On Monday, August 27, LSPA (Lake Sunapee Protective Association) launched the first GLEON (Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network) buoy in the northeast United States. The buoy will measure in-lake and surface meteorological parameters every 10 minutes throughout the year.
This will make Lake Sunapee the first northeast freshwater body to join with lakes in Wisconsin, and faraway lakes in Taiwan, New Zealand, and others in what is a global network of freshwater data gathering. The Sunapee data will become part of the GLEON database, enabling both local and international scientists to study trends in fresh water bodies. This is particularly important as concerns about climate change and human influences affect freshwater lakes and ponds locally and across the globe. The LSPA buoy will measure dissolved oxygen, temperature throughout the water column, photo-synthetically active radiation, wind direction and speed, humidity and air temperature. Other instruments can be added in the future.
LSPA’s volunteers, a small cadre of retired engineers, together with students from Thayer School of Engineering, have been working on the buoy design for a year. GLEON buoys to date have been designed separately in each country, focusing on local requirements. The LSPA buoy design goals were to make it a robust design, easily deployed and maintained, and affordable for other lakes. According to LSPA Executive Director, June Fichter: ”We absolutely could not have done this project without a unique set of skills available to us: electronic, software and mechanical engineers, an engineering class to help, welding expertise, professional deep dive experience, and contacts at WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) and the Chase Center for Oceanography at UNH. Really, it is an outstanding lineup!”
The project concept began as LSPA’s scientist on sabbatical, Dr. Kak Weathers, became aware of GLEON through her academic colleagues. After investigating the potential benefits to Lake Sunapee and the Sunapee area, it was decided that it could be done here. The project was funded by the Frey Foundation, and Fichter and Robert Wood visited Trout Lake, WI. the center of limnology, to learn more about the details of GLEON buoys.
Members of the LSPA buoy team include: John Merriman, Dean Stetson of GK Stetson Blacksmiths, in Newport, NH, Peter Fichter; Dartmouth graduate students: Albert Kang, Terrence Irving, and Ryan Wheeler; scientists Kak Weathers and Kathy Cottingham; Wayne LaPorte of LaPorte Divers, Newbury, NH; and LSPA staff, Robert Wood and Ian Rogers.. “The NH Marine Patrol was also part of the team. We discussed the project early on with them, and they were very open to the idea. As we went along we discussed where to deploy the buoy and the mooring details. They were a great help” Fichter commented.
LSPA and GLEON hope to learn more about how lakes work and their responses to environmental influences and changes. “It is wonderful to have scientists worldwide be analyzing data from your lake, from your area. And we are contributing data to the global database.” Fichter notes. The buoy has a bright yellow Surlyn base, with ballast, a three point mooring system and a topside framework, also yellow. It lies within a navigational restricted zone, so as not to interfere with boat traffic. It is identified with “LSPA Water Quality” on the base. The data will be available on LSPA’s website this fall.
Date published on web site:
08-27-2007
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