Lake Michigan buoy to improve forecasts of coastal storms

The Great Lakes Observing System plans to deploy a buoy close to Grand Haven, Mich. that will provide nearshore data to the National Weather Service and surrounding communities. It’s slated to be placed in summer 2013, according to a release from the organization.

LimnoTech, an environmental engineering and consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Mich., was chosen to deploy and maintain the buoy, which will record air, wind and water statistics. Meteorologists say measurements from the buoy will improve forecasts of coastal storms, helping to protect drinking water supplies and aiding the U.S. Coast Guard in search and rescue missions.

Funding for the project comes from the Coastal Storms Program, an initiative led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reduce the loss of life and negative impacts from coastal storms, such as Hurricane Katrina. The program will oversee the buoy project through the end of 2015, when LimnoTech intends to partner with a local organization to continue the buoy’s operation.

Image: The Lake Michigan coast at Grand Haven, Mich. (Credit: takomabibelo, via Flickr)