Funded by a grant, LSPA’s June Fichter recently attended the October, 2009, GLEON (Global Lake Ecological Observation Network) conference held in Boulder Junction, WI. GLEON is an international grassroots network of limnologists, ecologists, information technology experts, and engineers. The group’s common goal is to build a scalable network of lake ecology observatories in order to improve understanding and management of lake ecosystems. Toward that end, GLEON now consists of scientists, researchers and managers and others from across the globe, working collaboratively to make fresh water lake information available to not only researchers, but policy makers and citizens as well. Each year the group meets to discuss current research, methods and instrumentation, networks and innovation, policies and issues.
The importance of people from various disciplines and cultures coming together to work on how lakes might better be understood and making that information readily available is not to be overstated. Less than 1% of the earth’s water is freshwater and of critical importance to mankind and ecosystems. GLEON, the idea of Tim Kratz of the University of Wisconsin, has its beginning at Trout Lake, WI and today extends around the world reaching more and more lakes. The group’s purpose and ideals were brought to Sunapee via LSPA by Kak Weathers, a long time Sunapee member. Dave Richardson, a post doctoral researcher working with Weathers on projects in Sunapee, and Cayelan Carey, a doctoral candidate working locally on gloeotrichia, also attended the conference and presented their work.
The 2009 GLEON workshops covered topics such as benthic-pelagic (lake bottom versus lake edges) and lake metabolism to microbes and climate physics. Internet technologies and outreach to citizen-scientists were also topics of discussions. Soon, as more and more projects lead to better understanding, valuable information can be shared with lake managers, policymakers and the public world-wide to help preserve and protect our valuable lakes.
LSPA is a member of GLEON and has an instrumented buoy in Lake Sunapee and will host the fall 2011 GLEON Conference at Lake Sunapee, NH. LSPA is also working with researchers on a new buoy data interface, which it will use on this website.
Date published on web site:
11-03-2009
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