Research Data

Real-time Data | Forecast Data | Physical Properties 
Meteorology & Weather Data | Hydrology & Hydraulics
Ice & Snow Data | Biological Data |Chemical & Sediments Data
Waves & Circulation Data | Lake Levels | Models

Real-time and near real-time data acquired from field and remote instruments, web-cams and satellites, and products based on real-time or near real-time data.

GLERL webcams (contact: John C. Lane)

Meteorological Data (contact: Greg Lang)

Water Levels (contact: Cynthia Sellinger)

Satellite Data (contact: George Leshkevich)

Current Great Lakes conditions and forecasts.

 Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS)

Great Lakes Hydrology Outlooks (contact: T. Croley)

GLERL AHPS Products (Experimental). Links to plots for monthly values of inflow, outflow, total supply, and mean lake level for each of the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair. For each lake there is also a page (accessed by clicking on the lake name) with many other hydrology and meteorology variables.

Physical properties, characteristics, and measurements of the Great Lakes including topographic, cartographic, geomorphological, and hydrodynamic properties and measurements.

Great Lakes Bathymetry. Lake floor maps.

Great Lakes Shoreline Data. Digital files of Great Lakes shorelines.

Computerized Bathymetry and Shorelines of the Great Lakes - NOAA Data Report DR-16. D.J. Schwab and D.L. Sellers (1980).

Precipitation, air temperature, wind speed, and other weather data.

Meteorological Data (contact: Greg Lang) A network of five real-time meteorological stations at exposed coastal sites around southern Lake Michigan: Chicago, Milwaukee, Kenosha, Saugatuck and Michigan City. Information includes: precipitation, air temperature, wind speed, and other weather data.

Great Lakes Monthly Hydrologic Data (T. Hunter) NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-083 (1994). Hydrologic data: overlake precipitation, runoff, lake evaporation, net basin supplies, connecting channel flows, diversion flows, beginning of month lake levels, and changes in storage.

Great Lakes Precipitation Data (contact: R. Assel).P_*_DAT files contain the monthly precipitation data for each station in that state. *-HST files contain the station history information extracted from the WB 530-1 forms by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). These data show the station number, latitude, longitude, elevation, station name, and period of record for each station location. These are ZIPPED files, with one file for each state.

Streamflow, channel flow, evaporation, water temperature, and other measurements of water quantity relative to the hydrologic cycle.

Great Lakes Monthly Hydrologic Data (T. Hunter) NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-083 (1994). Hydrologic data: overlake precipitation, runoff, lake evaporation, net basin supplies, connecting channel flows, diversion flows, beginning of month lake levels, and changes in storage.

Great Lakes Hydrometeorological Database [this link goes to the GLIN web site] (contact: Stuart Eddy). This directory features some 20,000 listings of station characteristics for over 11,000 hydrological and meteorological stations located throughout the Great Lakes region. It is intended as a resource for determining period of record, types of data collected and data availability. The mapping tool provides a geographic orientation and allows the database to be searched both by station characteristics and by location.

Great Lakes Hydrometeorological Database Directory. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-074. (1991).

GLERL AHPS Products (Experimental). Links to plots for monthly values of inflow, outflow, total supply and mean lake level for each of the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair. For each lake there is also a page (accessed by clicking on the lake name) with many other hydrology and meteorology variables.

Computer Program for Performing Hydrograph Separation using the Rating Curve Method. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-100, C.M. Sellinger (1996). This reports presents a computer methodology for partitioning streamflow into overland flow or runoff and baseflow.

Computer Program for Estimating Evapotranspiration using the Thornthwaite Method. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-101, C.M. Sellinger (1996). This computer program allows the calculation of evapotranspiration using large data sets in a more efficient and timely manner.

Derivative Outlook Weights Software
(related GLERL research project: Water Resources Management Decision Support - Thomas E. Croley II)

Large Basin Runoff Model Software (related GLERL research project: Next Generation Large Basin Runoff Model - Thomas E. Croley II)

MIDLAKES: A Coordinated Hydrologic Response Model for the Middle Great Lakes. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-109. A.H. Clites and D. Lee (1998). A model for simulating quater-monthly lake levels and connecting channel flows for the middle Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron, St. Clair, and Erie).

Temperature Data - NOAA Technical Memos

Lake Erie

Lake Erie Water Temperature Data, Erie, PA 1916-1992. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-094, McCormick (1996).

Lake Erie Water Temperature Data, Put-in-Bay, OH 1918-1992. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-097, McCormick (1996).

Lake Erie Water Temperature Data, Sandusky Bay, OH 1961-1993. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-098, McCormick (1996).

Lake Huron

Lake Huron Water Temperature Data, Bay City, MI 1946-1993. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-093, McCormick (1996).

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan Water Temperature Data, Green Bay, WI 1947-1990. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-095, McCormick (1996).

Lake Michigan Water Temperature Data, St. Joseph, MI 1936-1992. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-096, McCormick (1996).

Lake Superior

Lake Superior Water Temperature Data, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 1906-1992. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-099, McCormick (1996).

Ice and snow measurements on lakes and surrounding land areas.

Digital Ice Cover Data Set for Winters 1973-2000
NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-121, Assel et al. (2002). A 28-winter digital ice cover data set consisting of 1122 ice charts. Data are available in ARC/INFO export and ASCII grid formats.

Great Lakes Ice Data Rescue Project. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-117. Norton, et al. (2002). This data is an update to the Great Lakes Ice Cover Data Base. Ice charts digitized contain some extrapolated data and cover the entire surface area of the Great Lakes. The updated data base contains information on ice concentration, ice age (thickness), and ice form (flow size) with an improved spatial precision of 2.56 km.

Great Lakes Ice Data (contact: R. Assel and G. Leshkevich).

Great Lakes Ice Atlas. The original ice chart data set consists of over 1200 digitized ice charts. These ice charts display observed ice cover over each Great Lake throughout every winter season from 1973 to 2002.

There are three analysis products. The first product includes ice charts of the following: dates of the first reported ice, dates of the last reported ice, and ice duration for each winter, as well as, the maximum, minimum and average ice cover concentrations. The second product is the 30-year annual daily ice cover time series. The daily time series was used to create: 1) computer animations of spatial patterns of ice cover for each winter, 2) line plots of lake averaged ice cover for each lake over the 30 winters. The third product is weekly statistics. There are weekly ice charts and grids of: maximum, 3rd quartile, median, 1st quartile, and minimum ice cover concentrations for the 30-winter base period. The weekly statistics are based on the original ice chart data set and not on the daily time series.

A Computer Animation, Data Base and Analysis Tool.
Long Term Average Surface Temperature and Ice Cover Animation

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
(GLERL contributes data to NSIDC. The following links point to GLERL data on the NSIDC web site.)

• Aerial Photos of Great Lakes Ice Conditions (1963-1973)
• Air Temperature - Degree Day Climatology (1897-1983)
• Ice Concentration Database (1960-1979)
• Data on Radiation Transfer Through Freshwater Ice
• Ice Thickness Database (1966-1979)
• Daily Ice Observations at Water Level Gauge Sites
• NOAA / NWS / NIC Weekly Ice Charts
• U.S. Coast Guard Surface Ice Reports
• NOAA/GLERL Great Lakes Ice Concentration Data Base
  (contact Ray Assel for more information)

Measured and modeled biological data sets acquired during field expeditions, from remote intruments, and laboratory studies.

Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species List - This list was compiled by the NOAA National Center for Aquatic Invasive Species Research at GLERL, from a number of publications and sources (see the list for citations). The organisms are organized alphabetically by common name. We start with the 162 species identified by Mills et al (1993) plus Ricciardi (2001). More species will be added as they are identified.

Abundance, Biomass, and Species Composition of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 1987-1996. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-122, Nalepa et al. (2002). The abundance (number per grab sample) of all taxa collected between 1987 and 1996 with the Ponar grab. Variables include year, season, station, replicate number, and taxa.

Chemicals, toxics, nutrients,turbidity, and sediment transport data.

Settling Particle Fluxes and Current and Temperature Profiles in Grand Traverse Bay. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-116, Eadie et al. (2000). Settling particle fluxes and mass flux profiles are reported for trap samples collected at 5 stations in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan during 1997-1999. Temperature data is reported for 2 stations during June-Sept. 1997. ADCP data and contours of backscatter strength, U and V current components, and water temperatures are included for one station.

Physical and Chemical Variables of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron in 1994-1996. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-115, T. Johengen et al. (2000). Chlorophyll, nutrients, alkalinity, carbon, and total suspended solids data collected in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron from 1994-1996. Builds upon TM-091.

Physical and Chemical Variables of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron in1991-1993. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-091, Nalepa et al. (1996). Chlorophyll, nutrients, alkalinity, carbon, and total suspended solids data collected in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron from 1991-1993.

Waves, currents, and circulation of water within the lake.

Great Lakes Circulation Data. Summer circulation patterns in all of the Great Lakes, winter circulation patterns in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, and annual circulation patterns in Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Ontario.

Settling Particle Fluxes and Current and Temperature Profiles in Grand Traverse Bay. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-116, Eadie et al. (2000). Settling particle fluxes and mass flux profiles are reported for trap samples collected at 5 stations in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan during 1997-1999. Temperature data is reported for 2 stations during June-Sept. 1997. ADCP data and contours of backscatter strength, U and V current components, and water temperatures are included for one station.

Great Lakes Storm Surge Planning Program (SSPP). NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-065. D.J. Schwab and E. W. Lynn (1987). A computer program for estimating maximum and minimum storm surge water levels for the Great Lakes.

 Great Lake water levels.

Great Lakes Water Levels. Great Lakes water levels constitute one of the longest high quality hydrometeorological data sets in North America with reference gage records beginning about 1860 with sporadic records back to the early 1800's. These levels are collected and archived by NOAA's National Ocean Service.

Great Lakes Monthly Hydrologic Data (T. Hunter) NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-083 (1994). Hydrologic data: overlake precipitation, runoff, lake evaporation, net basin supplies, connecting channel flows, diversion flows, beginning of month lake levels, and changes in storage.

GLERL AHPS Products (Experimental). Links to plots for monthly values of inflow, outflow, total supply and mean lake level for each of the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair. For each lake there is also a page (accessed by clicking on the lake name) with many other hydrology and meteorology variables.

Great Lakes Storm Surge Planning Program (SSPP). NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-065. D.J. Schwab and E. W. Lynn (1987). A computer program for estimating maximum and minimum storm surge water levels for the Great Lakes.

MIDLAKES: A Coordinated Hydrologic Response Model for the Middle Great Lakes. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-109. A.H. Clites and D. Lee (1998). A model for simulating quater-monthly lake levels and connecting channel flows for the middle Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron, St. Clair, and Erie).

Computer software available for use in computing and/or manipulating any of these data.

Biology

EcoNetwrk: A Windows-Compatible Program for Analyzing Ecological Flow Networks in Food Webs. Network analysis is a phenomenological approach that holistically quantifies the structure and function of food webs by evaluating biomasses and energy flows. The efficiency with which energy and material is transferred, assimilated, and dissipated conveys significant information about the structure and function of food webs. This graphical user interface is being designed at GLERL based on the Fortran program, Netwrk 4.2 by Robert E. Ulanowicz, Chesapeake Biological Station, University of Maryland. Netwrk 4.2 is copyrighted (1982, 1987, 1998, 1999) and was used with the author's permission and guidance. This project is also sponsored by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. (2002 - D.M. Mason)

GRP Map Maker: A User's Guide to Spatial Models of Fish Habitat Combining Acoustic Data and Bioenergetics Models. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-110, J. Tyler (1998). GRP Map Maker allows uses to convert data on fish distrubition and on simple environmental measures into measures of fish growth rate potential, fish maximum potential consumption, and maximum fish growth.

Hydrology

Derivative Outlook Weights Software
(related GLERL research project: Water Resources Management Decision Support - Thomas E. Croley II)

Large Basin Runoff Model Software (related GLERL research project: Next Generation Large Basin Runoff Model - Thomas E. Croley II)

MIDLAKES: A Coordinated Hydrologic Response Model for the Middle Great Lakes. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-109. A.H. Clites and D. Lee (1998). A model for simulating quater-monthly lake levels and connecting channel flows for the middle Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron, St. Clair, and Erie).

Computer Program for Performing Hydrograph Separation using the Rating Curve Method. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-100, C.M. Sellinger (1996). This reports presents a computer methodology for partitioning streamflow into overland flow or runoff and baseflow.

Computer Program for Estimating Evapotranspiration using the Thornthwaite Method. NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-101, C.M. Sellinger (1996). This computer program allows the calculation of evapotranspiration using large data sets in a more efficient and timely manner.

Great Lakes Storm Surge Planning Program (SSPP). NOAA Technical Memorandum TM-065. D.J. Schwab and E. W. Lynn (1987). A computer program for estimating maximum and minimum storm surge water levels for the Great Lakes.