Great Lakes Water Levels
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Provided by: NOAA|Published on: June 3, 2025
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory designed this website to monitor water levels in the Great Lakes, learn about how the water is monitored, and make predictions about seasonal and yearly trends.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA
Region: North America, MI-Upper Peninsula, Chicagoland IL
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students have the opportunity to interact with real up-to-date data to understand correlations between climate change and water metrics in the Great Lakes.
- Webcam footage, as well as real-time data from over 10 different locations on The Great Lakes, is available to explore through this website.
Prerequisites
- Students will need individual devices in order to interact with the website.
- Data can be downloaded from the website and printed out if individual devices are not accessible.
- There is a lot of information and clickable links on this website. Targeted and clear instructions will be necessary for students to effectively find the tools and data they are looking for.
- Certain terms should be explained prior to diving into the website. These can include bathymetry, harmful algal blooms (HABs), hypoxia, and hyperspectral.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can use the nutrient monitoring buoy data to compare data over time to relate variables such as nutrient levels and seasonal water temperatures to climate change.
- The FAQs section of the website is an excellent way to walk students through how water temperature affects living things in The Great Lakes.
- Students can use the Great Lakes Seasonal Climate Forecast tool to make predictions regarding precipitation and temperature for 6 month periods of time.
- Many opportunities for extensions of this resource that can be tied to climate change are available under the "Quick Links" and "Education" tabs. Some of the topics include aquatic invasive species, food webs, algal blooms, and ice levels.
- This short 3-minute video can be used as an introduction to the impact that climate change will continue to have on The Great Lakes.
- For more advanced students, there are links to peer-reviewed articles and research included on the website.
This resource from NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory provides access to real-time and historical water level data for all five Great Lakes. Students can view daily, monthly, and yearly averages, as well as compare current levels to historical trends. The site includes interactive graphs and downloadable datasets from a reputable source. This resource would be a great addition to a classroom discussion on the effects of climate change and how to analyze related data.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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