February 22, 2024
by Gabrielle Farina
Comments Off on Q&A with NOAA scientists: Causes and impacts of 2024’s historically low Great Lakes ice cover
Many people have questions about the historically low Great Lakes ice cover this winter, and we’ve got answers! NOAA GLERL’s Bryan Mroczka (Physical Scientist) and Andrea Vander Woude (Integrated Physical and Ecological Modeling and Forecasting Branch Chief) answer the following … Continue reading
October 26, 2022
by Gabrielle Farina
1 Comment
Every summer, NOAA GLERL scientists travel far and wide across the Great Lakes region to study the biological, chemical, and physical properties of these amazing lakes. A portion of this fieldwork contributes to a larger project called the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative – or CSMI – which helps us take a deeper dive into studying a different Great Lake each year. 2022 was Lake Huron’s turn to shine, and GLERL’s efforts focused on benthic and spatial surveys in Thunder Bay and Saginaw Bay. Continue reading
August 10, 2022
by Gabrielle Farina
Comments Off on New under-ice observing capabilities could lead to new discoveries in the Great Lakes
In the world of Great Lakes research, the start of winter traditionally signals the end of fieldwork for the year…This break leads to a several-month gap in most of GLERL’s field data, but this project aims to fill that gap using the high-tech SAAB Sabertooth AUV. Continue reading
October 12, 2021
by Margaret Lansing
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The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and Michigan Technological University (MTU) Great Lakes Research Center recently teamed up on the deployment of a wave glider in Lake Superior. The chemical and biological data collected will help researchers understand … Continue reading
December 3, 2018
by Nicole Rice
Comments Off on The HAB season is over, but the work goes on
It’s nearly winter here in the Great Lakes—our buoys are in the warehouse, our boats are making their way onto dry land, and folks in the lab are working hard to assess observed data, experiments, and other results from this … Continue reading
October 2, 2018
by Nicole Rice
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A team of researchers from across the country teamed up over the summer. Their mission: to test how well a third-generation environmental sample processor (3GESP), mounted inside a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LRAUV), can track and analyze toxic algae in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Continue reading
July 30, 2018
by Katherine Glassner-Shwayder
Comments Off on Photo story: Taking a closer look at how invasive mussels are changing the Great Lakes food web
The invasion of zebra and quagga mussels in the Great Lakes is taking a toll on the ecosystem. To investigate these ecological changes, scientists from GLERL and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) are doing experimentation on how … Continue reading
July 26, 2018
by Kaye LaFond
Comments Off on Andrea VanderWoude blends science and art to study the Great Lakes from the sky
Andrea VanderWoude is a remote sensing specialist — that means she’s looking at things from far away. Whether she’s studying harmful algal blooms or rip currents, her job is to pull information out of pictures taken from airplanes or satellites. … Continue reading
July 20, 2018
by Katherine Glassner-Shwayder
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To answer questions about organisms and how they interact in the Great Lakes ecosystem, scientists from NOAA GLERL and CIGLR are using a new high tech sampling tool called MOCNESS (Multiple Opening and Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System). Continue reading
January 18, 2018
by Nicole Rice
Comments Off on Great Lakes in winter: Water levels and ice cover
The Great Lakes, along with their connecting waterways and watersheds, make up the largest lake system on the planet—more than 20% of the world’s surface freshwater! Water levels on the lakes change in response to a number of factors, and these … Continue reading