Lakes

text: Geography[edit]

text: Though the five lakes reside in separate basins, they form a single, naturally interconnected body of fresh water, within the Great Lakes Basin. The lakes form a chain connecting the east-central interior of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. From the interior to the outlet at the Saint Lawrence River, water flows from Superior to Huron and Michigan, southward to Erie, and finally northward to Lake Ontario. The lakes drain a large watershed via many rivers, and are studded with approximately 35,000 islands.[13] There are also several thousand smaller lakes, often called "inland lakes," within the basin.[14] The surface area of the five primary lakes combined is roughly equal to the size of the United Kingdom, while the surface area of the entire basin (the lakes and the land they drain) is about the size of the UK and France combined.[15] Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that is located entirely within the United States; the others form a water boundary between the United States and Canada. The lakes are divided among the jurisdictions of the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Both Ontario and Michigan include in their boundaries portions of four of the lakes: Ontario does not border Lake Michigan, and Michigan does not border Lake Ontario. New York and Wisconsin's jurisdictions extend into two lakes, and the remaining states into one of the lakes.

text: Bathymetry[edit]

text:
Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan
Lake Ontario
Lake Superior

Surface area[5]
9,910 sq mi (25,700 km2)
23,000 sq mi (60,000 km2)
22,300 sq mi (58,000 km2)
7,340 sq mi (19,000 km2)
31,700 sq mi (82,000 km2)

Water volume[5]
116 cu mi (480 km3)
850 cu mi (3,500 km3)
1,180 cu mi (4,900 km3)
393 cu mi (1,640 km3)
2,900 cu mi (12,000 km3)

Elevation[16]
571 ft (174 m)
577 ft (176 m)
577 ft (176 m)
246 ft (75 m)
600.0 ft (182.9 m)

Average depth[15]
62 ft (19 m)
195 ft (59 m)
279 ft (85 m)
283 ft (86 m)
483 ft (147 m)

Maximum depth[17]
210 ft (64 m)
748 ft (228 m)
925 ft (282 m)
804 ft (245 m)
1,333 ft (406 m)

Major settlements[18]
Buffalo, NY
Erie, PA
Cleveland, OH
Lorain, OH
Toledo, OH
Sandusky, OH
Alpena, MI
Bay City, MI
Owen Sound, ON
Port Huron, MI
Sarnia, ON
Chicago, IL
Gary, IN
Green Bay, WI
Sheboygan, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Kenosha, WI
Racine, WI
Muskegon, MI
Traverse City, MI
Hamilton, ON
Kingston, ON
Mississauga, ON
Oshawa, ON
Rochester, NY
Toronto, ON
Duluth, MN
Marquette, MI
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Superior, WI
Thunder Bay, ON

text:
Relative elevations, average depths, maximum depths, and volumes of the Great Lakes.

Notes:
The area of each rectangle is proportionate to the volume of each lake. All measurements at Low Water Datum.

Source:
EPA[16]

text: As the surfaces of Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Erie are all approximately the same elevation above sea level, while Lake Ontario is significantly lower, and because the Niagara Escarpment precludes all natural navigation, the four upper lakes are commonly called the "upper great lakes". This designation, however, is not universal. Those living on the shore of Lake Superior often refer to all the other lakes as "the lower lakes", because they are farther south. Sailors of bulk freighters transferring cargoes from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to ports on Lake Erie or Ontario commonly refer to the latter as the lower lakes and Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior as the upper lakes. This corresponds to thinking of Lakes Erie and Ontario as "down south" and the others as "up north". Vessels sailing north on Lake Michigan are considered "upbound" even though they are sailing toward its effluent current.[25]

text: Primary connecting waterways[edit]

text:
The Chicago River and Calumet River systems connect the Great Lakes Basin to the Mississippi River System through man-made alterations and canals.
The St. Marys River, including the Soo Locks, connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron.
The Straits of Mackinac connect Lake Michigan to Lake Huron (which are hydrologically one).
The St. Clair River connects Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair.
The Detroit River connects Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie.
The Niagara River, including Niagara Falls, connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
The Welland Canal, bypassing the Falls, connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
The Saint Lawrence River, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway connects Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which connects to the Atlantic Ocean.

text: Lake Michigan–Huron[edit]

text: Lakes Huron and Michigan are sometimes considered a single lake, called Lake Michigan–Huron, because they are one hydrological body of water connected by the Straits of Mackinac.[26] The straits are 5 miles (8 km) wide[15] and 120 feet (37 m) deep; the water levels – currently at 577 feet (176 m) – rise and fall together,[27] and the flow between Michigan and Huron frequently reverses direction.

text: Other significant bodies of water[edit]

text:
Lake Nipigon, connected to Lake Superior by the Nipigon River, is surrounded by sill-like formations of mafic and ultramafic igneous rock hundreds of meters high. The lake lies in the Nipigon Embayment, a failed arm of the triple junction (centered beneath Lake Superior) in the Midcontinent Rift System event, estimated at 1,109 million years ago.
Green Bay is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the south coast of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the east coast of Wisconsin. It is separated from the rest of the lake by the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin, the Garden Peninsula in Michigan, and the chain of islands between them, all of which were formed by the Niagara Escarpment.
Lake Winnebago, connected to Green Bay by the Fox River, serves as part of the Fox–Wisconsin Waterway and is part of a larger system of lakes in Wisconsin known as the Winnebago Pool.
Grand Traverse Bay is an arm of Lake Michigan located on Michigan's west coast, being one of the largest natural harbors in the Great Lakes. The bay has one large peninsula[28] and one major island known as Power Island. Its namesake is derived from when Jacques Marquette crossed the bay from Norwood to Northport calling it La Grande Traversee.[29]
Georgian Bay is an arm of Lake Huron, extending northeast from the lake entirely within Ontario. The bay, along with its narrow westerly extensions of the North Channel and Mississagi Strait, is separated from the rest of the lake by the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin Island, and Cockburn Island, all of which were also formed by the Niagara Escarpment.
Lake Nipissing, connected to Georgian Bay by the French River, contains two volcanic pipes, which are the Manitou Islands and Callander Bay.[30] These pipes were formed by a violent, supersonic eruption of deep-origin. The lake lies in the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben, a Mesozoic rift valley that formed 175 million years ago.
Lake Simcoe, connected to Georgian Bay by the Severn River, serves as part of the Trent–Severn Waterway, a canal route traversing Southern Ontario between Lakes Ontario and Huron.
Lake St. Clair, connected with Lake Huron (to its north) by the St. Clair River and with Lake Erie (to its south) by the Detroit River, is notable for the fact that Canadian territory along its southern shore (the city of Windsor and Essex County) lies south of the adjacent United States territory (the city of Detroit). Although it is 17 times smaller in area than Lake Ontario and only rarely included in the listings of the Great Lakes,[31][32] proposals for its official recognition as a Great Lake are occasionally made, which would affect its inclusion in scientific research projects, etc., designated as related to "The Great Lakes".[33]

text: Islands[edit]

text: Dispersed throughout the Great Lakes are approximately 35,000 islands.[13] The largest among them is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, the largest island in any inland body of water in the world.[34] The second-largest island is Isle Royale in Lake Superior.[35] Both of these islands are large enough to contain multiple lakes themselves—for instance, Manitoulin Island's Lake Manitou is the world's largest lake located on a freshwater island.[36]

text: Shipping connection to the ocean[edit]

text: The Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway make the Great Lakes accessible to ocean-going vessels.[37] However, shifts in shipping to wider ocean-going container ships—which do not fit through the locks on these routes—have limited container shipping on the lakes. Most Great Lakes trade is of bulk material, and bulk freighters of Seawaymax-size or less can move throughout the entire lakes and out to the Atlantic.[38] Larger ships are confined to working in the lakes themselves. Only barges can access the Illinois Waterway system providing access to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze over in winter, interrupting most shipping from January to March. Some icebreakers ply the lakes, keeping the shipping lanes open through other periods of ice on the lakes.

text: The Great Lakes are also connected by canal to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Illinois River (from the Chicago River) and the Mississippi River. An alternate track is via the Illinois River (from Chicago), to the Mississippi, up the Ohio, and then through the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (a combination of a series of rivers and lakes and canals), to Mobile Bay and the Gulf. Commercial tug-and-barge traffic on these waterways is heavy.[39]

text: Pleasure boats can also enter or exit the Great Lakes by way of the Erie Canal and Hudson River in New York. The Erie Canal connects to the Great Lakes at the east end of Lake Erie (at Buffalo, New York) and at the south side of Lake Ontario (at Oswego, New York).

text: Water levels[edit]

text: In 2009, the lakes contained 84% of the surface freshwater of North America;[40] if the water were evenly distributed over the entire continent's land area, it would reach a depth of 1.5 meters (5 feet).[15] The source of water levels in the lakes is tied to what was left by melting glaciers when the lakes took their present form. Annually, only about 1% is "new" water originating from rivers, precipitation, and groundwater springs that drain into the lakes. Historically, evaporation has been balanced by drainage, making the level of the lakes constant.[15] While the lake levels have been preserved, intensive human population growth only began in the region in the 20th century and continues today.[15] At least two human water use activities have been identified as having the potential to affect the lakes' levels: diversion (the transfer of water to other watersheds) and consumption (substantially done today by the use of lake water to power and cool electric generation plants, resulting in evaporation).[41]

text: The water level of Lake Michigan–Huron had remained fairly constant over the 20th century,[42] but has nevertheless dropped more than 6 feet from the record high in 1986 to the low of 2013.[43] One newspaper reported that the long-term average level has gone down about 20 inches because of dredging and subsequent erosion in the St. Clair River. Lake Michigan–Huron hit all-time record low levels in 2013; according to the US Army Corps of Engineers, the previous record low had been set in 1964.[43] By April 2015 the water level had recovered to 7 inches (17.5 cm) more than the "long term monthly average".[44]

text: Name origins[edit]

text: Statistics[edit]

text: The Great Lakes contained 21% of the world's surface fresh water around the year 2000: 5,472 cubic miles (22,810 km3), or 6.0×1015 U.S. gallons (2.3×1016 liters). This is enough water to cover the 48 contiguous U.S. states to a uniform depth of 9.5 feet (2.9 m). Although the lakes contain a large percentage of the world's fresh water, the Great Lakes supply only a small portion of U.S. drinking water on a national basis.[49]

text: The total surface area of the lakes is approximately 94,250 square miles (244,100 km2)—nearly the same size as the United Kingdom, and larger than the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined.[50]

text: The Great Lakes coast measures approximately 10,500 miles (16,900 km);[15] however, the length of a coastline is impossible to measure exactly and is not a well-defined measure (see Coastline paradox). Of the total 10,500 miles (16,900 km) of shoreline, Canada borders approximately 5,200 miles (8,400 km), while the remaining 5,300 miles (8,500 km) are bordered by the United States. Michigan has the longest shoreline of the United States, bordering roughly 3,288 miles (5,292 km) of shoreline, followed by Wisconsin (820 miles (1,320 km)), New York (473 miles (761 km)), and Ohio (312 miles (502 km)).[51] Traversing the shoreline of all the lakes would cover a distance roughly equivalent to travelling half-way around the world at the equator.[15]

text: Geology[edit]

text: It has been estimated that the foundational geology that created the conditions shaping the present day upper Great Lakes was laid from 1.1 to 1.2 billion years ago,[15][52] when two previously fused tectonic plates split apart and created the Midcontinent Rift, which crossed the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone. A valley was formed providing a basin that eventually became modern day Lake Superior. When a second fault line, the Saint Lawrence rift, formed approximately 570 million years ago,[15] the basis for Lakes Ontario and Erie were created, along with what would become the Saint Lawrence River.

text: The Great Lakes are estimated to have been formed at the end of the last glacial period (the Wisconsin glaciation ended 10,000 to 12,000 years ago), when the Laurentide Ice Sheet receded.[12] The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount of meltwater (see Lake Algonquin and Lake Chicago) that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today.[53] Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. The Niagara Escarpment follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin. See also Glacial Lake Iroquois and Champlain Sea.

text: Land below the glaciers "rebounded" as it was uncovered.[54] Because the glaciers covered some areas longer than others, this glacial rebound occurred at different rates.

text: Climate[edit]

text: The Great Lakes have a humid continental climate, Köppen climate classification Dfa (in southern areas) and Dfb (in northern parts)[55] with varying influences from air masses from other regions including dry, cold Arctic systems, mild Pacific air masses from the West, and warm, wet tropical systems from the south and the Gulf of Mexico.[56] The lakes themselves also have a moderating effect on the climate; they can also increase precipitation totals and produce lake effect snowfall.[55]

text: Lake effect[edit]

text: The most well-known winter effect of the Great Lakes on regional weather is the lake effect in snowfall, which is sometimes very localized. Even late in winter, the lakes often have no icepack in the middle. The prevailing winds from the west pick up the air and moisture from the lake surface, which is slightly warmer in relation to the cold surface winds above. As the slightly warmer, moist air passes over the colder land surface, the moisture often produces concentrated, heavy snowfall that sets up in bands or "streamers". This is similar to the effect of warmer air dropping snow as it passes over mountain ranges. During freezing weather with high winds, the "snow belts" receive regular snow fall from this localized weather pattern, especially along the eastern shores of the lakes. Snow belts are found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, United States; and Ontario, Canada.

text: The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures to some degree, but not with as large an influence as do large oceans; they absorb heat and cool the air in summer, then slowly radiate that heat in autumn. They protect against frost during transitional weather, and keep the summertime temperatures cooler than further inland. This effect can be very localized and overridden by offshore wind patterns. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit can be produced that is typically grown much farther south. For instance, Western Michigan has apple and cherry orchards, and vineyards cultivated adjacent to the lake shore as far north as the Grand Traverse Bay and Nottawasaga Bay in central Ontario. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie have many successful wineries because of the moderating effect, as does the Niagara Peninsula between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. A similar phenomenon allows wineries to flourish in the Finger Lakes region of New York, as well as in Prince Edward County, Ontario on Lake Ontario's northeast shore. Related to the lake effect is the regular occurrence of fog over medium-sized areas, particularly along the shorelines of the lakes. This is most noticeable along Lake Superior's shores.

text: The Great Lakes have been observed to help intensify storms, such as Hurricane Hazel in 1954, and the 2011 Goderich, Ontario tornado, which moved onshore as a tornadic waterspout. In 1996 a rare tropical or subtropical storm was observed forming in Lake Huron, dubbed the 1996 Lake Huron cyclone. Rather large severe thunderstorms covering wide areas are well known in the Great Lakes during mid-summer; these Mesoscale convective complexs or MCCs[57] can cause damage to wide swaths of forest and shatter glass in city buildings. These storms mainly occur during the night, and the systems sometimes have small embedded tornadoes, but more often straight-line winds accompanied by intense lightning.

text: Ecology[edit]

text: Historically, the Great Lakes, in addition to their lake ecology, were surrounded by various forest ecoregions (except in a relatively small area of southeast Lake Michigan where savanna or prairie occasionally intruded). Logging, urbanization, and agriculture uses have changed that relationship. In the early 21st century, Lake Superior's shores are 91% forested, Lake Huron 68%, Lake Ontario 49%, Lake Michigan 41%, and Lake Erie, where logging and urbanization has been most extensive, 21%. Some of these forests are second or third growth (i.e. they have been logged before, changing their composition). At least 13 wildlife species are documented as becoming extinct since the arrival of Europeans, and many more are threatened or endangered.[15] Meanwhile, exotic and invasive species have also been introduced.

text: Fauna[edit]

text: The organisms living on the bottom of shallow waters are similar to those found in smaller lakes. The deep waters, however, contain organisms found only in deep, cold lakes of the northern latitudes. These include the delicate opossum shrimp (order mysida), the deepwater scud (a crustacean of the order amphipoda), two types of copepods, and the deepwater sculpin (a spiny, large-headed fish).[59]

text: The Great Lakes are an important source of fishing. Early European settlers were astounded by both the variety and quantity of fish; there were 150 different species in the Great Lakes.[15] Throughout history, fish populations were the early indicator of the condition of the Lakes and have remained one of the key indicators even in the current era of sophisticated analyses and measuring instruments. According to the bi-national (U.S. and Canadian) resource book, The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book: "The largest Great Lakes fish harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at some 67,000 tonnes (66,000 long tons; 74,000 short tons) [147 million pounds]."[60]

text: By 1801, the New York Legislature found it necessary to pass regulations curtailing obstructions to the natural migrations of Atlantic salmon from Lake Erie into their spawning channels. In the early 19th century, the government of Upper Canada found it necessary to introduce similar legislation prohibiting the use of weirs and nets at the mouths of Lake Ontario's tributaries. Other protective legislation was passed, as well, but enforcement remained difficult.[61]

text: On both sides of the Canada–United States border, the proliferation of dams and impoundments have multiplied, necessitating more regulatory efforts. Concerns by the mid-19th century included obstructions in the rivers which prevented salmon and lake sturgeon from reaching their spawning grounds. The Wisconsin Fisheries Commission noted a reduction of roughly 25% in general fish harvests by 1875. The states have removed dams from rivers where necessary.[clarification needed][62]

text: Overfishing has been cited as a possible reason for a decrease in population of various whitefish, important because of their culinary desirability and, hence, economic consequence. Moreover, between 1879 and 1899, reported whitefish harvests declined from some 24.3 million pounds (11 million kg) to just over 9 million pounds (4 million kg).[63] By 1900, commercial fishermen on Lake Michigan were hauling in an average of 41 million pounds of fish annually.[64] By 1938, Wisconsin's commercial fishing operations were motorized and mechanized. generating jobs for more than 2,000 workers, and hauling 14 million pounds per year.[64] The population of giant freshwater mussels was eliminated as the mussels were harvested for use as buttons by early Great Lakes entrepreneurs.[63] Since 2000, the invasive quagga mussel has smothered the bottom of Lake Michigan almost from shore to shore, and their numbers are estimated at 900 trillion.[64]

text: The influx of parasitic lamprey populations after the development of the Erie Canal and the much later Welland Canal led to the two federal governments of the US and Canada working on joint proposals to control it. By the mid-1950s, the lake trout populations of Lakes Michigan and Huron were reduced, with the lamprey deemed largely to blame. This led to the launch of the bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

text: The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book (1972) noted: "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."[60] But, water quality improvements realized during the 1970s and 1980s, combined with successful salmonid stocking programs, have enabled the growth of a large recreational fishery.[65] The last commercial fisherman left Milwaukee in 2011 because of overfishing and anthropogenic changes to the biosphere.[64]

text: Since the 19th century an estimated 160 new species have found their way into the Great Lakes ecosystem; many have become invasive; the overseas ship ballast and ship hull parasitism are causing severe economic and ecological impacts.[66][67] According to the Inland Seas Education Association, on average a new species enters the Great Lakes every eight months.[67]

text: Introductions into the Great Lakes include the zebra mussel, which was first discovered in 1988, and quagga mussel in 1989. The mollusks are efficient filter feeders, competing with native mussels and reducing available food and spawning grounds for fish. In addition, the mussels may be a nuisance to industries by clogging pipes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the economic impact of the zebra mussel could be about $5 billion over the next decade.[68]

text: The alewife first entered the system west of Lake Ontario via 19th-century canals. By the 1960s, the small silver fish had become a familiar nuisance to beach goers across Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Periodic mass dieoffs result in vast numbers of the fish washing up on shore; estimates by various governments have placed the percentage of Lake Michigan's biomass, which was made up of alewives in the early 1960s, as high as 90%. In the late 1960s, the various state and federal governments began stocking several species of salmonids, including the native lake trout as well as non-native chinook and coho salmon; by the 1980s, alewife populations had dropped drastically.[69] The ruffe, a small percid fish from Eurasia, became the most abundant fish species in Lake Superior's Saint Louis River within five years of its detection in 1986. Its range, which has expanded to Lake Huron, poses a significant threat to the lower lake fishery.[70] Five years after first being observed in the St. Clair River, the round goby can now be found in all of the Great Lakes. The goby is considered undesirable for several reasons: it preys upon bottom-feeding fish, overruns optimal habitat, spawns multiple times a season, and can survive poor water quality conditions.[71]

text: Several species of exotic water fleas have accidentally been introduced into the Great Lakes, such as the spiny waterflea, Bythotrephes longimanus, and the fishhook waterflea, Cercopagis pengoi, potentially having an effect on the zooplankton population. Several species of crayfish have also been introduced that may contend with native crayfish populations. More recently an electric fence has been set up across the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in order to keep several species of invasive Asian carp out of the area. These fast-growing planktivorous fish have heavily colonized the Mississippi and Illinois river systems.[72] The sea lamprey, which has been particularly damaging to the native lake trout population, is another example of a marine invasive species in the Great Lakes.[73] Invasive species, particularly zebra and quagga mussels, may be at least partially responsible for the collapse of the deepwater demersal fish community in Lake Huron,[74] as well as drastic unprecedented changes in the zooplankton community of the lake.[75]

text: Flora[edit]

text: See also: Flora of the Great Lakes region, and Index: Trees of the Great Lakes region.

text: Native habitats and ecoregions in the Great Lakes region include:

text:
Eastern forest-boreal transition
Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests
Southern Great Lakes forests
Central forest-grasslands transition
Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition
Western Great Lakes forests
Central Canadian Shield forests
Laurentian Mixed Forest Province
Beech-maple forest
Habitats of the Indiana Dunes

text: Plant lists include:

text:
List of Michigan flowers
List of Minnesota wild flowers
List of Minnesota trees

text: Logging

text: Logging of the extensive forests in the Great Lakes region removed riparian and adjacent tree cover over rivers and streams, which provide shade, moderating water temperatures in fish spawning grounds. Removal of trees also destabilized the soil, with greater volumes washed into stream beds causing siltation of gravel beds, and more frequent flooding.

text: Running cut logs down the tributary rivers into the Great Lakes also dislocated sediments. In 1884, the New York Fish Commission determined that the dumping of sawmill waste (chips and sawdust) had impacted fish populations.[76]

text: Pollution[edit]

text: The first U.S. Clean Water Act, passed by a Congressional override after being vetoed by US President Richard Nixon in 1972, was a key piece of legislation,[77] along with the bi-national Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement signed by Canada and the U.S. A variety of steps taken to process industrial and municipal pollution discharges into the system greatly improved water quality by the 1980s, and Lake Erie in particular is significantly cleaner.[78] Discharge of toxic substances has been sharply reduced. Federal and state regulations control substances like PCBs. The first of 43 "Great Lakes Areas of Concern" to be formally "de-listed" due to successful cleanup was Ontario's Collingwood Harbour in 1994; Ontario's Severn Sound followed in 2003.[79] Presque Isle Bay in Pennsylvania is formally listed as in recovery, as is Ontario's Spanish Harbour. Dozens of other Areas of Concern have received partial cleanups such as the Rouge River (Michigan) and Waukegan Harbor (Illinois).[80]

text: Until 1970, mercury was not listed as a harmful chemical, according to the United States Federal Water Quality Administration. Within the past ten years mercury has become more apparent in water tests. Mercury compounds have been used in paper mills to prevent slime from forming during their production, and chemical companies have used mercury to separate chlorine from brine solutions. Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency have shown that when the mercury comes in contact with many of the bacteria and compounds in the fresh water, it forms the compound methyl mercury, which has a much greater impact on human health than elemental mercury due to a higher propensity for absorption. This form of mercury is not detrimental to a majority of fish types, but is very detrimental to people and other wildlife animals who consume the fish. Mercury has been known for health related problems such as birth defects in humans and animals, and the near extinction of eagles in the Great Lakes region.[81]

text: The amount of raw sewage dumped into the waters was the primary focus of both the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and federal laws passed in both countries during the 1970s. Implementation of secondary treatment of municipal sewage by major cities greatly reduced the routine discharge of untreated sewage during the 1970s and 1980s.[82] The International Joint Commission in 2009 summarized the change: "Since the early 1970s, the level of treatment to reduce pollution from waste water discharges to the Great Lakes has improved considerably. This is a result of significant expenditures to date on both infrastructure and technology, and robust regulatory systems that have proven to be, on the whole, quite effective."[83] The commission reported that all urban sewage treatment systems on the U.S. side of the lakes had implemented secondary treatment, as had all on the Canadian side except for five small systems.[citation needed]

text: However, those treatment system upgrades have not, contrary to federal laws in both countries, yet eliminated Combined sewer Overflow events.[citation needed] This describes when older sewerage systems, which combine storm water with sewage into single sewers heading to the treatment plant, are temporarily overwhelmed by heavy rainstorms. Local sewage treatment authorities then must release untreated effluent, a mix of rainwater and sewage, into local water bodies. While enormous public investments such as the Deep Tunnel projects in Chicago and Milwaukee have greatly reduced the frequency and volume of these events, they have not been eliminated. The number of such overflow events in Ontario, for example, is flat according to the International Joint Commission.[83] Reports about this issue on the U.S. side highlight five large municipal systems (those of Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Gary) as being the largest current periodic sources of untreated discharges into the Great Lakes.[84]

text: Phosphate detergents were historically a major source of nutrient to the Great Lakes algae blooms in particular in the warmer and shallower portions of the system such as Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, Green Bay, and the southernmost portion of Lake Michigan. By the mid-1980s, most jurisdictions bordering the Great Lakes had controlled phosphate detergents,[85] resulting in sharp reductions in the frequency and extent of the blooms.[citation needed]

text: In 2013, news of a garbage patch of plastic pollution in the lakes was reported.[86]

text: History[edit]

text: Several Native American tribes inhabited the region since at least 1000 BC, after the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. The peoples of the Great Lakes traded with the Hopewell culture from around 1000 AD, as copper nuggets have been extracted from the region, and fashioned into ornaments and weapons in the mounds of Southern Ohio. The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was built at Cayuga Creek, near the southern end of the Niagara River, and became the first known sailing ship to travel the upper Great Lakes on August 7, 1679.[87]

text: The Rush–Bagot Treaty signed in 1818, after the War of 1812 and the later Treaty of Washington eventually led to a complete disarmament of naval vessels in the Great Lakes. Nonetheless, both nations maintain coast guard vessels in the Great Lakes.

text: During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Barges from middle North America were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the Welland canal opened in 1824 and the later Erie Canal opened in 1825.[88] By 1848, with the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal at Chicago, direct access to the Mississippi River was possible from the lakes.[89] With these two canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans.

text: The main business of many of the passenger lines in the 19th century was transporting immigrants. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lakes as a freight destination as well as for being a magnet for immigrants. After railroads and surface roads developed, the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, except for ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, has now vanished. The immigration routes still have an effect today. Immigrants often formed their own communities and some areas have a pronounced ethnicity, such as Dutch, German, Polish, Finnish, and many others. Since many immigrants settled for a time in New England before moving westward, many areas on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes also have a New England feel, especially in home styles and accent.

text: Since general freight these days is transported by railroads and trucks, domestic ships mostly move bulk cargoes, such as iron ore, coal and limestone for the steel industry. The domestic bulk freight developed because of the nearby mines. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than try to make steel on the spot. Grain exports are also a major cargo on the lakes.

text: In the 19th century and early 20th centuries, iron and other ores such as copper were shipped south on (downbound ships), and supplies, food, and coal were shipped north (upbound). Because of the location of the coal fields in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the general northeast track of the Appalachian Mountains, railroads naturally developed shipping routes that went due north to ports such as Erie, Pennsylvania and Ashtabula, Ohio.

text: Because the lake maritime community largely developed independently, it has some distinctive vocabulary. Ships, no matter the size, are called boats. When the sailing ships gave way to steamships, they were called steamboats—the same term used on the Mississippi. The ships also have a distinctive design (see Lake freighter). Ships that primarily trade on the lakes are known as lakers. Foreign boats are known as salties. One of the more common sights on the lakes has been since about 1950 the 1,000‑by‑105-foot (305-by-32-meter), 78,850-long-ton (80,120-metric-ton) self-unloader. This is a laker with a conveyor belt system that can unload itself by swinging a crane over the side.[90] Today, the Great Lakes fleet is much smaller in numbers than it once was because of the increased use of overland freight, and a few larger ships replacing many small ones.

text: During World War II, the risk of submarine attacks against coastal training facilities motivated the United States Navy to operate two aircraft carriers on the Great Lakes, USS Sable (IX-81) and USS Wolverine (IX-64). Both served as training ships to qualify naval aviators in carrier landing and takeoff.[91] Lake Champlain briefly became the sixth Great Lake of the United States on March 6, 1998, when President Clinton signed Senate Bill 927. This bill, which reauthorized the National Sea Grant Program, contained a line declaring Lake Champlain to be a Great Lake. Not coincidentally, this status allows neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds allocated to these national resources.[92] Following a small uproar, the Senate voted to revoke the designation on March 24 (although New York and Vermont universities would continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake).[93]

text: In the early years of the 21st century, water levels in the Great Lakes were a concern.[94] Researchers at the Mowat Centre said that low levels could cost $19bn by 2050.[95]

text: Economy[edit]

text: Shipping[edit]

text: The Great Lakes are today used as a major water transport corridor for bulk goods. The Great Lakes Waterway connects all the lakes; the smaller Saint Lawrence Seaway connects the lakes to the Atlantic oceans. Some lake freighters are too large to use the Seaway, and only operate on the Waterway and lakes.

text: In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved on the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, grain and potash.[96] The iron ore and much of the stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo but most container ships cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because the ships are too wide.

text: Drinking water and compact[edit]

text: The Great Lakes are used to supply drinking water to tens of millions of people in bordering areas. This valuable resource is collectively administered by the state and provincial governments adjacent to the lakes, who have agreed to the Great Lakes Compact to regulate water supply and use.

text: Recreation[edit]

text: Tourism and recreation are major industries on the Great Lakes.[97] A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including a couple of sailing ships. Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing represent a U.S.$4 billion a year industry with salmon, whitefish, smelt, lake trout, bass and walleye being major catches. Many other water sports are practiced on the lakes such as yachting, sea kayaking, diving, kitesurfing, powerboating, and lake surfing.

text: The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River.[98]

text: Great Lakes passenger steamers[edit]

text: From 1844 through 1857, palace steamers carried passengers and cargo around the Great Lakes.[99] In the first half of the 20th century large luxurious passenger steamers sailed the lakes in opulence.[100] The Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company had several vessels at the time and hired workers from all walks of life to help operate theses vessels.[101] Several ferries currently operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including Isle Royale, Drummond Island, Pelee Island, Mackinac Island, Beaver Island, Bois Blanc Island (Ontario), Bois Blanc Island (Michigan), Kelleys Island, South Bass Island, North Manitou Island, South Manitou Island, Harsens Island, Manitoulin Island, and the Toronto Islands. As of 2007, four car ferry services cross the Great Lakes, two on Lake Michigan: a steamer from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan, one on Lake Erie: a boat from Kingsville, Ontario, or Leamington, Ontario, to Pelee Island, Ontario, then onto Sandusky, Ohio, and one on Lake Huron: the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun [102] runs between Tobermory and South Baymouth, Manitoulin Island, operated by the Owen Sound Transportation Company. An international ferry across Lake Ontario Rochester, New York, to Toronto ran during 2004 and 2005, but is no longer in operation.

text: Shipwrecks[edit]

text: The large size of the Great Lakes increases the risk of water travel; storms and reefs are common threats. The lakes are prone to sudden and severe storms, in particular in the autumn, from late October until early December. Hundreds of ships have met their end on the lakes. The greatest concentration of shipwrecks lies near Thunder Bay (Michigan), beneath Lake Huron, near the point where eastbound and westbound shipping lanes converge.

text: The Lake Superior shipwreck coast from Grand Marais, Michigan, to Whitefish Point became known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes". More vessels have been lost in the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior.[103] The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve serves as an underwater museum to protect the many shipwrecks in this area.

text: The first ship to sink in Lake Michigan was Le Griffon, also the first ship to sail the Great Lakes. Caught in a 1679 storm while trading furs between Green Bay and Michilimacinac, it was lost with all hands aboard.[104] Its wreck may have been found in 2004,[105] but a wreck subsequently discovered in a different location was also claimed in 2014 to be Le Griffon.[106]

text: The largest and last major freighter wrecked on the lakes was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank on November 10, 1975, just over 17 miles (30 km) offshore from Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. The largest loss of life in a shipwreck out on the lakes may have been that of the Lady Elgin, wrecked in 1860 with the loss of around 400 lives on Lake Michigan. In an incident at a Chicago dock in 1915, the SS Eastland rolled over while loading passengers, killing 841.

text: In August 2007, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced that it had found the wreckage of Cyprus, a 420-foot (130 m) long, century-old ore carrier. Cyprus sank during a Lake Superior storm on October 11, 1907, during its second voyage while hauling iron ore from Superior, Wisconsin, to Buffalo, New York. The entire crew of 23 drowned, except one, a man named Charles Pitz, who floated on a life raft for almost seven hours.[107]

text: In June 2008, deep sea divers in Lake Ontario found the wreck of the 1780 Royal Navy warship HMS Ontario in what has been described as an "archaeological miracle".[108] There are no plans to raise her as the site is being treated as a war grave.

text: In June 2010, the L.R. Doty was found in Lake Michigan by an exploration diving team led by dive boat Captain Jitka Hanakova from her boat the Molly V.[109] The ship sank in October 1898, probably attempting to rescue a small schooner, the Olive Jeanette, during a terrible storm. There are no plans to raise the ship as it would quickly deteriorate in open air.

text: Still missing are the two last warships to sink in the Great Lakes, the French minesweepers, Inkerman and Cerisoles, which vanished in Lake Superior during a blizzard in 1918. 78 lives were lost making it the largest loss of life in Lake Superior and the greatest unexplained loss of life in the Great Lakes.

text: Related articles

text:
List of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes
Index: Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes
Great Storms of the North American Great Lakes
Great Lakes Storm of 1913

text: Legislation[edit]

text: In 1872, a treaty gave access to the St. Lawrence River to the United States, and access to Lake Michigan to the Dominion of Canada.[110] The International Joint Commission was established in 1909 to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters, and to advise Canada and the United States on questions related to water resources. Concerns over diversion of Lake water are of concern to both Americans and Canadians. Some water is diverted through the Chicago River to operate the Illinois Waterway but the flow is limited by treaty. Possible schemes for bottled water plants and diversion to dry regions of the continent raise concerns. Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act",[111] diversion of water from the Great Lakes Basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors through the Great Lakes Commission, which rarely occurs. International treaties regulate large diversions. In 1998, the Canadian company Nova Group won approval from the Province of Ontario to withdraw 158,000,000 U.S. gallons (600,000 m3) of Lake Superior water annually to ship by tanker to Asian countries. Public outcry forced the company to abandon the plan before it began. Since that time, the eight Great Lakes Governors and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec have negotiated the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement[112] and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact[113] that would prevent most future diversion proposals and all long-distance ones. The agreements strengthen protection against abusive water withdrawal practices within the Great Lakes basin. On December 13, 2005, the Governors and Premiers signed these two agreements, the first of which is between all ten jurisdictions. It is somewhat more detailed and protective, though its legal strength has not yet been tested in court. The second, the Great Lakes Compact, has been approved by the state legislatures of all eight states that border the Great Lakes as well as the U.S. Congress, and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2008.[114]

text: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, described as "the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades,"[115] was funded at $475 million in the U.S. federal government's Fiscal Year 2011 budget, and $300 million in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. Through the program a coalition of federal agencies is making grants to local and state entities for toxics cleanups, wetlands and coastline restoration projects, and invasive species-related projects.

text: Coast Guard live fire exercises[edit]

text: In 2006, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) proposed a plan to designate 34 areas in the Great Lakes, at least 5 mi (8 km) offshore, as permanent safety zones for live fire machine gun practice. In August 2006, the plan was published in the Federal Register. The USCG reserved the right to hold target practice whenever the weather allowed with a two-hour notice. These firing ranges would be open to the public when not in use. In response to requests from the public, the Coast Guard held a series of public meetings in nine U.S. cities to solicit comment. During these meetings many people voiced concerns about the plan and its impact on the environment.[116] On December 18, 2006, the Coast Guard announced its decision to withdraw the entire proposal.[117] Officials said they would look into alternative ammunition, modifying the proposed zones and have more public dialogue before proposing a new plan.[118]


document_title: Photic zone

question_text: where does primary productivity occur outside of the photic zone

root

text: Photic zone

text:
Aquatic layers

   Pelagic

   Photic

   Epipelagic

   Aphotic

   Mesopelagic
   Bathypelagic
   Abyssopelagic
   Hadopelagic

   Demersal
   Benthic

Stratification

   Pycnocline

   Isopycnal
   Chemocline

   Halocline

   Thermocline

   Thermohaline

See also

Marine habitats
Lake stratification
Aquatic ecosystems
Wild fisheries

v
t
e

tag: table

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The photic zone, euphotic zone (Greek for "well lit": εὖ "well" + φῶς "light"), or sunlight or (Sunlit) zone is the depth of the water in a lake or ocean that is exposed to such intensity of sunlight which designates compensation point, i.e. the intensity of light at which the rate of carbon dioxide uptake, or equivalently, the rate of oxygen production, is equal to the rate of carbon dioxide production, equivalently to the rate of oxygen consumption, reducing thus the net carbon dioxide assimilation to zero.

tag: p

text: It extends from the surface down to a depth where light intensity falls to one percent of that at the surface, called the euphotic depth. Accordingly, its thickness depends on the extent of light attenuation in the water column. Typical euphotic depths vary from only a few centimetres in highly turbid eutrophic lakes, to around 200 meters in the open ocean. It also varies with seasonal changes in turbidity.

text: Since the photic zone is where almost all of the photosynthesis occurs, the depth of the photic zone is generally proportional to the level of primary production that occurs in that area of the ocean. About 90% of all marine life lives in the photic zone. A small amount of primary production is generated deep in the abyssal zone around the hydrothermal vents which exist along some mid-oceanic ridges.

text: The zone which extends from the base of the euphotic zone to about 200 metres is sometimes called the disphotic zone.[1] While there is some light, it is insufficient for photosynthesis, or at least insufficient for photosynthesis at a rate greater than respiration. The euphotic zone together with the disphotic zone coincides with the epipelagic zone. The bottommost zone, below the euphotic zone, is called the aphotic zone. Most deep ocean waters belong to this zone.

text: The transparency of the water, which determines the depth of the photic zone, is measured simply with a Secchi disk. It may also be measured with a photometer lowered into the water.


document_title: List of Shades of Blue episodes

question_text: season 3 of shades of blue how many episodes

text: List of Shades of Blue episodes

text: Series overview[edit]

text: SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired113January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07)March 31, 2016 (2016-03-31)213March 5, 2017 (2017-03-05)May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)310June 17, 2018 (2018-06-17)August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2016)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseriesTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)11"Pilot"Barry LevinsonAdi HasakJanuary 7, 2016 (2016-01-07)8.55[4]
When rookie Michael is out with Harlee and accidentally shoots a drug dealer, she covers it up. Harlee is also part of Matt's group which keeps the peace between the local gangsters and collects extortion money from them, and uses her share for her daughter Cristina's high school tuition. Matt helps them tie up a loose end on Michael's shooting, so Michael now owes him, too. A meeting with a bookie turns out to be an FBI setup for Harlee, who is now forced to work with Agent Robert Stahl and his anti-corruption task force to avoid jail. Robert sends Harlee on a meeting with Matt wearing a wire, where he angrily confides in her that he knows there is an FBI informant on his team whom she is supposed to help find and kill.
22"Original Sin"Barry LevinsonStory by : Jack Orman & J. David Shanks Teleplay by : Jack OrmanJanuary 14, 2016 (2016-01-14)6.64[5]
Now that Matt knows that there is an FBI informant, Harlee feels too much at risk and stops cooperating with Robert. She demands that he patches his leak first. Matt is injured in a drive-by shooting and puts his team to work to find the shooter. Donnie tells Matt that the FBI would pick an informant with personal secrets, which points him to Harlee. Coincidentally, he is reminded of an old case: Miguel Zepeda, Harlee's abusive ex-boyfriend and Cristina's father whom she framed for murder to protect her daughter. Matt sets up a polygraph interrogation of Harlee which she passes, but he still knows she is the FBI informant from a telltale gesture.
33"False Face, False Heart"Dan LernerMike Daniels & Wolfe ColemanJanuary 21, 2016 (2016-01-21)6.94[6]
Matt tells Harlee that Miguel's case is up for retrial, but he will cover for her. After the FBI establishes that they do not have a leak, they demand results from Harlee or will arrest her. Matt finds out that Harlee was going through his office and decides to kill her to protect himself and his lover Donnie. Meanwhile, Tess moves a dead body out of her backyard and asks her colleagues for help. Harlee solves the case and presents it to Robert but he wants Matt. Harlee is on a dinner date with James to discuss Miguel's case when Robert wires her up for her meeting with Matt. She can convince Matt that she is not the rat. Finally, Harlee finishes up her interrupted date with James at his place.
44"Who Can Tell Me Who I Am"Dan LernerYahlin Chang & Benjamin LobatoJanuary 28, 2016 (2016-01-28)6.49[7]
Michael feels guilty about killing the drug dealer and attends his funeral when his police team picks him up to talk some sense into him. Later, he tries to do right by protecting the wife of another abusive criminal suspect, and Harlee seduces him to work outside the rules. After a random sexual encounter at a bar, Matt crashes his car and ends up in hospital. He apologizes to Harlee and asks her for help. She tells Robert about her job to move a van only after hiding explosives and counting machines that Donnie had put into the van without Matt's knowledge. But eventually, Robert and Molly find the items at Matt's storage unit. Meanwhile, Carlos helps Tess by appeasing the woman she attacked for sleeping with her husband, and they kiss.
55"Equal and Opposite"Dan LernerTamara Becher-Wilkinson & Julian Oliver MeiojasFebruary 4, 2016 (2016-02-04)5.64[8]
Tess arrests a drug dealer with a large supply of heroin owned by drug boss Raul Mendez. Matt refuses to return the drugs to Raul. In revenge, Raul has Matt's car stolen and prominently returned with gay graffiti and porn, as a warning that he knows about his secret, so Matt blackmails Raul to leave the city. Donnie has Marcus and David under surveillance, and finds out from a visit by Robert that the FBI is investigating against the team. Suspicious about Tess, Matt follows her and catches her in bed with Carlos. His suspicions about David turn out to be wrong, too. Harlee is worried that Robert became obsessed with her and she suspects that he bugged her apartment. She has a camera installed at his place and watches him practice his lines for his date, but shuts it off when his date arrives and does not realize that she is a "Harlee" look-a-like escort.
66"Fall of Man"Dan LernerStory by : Marta Gené Camps Teleplay by : Mike Daniels & Wolfe ColemanFebruary 11, 2016 (2016-02-11)5.40[9]
When Matt finds out that David has been sneaking away from duty, he is convinced that David is the FBI rat, while he was really only taking Portuguese lessons. Harlee asks Robert to protect David, so Robert arrests him, but David escapes. Meanwhile, Miguel asked Harlee to find Frank Kovach, who committed the murder that Harlee framed Miguel for. Also, Cristina finds letters from Miguel, so Harlee tells her that he abused her and lies to her that he is not her father. She also makes sure Cristina is not allowed to visit him. The hunt for Frank and David's flight from the FBI brings them together with Matt on a top floor of a construction site. Matt pushes David down and shoots Frank dead, making it look like they fought each other, but David survives his fall.
77"Undiscovered Country"David BoydStory by : Mike Daniels Teleplay by : Jack Orman & Wolfe ColemanFebruary 18, 2016 (2016-02-18)5.29[10]
David is in the hospital in a coma, severely injured. Robert and Molly find that Harlee visited Miguel. Miguel is not cooperative, and neither is Harlee, because she is furious that Robert did not protect David. Robert and Molly begin to investigate about Kovach, and find Maxine, who was a friend of the woman killed by Miguel (or rather by Kovach). After Gail visits the police department, Matt is convinced that David is the informant, but Harlee talks him out of murdering him. When Tufo finds the federal immunity contract at David's house, Matt decides that David cannot survive, and stages a bomb threat at the hospital so that he can finish David off.
88"Good Cop Bad Cop"David BoydStory by : J. David Shanks Teleplay by : Nikki ToscanoFebruary 25, 2016 (2016-02-25)4.98[11]
Cristina's boyfriend Manny is beat up by abusive and racist street cops. Instead of asking Harlee, Cristina asks Matt for help, who takes care of the cops. Harlee learns that Robert found a witness in Miguel's case who Matt has been paying off regularly. When Robert tells James to stay away from Harlee, she confronts Robert about it and confesses to him that Miguel had abused her and she framed him to protect Cristina. Matt's team mourns for David. At first, Harlee refuses to cooperate with Robert because he failed to protect David, but in the end, she tells him that Matt murdered David and offers her help to bring him down.
99"Live Wire Act"Millicent SheltonStory by : Tamara Becher-Wilkinson Teleplay by : Wolfe Coleman & Tamara Becher-WilkinsonMarch 3, 2016 (2016-03-03)4.77[12]
Furious that Matt murdered David, Harlee wants to put him in jail and asks Robert for a wire. She gets involved in a kidnapping that Donnie had secretly arranged as a test. When Matt angrily confronts Donnie about it, Harlee manages to plant her wire so she and Robert learn about Matt and Donnie's affair. Molly helps Miguel who she knows is innocent in jail by arranging a deal with the DA which Miguel accepts and is set free.
1010"What Devil Do"Millicent SheltonMike DanielsMarch 10, 2016 (2016-03-10)4.88[13]
Harlee and Wozniak secure more details on the big score and meet Donnie's silent partner, who reveals himself to be a DEA agent. They learn the big score is an armored car heist. Wozniak takes interest in a fellow marine veteran who is suspected of murder under dubious circumstances.
1111"The Breach"Steven DePaulWolfe ColemanMarch 17, 2016 (2016-03-17)5.10[14]
On the day of the heist, Harlee realizes she misplaced her trust in Stahl but it's too late to back down. Harlee tries to get immunity for her crew as she participates in the heist knowing that it will lead to Wozniak's arrest. Miguel discovers Harlee's secret. Loman unwittingly witnesses the heist just as the exchange goes terribly wrong.
1212"For I Have Sinned"Steven DePaulMike DanielsMarch 24, 2016 (2016-03-24)5.13[15]
Harlee and Wozniak must face the consequences of the disappearance of the heist's money. Out of options, Harlee approaches the FBI and promises to find the money and deliver Wozniak and his partners if Stahl keeps her in play.
1313"One Last Lie"Paul McCraneJack OrmanMarch 31, 2016 (2016-03-31)5.43[16]
Unable to provide the FBI with Linklater, who fled the country, and Donnie, who was killed in self-defense by Loman while searching Wozniak's house for the heist money, Harlee makes a deal with Stahl to exchange her own immunity for that of her crew. Wozniak later reveals that he knows Harlee is the mole and that he forgives her; he also reveals that he made his own deal with the FBI in exchange for his crew, including Harlee, receiving immunity, although Harlee proposes to him an alternative idea which is not disclosed to the viewer. Harlee sends her daughter to live with her aunt in New Jersey and faces Miguel's demands to be a part of Cristina's life and his wish to not only keep the money Harlee gave him to leave them alone but also to get his old life back and punish Harlee and Cristina for spending 10 years incarcerated. Miguel attempts to rape Harlee but she takes advantage of his lowered guard and snaps his neck in self-defense, killing him.

text: Season 2 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseriesTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)141"Unforgiven"Thomas CarterJack Orman & Wolfe ColemanMarch 5, 2017 (2017-03-05)5.25[17]
After killing Miguel, Harlee wraps his body in a shower curtain and later uses the grave of her former crew member, Sapperstein, to bury the body while also recovering the stolen heist money she used to bribe Miguel into leaving.
152"Eye of the Hurricane"Christopher MisianoNick Thiel & Jessica GraslMarch 12, 2017 (2017-03-12)4.84[18]
When Wozniak calls Harlee to meet over dinner, she thinks he has forgiven her for being the informant but instead he states that he needed someone to translate rat to FBI agent Stahl, because he refuses to turn over his old friend Mayoral Candidate Julia Ayers. Later, Harlee pursues a case against a judge after suspecting him of corruption from the mob and a stranger infiltrates the precinct.
163"Ghost Hunt"Christopher MisianoNiceole R. Levy & Rashad RaisaniMarch 19, 2017 (2017-03-19)4.09[19]
Harlee aids Wozniak and develops a plan to catch Linklater, the man who was behind the armored car heist, and succeeds until Linklater is murdered in cold-blood by agent Stahl. Stahl informs Harlee and Wozniak that Julia Ayers was the reason that his partner was killed while undercover. Loman, who is still dealing with the murder of Donnie Pomp, becomes suspicious when an internal affairs officer named Verco starts an investigation into his disappearance.
174"Daddy's Girl"Paul McCraneMichael C. Martin & Marta Gené CampsMarch 26, 2017 (2017-03-26)4.36[20]
As Harlee and Wozniak dispose of Linklater's body in the crematorium, Harlee realizes that she can't dissuade Stahl from his vendetta against Julia Ayers. A drug case causes Wozniak to deal with his inner demons while also gaining closure for the death of his daughter.
185"Sweet Caroline"Paul McCraneWolfe Coleman & Jessica GraslApril 2, 2017 (2017-04-02)4.12[21]
While investigating a murder in the park, Harlee recognizes the victim as Caroline, the ex fiance of her boyfriend, Nava, and is horrified to realise that she is being framed by the mafia when a bullet on the scene is a match to the bullets used in her gun. Harlee swipes the bullet from the crime scene and asks Wozniak to replace the bullet until she can recover the gun. Later, Christina is surprised to learn that Miguel is fighting for custody of her, after Stahl poses as a lawyer for family court in order to find out the truth.
196"Fracture"Peter WellerNiceole R. Levi & Jessica GraslApril 9, 2017 (2017-04-09)3.98[22]
Harlee and Wozniak must race to find the gun used in Caroline's murder after Bianchi threatens the lives of more people if they continue to refuse to give him the name of the person who told them to frame him. Tensions arise between Harlee and Nava after his brief interrogation outside the courthouse, and a break in the case leads Tess and Harlee to the apartment of the murderer, who was hired by Bianchi to not only kill Caroline but, upon later inspection, was hired to kill Nava. Fortunately, he was intercepted by Harlee, which leads to a reconciliation with Nava. Wozniak becomes suspicious of the crew when he notices Tufo chatting with Verco and Loman suspects Wozniak of being the rat when he follows him to the docks and sees him chatting with Stahl.
207"A House Divided"Peter WellerWolfe Coleman & Marta Gené CampsApril 16, 2017 (2017-04-16)4.05[23]
In the crew's hiding place, Harlee confesses to them that she was the informant for the FBI. This causes the crew to turn their backs on her and Wozniak. With the crew's trust and bond in mind, Harlee and Wozniak agree to meet Bianchi in the woods with an envelope of cash in order to bribe him into leaving. Bianchi, however, has other plans and agrees to meet at the docks in exchange for Julia Ayers. The FBI follows Harlee and Wozniak to the docks but retreats when Wozniak sends a text message to Julia Ayers telling her not to show up. At the precinct, Tufo and Esapada have a heart to heart with Wozniak as each express dissatisfaction with having been lied to and wishes to leave the crew. On public television, Julia Ayers is rescued by Harlee after almost being assassinated.
218"Unpaid Debts"Jim McKayRashad Raisani & Nick ThielApril 23, 2017 (2017-04-23)4.13[24]
Fed up with Wozniak's games, Stahl targets the crew by arresting Espada after he agrees to collect weapons to help Tufo's brother. After turning in his badge to Wozniak, Tufo looks towards the crew with assistance in helping to pay off his brother's debt to a drug dealer by hot wiring a car to transport weapons. At the precinct, Wozniak's son, Nate, shows up to write an article on the crew, but after interviewing Loman discovers the truth about his father's dirty dealings, as well as his relationship with Donnie Pomp. Wanting to put a stop to Stahl's harassment of her, Harlee comes face to face with Stahl's ex wife, who reveals the history between Stahl and his partner.
229"Chaos Is Come Again"Jim McKayWolfe ColemanApril 30, 2017 (2017-04-30)4.53[25]
At the precinct Loman is approached off the books about a missing child named Adrian, from a woman involved in Quince's drug crew. He decides to involve Tufo and Wozniak, who think it's a set up. Stahl continues in his search for Miguel after pushing a reluctant Christina for answers. After discovering text messages from Miguel on Christina's phone, Harlee decides to contact her old ally Caddy, but after no response goes to his apartment. There she discovers that he has apparently died from an overdose, which leads her to an emotional breakdown where she confides in Wozniak that she murdered Miguel. Adrian, the missing child, is located in a park with a bag full of drugs, which leads to a drug bust at a local diner. Tensions boil over with Stahl after a confrontation with Harlee leads Stahl to almost uncover the truth about Miguel. At Wozniak's house things take a turn for the worst when a shootout occurs and Wozniak's son, Nate, is shot.
2310"Whoever Fights Monsters"Felix Enriquez AlcalaRashad Raisani & Niceole R. LevyMay 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)4.09[26]
As Wozniak's son, Nate, fights for his life after being shot, Wozniak vows to find the people responsible. As Stahl continues his search for evidence on Miguel's disappearance he uncovers a tooth at Detective Sapperstein's burial plot. At the precinct, Verco ambushes the crew as they search for evidence. Harlee, Tess and Espada track down evidence that leads them to discovering the bodies of the people responsible for the shooting at Wozniak's house.
2411"The Quality Of Mercy"Felix Enriquez AlcalaJessica Grasl & Marta Gene CampsMay 14, 2017 (2017-05-14)4.64[27]
Harlee and Wozniak, along with Tufo and Espada, work to gather the ledger files from Bianchis safe with an arrest warrant. Meanwhile, Stahl goes to extreme lengths to obtain a hair sample from Christina in order to match DNA from a tooth that was recovered in the cemetery.
2512"Behind The Mask"Steven DePaulWolfe Colman & Michael C. MartinMay 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)3.78[28]
Harlee must cover for Nava after his brutal encounter with Bianchi leaves the mobster with a broken neck. Later, Harlee confides to Nava that she killed Miguel. A murder in the park leads to a bust on Quince's drug warehouses. Stahl eavesdrops on a conversation between Wozniak and Harlee via Harlee's hacked home WiFi router and learns where Wozniak dumped Miguel's body.
2613"Broken Dolls"Steven DePaulTeleplay by: Jessica Grasl & Jack OrmanStory by: Marta Gene Camps & Niceole R. LevyMay 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)4.10[28]
An anonymous tip by Stahl leads Verco on the hunt for Miguel's killer, leaving Harlee and Wozniak rattled. Meanwhile, Nate uncovers audio recordings between Bianchi and Julia Ayers which reveal a betrayal. An encounter between Julia and Wozniak turns fatal just as Julia is elected mayor. Things take a tragic turn after a botched framing results in Stahl kidnapping Harlee, and Wozniak is shot.

text: Season 3 (2018)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseriesTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)271"Good Police"John BehringJack Orman & Marta Gené CampsJune 17, 2018 (2018-06-17)3.52[29]
After their near death experiences, Harlee and Wozniak try to piece their lives back together but danger seems to lurk and old enemies resurface. Later, while entrusting Nava with a suspect on the run from the New York Intelligence Unit Harlee thinks she sees Stahl on a subway but is wrong and in an apparent drive-by shooting, Nava is killed.
282"The Hollow Crown"John BehringWolfe Coleman & Matthew V. LewisJune 24, 2018 (2018-06-24)3.10[30]
While dealing with the loss of Nava, Harlee pursues evidence of a higher level of corruption within the NYPD which leads her to the crime scene at a local diner. Harlee meets Cole, a detective who works for Police Captain Ramsey of The New York Higher Intelligence Unit. Harlee suspects that Cole know more about the diner shoot-out then she does so she agrees to help him if he can help her find Nava's Killer. Wozniak tries to protect Harlee and his crew from escalating threats.
293"That Way Madness Lies"Leslie LibmanErika L. Johnson & Katie GruelJuly 1, 2018 (2018-07-01)3.50[31]
Harlee gives the eulogy at James Nava’s funeral. A doctor tells Wozniak he needs a high-risk surgery to remove the bullet lodged near his spine or he is risking paralysis. Adrian, the boy who shot Wozniak has been beaten up in juvenile detention because Quince is dead. Adrian is more worried about his Mom, Karen, who missed his visit. When Harlee lets Gina stay at their home because she’s terrified of Stahl, Gina ends up telling Kristina that Stahl had kidnapped Harlee, information Kristina hadn’t known.When Nate alludes to knowing Wozniak’s secrets, Woz accosts Loman, asking what he’s told Nate about him, but Loman hedges his answers, not admitting he showed Nate the intimate photos of Woz and Donnie Pomp. After Gina leaves, Harlee thinks she sees Stahl outside her house in the dark. She chases him but then stops, insisting to herself that she’s had enough. Little does she know, this time it was really Stahl.
304"A Walking Shadow"Leslie LibmanVincent Angell & Nikhil S. JayaramJuly 8, 2018 (2018-07-08)2.90[32]
In a Flashback to Stahl finding Harlee bleeding on the lawn He calls 911, grabs his things, sets the house on fire and runs. Stahl laters ditches the car, steals a motorcycle and grabs a passport, gun, and cash he has hidden, but before he leaves town he makes sure Harlee is alive at the hospital. Stahl makes Gina call the FBI and say she believes Harlee is obsessed with Stahl and plans to kill him. After being beaten in the alley, Wozniak has visions of his late daughter, Annie, until Harlee finds him and cleans him up.Nate’s source is Molina’s priest so Wozniak finds him and threatens him.Harlee and Loman follow the Intelligence Unit officers and try to disrupt their work.Wallace tells Tufo that working with Wozniak makes him feel like he has a purpose. He feels like Superman, so Tufo lets him go ahead with the operation. Over Wallace phone, they can hear that the meet is actually an ambush.
315"The Blue Wall"Steve ShillMarta Gené CampsJuly 15, 2018 (2018-07-15)3.23[33]
Harlee begins to have a panic attack at the hospital while waiting with Loman as Wallace who has a bad head injury from the ambush is in hospital care.The Intelligence Unit pulls over and arrests Kristina when they find pills on her Kristina calls Wozniak instead.Later, Kristina admits to Harlee that she flunked her final while Harlee was in the hospital and that She’s been taking Adderall for the last couple of months and she’s afraid if she stops her grades will drop.Woz, Tess, and Loman torture Diana a woman hired to kill Loman by the domestic abuser who turns out to be Enrique Ortiz, son of Sebastian Ortiz, a cartel kingpin. Harlee follows Bennet and then breaks into his apartment where she finds Nava’s notebook.Harlee asks Cole if Bennett was ordered to kill Nava but he says he thinks Bennet improvised. Stahl continues to watch Harlee and notices someone else is also watching her too and takes him out with a knife.Harlee plans to arrest Bennet for Nava’s murder but as they are surrounded by other cops, Woz talks her down.Harlee arrests Bennet for murder and when he resists, Woz punches him in front of everyone.
326"The Reckoning"Steve ShillStory by : Wolfe Coleman & Ariel Hall Teleplay by : Wolfe ColemanJuly 22, 2018 (2018-07-22)3.10[34]
Nava’s notebook has disappeared from Bennett’s residence by the time the warrant arrives to search his place. Although their Captain wants to release Bennett, Detective Verco from Internal Affairs agrees to hold him for 24 hours to give Harlee and Wozniak time to gather evidence.Harlee goes to Gina’s apartment but she doesn’t open the door because Stahl has her tied and gagged. Later, Stahl kills Gina with a knife and then plants it in Harlee’s car. Cole calls Harlee to investigate the office of Dustin Hayward which is now a crime scene and find a note on the back of his family’s photo leading them to a formation document for an LLC called Magnolia Limited. Cole says that Magnolia was Ramsay’s last operation overseas and that it didn’t go well. Wozniak and the team head to the warehouse in Red Hook in the hopes of busting Ramsay’s operation, but it’s a setup and they come under fire. When they call for backup, no one shows up.Tess, who is stuck riding in a patrol car that day, realizes what is happening, she pulls her gun on her partner when he won’t respond to the call and kicks him out of the car and goes in by herself.
337"Straight Through The Heart"David BoydStory by : Marta Gené Camps Teleplay by : Marta Gené Camps & Matthew V. LewisJuly 29, 2018 (2018-07-29)2.98[35]
Tess comes to the rescue of her team, but she’s alone. The Intelligence Unit members spray down cover fire and get away. Tess never sees their faces. Later, Internal Affairs officers arrive as the only back up that didn’t abandon the team.At the warehouse, they find cocaine being shipped in fake apples but Ramsay has doctored the paperwork to make it look like the warehouse and Magnolia Corporation are Wozniak’s and not his.When Wozniak questions Bennett he lets it slip that Ramsay has an informant in Internal Affairs. Harlee gets the call that Gina Romero has been found dead in her apartment but the detectives on the case won’t let Harlee anywhere near it.Harlee and Cole find the bloody knife in her car and realizes she’s being framed by Stahl.Cole offers to dispose of the knife,but Harlee brings it to the FBI and turns it over to Agent Myers.Cole leads Harlee to Vanessa Ruiz, Enrique’s girlfriend who can identify Bennett as a corrupt cop.Bennett is released from custody. Cole is terrified when Ramsay calls him in. Ramsay must realize that only Bennet or Cole could have let Harlee and the team know where to find Vanessa. Harlee convinces Cole not to run, but he convinces her to make it look as though he’s been tortured because he believes it’s the only way Ramsay won’t kill him.
348"Cry Havoc"David BoydWolfe Coleman & Vincent AngellAugust 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)2.86[36]
Harlee gives Cole injuries and ties him up so that they can trick Ramsay. She hides when Ramsay shows up. Cole reassures Ramsay he kept their secrets but suspects Bennett instead so Ramsay backs up off of Cole so Cole can shoot Bennett while Harlee watches from her hiding spot.Woz goes home to find the crew all there. They make plans for what they are going to do to get to Enrique. Harlee offers to drive the decoy car.Harlee gets in the decoy van ready to go when she notices the back door is open. She heads to shut it when Stahl comes out of nowhere and pushes her in the back. He tells her it is time to talk.She tries to get out of the back door by shooting at it but Stahl backs the van up but hits something. Harlee jumps out of the back. Stahl gets out to see what happened. She shoots at him. He takes off.Harlee calls Cole to tell him to get out. He runs for it. They pick him up. Woz calls Ramsay and tells him they have what he wants and can make a deal for peace but Ramsey has other plans.
359"Goodnight, Sweet Prince"Nick GomezWolfe Coleman & Erika L. JohnsonAugust 12, 2018 (2018-08-12)3.22[37]
Cole wants to run but Harlee asks him to give her one day to figure out a plan. Cole tells Harlee he agrees to testify against Ramsey. Harlee goes to Verco. She doesn’t give Cole’s name because she fears he’ll be killed but she tells Verco that if he convenes a Commission on Police Corruption, she and a witness will testify. She also asks him to broker a trade with the Feds for a wanted cartel member.Harlee’s car is seized as part of the investigation into Gina’s murder because Agent Myers passed along the information about Harlee finding the knife in her car. Harlee notices an earpiece on Myers’ desk and suspects she’s been in contact with Stahl. She and Loman pull the original MTA subway footage to recheck and see that Stahl was following Harlee that night and that someone had doctored a copy of the video. Harlee returns home to find Stahl there. She is unarmed and he has a gun.Cristina comes home and goes straight to her room, appearing not to have seen Stahl. Harlee begs him to leave but he won’t. Cristina comes in to give Harlee a hug before she leaves again and turns her so she can’t see Stahl, but Cristina already knows he’s there and has Harlee’s gun in the side of her jeans. She puts Harlee’s hand on it and whispers for her not to hesitate. Harlee turns and shoots Stahl three times. He falls to the floor, bleeding badly but is still alive. and says he’s glad it was her. Harlee shoots him a fourth time and kills him. Harlee and Cristina go to the same motel for the night where Cole is hiding out. Cristina tells Harlee she did the right thing and none of this was her fault. Harlee disagrees, goes into the bathroom and breaks down in tears.
3610"By Virtue Fall"Nick GomezStory by : Ariel Hall & Wolfe Coleman Teleplay by : Marta Gené Camps & Jack OrmanAugust 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)3.21[38]
The morning after gunning down Stahl in her living room, Harlee formally brings her case against Captain Ramsey to the police commission. Harlee assures Wozniak that Cole would be delivering the testimony but Cole is a no-show. After letting Enrique escape, Tess and Woz meet with the cartel liaison who leads Ramsey into saying incriminating things while Woz records the conversation. Woz sends the evidence to Harlee as she is about to face Ramsey and the counsel by herself. The hearing reconvenes, and Harlee is left to lay out the accusations against Captain Ramsey herself while also incriminating herself. Later, Wozniak escorts Harlee to her own new residence behind bars, and as she gets settled into her cell, we see a look of peace.

text: Ratings[edit]

text: Season 1 (2016)[edit]

text:
No.

Title

Air date
Rating/share(18–49)
Viewers(millions)
DVR(18–49)
DVR viewers(millions)
Total(18–49)
Total viewers(millions)

1

"Pilot"

January 7, 2016
1.8/6
8.55[4]
1.3
4.92
3.1
13.46[39]

2

"Original Sin"

January 14, 2016
1.3/4
6.64[5]
1.3
4.67
2.6
11.31[40]

3

"False Face, False Heart"

January 21, 2016
1.4/5
6.94[6]
1.2
4.53
2.6
11.47[41]

4

"Who Can Tell Me Who I Am"

January 28, 2016
1.3/4
6.49[7]
1.0
3.62
2.3
10.11[42]

5

"Equal and Opposite"

February 4, 2016
1.1/4
5.64[8]
1.2
4.31
2.3
9.95[43]

6

"Fall of Man"

February 11, 2016
1.1/4
5.40[9]
1.1
3.98
2.2
9.38[44]

7

"Undiscovered Country"

February 18, 2016
1.1/4
5.29[10]
1.1
4.02
2.2
9.31[45]

8

"Good Cop Bad Cop"

February 25, 2016
1.0/4
4.98[11]
1.1
3.81
2.1
8.77[46]

9

"Live Wire Act"

March 3, 2016
1.0/3
4.77[12]
1.1
3.91
2.1
8.68[47]

10

"What Devil Do"

March 10, 2016
1.0/4
4.86[13]
1.0
3.80
2.0
8.68[13]

11

"The Breach"

March 17, 2016
1.0/4
5.10[14]
0.9
3.62
1.9
8.72[48]

12

"For I Have Sinned"

March 24, 2016
1.0/4
5.13[15]
1.0
3.82
2.0
8.95[49]

13

"One Last Lie"

March 31, 2016
1.1/4
5.43[16]
0.9
3.58
2.0
8.96[50]

text: Season 2 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.

Title

Air date
Rating/share(18–49)
Viewers(millions)
DVR(18–49)
DVR viewers(millions)
Total(18–49)
Total viewers(millions)

1

"Unforgiven"

March 5, 2017
1.0/4
5.25[17]
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

2

"Eye of the Hurricane"

March 12, 2017
0.9/3
4.84[18]
0.6
2.57
1.5
7.41[51]

3

"Ghost Hunt"

March 19, 2017
0.8/3
4.09[19]
0.6
2.72
1.4
6.81[52]

4

"Daddy's Girl"

March 26, 2017
0.8/3
4.36[20]
0.7
2.54
1.5
6.90[53]

5

"Sweet Caroline"

April 2, 2017
0.7/3
4.12[21]
0.6
2.67
1.3
6.78[54]

6

"Fracture"

April 9, 2017
0.7/3
3.98[22]
0.6
2.67
1.3
6.65[55]

7

"A House Divided"

April 16, 2017
0.7/3
4.04[23]
0.6
2.75
1.3
6.80[56]

8

"Unpaid Debts"

April 23, 2017
0.7/3
4.13[24]
0.6
2.62
1.3
6.75[57]

9

"Chaos Is Come Again"

April 30, 2017
0.8/3
4.53[25]
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

10

"Whoever Fights Monsters"

May 7, 2017
0.7/3
4.09[26]
0.6
2.56
1.3
6.65[58]

11

"The Quality Of Mercy"

May 14, 2017
0.9/4
4.64[27]
0.6
2.60
1.5
7.25[59]

12

"Behind The Mask"

May 21, 2017
0.7/3
3.78[28]
0.5
2.28
1.2
6.06[60]

13

"Broken Dolls"

May 21, 2017
0.7/3
4.10[28]
0.6
2.50
1.3
6.60[60]

text: Season 3 (2018)[edit]

text:
No.

Title

Air date
Rating/share(18–49)
Viewers(millions)
DVR(18–49)
DVR viewers(millions)
Total(18–49)
Total viewers(millions)

1

"Good Police"

June 17, 2018
0.6/3
3.52[29]
0.5
2.41
1.1
5.94[61]

2

"The Hollow Crown"

June 24, 2018
0.5/2
3.10[30]
0.5
2.36
1.0
5.46[62]

3

"That Way Madness Lies"

July 1, 2018
0.5/2
3.50[31]
0.5
2.19
1.0
5.69[63]

4

"A Walking Shadow"

July 8, 2018
0.5/2
2.90[32]
0.4
2.11
0.9
5.01[64]

5

"The Blue Wall"

July 15, 2018
0.5/2
3.23[33]
0.4
2.04
0.9
5.27[65]

6

"The Reckoning"

July 22, 2018
0.4/2
3.10[34]
0.5
2.14
0.9
5.24[66]

7

"Straight Through The Heart"

July 29, 2018
0.5/2
2.98[35]
0.5
2.26
1.0
5.24[67]

8

"Cry Havoc"

August 5, 2018
0.5/2
2.86[36]
0.4
2.00
0.9
4.86[68]

9

"Goodnight, Sweet Prince"

August 12, 2018
0.6/3
3.22[37]
0.4
2.18
1.0
5.40[69]

10

"By Virtue Fall"

August 19, 2018
0.6/3
3.21[38]
0.4
2.04
1.0
5.25[70]


document_title: Life Is Strange: Before the Storm

question_text: when does life is strange before the storm episode three come out

text: Life Is Strange: Before the Storm

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is a graphic adventure played from a third-person view. The player assumes control of sixteen-year-old Chloe Price, three years prior to Life Is Strange. Unlike its predecessor, the game does not include time travel. Instead, Before the Storm features the ability "Backtalk", with which the player can call upon Chloe to get out of certain precarious situations; "Backtalk" may also make a situation worse. A dialogue tree is used when a conversation or commentary is prompted. Occasional decisions will temporarily or permanently change outcomes. The environment can be interacted with and altered, including marking walls with graffiti.[1][2]

text: Plot[edit]

text: In her Oregon hometown of Arcadia Bay, sixteen-year-old Chloe Price sneaks into a house concert at an old mill. Conflict arises with two men inside, whom she evades when schoolmate Rachel Amber causes a distraction. The next day, Chloe and Rachel reunite at Blackwell Academy and decide to ditch class, stowing away on a cargo train and ending up at a lookout point. They people-watch through a viewfinder and see a man and woman kiss in the park, which upsets Rachel. They steal wine from local campers and take a walk to a scrapyard. Chloe confronts Rachel about her change in mood, but is refused an answer. After Rachel leaves, Chloe discovers the wrecked car in which her father was killed. She meets up with Rachel again, who discloses that she witnessed her father, James, cheating on her mother through the viewfinder. Rachel destroys a family photo in a burning trash bin, and in a fit of rage kicks it over, igniting a wildfire.[3]

text: The next day, Chloe and Rachel are reprimanded by Principal Wells for ditching school. Chloe hides out at the scrapyard where she finds an old truck in need of repairing. She then receives a call from local drug dealer Frank Bowers, who arranges a meeting to discuss settling her debt with him. Chloe agrees to repay him by helping him steal money from her classmate Drew, who owes Frank a large sum. However, Chloe finds out that Drew is being violently extorted by another drug dealer, Damon Merrick, and she must decide whether to pay off the dealer with the stolen money to protect Drew or keep it. When later a student is unable to participate in the school's theater production of The Tempest due to road closures from the wildfire, Chloe reluctantly takes on the role opposite Rachel. After the play, they decide to leave Arcadia Bay with the newly repaired truck and return to Rachel's house to pack. There, following a confrontation, James reveals that the woman they saw him kissing was not a mistress, but in fact Rachel's biological mother.[4]

text: Rachel is told that her mother, Sera, is a drug addict, and that on the day her father kissed her, he had rejected Sera's plea to see Rachel. Chloe vows to find Rachel's mother, against James' wishes. Chloe contacts Frank, who agrees to meet her at the scrapyard. She repairs the truck there before Rachel arrives. They are ambushed by Frank and Damon, who stabs Rachel after he realises she is the district attorney's daughter. Surviving the wound, Rachel recovers at the hospital. Chloe continues the search by investigating James' office for clues about Sera, instead revealing that James has been in contact with Damon; Chloe uses James' phone to convince Damon to disclose where Sera is located, and finds out that Damon has kidnapped her for ransom. She races to Damon to pay him off, but learns when she reaches him that James wanted him to kill Sera. Frank appears and fights Damon, after which Sera entreats that Chloe never tell Rachel about James' actions. Back at the hospital, Chloe is faced with a choice: tell Rachel everything or protect her from the truth.[5]

text: Development[edit]

text: Publisher Square Enix chose Deck Nine to develop the prequel to Life Is Strange after the developer's proprietary StoryForge tools had made an impression.[6] Development started in 2016 with the Unity game engine, with some development assistance from Square Enix London Studios.[7] Rhianna DeVries, who initially did the game's motion capture for Chloe Price, voices the character, while the original voice actress Ashly Burch serves as writing consultant.[1][8][9] Burch did not reprise her role due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.[10] With the strike over, Burch and Hannah Telle, who voiced Max Caulfield in Life Is Strange, will return for a bonus episode.[11] The game went under different working titles during casting,[12] according to Kylie Brown, who was cast as Rachel Amber (then codenamed Rebecca) in February 2017.[13] The music was written and performed by the British indie folk band Daughter, and released as an official soundtrack by Glassnote Records on 1 September 2017.[14] Instrumentation was employed to represent different sides of the lead character: piano for isolation, electric guitar for rebelliousness, and layered vocals for friendship.[15] Daughter took the script and concept artwork as inspiration.[16] The writers researched memoirs and psychology to understand the grieving process of the main character.[17]

text: Release[edit]

text: Prior to its official announcement, images had leaked online indicating that a prequel to Life Is Strange was in development.[18] Square Enix revealed Life Is Strange: Before the Storm on 11 June during E3 2017, stating that it would be released over three chapters starting on 31 August for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[1] The Deluxe Edition includes the bonus chapter "Farewell"—featuring Max Caulfield of the original game as a playable character—three additional outfits, and Mixtape Mode, allowing players to customise playlists with the game's soundtrack.[2] The bonus episode will launch in early 2018.[19]

text:
Episode
Release date

"Episode 1: Awake"[20]
31 August 2017

"Episode 2: Brave New World"[21]
19 October 2017[22]

"Episode 3: Hell Is Empty"[21]
20 December 2017[23]

"Bonus Episode: Farewell"
TBA 2018

text: Reception[edit]

text:
Aggregate review scores

Game
Metacritic

Episode 1: Awake
(PC) 80/100[24]
(PS4) 78/100[25]
(XONE) 79/100[26]

Episode 2: Brave New World
(PC) 76/100[27]
(PS4) 79/100[28]
(XONE) 76/100[29]

Episode 3: Hell Is Empty
(PC) 76/100[30]
(PS4) 79/100[31]

text: Critics appraised Episode 1: Awake the most on its character development of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber.[32][33][34][35] Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer found Chloe's behaviour "endearing" and noted that her personality was portrayed with multiple layers. Sam Loveridge at GamesRadar wrote that Rachel was the more authentic character on account of her more "grounded" dialogue. Despite disparaging Chloe for being "her same tiresomely combative self" early on, Metro saw her fleshed out by enduring the loss of her father. Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace thought the younger version of Chloe brought a "naivety and vulnerability" worthy of sympathy. Conversely, the relationship between the leads was said to have formed "at unnatural speed". Peeples and Loveridge favoured the "Backtalk" gameplay feature, while Metro and Wallace cared little for it. Otherwise lauded were the story, graphics, voice acting, and soundtrack.[36][37][38][39]

text: Reviewers found Episode 2: Brave New World to either be better than the first installment or one of the series' greatest.[40][41] Metro praised how choices made a difference with a "profound effect" on character arc, while Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews relished in Chloe's "genuine growth" contrasting her "fiery spirit". Similarly, Game Informer's Joe Juba appreciated the continued comprehension of the character, declaring this "its biggest strength". However, Juba's biggest complaint echoed that of Wallace, in reference to the "forced" manner with which Chloe and Rachel are made friends. Brett Makedonski, writing for Destructoid, thought that the character exposition was done "to great effect". Most noted was The Tempest school play sequence, which Metro stated as their favorite; Mejia called "one of the funniest" in Before the Storm; and Juba observed as the culmination of all past choices. Metro criticised the script for being "uneven" and disapproved of the voice acting. Mejia felt the ending could have been done away with, saying it was "a bit drawn out", though he was impressed with the progression of the Backtalk feature.[40][41][42][43]

text: Awards[edit]

text: Following E3 2017, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm received one of GamesRadar's Best of E3 awards[44] and was nominated for Hardcore Gamer's Adventure Game award.[45] It was nominated in the Games for Impact category at The Game Awards 2017.[46] At the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards, it was nominated for Best Audio and Best Performer for Kylie Brown.[47] Eurogamer ranked the game 16th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017".[48]