Today's Message
Posted: Monday, October 21, 2024Great Lakes Center's Dunkirk Buoy Named 'Buoy of September'
The Great Lakes Center–operated Dunkirk Buoy was recently named the Buoy of September! Since 2011, the Great Lakes Center has operated and maintained this buoy off the shores of Dunkirk, New York, in Lake Erie as part of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS).
GLC Field Station staff members remove the seasonal buoy from the lake in early fall for any needed maintenance and to protect it from harsh Buffalo winters and redeploy in the spring. Both deployment and retrieval of the buoy are weather dependent.
When in the water, the buoy measures wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, wave height and wave period, water temperature at 2-meter intervals, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductivity. The information collected from this Lake Erie buoy can be used for climate modeling, lake current, and energy budget modeling as well as for the study of nutrient dynamics and fisheries. It is also helpful for commercial and recreational navigation by providing real-time information regarding wind and wave conditions. Buoy data can be viewed on Seagull.
The Great Lakes Center is thrilled to be recognized for its efforts in managing this valuable resource. More information about the Dunkirk Buoy can be found on the GLC website.
