Buoy temperature chain dances to the data

Posted January 27th, 2017 in Buoys, Education, Great Lakes Data
temp chain buoy

Our Michigan City buoy has a lot of sensors on it, but none are quite so popular as the temperature chain.

Every 10 minutes, 17 loggers, all at different depths, record and transmit the average water temperature of the lake.

Using data collected in 2016, Purdue University School of Civil Engineering student David Cannon visualized what happened in the top 45 feet of Lake Michigan, 3.5 miles northwest of Michigan City, Indiana.

The results shows just how variable the nearshore water is: one day it can be warm all the way to the bottom, and a week later it can be very cold way up at the surface.

For more information on buoys, winds, waves, and how they affect water temperature in nearshore Lake Michigan, see Lake Michigan By the Numbers.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

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Join the 2026 Great Lakes BioBlitz! 🌎🦋📸
Starting Earth Day, educators, students, youth groups, and families are invited to help document biodiversity across the Great Lakes region using iNaturalist. A kick-off webinar is scheduled for April 16th at 2 pm CT.
Participate anytime during the four‑week event. Snap photos, make observations, and contribute to real conservation data while getting students outside and engaged with nature.

Learn more and get ready to explore: https://sites.google.com/wisc.edu/annual-great-lakes-bioblitz/2026

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18002302076879373
Join the 2026 Great Lakes BioBlitz! 🌎🦋📸Starting Earth Day, educators, students, youth groups, and families are invited to help document biodiversity across the Great Lakes region using iNaturalist. A kick-off webinar is scheduled for April 16th at 2 pm CT.Participate anytime during the four‑week event. Snap photos, make observations, and contribute to real conservation data while getting students outside and engaged with nature. Learn more and get ready to explore: https://sites.google.com/wisc.edu/annual-great-lakes-bioblitz/2026 #TeachingTuesday#GreatLakes

Don’t miss out! Join us for a deep dive into the latest Lake Michigan fisheries science.

Topics will include:
-Reef restoration impacts on aquatic and fish species
-Wild reproduction rates for salmon and trout species from the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program
-Fisheries update from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Learn more & register: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_86eBlPnbjdm7pPg

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18105319222708614
Don’t miss out! Join us for a deep dive into the latest Lake Michigan fisheries science.Topics will include:-Reef restoration impacts on aquatic and fish species-Wild reproduction rates for salmon and trout species from the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program-Fisheries update from the Illinois Department of Natural ResourcesLearn more & register: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_86eBlPnbjdm7pPg