What if Earth's Oceans were actually massive lakes?

Imagine the same Earth, same geography, etc, same size of the oceans. But every ocean is a massive lake, verging on a sea. <br><br>Each lake has no outbound of water, and is reliant on the water cycle and rain (and the rivers) to maintain its water levels. Essentially the Great Lakes on a massive scale. <br><br>What would the differences be? How would it change the planet? (ignoring the fact that humans and animals couldn't survive the changes, as they would have evolved differently in the first place). <br><br>Stuff I can think of:<br><br>Fresher water, so no salt weathering, which would lead to:<br><br>- Less erosion in general<br><br>- Different geology and rock formations<br><br>- Different cliff formations<br><br>Mountain lakes would have a tendency to be more of just... lakes, verging on a sea. They would likely be landlocked lakes in general, but the water table would be far higher, verging on an regional "water table" sea or lake. The Himalayas and Andes and Rockies would all just be islands, with massive lakes between them. <br><br>Islands in the oceanic lakes would be verging on archipelagos, and island nations may not exist, or would exist with far different boundaries. <br><br>No tides, so the coastlines and what is considered the high and low water marks would be entirely different. Coastal erosion would be a lot less, especially with less salt to erode the cliffs. <br><br>Less oceanic volcanism, and possibly more on land, verging on the lakes themselves, with them being smaller and possibly more prone to having geysers etc. <br><br>More of the lake would freeze, as there is no salt to lower the freezing temperature, so a lot of lakes may be frozen for part or all of the year. <br><br>Less oceanic and lake based evaporite deposits, so different minerals and resources. <br><br>Less oceanic cloud cover, so changing rain patterns. And certainly less sea-salt in the air, and less salt rain. <br><br>No oceanic gyres and global circulations, so massive changes regional climates, and weather patterns, and a possible reduction in global wind strength. <br><br>A lot more plants and trees near the shores, which would increase the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, which may verging on a strong greenhouse effect, especially if there is less cloud cover and less salt particles in the air to provide cloud nucleation points. <br><br>A massive decrease in fish stocks and fishing, both freshwater and oceanic. <br><br>No more worries about rising sea levels, at least on a global scale, although regional changes in the water table and lake levels would still exist. <br><br>Many more hydroelectric dams, especially on the landlocked seas, which would change the weather and local climates, and cause massive changes in the water table and lake levels. <br><br>Much more of a chance for settlements on lakeshores, as the water levels would be far more consistent and reliable. <br><br>Overall, I think the planet would be a very different place, both visually and in terms of the climate and weather, and the geology and ecosystems.