Welcome

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab and the International Joint Commission’s Council of Great Lakes Research Managers sponsored this workshop held November 30 through December 3, 2004 at the Holiday Inn Ann Arbor (North Campus) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This web site is being maintained as an archive of all the presentations and the proceedings of the event. Links to all the presentations and information about the speakers are now included with each agenda item. The Workshop Proceedings are now available and can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

The workshop was very well attended and the organizers sincerely appreciate all the valuable input and energy contributed by all who participated in this event.

Purpose

The workshop examined the state of the art in open water sensor technology and parameters that could be measured effectively in the Great Lakes. Sessions covered physical, chemical and biological sensor technology, with presentations about the capability, costs and upkeep of modern technology operating in the range of environmental conditions prevalent in the Great Lakes. Findings from previous workshops on sensor technology and user needs were discussed, and scientists with "hands on" experience working with this technology shared their knowledge about the capability and performance of open water systems now deployed in the Great Lakes.

Break out sessions were held to define priority science questions that require input from an integrated Great Lakes open water observing system. Major questions that were addressed include:

• What are the fundamental scientific questions that require such an integrated observing system to answer?
• What physical, chemical and biological sensor data should be collected on a standard and comparable basis throughout the Great Lakes basin?
• What gaps exist in current open water systems, and how should they be filled?
• What additional research data should be collected for particular lakes?
• Can current sensor technology satisfy these needs?

The workshop brought together Great Lakes scientists, engineers in ocean sciences, technology experts and research mangers to share information and explore new possibilities for the development of an open water observing system for the Great Lakes. A workshop goal was to define the characteristics of the open water components of a Great Lakes observing network necessary to address key scientific questions related to the Great Lakes ecosystem.