Green Water in Green Bay: Using Data Buoys to Monitor the Southern Bay | Environmental Monitor Magazine

While the bay of Green Bay has been referred to as the largest freshwater “estuary” in the world, the watershed hosts intensive agriculture and contributes one-third of Lake Michigan’s total phosphorus load.

The Fox River flows into the bay, carrying excess nutrients largely the result of non-point source runoff from the watershed. With a history of deterioration extending well into the last century, the bay ecosystem suffered significant declines in water quality.

This, in turn, stimulated major clean-up and ongoing restoration efforts to improve water quality. Tracking these changes is an important aspect of ecosystem management.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) have been studying the bay for decades, and actively monitoring remotely since 2012. More recently, Jessie Grow (UW-Milwaukee), Michael Zorn (UW-Green Bay), and J. Val Klump (UW-Milwaukee) have deployed NexSens data buoys in the bay to monitor water quality.

Two integrated and related efforts are being pursued:

1. Monitoring hypoxic dead zones in the bottom waters of southern Green Bay

2. Providing real-time data on harmful algal blooms

To read the full article and learn more about UW-Green Bay’s partnership in this project, visit the link below.

Source: Green Water in Green Bay: Using Data Buoys to Monitor the Southern Bay