Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) & Hypoxia
More than 48 million people in the U.S. and Canada rely on the Great Lakes as a source of clean drinking water. However, water quality problems caused by excess nutrients are putting some Great Lakes communities at risk. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can produce toxins that threaten human health. Hypoxia, or extremely low oxygen, can cause water to be corrosive, discolored, and contain manganese, a heavy metal that is toxic to humans at high levels. With our partners at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, CIGLR is engaging public utility managers to co-design HABs and hypoxia forecasts that provide the advance warning needed to ensure the delivery of safe and healthy water to Great Lakes communities. LEARN MORE
Agricultural Decision Support
When agricultural fertilizers are applied just before a heavy rainfall they can wash away into local waterways, costing farmers money and causing serious water quality problems. A collaborative effort led by the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) has produced a decision support tool to help farmers determine the best time to apply fertilizers based on weather forecasts and soil moisture conditions. CIGLR and our partners are working with NWS to improve the accuracy of the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast and evaluate its effectiveness for improving water quality, with the goal of providing farmers with an easy-to-implement best management practice that maximizes profit while protecting water quality. LEARN MORE
Lake Effect Snow & Ice
Winter weather brings challenges for commerce, risks for human safety, and opportunities for recreation to the Great Lakes region. Accurate forecasts of lake effect snow and lake ice conditions are important for community preparedness and industry decision-making, but have been difficult to develop. With our partners including the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and National Weather Service (NWS), CIGLR is developing models to improve lake effect snow forecasts, ice predictions, and visibility forecasts. We engage with Great Lakes mariners to help us co-design the products that they need for safe commerce, transportation, and search-and-rescue efforts. LEARN MORE
Water Levels & Coastal Flooding
Changing conditions on the Great Lakes coasts affect the daily lives of tens of millions of people, impact the multi-trillion dollar regional economy, and influence resource management decisions. The consequences of water level change for shipping, commerce, and human safety have been magnified by a dramatic swing from persistently low lake levels to record-high levels and devastating coastal flooding over the past two decades. With our partners at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, CIGLR is engaged in research to understand changes in water levels and to develop water level forecasts that improve human safety and assist water-dependent commerce. LEARN MORE