By Chad Pelishek, Director of Planning and Development
A team from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), which is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is leading an effort to map areas of Lake Michigan off the Wisconsin coastline. Planning for this project began in 2016. In 2017, the team worked off of Manitowoc’s coastline and in 2018 is working off of Sheboygan’s coastline.
The team is conducting new offshore lakebed mapping and interpreting existing coastal topography bathymetry data. The project will update nautical charts (most data is from the 1950s), produce detailed habitat classification maps, and improve understanding of underwater maritime heritage, invasive mussels, and nuisance algae. The mapping effort supports a marine ecosystem and also benefits research efforts by state, regional, national, and university partners.
To promote future lakebed mapping and engage partners, the team has gathered information from stakeholders using an online survey prioritization tool; this effort dovetails with a broader Great Lakes-wide mapping coordination initiative led by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Partners such as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, Wisconsin Historical Society, U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have been involved in selecting the mapping area. The maps and a final report will be available to researchers, resources managers, and the general public.
On Saturday, June 9, the mapping research team hosted a student team from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium for a day of hands-on-experience aboard the RV Storm. The research vessel docked at the Harbor Centre Marina. Chicago’s Adler Planetarium is America’s first planetarium and serves as a premier resource for inspiring the next generation of space explorers. The Adler team learned about the mapping process, sonar technology, and worked on fine tuning their own equipment that is being developed to search for meteorites that fell in Lake Michigan in February 2017.
NOAA formed NCCOS in 1999 as the focal point for NOAA’s coastal ocean science efforts. NCCOS helps NOAA meet its coastal stewardship and management responsibilities as well as provide coastal managers with the scientific information necessary to decide how best to protect environmental resources and public health, preserve valued habitats, and improve the way communities interact with coastal ecosystems. For more information, visit coastalscience.noaa.gov.
The survey team is reviewing data collected by a multibeam echosounder. Left to right: Jen Kraus (NCCOS), John Bright (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary), and Will Sautter (NCCOS).
The survey team is configuring a multibeam echosounder and side scan sonar system to survey the lakebed of Lake Michigan. Left to right: Will Sautter (NCCOS), Jen Kraus (NCCOS), Brent Johnston (Solmar Hydro Inc.), and Travis Smith (NOAA – Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory).
The NOAA Research Vessel Storm docked at the Harbor Centre Marina in Sheboygan as scientists got ready to start a day of lakebed surveys; Will Sautter (NCCOS) is on the deck.