Cayuga Lake (pronounced either "kA-'yü-g&" or "kI-'yü-g&") is the longest of western New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles, and it is 3.5 miles wide at its widest point near Aurora. It is approximately 435 feet deep at its deepest point. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x789, 332 KB) Summary View from Libe Slope @ Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, towards Cayuga Lake. ... Cornell University is a university located in Ithaca, New York, USA. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake (from Latin lacus) is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. ... The Seneca River in Central New York State flows from west to east, from the Montezuma Swamp to the Senecas confluence with the Oneida and Oswego Rivers at the the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... A measure based on the volume of water in a lake and the mean rate of outflow. ... NY redirects here. ... The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. ... Seneca Lake, one of western New Yorks glacial Finger Lakes, is the largest lake entirely within New York and second deepest lake in the United States, when gauged by its depth below sea level. ...

Location

The lake has one small island near Union Springs, Frontenac Island, which is one of only two islands in all of the Finger Lakes.

Ithaca, New York, site of Cornell University, sits at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. Cornell's alma mater or official school song makes reference to its position "Far Above Cayuga's Waters". The City of Ithaca (named for the Greek island of Ithaca) sits on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, in Central New York State. ... Cornell University is a university located in Ithaca, New York, USA. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar. ... Alma mater is Latin for nourishing mother. It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. ... View of Cayuga Lake. ...

Villages and settlements along the east shore of Cayuga Lake include Myers, King Ferry, Aurora, Levanna, Union Springs, and Cayuga. Settlements along the west shore of the lake include Sheldrake, Poplar Beach, and Canoga. Another Aurora is a town in Erie County, New York. ... Union Springs is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. ... Cayuga is a village located in Cayuga County, New York. ...

Geographical characteristics

Cayuga Lake is located at 42°41′00″N, 76°41′46″W; 116.4 m above sea level. Its depth, steep east and west sides with shallow north and south ends is typical of the Finger Lakes, as they were carved by glaciers during the last ice age. Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ...

Length: 61.4 km
Average Width: 2.8 km
Maximum Depth: 132 m
Surface Area: 172 km²
Mean Depth: 54.5 m
Catchment Area: 2,033 km² (37.1% natural forest, 58% active agricultural)
Main Islands: 1, Frontenac
Main Outflows: 1
A catchment is any device or structure that captures water. ...

The water level is regulated by the Mud Lock at the north end of the lake. It is connected to Lake Ontario by the Erie Canal and Seneca Lake by the Seneca River. The lake is drawn down as winter approaches to minimize ice damage and to maximize its capacity to store heavy spring runoff. Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, USA, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... The Erie Canal (currently part of the New York State Canal System) is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Seneca Lake, one of western New Yorks glacial Finger Lakes, is the largest lake entirely within New York and second deepest lake in the United States, when gauged by its depth below sea level. ... The Seneca River in Central New York State flows from west to east, from the Montezuma Swamp to the Senecas confluence with the Oneida and Oswego Rivers at the the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. ...

The north end is dominated by shallow mudflats and is an important stopover for migratory birds, where Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is located. Mudflats are relatively flat, muddy regions found in intertidal areas. ... Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys of varying distances undertaken by many species of birds. ... The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service at the north end of Cayuga Lake. ...

The southern end is also shallow and often freezes during the winter.

Human impact

Winter view of the southern end of Cayuga Lake

The fish population is managed and substantial sport fishing is practised, including smelt, lake trout and smallmouth bass fishing. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 409 KB)Picture of southern end of Cayuga Lake. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 409 KB)Picture of southern end of Cayuga Lake. ... Genera Allosmerus Hypomesus Mallotus Osmerus Spirinchus Thaleichthys Smelts are a family, Osmeridae, of small anadromous fish. ... Binomial name Salvelinus namaycush (Walbaum, 1792) Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. ... Binomial name Micropterus dolomieu Lacépède, 1802 The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ...

Cayuga lake is very popular among recreational boaters. A large state marina and boat launch is located at the southern end of the lake in Ithaca (Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, the largest inland marina in New York). There are two yacht clubs on the western shore: Ithaca Yacht Club a few miles north of Ithaca, and Red Jacket Yacht Club just south of Canoga. There are several other marinas and boat launches scattered along the lake shore. Allan H. Treman State Marine Park is located in the City of Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York in the USA. The park is at the south end of Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. ...

The lake is used both for drinking water and waste disposal, although this is no longer legal and very uncommon. There are also several lake source cooling systems that are in operation on the lake, whereby cooler water is pumped from the depths of the lake, warmed, and circulated in a closed system back to the surface. One of these systems, which is operated by Cornell University and began operation in 2000, was controversial during the planning and building states for potential negative environmental impact; however, all the environmental impact reports and scientific studies have shown that the Cornell lake source cooling system has not yet and will not likely have any measurably significant environmental impact. Furthermore, Cornell's system pumps significantly less warm water back into the lake than others further north which have been operating for decades. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

• A famous tradition at Wells College in Aurora holds that if the lake completely freezes over, classes are canceled (albeit for only one day). According to Wells College records, this last happened in 1979. However, other sources suggest that the only time the entire lake froze over in the 20th century was in 1912.
• Cayuga Lake, like nearby Seneca Lake, is also the site of a strange and as-yet-unexplained phenomenon known as the Guns of the Seneca, mysterious cannon-like booms heard in the surrounding area.

Wells College is located in Aurora, New York. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Seneca Lake, one of western New Yorks glacial Finger Lakes, is the largest lake entirely within New York and second deepest lake in the United States, when gauged by its depth below sea level. ... The Guns of the Seneca are loud and largely unexplained booming sounds heard along the shores of Seneca Lake and nearby Cayuga Lake, the two largest of upstate New Yorks Finger Lakes. ...

See also

• Taughannock Falls
• Fall Creek

Old photo of the main cataract Taughannock Falls State Park is located in the Town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York in the USA. The park is northwest of Ithaca, New York near Trumansburg, New York. ...

External links

• World Lakes Database entry for Cayuga Lake.
• Cayugalake.org
• Cayuga Lake Defense Fund
• Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
• Cornell's Lake Source Cooling FAQ
• Cornell's environmental impact statement for Lake Source Cooling