Lake Superior winter weather station

Abstract

Faced with limited Coast Guard resources and uncontrollable weather during the winter months. The National Data Buoy Center decided to establish a buoy station in Lake Superior as an experimental 'ice buoy' to report meteorological and oceanographic data year-round. The station was established on November 7, 1985, for long-term evaluation, which was still ongoing. A second ice buoy station was planned for a September 1988 deployment in northern Lake Michigan in order to broaden the scope of the experiment. It is concluded that all experience to date looks promising. In general, the technical considerations involved in year-round operation of large discus buoys on the Great Lakes are well understood as a result of the 'ice buoy' deployments to date.<>