The Great Lakes are in a state of rapid and continuous change resulting from a host of environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Such circumstances require unique, targeted monitoring solutions to meet environmental demands and continuously document these changes. Hayden Henderson, a research engineer with the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), designs such systems, working with research groups like the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), NOAA’s Ocean Technology Transition Program, and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, to formulate monitoring solutions and monitor multiple points throughout the Great Lakes region. Challenge: Meeting Unique Environmental Demands and Building Historical Data Sets Any monitoring solution designed for deployment in the Great Lakes needs to meet the environmental demands of the deployment lake and also effectively monitor goal parameters. In this case, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to monitoring, even in cases where the same conditions are being observed.

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has been monitoring reservoir evaporation rates for decades. Dating back to the 1960s, the TWDB has derived evaporation rates from a sparse network of Class A evaporation stations and continues to use these systems today—with some critical additions in the form of real-time data buoys on the reservoirs. Challenge: Improving Evaporation Rate Data Accuracy Though located near the reservoirs, the pan data carried with it some uncertainties as the TWDB followed research that emerged in the 1980s and proposed that accurate estimation of reservoir evaporation required measurements be taken on the lake. In 2018, the TWDB tested this theory with an experimental floating eddy that measured the exchange of gases in a closed system and helped the TWDB better understand how climate conditions influence lake resources. 

For over a decade, Buffalo State University’s Great Lakes Center has maintained and operated a real-time monitoring buoy deployed off the coast of Dunkirk, New York, in Lake Erie's eastern basin. Funded by the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) and with field support from the NYSDEC Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit, the buoy provides data to the local population and stakeholders as well as the larger Seagull database. Challenges: Public Data Reliance and Filling in Knowledge Gaps The purpose of the buoy is two-fold: Provide weather and wave data to the public in order to inform recreation and fishing operations. Contribute data to the multi-agency Seagull database. The Great Lakes Center operates one of only a few buoys in the eastern basin.

In recent years, freshwater lakes in Maine have become threatened by the changing climate, changes in water quality, increases in harmful algal bloom frequency and severity, and the spread of invasive flora and fauna. In order to protect lake resources, various interest groups have stepped forward to provide data that inform environmental policy and lead initiatives that promote lake health. For more than 50 years, the Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) in Maine has been working locally on lake water quality, watershed protection, conservation, education, invasive species, and other issues.  A team of full-time and seasonal LEA staff, including Research Director Dr. Ben Peierls, monitor lake conditions, collect water samples, conduct laboratory analyses, and analyze the data needed to characterize water quality conditions and trends and inform management. Challenge: Managing an Expansive Program in Maine Based in Bridgton, Maine, LEA currently monitors 41 lakes in the surrounding six towns with support from membership contributions and other donations. Local volunteers sometimes assist in conducting spot sampling. Even with the extra help, the region is over 200 square miles, and monitoring every lake can be challenging.