During the month of May 2021, Environmental Observing Systems Engineer Hayden Henderson and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) Synthesis, Observations, and Response (SOAR) team serviced and deployed eleven research buoys, in four of the five Great Lakes. Included in this effort was the deployment of newer, compact wave buoys, known as Spotters, with partners in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior – with one heading to Lake Erie later in the summer.

Great Lakes Observing Systems (GLOS) provide critical information to support natural resource decision making, forecasting, public health protection, and navigation safety and efficiency. CIGLR is at the forefront of implementing well-integrated observing systems and technology that monitor key aspects of the Great Lakes environment to help us better understand natural changes in the system, identify human-induced disturbances, and support the development of climate, weather, and ecosystem forecasts.