Comparison of Lake Erie and the Atlantic Ocean: Which One Is the Better Tourist Spot

Every year when the weather turns warm, people congregate to large bodies of water like Lake Erie or the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, some people choose to stay year-round. The water draws groups of people who are landlocked most of the year to lakeside or coastal communities that offer them relief from the hot summer sun. Having the option to navigate from dry land to enjoy the benefits of either the coast or lake are what make the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie desirable. Although they differ when it comes to geographic location and economic benefits, they are similar in the fact that they both offer peace and serenity to visitors from around the globe as well as having a magnitude of recreational activities.

First, Lake Erie is a fresh water lake that is surrounded by New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and one Canadian province. It is the twelfth largest lake in the world while the Atlantic is the second largest out of five oceans with four continents having coastline bordering it. Despite being a sizeable fresh water lake, Lake Erie boaters and beachgoers are limited to the boarders of the lake. In contrast, the Atlantic offers boaters limitless access to its pristine waters however, salt water is very harmful to almost every material. Everything that has been used on or near the ocean needs to be rinsed clean of salt water including, cars, boats, fishing rods, and even houses, for example.

Also, dangerous and life-threatening weather like Hurricanes and flooding can occur that affect local communities near the Atlantic Ocean. While Lake Erie is not subject to hurricanes, it also has dangerous weather such as freezing temperatures that freeze the entire lake and snow fall. Lake Erie and the Atlantic Ocean provide thousands if not, millions of jobs each year which boosts local economies. Tourism, fishing, boating, and natural gas are just some of the amenities that help provide a steady income for surrounding cities and towns. 'I don’t think people realize what an economic driver the marina business really is, and the boat business. People think of it as recreational, but it is a real economic driver” (Payerchin 1).

While Lake Erie is only available a limited amount of time throughout the year due to weather, the Atlantic Ocean is available all year long which causes heavily trafficked sea routes between the eastern and western hemispheres. Fishing, mining, drilling and dredging all benefit the Atlantic Oceans economy. In the United States, revenues from offshore leases have been one of the largest sources of federal income, and receipts from offshore production have been important for the economies of the United Kingdom and Norway since the 1970s (Fleming 1).

A wealth of petroleum and natural gas not only lies under the continental shelf in the Atlantic Ocean, it is also abundant underneath Lake Erie. Tourists and residents alike will think of swimming, fishing, water sports, and sunsets when they think about Lake Erie as well as the Atlantic Ocean. These bodies of water provide copious amounts of recreational activities to visitors from around the world. 'As coastal populations along the Atlantic and its marginal seas have swelled—particularly in Europe and North America—there has been substantial growth in such recreational activities such as sport fishing, sailing and cruising, windsurfing, and whale watching (Fleming).

While the Atlantic provides entertainment year-round, Lake Erie is only available a couple months out of the year but provides similar activities. In conclusion, the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie offer very similar qualities and they also have their differences when it comes to geographic location and economic benefits. They can both be enjoyed for water sports or leisure and they both are sources for natural resources that surrounding communities rely on.