The Great Lakes are big lakes with freshwater. This means that they don't have salt, like an ocean does.
The Great Lakes are also famous for old shipwrecks. Most of these ships are still in good shape. They are .
The lakes are super cold, like a fridge. This keeps the ships from rotting. And the lakes don't have salt that can cause rust. Rust destroys metal.
But now, the shipwrecks are falling apart quickly. Experts are trying to learn all they can about the wrecks before they are gone forever.
The biggest reason these wrecks are in trouble are mussels. Not the things in your body that make you strong! Mussels are sea animals called shellfish.
Zebra and quagga mussels come from Europe. They aren't supposed to be in the Great Lakes. They came here by accident on big ships from other countries. They are " ".
Invasive species are a problem because the other animals and plants aren't used to them. They can eat the same food that other creatures need. And they have no natural enemies. Sometimes, their numbers get really big.
This is what has happened with zebra and quagga mussels. They also cover almost everything underwater, including the shipwrecks!
These mussels harm both wooden and metal ships. When they stick to a surface, they make the wood crumble. And their poop even eats through metal.
Experts say there's no good way to save the shipwrecks. Their history could disappear. To keep the history alive, we must take pictures of them while we still can.
Ken Merryman is a diver from Minnesota. He loves shipwrecks. He made a website called 3Dshipwrecks. It has pictures of 160 wrecks! The pictures are 3D and have lots of details. It is almost like looking at them in real life!
Merryman wants to take pictures of all the shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Even if the ships disappear, we can remember how they looked.
Updated October 19, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By John Crossingham
