At the beginning of August, the R/V Lake Guardian began its month-long summer survey of water quality and food-web conditions in all five Great Lakes. Data collected will help protect human health and the environment by safeguarding water quality for drinking and recreation, assessing ecosystem stressors, and managing fisheries.
The summer survey offers a critical assessment of lake conditions when warmer surface water overlays colder bottom water—conditions which influence nutrient and oxygen levels, algal growth, organism distribution, and fish habitat.
EPA has conducted biannual sampling surveys since 1983, maintaining the longest-running and most extensive monitoring dataset for water quality and aquatic biota in the Great Lakes. The Lake Guardian is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which was launched in 2010 to protect and restore the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem.
To learn more, read the full press release on EPA’s website: EPA’s Research Vessel Lake Guardian Begins Summer Sampling of Great Lakes