Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center deployed a Spotter buoy at Grand Portal Point on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore the weekend of June 27, 2020. MTU has used buoys for several years to measure weather and water conditions in Lake Superior and in the Straits of Mackinaw. They recently received a grant from CIGLER providing the funds for several new Spotter buoys that differ slightly from the ones they’ve used in the past.

The initial buoy was installed to oversee weather conditions during a dredging project close to Gay in April, 2020. Leveraging this opportunity, the research center conducted a trial of the Spotter buoys. John Lenters, an associate research scientist, explained that due to COVID-19 causing delays in the regular buoy deployment in different regions, The Great Lakes Research Center opted to use Spotter buoys to cover the lapses in reporting weather and lake conditions.