News, real-time data and weekly forecasts at www.great-lakes.net/levels
Water level products aid boaters, maritime community

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- With water levels on the Great Lakes continuing a downward trend, the Great Lakes Commission is offering new online services to aid the shipping community, shoreline property owners, boaters and all other recreational users of the Great Lakes.

The Commission has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to make monitoring, research, and related data and information readily available via the Commission-managed Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN). This partnership is producing many notable products, including a NOAA regional data portal for water level observations, now available via GLIN at www.great-lakes.net/levels

Additional products will include a “Current Lake Conditions” section on GLIN, which, in addition to water level data, will highlight weather, water temperatures, wave heights, boating advisories, maritime security tips, lock/bridge updates and more. All products were produced in cooperation with NOAA’s National Ocean Service – Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (NOS CO-OPS).

“Our partnership with the Great Lakes Commission has been critical in providing more efficient access to our online information for Great Lakes decisionmakers,” said Michael Szabados, director of NOS CO-OPS. “Everyone from coastal managers concerned about flooding to the navigation community in need of real-time water level data will benefit from this project.”

NOS manages a suite of premier web tools for acquiring and distributing vital environmental measurements, including water levels, currents, winds, air and water temperature and related hydrologic and meteorological data.

Further insight into the Great Lakes’ dramatic fluctuations in recent years is available in Living with the Lakes,” a joint publication of the Great Lakes Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This definitive yet easy-to-read guide answers such questions as: What causes these fluctuations? Can anyone predict when the current low levels will rise? Can lake levels be controlled? How can shoreline property be protected?

The 40-page, full-color publication covers the glacial history of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system; the hydrologic cycle; lake level fluctuations; human influences on lake levels; regulating, measuring and forecasting levels; effects of fluctuations; and structural and nonstructural options for shoreline protection. Also included are comprehensive maps, points of contact, and recommendations on web sites, videos and other publications.

Print or request your free copy today by visiting www.glc.org/living

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Samuel W. Speck (Ohio), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency created by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials, and governors' appointees from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.