Evaluating Lake Superior nearshore offshore gradients using autonomous gliders

Session: 57. - Advances in Understanding Nearshore Ecosystems in Great Lakes and Connecting Channels

Paul McKinney, EPA Duluth, [email protected]
Tom Hollenhorst, EPA Mid Continent Ecology Division, [email protected]
Terry Brown, USEPA, [email protected]
Joel Hoffman, US EPA Office of Research and Development, [email protected]
Jay Austin, Large Lakes Observatory, UMD, [email protected]

Abstract

Slocum electric gliders are autonomous vehicles capable of continuously mapping subsurface conditions at high resolution for months at a time. During the 2016 CSMI in Lake Superior, seven glider deployments were undertaken through a partnership between University of Minnesota Duluth Large Lakes Observatory and US EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Laboratory. The combined deployments included 111 days and covered from early May and late October. We present high resolution glider observations of nearshore - offshore thermal gradients, development of seasonal stratification, sediment plumes, deep chlorophyll maximum, coastal sediment resuspension, and mixing events. We evaluate the spatial scales of these features and  discuss challenges of interpreting glider data in the context of existing data records. We conclude the gliders present a unique opportunity for characterizing a variety of inshore – offshore processes in the coastal Great Lakes.

1. Keyword
Lake Superior

4. Additional Keyword
Glider

5. Additional Keyword
AUV

6. Additional Keyword
CSMI