LimnoTech
Deployment of the buoy will increase access to a wealth of information about Lake Michigan to a variety of stakeholders.
Real-Time Environmental Data Buoy in Lake Michigan
In June 2011, LimnoTech deployed a scientific buoy in Lake Michigan to collect real-time environmental data. This advanced instrument gathers a variety of environmental information including air temperature, wind speed and direction, water speed and direction, wave height, and water temperatures at several depths. The buoy was deployed in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Ocean Engineering Laboratory as part of a multi-year study of the lake sponsored by The American Electric Power Company.
Data collected from the buoy will serve the scientific mission of characterizing the behavior of Lake Michigan’s nearshore waters, and will also be integrated into the Great Lakes Observing System (www.glos.us) and the National Data Buoy Center (www.ndbc.noaa.gov) data centers for access by a host of users. Data from the buoy will also help improve National Weather Service predictions of hazardous weather such as high waves and rip currents, aid the Coast Guard and local law enforcement agencies in responding to emergencies on the lake, and offer a recreational planning resource to boaters, swimmers and fishermen.
LimnoTech is also proud to note that the buoy and the majority of its components are made in Michigan: the buoy was constructed by S2 Yachts of Holland, its meteorological sensors were manufactured by the R.M. Young Company of Traverse City, and the thermistor chain was built in Ann Arbor by the University of Michigan. In addition, the mooring system for buoy was deployed by Muskegon-based Andrie, Inc.
Data from the buoy can be viewed in real-time at http://uglos.engin.umich.edu (click on the yellow diamond near the southeast corner of Lake Michigan).
For more information about the buoy or the study, please contact Ed Verhamme of LimnoTech (everhamme@limno.com).