Observations

GLOS helps enhance the region’s network of observing and monitoring activities. Learn more about What We Do. 

Tributary Monitoring Project

The GLOS Observations Team drafted a five-year plan to develop enhanced tributary and nearshore monitoring to improve the collection, integration, and delivery of data for use in managing and decision-making in the Great Lakes. This was completed specifically for priority Areas of Concern identified in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan in preparation for submitting an observing systems proposal to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative solicitation in January 2010.

The project goal is to expand, enhance, and coordinate the Great Lakes network of monitoring and observing systems to provide a comprehensive assessment of the Great Lakes ecosystem for use in monitoring Beneficial Use Impairments in high priority Areas of Concern (AOC).

GLOS Principal Investigators are undertaking a variety of monitoring activities to support decision-making by local AOC, Lakewide area Management Plan (LaMP), and other stakeholder groups. The data collected will allow managers and decision-makers to monitor the benefits of restoration activities and track trends and changes in ecosystem health. Specific monitoring activities include: 

St. Louis River/Estuary

Shore-based monitoring stations (3)
Parameters: Currents, turbidity, temperature, and fluorometric measurements will allow assessment concentrations of cyanobacteria, CDOM (Colored Dissolved Organic Matter) and Chlorophyll-A.

Green Bay

AUV missions
Mapping wide spread hypoxic conditions including parameters such as phosphate, oxygen, turbidity, thermal structure, and currents.

Buoy (1)
Parameters: Nutrients, carbon, persistent toxics (PCBs)

Saginaw Bay

AUV missions

Parameters: Benthic habitat and algal growth, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, Chlorophyll-A, CDOM and phycocyanin. Spatial surveys for source contributions, fate and transport of benthic muck using side-scan sonar and underwater video. Mapping water quality and water chemistry, producing full three-dimensional maps of the physical, chemical and biological structure of the Bay waters.

BathyBoat-Autonomous survey vessel
Larval fish counts and sizes using fishery acoustics.

Maumee River

Moored station (1)
Continuous real-time observations of dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations, light intensity, turbidity, chlorophyll, phycocyanin, CDOM, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity.

Field data
Along with conductivity, temp, depth (CTD) profiles at each sample site, field samples will be analyzed for TP, SRP, TSS, chlorophyll, phycocyanin, dissolved organic carbon, Microcystis abundance, and microcystin concentration.

Genesee/ Rochester

Shore based (hut/pump) system (1)
Basic water quality parameters and real time phosphate and nitrate sensors.

Buoy (1)
Thermistor string, along with epilimnetic sensors for conductivity, turbidity, and chlorophyll, meteorological data, monitor the movement of water, surface water plume and the resulting plunging of the Genesee River.

AUV missions
Map the outflow of the river in regards to the spring thermal bar and the resulting spread of the plume, monitor for Cladophora distribution.

Remote sensing- All Locations

Synoptic maps of lake chlorophyll (chl), dissolved organic carbon (doc), suspended sediment (sm) values offshore of the AOCs, monthly average of optical attenuation, weekly ice cover maps, daily surface wind speeds, and mapping of harmful algae blooms (HABs). 

Remote sensing data maps now available for preview: www.glosaocmapping.org

Project Timeline:

November 2010: GLOS was awarded $1.4 million dollars through EPA's GLRI funding.
January 24-26, 2011: Planning meeting to identify opportunities for coordination.
Feb-Mar: Order equipment.
April 11, 2011: Kick-off Webinar for stakeholders to learn about project.
Spring-Fall: Deploy, operate, and maintain equipment.
Oct-Nov: Review results and develop recommendations for expansion of Tributary Monitoring Program.