CB-1250 Data Buoy

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office runs an unusual set of buoys. NOAA’s Chesapeake buoys originated as part of the John Smith Water Trail—a kind of aquatic Appalachian Trail for boaters. Although the buoys are no longer used as interpretive trail markers, they are now part of a larger observing system of 10 full-time stations. Challenge: Weighed down In the past, the team used the AXYS WatchKeeper buoy at these stations—but these buoys weigh in at around 4,500 pounds each, including anchor. This meant that the NOAA team had to contract out all deployments and retrievals. “You don’t have to lift it all at once, but the amounts you do have to lift are heavy, and most of the ships that can do that have a deep draft,” remarks Byron F. Kilbourne, an oceanographer at the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. “The areas that we’re working in are pretty shallow. The bigger boats that can handle that equipment would chew up our annual vessel contract budget in one trip.”

In 1985, Muskegon Lake was designated an Area of Concern by the U.S. EPA because of water quality and habitat problems associated with pollution discharged into its waters. The water body, which sits between the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the Muskegon River, has been the site of remediation work ever since. In line with work to bring the lake back from its status as an Area of Concern, scientists at Grand Valley State University launched a massive data-collection system in spring 2011. Comprised of two buoys and dozens of sensors to measure the lake’s health, the system is cluing researchers in to Muskegon Lake’s dynamics like never before. What’s more, the system is helping scientists at the EPA and elsewhere track the progress of work to restore the lake while giving teachers in nearby schools a real-world example to help their students learn scientific principles.

Presque Isle State Park gets more visitors annually than most national parks, and many of those visitors come for the area’s beaches and fishing. Before they get to the sandy, lagoon-spotted area, many check conditions online thanks to a buoy launched by the Regional Science Consortium. Locals from Erie, Pennsylvania who frequent Lake Erie’s waters off Presque Isle use the buoy’s data as well, which reveal changes to wave height and frequency in real time. In addition, visitors to the buoy’s website can view recent 10-second video clips and track weather conditions on the lake. Charter captains use the buoy’s measurements to plan for additional fuel costs when the waters are rough, and recreational boaters rely on its data to spare them the hassle of trailering up to the lake only to find unsafe conditions. Data from the buoy are also contributed to the National Data Buoy Center, which assists the National Weather Service in forecasting