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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.

Lake Erie Weekly Field Sampling Data

Current Data

Download data: CSV, JSON

The plots below include a subset of the current, provisional data from the weekly western Lake Erie 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: 6/30/2025


Latest data for surface of WE2 as of Mon Jun 30 2025

Sample temperature (°C)25.70415676
Turbidity (NTU)1.47
Extracted Chlorophyll α (μg/L)3.44
Extracted Phycocyanin (μg/L)Below Detection Limit
Particulate Microcystin (μg/L)Below Detection Limit
Dissolved Microcystin (μg/L)Below Detection Limit
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 290510152025
Sample temperature (°C)
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 2905101520
Turbidity (NTU)
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 2905101520
Extracted Chlorophyll α (μg/L)
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 2900.511.5
Extracted Phycocyanin (μg/L)
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 29−1−0.500.51
Particulate Microcystin (μg/L)
May 42025May 18Jun 1Jun 15Jun 2900.050.10.15
Dissolved Microcystin (μg/L)

In Lake Erie 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. Eight specific stations in western Lake Erie (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 4 fixed buoys (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 Lake Erie. 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 and continuous western Lake Erie sampling data from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)