NOAA involvement in the Great Lakes

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

&11OF
NOAA Involvement in

C.~ the Great Lakes

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
* ~~National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Estuarine Programs Office

GC
97.8
.G7
N6 3
1 988

sAT1 NOAA Involvement in

the Great Lakes

NT OF

April 1988

tI. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA
COASTAL SERVICES CENTER
2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413

Property of CSC Library

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
C. William Verity, Secretary
-~<~ ~ ~ ~National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
William E. Evans, Under Secretary
NOAA Estuarine Programs Office
Virginia K. Tippie, Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pagxe

introduction I

overview 2

NOAA Organization 3

National Ocean Service 4

National Weather Service 7

National Marine Fisheries Service 9

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
Information Service 9

office of oceanic and Atmospheric Research 11

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory 11

National Sea Grant Program 15

Suimmary 19

Figure I NOAA Organization Chart 21

INTRODUCTION

Estuaries are among the most productive of natural systems,
providing the Nation with a rich variety of goods and
services. They are important features of the Nation's coastal
regions, especially along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
They represent a transition zone between freshwater and marine
ecosystems. They are most commonly defined as semi-enclosed
coastal bodies of water having a free connection with the open sea
and within which seawater is measureably diluted with freshwater
from land drainage.

Although the definition of an estuary does not strictly apply to
the waters and shorelines of the Great Lakes, the bays and marshes
within this system serve many of the same functions as similar
areas in coastal regions. For this reason, NOAA and the NOAA
Estuarine Programs Office are involved in the search for solutions
to the many problems facing these inland freshwater seas and their
fragile and vulnerable wetlands resources. These concerns are
defined in the NOAA Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Science Framework
(October, 1987) .

OVERVIEW

Some 8,000 miles in length, the Great Lakes' coastline forms an
aquatic ecosystem which rivals in size and complexity the
continent's Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, and Arctic shores. Covering
95,000 square miles, the lakes contain one-fifth of all the fresh
water on earth. With outflow restricted by narrow connecting
channels, the lakes form an almost completely closed system. For
example, it takes Lake Superior 180 years to turn over its entire
volume of water. Shallow Lake Erie, with only three years'
replacement time is easier to pollute but responds more quickly to
-clean-up efforts. A profile of the Lakes appears below:

LAKE

Superior Huron Michigan Erie Ontario

Surface area
square miles 31,700 23,000 22,300 9,910 7,340

Average depth
feet 483 195 279 62 283

Volume
cubic miles 2,900 850 1,180 116 393

Replacement time 180 25 70 3 8
years
Source, National Geographic JuLy, 1987

The problems facing those who would manage this great expanse of
water were summed up recently by T. M. Mc~illian, Minister of the
Environment (Canada):

"The Great Lakes are a magnificent and priceless resource shared
by two of the world's most fortunate countries. It is the largest
freshwater surface on earth containing approximately eighteen
percent of the world's supply; the surrounding region is home to
one-quarter of Canada's population (thirteen percent of the United
States' population) and is an important element of the physical
and cultural heritage of North America.

The Lakes are a mystery. Time and again, they reject all attempts
at an adequate portrayal. Despite their mammoth size, they are
vulnerable to the assaults of pollution. Their calm exterior
belies the terrible destructive force of which they are capable.

Understanding and managing the Great Lakes are difficult tasks.
While most of the attention given to them over the past 15 to 20
years has focused on the question of water quality, the quantity
of water in the upper lakes system is also a serious concern.
Above average precipitation, compounded by storm surges, has
pushed water levels to record highs for all lakes except Lake
Ontario. The resultant flooding, soil erosion, and property damage
have wreaked havoc throughout the area. On I August, 1986, the
governments of Canada and the United States instructed the
International Joint Commission (IJC) to examine the report on
methods to alleviate such adverse effects in the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence River Basin. It is one of the most wide-ranging and
important references ever given to the Commission. The study will
address, among other topics, land use, climate change, and water
quality within the basin. (The Great Lakes United, Summer, 1987)."1

NOAA ORGANIZATION

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is
structured as indicated in Figure 1. The five Line offices
of NOAA, listed at the bottom of the diagram, represent the
managerial and research functions of the agency. These Line
organizations are:

National Ocean Service
National Weather Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

As can be seen from the titles alone, each of these groups has an
.expertise which can be applied to problems and management
questions facing the Great Lakes system. Although NOAA's primary
concerns center in our estuaries, coastal seas, and continental
shelf waters, there is a NOAA presence in the Great Lakes which
involves everything from Sea Grant Research Programs to ice
prediction using satellite imagery.

in order to make this presentation more meaningful, the role of
each Line Office will be described separately. Before beginning
this discussion, however, the NOAA Estuarine Programs Office
should be mentioned. This group is part of the Office of the NOAA
Chief Scientist and was formed to coordinate NOAA's estuarine
activities throughout the country. This document represents part
of this coordination function as it serves to describe, in one
place, NOAA's Great Lakes programs.

THE NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE

The National Ocean Service (NOS) has the responsibility of
updating and producing nautical charts for all United States
waters. This task extends to the Great Lakes where, in cooperation
with Canadian authorities, charting activities are carried out.
These surveys involve the use of the NOAA Fleet and Hydrographic
Field Parties. The Charting and Geodetic Services office within
NOS is also responsible for maintaining the national geodetic grid
into which all state and local surveyors must tie when determining
various land boundaries and object positions.

The Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment (OMA), within
NOS, is responsible for collecting water level data for the entire
Great Lakes basin watershed (295,000 square miles), and for
maintaining the International Great Lakes Datum of 1955 (IGLD
1955). In meeting these responsibilities, close 'coordination is
maintained with other Federal Agencies and Canadian counterparts.
Exchanges of water level data with Canada are made under treaties
that require regulation of operations and support of cooperative
power generation. These exchanges are coordinated under the
International Joint Commission (IJC), a group of six' commissioners
appointed by the President of the United States and the Prime
Minister of Canada. Parties involved in meeting the international
agreement include: several boards of control, IJC committees of
two Federal Agencies, eight states and two Canadian Provinces.

Beginning in 1970 (under authority of'Presidential Reorganization
Plan #4, now part of U.S. Code 33, Title 883), OMA's predecessor
organization began a program of monitoring and collecting water
levels, and maintaining a vertical control reference system for
the Great Lakes and their connecting channels. The program,
required by Congress and by international treaties, has a mission
of providing a hydraulic vertical reference datum by which the
governments of Canada and the United States manage water resources
in the Great Lakes basin. International management of water
resources in the Great Lakes basin is vital to ensuring the safety
of the Lakes' many users. The Great Lakes Program takes into
account fluctuations of the Lakes' water levels and outflows of
rivers relative to: regulation, lake level forecasting, shipping,
international hydroelectric power generation, construction,
dredging, litigation, and other water resource management and
development activities.

Currently, the Great Lakes Pr ogram is divided into office and
field functions to address: basic water level measurements,
vertical datums, earth movement (for the International Great Lakes
Datum), basin precipitation, abstracts of diversions, vertical
control support for hydrographic surveys, construction and
maintenance activities, and needs of user communities. Since 1973,
OMA has provided real-time data for emergency water planning
situations by using water level gauges with electronic telemetry
units. Now, 24 water level measurement units are operating in the
field; OMA plans to operate 50 field units by 1991 through the use
of improved, state-of-the-art electronic telemetry systems.

Permanent water level measurement stations are located in eight
Great Lakes states as follows:

New York 12 Stations of which 4 are telemetry
Pennsylvania I t o "1 1 0 If
Ohio 4 it11o 3 of
Mi~chigan 28 ito 12 it
Minnesota 3 it 2"
Wisconsin 4 of 2
Illinois I if I
Indiana No measurement stations operated

Additionally, NOAA operates six tidal observation stations in New
York and one tidal observation station in Pennsylvania. These
stations are not physically located within the Great.Lakes
drainage basin.

The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM)

Four Great Lakes states are participating in the Federal Coastal
Zone Management System: Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and
Wisconsin. Of the four non-participating states, Ohio and
Minnesota are developing state coastal zone management programs.
in Ohio, the Governor recently set up the Lake Erie Office to
develop a state coastal management program and to coordinate Lake
Erie programs and policies. In Minnesota, the Department of
Natural Resources is funding the North Shore Management Board to
develop a North Shore Management Plan.

The Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Program, approved in
1980, encompasses 63 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. Since 1980,
Pennsylvania has spent about $2,049,000.00 on coastal zone
management in the Lake Erie Coastal Zone. Recent activities
include developing a comprehensive waterfront plan for the City of
Erie, funding waterfront redevelopment projects, providing public
access and boating facilities at several locations, and providing
technical assistance to property owners and local governments
concerning high lake levels.

Approved in 1978, the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program
(MCZMP) covers 3,200 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan, Lake
Huron, and Lake Superior. The State has received about
$2,000,000.00 in Federal funding for each of the last three years,
with a total amount of $16,032,000.00 in Section 306 funds since
1978. Since 1974, OCRM has spent a total of $19,200,000.00 on
coastal zone management in Michigan. The Michigan Coastal Zone
Management Program has funded a large number of low-cost
construction projects (Section 306). Examples of 306A projects
include interpretive displays, historic preservation, public
access and park improvements. in addition, the State uses funds to
administer Shorelines Protection and Management Act, the Great
Lakes Submerged Lands Act, and the Sand Dune Protection and
Management Act. The MCZMP continues to develop the Great Lakes
Information System, a computerized geographical information
system.

The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program (WCMP) was approved in
1978; it encompasses 820 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan and-
Lake Superior. The WCMP received a total of $.9,457,000.00
in Section 306 funds during the period 1978-1987. The State has
received between $869,000.00 for each of the last three years.
Since'1974, OCRM has spend a total of $12,169,000.00 on coastal
zone management in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin coastal Management
Program targets several policy and program areas each year.
Recently, the WCMP has focused on developing regulations for the
disposal of dredged material, improving waterfront redevelopment,
and improving the management of shoreline erosion and flooding
areas.

The New York Coastal Program (NYCP), approved in August, 1980,
covers 1,049 miles of shoreline on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The
NYCP has spent about $500,000.00 per year for the last three
years on the Great Lakes portion of the program. The funds are
divided between general program administration, development 'and
implementation of local waterfront revitalization plans, low-cost
construction projects, and the mapping of erosion rates.

National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS)

This program operates under Section 315 of the Coastal Zone
Management Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-583) as amended, which
authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make financial assistance
awards to coastal states for up to 50 percent of the cost of
acquisition of wetlands and uplands surrounding the estuary and
for the development of associated research and educational
programs. Sanctuaries are representative of the Nation's various
ecosystem types. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System
(NERRS) protects thousands of acres of estuarine waters, marshes,
and shorelines. The goal of NERRS is to establish and manage a
system of Reserves representing different coastal regions and
estuarine types that exist in the United States and its
territories. Of the 17 designated Reserves, Old Woman Creek,
located on Ohio's Lake Erie Coast, is the only Great Lakes-type
estuary in the Program.

This 561 acre Reserve serves as a field laboratory where
scientists can study naturally functioning systems and where
students and the general public can learn about estuarine ecology
in a natural setting. The Reserve encompasses a variety of
habitats including freshwater marshes, swamp forests, barrier sand
beach, upland forests, open waters of the estuary, stream, and
nearshore Lake Erie.

Research on coastal saltwater estuaries has demonstrated the
importance of these wetlands in providing many natural and
cultural benefits. The objective of studies undertaken at Old
Woman Creek is to determine the extent that freshwater Great
Lakes-type estuaries and coastal marshes perform similar
functions. Research at Old Woman Creek is directed toward
analyzing-ecological relationships within this Great Lakes
environment and documenting existing environmental conditions
within the Reserve and monitoring changes as they occur. Studies
comparing this relatively unmanipulated natural system to similar
areas that have been affected by human activity are also
encouraged.

The objective of the old Woman-Creek educational program is
to provide a focus for increasing public awareness and
appreciation of Great Lakes~ coastal wetlands, as well as to
disseminate the results of research to legislators and other
coastal decision-makers. The format chosen to facilitate this
exchange of information concentrates an topics directly related to
estuaries and other coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes. Programs
range from illustrated slide talks and development of estuarine
ecology curricula for schools to college-credit workshops for
students and teachers, and a lecture series open to the general
public.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

The National Weather Service (NWS) is one of the best known of
NOAA's Line Offices. Because NWS forecasts the weather, a factor
that affects our daily lives, the work 'carried out by this "LO"1
results in products which can be read in daily newspapers, watched
on television, or heard on the radio. The National Weather Service
(NWS) responsibilities in the Great Lakes are in the form of
routine forecasts and warnings, training of ship crews to perform
and record weather observations, the receipt and analysis of these
observations from lake vessels, and the maintenance of shipboard
observation equipment.

The Great Lakes are home to some of the most severe weather in the
country. Those who live in other parts of the country are well
aware of the violent winter storms which can threaten shipping and
endanger life and property. Because of their variations in depth,
strong winds cause different problems in diff~erent lakes. In
deeper water, large waves and shore erosion result. In shallower
areas, such as'Lake Erie, storm driven oscillations within the
basin (called a 11seiche") can reduce the water depth in western
Lake Erie to the point at which ships must be immediately notified
of the conditions.
7

NWS is involved in all these predictions and is currently working
with other parts of NOAA to upgrade their equipment and increase
the applicability and timeliness of their forecasts. These efforts
include a 25-year storms statistic study, a Forecasters Handbook,
and increased training for observers. Hardware to support this
program will comprise Shipboard Environmental (data) Aquisition
Systems (SEAS), expendable bathythermograph probes, real-time
water level data, a new generation of water level gauges. The
development of a dynamic wave prediction model, wind field model,
and a coupled wind/wave model are also underway at this time. NWS
will also use improved satellite techniques to predict ice
conditions within the Great Lakes basin.

Because of recent high water levels in the Great Lakes new,
special forecasts have been issued daily for expected water levels
as the result of wind buildup. These forecasts are significant to
coastal flooding and erosion interests. Another special problem is
winter ice that builds up at the mouths of rivers entering the
Lakes. Under extreme conditions, ice dams develop causing local
flooding upriver. These conditions are now monitored and a
cooperative program with the Corps of Engineers acts to clear the
ice when forecasts call for such buildups. NWS cooperates with the
Sea Grant Program to augment marine weather observations by trying
to increase the numaber of observations in the near shore (<5
mile) area. Of interest here are winds, wave heights, water
temperature, visibility, and present weather. Specialized
forecasts are also prepared for other water interests such as
sailing and power boat races, yacht clubs, and boating safety
training. Centralized forecast offices for the Great Lakes region
are located in:
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Chicago, Illinois
Cleveland, Ohio
Buffalo, New York

THE NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

As the title indicates, the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) plays a major role in the Nation's estuaries, coastal seas,
and continental shelf waters. For this reason, NMFS has a limited
presence in the Great Lakes region and their Great Lakes program
is the responsibility of the Northeast Regional Fisheries Office
in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Fisheries program activities in the Great Lakes include:

1. Grants programs - NMFS administers, through its Northeast
Regional Office, three grant programs: the Commercial Fisheries
Research and Development act (which expired in October, 1987
and was replaced with a substitute grant program; the Inter-
jurisdictional Fisheries Act); the Anadromous Fish Conservation
Act; and the Saltonstall-Kennedy Fisheries Research and
Development Program. Anadromous Grant Program activities are
coordinated with the Fish and Wildl-ife Service of the
Department of the Interior.

2. Fishery products inspection - NMFS provides fishery products
inspection services on a fee basis to private firms.

3. Great Lakes Fishery Commission - NMFS serves as an advisor to
the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

4,i General liaison - the Northeast Regional Office has
established a formal liaison function for the Great Lakes
activities, particularly to coordinate agency activities with
Sea Grant. The liaison officer is located at the NMFS
Laboratory in Oxford, Maryland.

THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE. DAA AND INFORMATION
SERVICE

The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information
Service (NESDIS) contributes many products and services to the
Great Lakes region. This involvement can be described as follows,
using the various offices within the NESDIS structure as reference
points.

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC)

NODC receives data each month from the NOAA Data Buoy Center for
the eight environmental data buoys located in the Great Lakes.
Parameters measured are: barometric pressure, wind speed, wind
direction, wind gusts, air temperature, significant wave height,
wave spectra, and sea surface temperature. These data cover the
time interval from 1979 to the present. In addition, NODC archives
GEOSAT altimeter (winds, waves, water height) data. Some data for
the Great Lakes are available. The coverage is limited because of
the closeness of the land areas; however, some useful information
is generated during each 34 day satellite cycle.

The Ocean Pollution Data and Information Network (OPDIN)

OPDIN markets and disseminates the publication, "Inventory of Non-
Federal Funded Marine Pollution Research Development and
Monitoring Activities - Great Lakes Region" (May, 1985). This
office creates and periodically revises, markets, and disseminates
the publication, "Handbook of Federal Systems and Services for
Marine Pollution Information," and provides searches of large
automated data bases containing extensive records of Federal
Agency "grey literature" concerning national marine pollution
activities.

Assessment and Information Services (AISC)

AISC prepares monthly assessments of temperature and precipitation
impacts for the Nation. The National Environmental Data Referral
Service (NEDRIS), also part of AISC, is an on-line computer
catalog of information and environmental data. NEDRES describes
holdings from the Great Lakes which include NOAA and non-NOAA
activities.

National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)

NGDC maintains an archive of approximately 3 'million bathymetric
soundings for the Great Lakes. A bottom sediment data archive of
approximately 15,000 samples is maintained and is being used to
study the past climate history of the Great Lakes region.

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)

NSIDC maintains an archive of Great Lakes ice data from the Great
Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (which will be described
later). Data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program as
well as reports from cooperative observers aboard ship are *also
collected. Records of ice type and ice age are put into a digital
data base which dates from 1955 to the present. In addition to
these activities, NSIDC receives ice concentration from the
brightness temperatures recorded by the Scanning Multichannel
Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and is involved in an experimental
maintenance of GEOSAT land geophysical data records. NSIDC plans
to obtain and archive brightness temperatures on a 12.5 km grid
from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imagery (SSM/I). The
temperatures will be converted to ice concentrations on a daily
basis.

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

NCDC maintains an archive of surface marine synoptic data from the
Great Lakes which includes information from ships, buoys, and
Coast Guard observations (Radar summaries and radar film of radar
sites adjacent to the Great Lakes and an archive of cooperative
networks of synoptic meterological data). NCDC also produces a
Summary of Synoptic Meteorological Observations (SSMO) for the
Great Lakes. This summary includes winds, waves, sea temperature,
and an overall climatology which is updated as required.

The Satellite Data Systems Division of NCDC maintains Great Lakes
temperature charts that are retrospective charts from the ocean
Products Center and are hard copy charts produced on a daily
basis. Archives of GOES data (1976 - Present) and data from the
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) are also
available from this office. The latter includes data tapes which
cover the Great Lakes from the NOAA polar orbiting satellite.

The Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution (SDPD)

SDPD generates biweekly water temperature data using the AVHRR
Great Lakes information and available buoy observations. The
output from this effort is a printer plot. SDPD provides GOES
data using I km visible imagery to generate ice analysis for the
Great Lakes ice season. Data are forwarded to the Navy/NOAA Joint
Ice Center and are analyzed from satellite and ship reports.
There are also plans within SDPD to develop an objective automated
7 km analysis using a personal computer image processing system.

Office of Research and Application

This office conducts research for sea surface temperatures from
AVHRR data over the Great Lakes. Intense inversion over the Lakes
results in remotely sensed AVHRR sea surface temperature up to 2
degrees higher than actual sea-truth readings. The solution of
this problem is one of the efforts in which this group is
involved.

OFFICE OF OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is involved
in climatic and atmospheric research, the Sea Grant and other
extramural programs, and the Environmental Research Laboratories.
OAR's involvement in the Great Lakes basin is reflected in their
administration of the Sea Grant Programs and in the programs and
investigations carried out by the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory (GLERL)

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) was
established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
on April 25, 1974, to provide a focus for NOAA's environmental
research on the Great Lakes. GLERL was formed by combining the
staff of the International Field Year for the Great Lakes Project
Office (IFYGL, Rockville, Maryland), with the Limnology and
Computer Divisions of NOAA's Lake Survey Center (Detroit,
Michigan). The Laboratory was opened in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in
August, 1974.

GLERL's mission statement (1982) is as follows:

"Conducts integrated, interdisciplinary environmental research
in support of resource management and environmental services in
coastal and estuarine waters with special emphasis on the Great
Lakes. The laboratory performs field, analytical, and Laboratory
investigations to improve understanding and prediction of coastal
and estuarine processes and interdependences with the atmosphere,
Land, and sediments. It places special emphasis on a systems
approach to problem-oriented environmental research in order to
develop environmental service toots. It provides assistance to
resource managers and others in obtaining and applying the
information and services developed by the laboratory."

GLERL's research addresses major Great Lakes and national
environmental issues, including water quality (toxic chemicals,
nutrient overenrichment), water quantity (lake levels, water
supply, diversions, consumptive use, management), and physical
hazards (waves, storm surges, flooding, and ice). GLERL
researchers often engage in team efforts with scientists at
universities or with other agencies in the U.S. and Canada.
GLERL's products are information and improved technologies and
methods. These products are disseminated through a variety of
means, including refereed journals, NOAA Technical Series
documents, posters and presentations at local, national, and
international meetings and public gatherings, and by direct
interactions with users. The latter includes national and local
governments, international, Federal, state, and private agencies,
industry, academia, and the general public.

GLERL is organized into five scientific groups that conduct both
basic and applied research on major environmental problems and
issues, plus a number of support units that provide technical,
operational, and administrative assistance to the scientific
staff.

Lake Hydrology Group - This group investigates the hydrologic and
hydraulic processes that affect the water supply to, and amount of
water in, the Great Lakes; they provide improved methods of
forecasting lake levels and for simulating river flows. Research
is conducted in order to characterize and increase our
understanding of the seasonal ice and snow cover in the Great
Lakes basin.

Synthetic Organics and Particle Dynamics Group - This division
studies the processes that control the movement and interactions
of trace contaminants in the Great Lakes and coastal marine
ecosystems; their research increases our understanding of, and
leads to an improved ability to predict, the behavior, fate, and
effects of contaminants in the natural environment.

Ecosystem and Nutrient Dynamics Group - This group studies the
ecological systems of the Great Lakes and coastal marine
environments, focusing on factors and processes that affect
ecological succession and control the flow of nutrients and
biological energy through the food web; they provide and improve
tne information used by resource managers for making decisions
that impact both water quality and living resources.

Physical Limnnology and Meteorology Group - This group explores the
physical variables that characterize a lake environment and the
manner in which those characteristics change with external forces,
such as wind, heat exchange, and connecting channel flows; the
results of their research help alleviate or reduce the impact of
physical hazards and contaminant transport on both the environment
and the people who use it.

Environmental Systems Studies Group - The scientists develop
models of environmental systems based on the premise that cost-
effective management of our natural resources require that we
consider the competing human, economic, regulatory, and ecological
factors; they use these models to evaluate and compare the
probable costs vs. benefits of resource management plans, and to
identify alternative plans that optimize the balance between
competing demands'on the marine environment.

The scientific groups are supported by a network of services
which include:

* a Marine Instrumentation Laboratory, where instruments and
systems for hands-on and automated field collection of data
are designed, built, and maintained;

* a Computer Systems GrouD that maintains GLERL's in-house
computer network, that interfaces with off-site' mainframe
and super computers, and provides related user support to
the GLERL staff and others;

* an Information Services'GrouD that is responsible for
providing editorial and publications support to the GLERL
staff, distributing GLERL publications, and responding to
related information requests;

* a Library that maintains a research collection tailored to
GLERL staff needs and which offers special retrieval
services for materials not in existing holdings;

* the R/V SHENEHON, GLERL's research vessel and primary plat-
form used by GLERL staff for field operations on the lakes;
and

* an Administrative office that- provides personnel,-budget,
purchasing, and facility information and management.

The GLERL Research Program: An Overview (1987)

GLERL's multidisciplinary research program includes both basic and
applied studies and combines experimental, theoretical, and
empirical approaches with field, analytical, and laboratory
investigations in support of the Ocean and Great Lakes Prediction
Research Program of NOAA. It addresses: (1) the need for new and
improved simulation and prediction models of ecosystem structure
and function, and the effects of stresses and proposed remedial
options, and (2) the needs to assess other options while taking
systems dynamics and dimensions into account. Two elements of the
Ocean and Great Lakes Prediction Research Programs provide the
focus for GLERL research: Marine Ecosystems Assessment, and
Marine Hazards and Lake Hydrology.

Another major program supported by GLERL is the Upper Great Lakes
Connecting Channels Study, which focuses on water quality and
ecosystem dynamics in the upper Great Lakes connecting channels.
The lead U.S. agency for this study is the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), but GLERL scientists have significant
roles in both the management of the project and the research
conducted for it. GLERL support for this project is partially
funded by EPA; the rest is provided under both the Marine
Ecosystenis Assessment and the Marine Hazards and Lake Hydrology
elements of the NOAA Program.

Marine Ecosystems Assessment

The Marine Ecosystems Assessment research program at GLERL is
designed to: (1) improve our understanding of, and predictions
related to, natural marine ecosystems, physical phenomena, and the
effect 'of human-induced stresses on the ecosystem; and (2) help
provide a sound scientific basis for management decisions
pertinent to marine resources, marine polution, and environ-
mentally sensitive marine activities. GLERL projects include
investigations into the short- and long-term effects of human,
agricultural, and industrial wastes on aquatic life and water
quality, particularly in the nearshore zone (the area of maximum
use and conflict); the structure and function of aquatic
ecosystems and the effects of human activities on those
ecosystems; the measurement, analysis, and prediction of physical
phenomena such as currents, river flows, and air-water-sediment
interactions; and sedimentary fluxes and processes, especially
sediment-contaminant interactions.

Marine Hazards and Lake Hydrology

Marine Hazards and Lake Hydrology research focuses on: (1)
improving prediction of environmental phenomena associated with
the National Weather Service (NWS) marine warning and forecasting
services and the U.S. Army--Corps of Engineers (COE) regulation of
Great Lakes water flow; and (2) providing better tools and methods
for short- and'long-term assessments of water resources of large

lakes. GLERL research in these areas includes field and analytical
investigations to develop simulation and prediction models of
o-,yer-water wind and wind waves, water surface oscillations, storm
surges, and flooding; lake ice formation, growth, movement, and
break up; hydrological lake levels, water supplies and balance,
and flows in the connecting channels. GLERL staff work closely
with colleagues at the forecasting and warning service agencies to
assure that GLERL products meet the needs of the operations
forecasters. Products released to the user community continue to
be improved by GLERL researchers, either by fine-tuning, or by the
addition of new tools and capabilities.

Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study

The Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study (UGLCCS) is an
international (United States - Canada) and interagency multiyear
study of water quality and ecosystem dynamics in the upper Great
Lakes connecting channels. Study areas include the St. Marys
River, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River;
all are designated by the International Joint Commission (IJC) as
"Areas of Concern" in which environmental quality is degraded, and
beneficial uses of the water and biota are adversely affected.
The goals of this study are: (1) to determine the existing
environmental condition of the study-areas; (2) to identify and
quantify the effects of contaminant loading on human and ecosystem
uses of the study areas; (3) to determine the adequacy of existing
or proposed programs for ensuring or restoring beneficial uses;
and (4) to recommend appropriate programs for protecting study
areas.

The National Sea Grant Program

The National Sea Grant College Program represents a national,
grassroots-based capability which is essential to the future of
U.S. marine resources. Sea Grant is dedicated to the national goal
of promoting the understanding, development, utilization, and
conservation of ocean and coastal resources through university-
based research, education, and advisory services. The program is
administered through NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research (OAR). Of particular interest to this presentation is the
Great Lakes Sea Grant Regional Network.

The Great Lakes Sea Grant Regional Network includes programs in
New York, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois-
Indiana. A common aim of these programs is to foster wise use of
the natural resources of the Great Lakes. To this end, Sea Grant's
efforts in the Great Lakes encompass a wide array of resource
needs and topics, including water quality and contaminant issues,
restoration of Great Lakesi fisheries, aquaculture, economic
development, and marine engineering. Examples of the projects
undertaken by members of the Sea Grant Regional Network are listed
below:

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program has been instrumental in
developing the charterboat industry in this bi-state region.
Efforts undertaken include publication of a directory of all
licensed boat charter and livery services in these two states;
institution of a MAREP (Marine Reporting Program) system with the
National Weather Service to provide timely weather forecasts for
fishermen; and development of a salmonid diet study which will be
used by managers charged with the maintenance and utilization of
the fisheries resouces of Lake Michigan.

The Michigan Sea Grant College Program recently has been involved
in cold water near-drowning research. Hundreds of lives have been
saved worldwide as a result of Sea Grant research and education on
cold water near-drowning and revival techniques. The research
involved in this study demonstrated that people submerged for more
than 4 minutes, especially in cold water, could survive with
little or no after effects. In fact, victims immersed for as much
as an hour have been saved and fully revived as a result of this
highly important program.

An extensive outreach program was implemented to disseminate the
results of the Michigan Sea Grant research. In Michigan, this
involved Sea Grant field agents working together with members of
the Coast Guard and the Michigan State Police. First responders
(firemen, police, sheriffs, and water rescue personnel) were
educated in the use of the newly developed techniques along with
emergency room personnel. As a result of this program, the Coast
Guard estimates a 25 percent reduction in drowning fatalities
currently and a projected reduction of another 25 percent as
training-continues. As a result of these similar outreach efforts
by other elements of the Sea Grant Regional Network, these
techniques for reviving drowning victims have become standard
throughout the country.

The Minnesota Sea Grant Program is conducting a broad research,
education, and extension program addressing issues and
opportunities in its Great Lakes region. Aquaculture programs
range from fundamental research to extension workshops and
publication efforts. Basic studies on the cryopreservation of
fish sperm have shown that sperm can be preserved successfully at
-320 F. Genetic engineering is being applied to the lake trout.
Research is underway to develop techniques for the successful
insertion of growth hormone genes into the trout and then to
evaluate the growth and fitness parameters of resulting transgenic
fish.

Of major concern has been the presence and fate of toxic chemicals
in Lake Superior. An extensive research program has found that,
in this most pristine of the Great-Lakes, almost all inputs of
toxic substances such as PCBs are through the atmosphere. PCBs
enter the Lake during intense precipitation events, and then are
released back into the atmosphere by volatilization at the lake

surface. Decreasing atmospheric and water column inputs suggest
the Lake now is a source of PCBs to the atmosphere. Removal of
PQBs from the lake by volatilization and sedimentation is
relatively efficient, taking between 2-6 years.

The Minnesota Sea Grant Program has an active extension component,
J ~ with agents and specialists addressing problems and opportunities
in aquaculture, coastal erosion, water quality, recreation and
tourism, and marine education. Of particular note is an
educational program to provide scholarships for study in the
marine sciences for American Indians.

The New York Sea Grant Program has introduced the Pacific salmon
population in Lake Ontario with great success. The New York Sea
Grant Program, through research and extension., has helped
communities and businesses along the Lake to respond by
developing a major sport fishery. This fishery has become an
important economic asset -- $100 million, annually. New York Sea
Grant Program research efforts led to an improved understanding of
salmon distribution. This information fostered the development of
a viable charterboat industry. Five years ago, there were no
charterboats operating in Lake Ontario, today there are 500.

Ash and scrubber wastes produced by electrical generating plants
burning coal are a major disposal problem. The idea of combining
these wastes and compressing them into solid blocks was presented
to Sea Grant. It was found that, although the blocks contain toxic
materials, they do not leach these to the marine or freshwater
environment and so can be used safely for various purposes; one of
these is the construction of artificial reefs. One mid-west
utility is now building a coal-waste block reef in Lake Michigan.

The Ohio Sea Grant Program has also been active in artificial -reef
applications. Lake Erie is the shallowest, most organically
enriched, and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes. It
produces more fish, annually, for human consumption than the other
four Great Lakes combined. Between 1976 and 1984, the number of
walleye harvest in Lake Erie increased from 111,000 to 3,000,000
and the number of charterboats increased from 34 to over 600.
Most of this fishery production, harvest and recreational
development is associated with the western basin of the lake with
its many natural reefs. These provide natural habitats and
spawning sites for many of the lake's most desired sport species.

The Ohio Sea Grant Program has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to develop
and implement an artificial reef program in the central basin of
Lake Erie. Using materials that were often donated by coastal
communities, the program has established reefs that hiave improved
recreational fishing in the area and have provided an opportunity
-for scientists to test hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of
artificial reefs in fishery management.

The Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is the largest of the six
Sea Grant organizations in the Great Lakes area. Major emphases
have been placed on studies of pollution dynamics and effects, the
relationship of trophic dynamics to fish populations, fisheries
management, aquaculture, Great Lakes coastal processes, and diving
physiology. A few examples of these interests are provided below.

Understanding the factors that control the distribution and fate
of nutrients and toxic organics in the Great Lakes is of major
concern to the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program. In this regard,
support has been provided for the development of improved chemical
analytical techniques and long-term generic studies of the
physical chemistry of toxic pollutants, the physico-chemical
interactions between toxicants and particulates (living and non-
living), and the rate and magnitude of particulate flux in coastal
systems. The aim of these efforts is to develop a data base that
will permit more accurate predictions of pollutant behavior in
Great Lakes ecosystems, using environmental models that currently
are available or that are under development.

The Fox River and adjacent Green Bay estuary are the receiving
waters for significant quantitites of nutrients and toxic
substances, including PCBs. This embayment has been identified as
one of the Internaional Joint Commission's 42 Great Lakes "hot
spots" and is site of a ten-year program of basic and applied
contaminant studies by the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program. Much of
the resulting information formed the foundation of the recently-
completed Remedial Action Plan for the clean up of Green Bay.
This was developed under the aegis of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Wisconsin Sea Grant information on Green Bay
also was a major factor in the choice of this system as the site
for EPA's contaminants "Mass Balance Study."

As a result of pollution, extensive stocking practices, and
invasion by exotic species such as the sea lamprey and alewife,
the fisheries of take Michigan have undergone considerable
modification over the past century. As such, the lake forms an
ideal laboratory for examining the effects of various human
activities on natural systems. Wisconsin Sea Grant scientists,
together with their colleagues from other coastal states, have
spent considerable effort in examining the relative importance of
predation-related ("top-down") vs. nutrient-related ("bottom-up")
control of coastal food webs. This line of inquiry also has led
to the development of a bioenergetics model as a means for
evaluating predator-prey interactions and energy fluxes between
trophic levels in the Great Lakes. This model currently is being
test-applied to systems around the country, and eventually may
become and important tool for fisheries management.

Recent fluctuations in water levels in the Great Lakes and the
future of freshwater resources in this largest reservoir in the
world, are of major concern to the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.
Tne high lake levels of the mid-1980s provide an excellent example
of the program's response. Extraordinary lake levels produced
severe erosion along many portions of the coast, threatening
boats, roads, homes, and municipal facilities such as sewage
treatment plants. Wisconsin Sea Grant advisory personnel worked
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies to warn
of impending dangers and to assist in developing shore-protection
strategies. Present efforts are directed at working with relevant
public and private agencies (e.g., banks and insurance companies)
to build an awareness of the need for erosion protection and
appropriate set-backs in siting future developments.

The Benefits of the Sea Grant Program

The Sea Grant concept -- to develop integrated and well-planned
competitive research programs, and to follow-up with transfer of
information to potential users through education and advisory
service -- is unique within NOAA. This approach has been of
unquestionable benefit to the Nation as a whole, as well as to the
Great Lakes region. Highly effective resource management
strategies have resulted in fisheries, water quality and coastal
zone management because of Sea Grant activities. in many cases,
these lessons have been transferable to marine systems. Sea
Grant activities have contributed millions of dollars to the
economy of the Great Lakes, and the well-being of life and
property have been enhanced. Sea Grant thus is a vital, integral
part ofthe bi-national community of agencies, institutions, and
commissions concerned with the wise management and use of the
Great Lakes.

SUMMARY

The Great Lakes basin is a large and diverse ecosystem. The lakes
share many of the same problems as our northeastern coastal
estuarine system which also suffers from the impacts of ever-
increasing population pressure, the affects of a century-old
industrial complex, and the continued inflow of toxics and
undesirable nutrients. For these reasons NOAA maintains a presence
in these waters. Many of NOAA's contributions to the well-being of
the Great Lakes Community are either very well known (National
Weather Service) or, perhaps, virtually unknown. The information
contained in this paper was compiled to describe NOAA's
involvement on America's "Fourth Coast" and demonstrates how the
Nation's ocean and atmosphere agency serves its constituents.

Comments or suggestions may be submitted to:

Commander Carl R. Berman, Jr, NOAA, Ph.D.
NOAA Estuarine Programs Office, CSEP
1825 Connecticut Ave NW Rm. 625
Washington DC 20235

FTS 673-5243
(202) 673-5243

Requests for copies of this document may be addressed to:
Ms. Alice Roberson
Publications Coordinator
at the same address noted above.

April 1988

U.S., DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

UNDER SECRETARY
FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE,
Naval D~eputy AND ADMINISTRATOR chie scientist
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR OEANSI
AND ATMOSPHERE
AND DEPUTY ADMINISTRAO

General Legislative Publairc Comptroller
Counsel Attairs Afar

I I NOAA 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Aircraft
I Administration CrsOperaitrios

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATORASITNADNSRTOASSATAMNSRTR
NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE. OFFICE OF
DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICE OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

* Oaring and Geodetic Services *Meteonroloy Fishreries Resource Management Satellites *Ceamillo and Atriraphee Research
*Oceanography arnd Manne Assessment . Ilydsrology *FrsheneS Managerimit *Satellite Operations * e Grant wet bararnrail Programrs
*Ocea aNo Coastal Peaw"ec Manaiagelrnl I Systemrs Operations . '* hoty Semmies Satellite Data PrmeeSSIng and Distribution thEnneoeental Research Labratories
Mn Opme treations *Systems Developmrent In mternatoal Fisheries *Research and Ayrpllcations
*Ocean Seesres *Natieeal Meteorological Center *Protected 5Stecies Rid Kialata Canseravatnt systems Development
*National Weather Service Trawnarg Center *Eiikicoment Information Servies
N tNatml Data cendyCter *Regions (5) A Asessment and Intormnationi Services
* Re~~~~~nes (6) ~~~~Science and Technology *National olimate Data Canto,
*Resource rvestigatmnes * ainlOceanngrapttic Data center
oData and irdormatmine management *National Geophysical Data Center
* Uihation Research
*Fisheies Coolers (4) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Figure 1-NOAA Organization Chart