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NOAA Lake Erie HABs, Hypoxia Forecasts Now Live
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched their harmful algal bloom (HAB) and hypoxia forecasts for Lake Erie. Based off of satellite imagery and current modeling, the HABs forecast projects where HABs will spread and how severe they will be up to at least 96 hours in the future. The HAB in Lake Erie’s western basin has grown over the weekend to 160 mi2, and now “extends from Maumee Bay north to Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, MI, and to the south to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, OH, and into the western basin past West Sister Island.” There is also a separate bloom in Sandusky Bay, with toxins above the recreational level.
The hypoxia forecast, developed by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, shows the temperature and dissolved oxygen content of water across the western basin. If cold water with low oxygen content rises up near the shore, it could pose a problem for public water systems taking in that water. The model is also used for fishery management. The forecast shows that “localized hypoxia is possible Monday through Tuesday from Sandusky to just east of Mentor, OH.”
NOAA cautions that when using these models to inform personal recreational decisions, bear in mind that the forecasts may not perfectly portray conditions on the ground.
View the Lake Erie HABs Forecast here
View the Lake Erie Hypoxia Forecast here
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