The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided targeted funds for increasing resilience in marine and coastal areas that are responsive to societal needs. GLOS received 2 years of BIL funding to upgrade and refurbish our aging observing system components to mitigate disruptions in information collection. In addition to platform upgrades, selected expansion activities were also supported that will help improve our understanding of the Great Lakes.
BIL Phase 1: 2022-2024
Upgrades and Expansion to Observing System
- Michigan Technological University’s (MTU) Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) upgraded 3 buoy sites. Two buoys received refurbishment, including new hulls. One site was upgraded from a Sofar Spotter buoy to a full-sized metocean buoy based on positive feedback from local stakeholders and anticipated value for the future.
- University of Michigan’s Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) maintains a number of buoys and this summer two of its most popular buoys, Ludington and Little Traverse Bay, were upgraded. Both buoys also received a complete refurbishment to make sure they are equipped for many years to come.
- University of Michigan personnel have modernized a Great Lakes Evaporation Network station in Lake Superior.
- University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Large Lake Observatory
- A new full-sized buoy has been added to western Lake Superior through partnership with the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
- To improve uncrewed systems capabilities for the Great Lakes region, a new Slocum G3 glider was procured by GLOS. This glider, yet to be named, will be operated by the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research and will replace a 2011 G2 glider.
Year-round Observing:
Two winter observation projects were funded.
- A co-led effort between Colorado School of Mines and MTU GLRC resulted in a wave buoy being deployed at 3 National Data Buoy Center buoy locations. As the NDBC buoys were recovered for winter, a Sofar Spotter buoy was deployed at the same site to provide year-round coverage of waves, sea surface temperature, and air temperature. These deployments were very popular with regional Weather Forecast Offices and other end users, so GLOS has chosen to continue this work as part of the Inflation Reduction Act funding that GLOS has received.
- Upstate Freshwater Institute modified their 3 summer buoys along the southern shoreline of Lake Ontario to be “winter ready” and deployed them for winter 2023-24 to obtain a year-round dataset of sub-surface temperatures, water currents, and turbidity.
Observing Contingency Fund
GLOS created a fund for emergency situations that platform operators and maintainers may encounter. It is set up as a rolling application so it can be responsive to immediate needs. GLOS hopes we can continue this fund into the future.
BIL Phase 2: 2025-2028