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Monitoring midlake water temperature in southern Lake Michigan for climate change studies

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Abstract

Recent studies of potential climatic change on Great Lakes fisheries (e.g. Meisner , 1987; Magnuson , 1990; Regieret al., 1990) and our general ignorance of the natural variability of the basic physical properties of the Great Lakes (McCormick, 1990) have demonstrated the need for a long-term observation program which is representative of the lake-wide environment. In April 1990 a site was established in Lake Michigan to continuously monitor the offshore thermal structure and vertical velocity profile. The site is located near the center of the lake's southern basin in 160 m of water. Temperature is measured at 16 depths (winter) to 28 depths (summer), and the horizontal velocity components are measured at 5 levels which allows us to characterize the offshore environment with high temporal resolution. The goals of this effort are to provide basic physical measurements to better describe the flow of energy through the lake ecosystem and to provide a basis against which future change can be better gauged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 2205 Commonwealth Blvd., 48105, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Michael J. McCormick & Jeffrey D. Pazdalski

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  1. Michael J. McCormick
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  2. Jeffrey D. Pazdalski
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McCormick, M.J., Pazdalski, J.D. Monitoring midlake water temperature in southern Lake Michigan for climate change studies. Climatic Change 25, 119–125 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01661201

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01661201

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