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Data disclaimer: NOAA/GLERL is not an operational center. We make every effort to ensure accuracy and minimize downtime, however, we cannot guarantee that data and products will always be available and/or accurate. Our forecasts and products should be considered experimental.NOAA/GLERL is not an operational center. We make every effort to ensure accuracy and minimize downtime, however, we cannot guarantee that data and products will always be available and/or accurate. Our forecasts and products should be considered experimental. Please review our disclaimers.

Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron Weekly Field Sampling Data

Current Data

Download data: CSV, JSON

Download provisional 2024 outer Saginaw Bay buoy data: SB26 Buoy Data

The plots below include a subset of the current, provisional data from the weekly Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron HAB monitoring program. The location and sampling depth of data to view can be chosen using the drop down menus below the map. Not all parameters were measured for all locations and sample depths.

Hovering over the plots' points will reveal a precise date and number for them, below the plot.

Latest sampling date: 10/18/2024


Latest data for SB1 as of Fri Sep 27 2024

Sample temperature (°C)19.80589581
Turbidity (NTU)16
Extracted Chlorophyll α (μg/L)11.41
Extracted Phycocyanin (μg/L)2.57010477
Particulate Microcystin (μg/L)0.23
Dissolved Microcystin (μg/L)Below Detection Limit
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 202420222426
Sample temperature (°C)
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 202451015
Turbidity (NTU)
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 2024101520
Extracted Chlorophyll α (μg/L)
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 20241.522.533.5
Extracted Phycocyanin (μg/L)
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 20240.10.20.30.40.5
Particulate Microcystin (μg/L)
Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 202400.050.10.150.2
Dissolved Microcystin (μg/L)

In Saginaw Bay HABs, Microcystis is the dominant toxin-producing algae, and the toxin it produces is called microcystin. Our work focuses on determining Microcystis growth and microcystin concentrations. Five specific stations in Saginaw Bay (shown on the map above) are monitored weekly to quantify Microcystis abundance and toxicity, which helps us to further understand how these two factors correlate with one another. Additional environmental parameters such as nutrients and pigments are also measured in this weekly monitoring. Using sensors mounted on a fixed buoy (indicated on the map above), we can continuously collect real-time environmental and meteorological data every 15 minutes. This real-time data collection includes measurements of nitrate (N), chlorophyll, phycocyanin, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, and specific conductivity. We also measure soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) hourly. Real-time measurements of SRP and N provide vital data to quantify the relationship between algae growth, toxicity, and the influence of nutrients on Microcystis. Through measuring SRP and N's movement within the water, we can link this information to river and lake models, which allows us to provide a more accurate prediction of Microcystis in Saginaw Bay. One of our future goals is to utilize our data and models to determine what quantities of SRP and dissolved phosphorus (DP) trigger harmful algal blooms, and how N contributes to toxin production.

Archived Data

Download archived weekly Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron sampling data from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI):