Michigan City buoy offline for repairs

Posted August 21st, 2020 in Buoys, Featured, News
damaged yellow buoy floating in the waters of Lake Michigan

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s oldest Lake Michigan real-time monitoring buoy was badly damaged in August 2020. The buoy—which is moored 3.5 miles off Michigan City, Indiana, in about 64 feet of water—lost multiple solar panels as well as wind, air temperature and barometric pressure sensors, and suffered a broken mast.

“We knew something was wrong because the data weren’t transmitting correctly, but when we got there we couldn’t believe it”, said Jay Beugly, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic ecology specialist and chief buoy wrangler. “We’re very disappointed because lots of people rely on that buoy’s data.”

Well-wishers were quick to reach out via email and @TwoYellowBuoys on Twitter, with meteorologists, engineers, boaters and lake lovers sending support. “It’s always great to hear from people,” Beugly shared, “but most don’t know that we don’t have a huge budget to deploy these buoys each year. Buoy support isn’t mandated by our organization the way it is for other sections of NOAA—it’s just a service that we really like to provide to help with water safety in southern Lake Michigan.”

The Michigan City buoy has been deployed annually since 2012. In a typical year, the buoy requires minor upgrades to improve data transmission or minimal repairs to sensors and internal power systems. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant works with the Purdue University Lyles School of Civil Engineering to ensure the buoy can consistently relay data from the lake, and relies on a supporting network of partners including LimnoTech, the National Data Buoy Center, the Coast Guard and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to help keep things running for minimal cost. The damage suffered in August 2020 will be a major blow to the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant real-time buoy program.

“Our real-time buoy program is incredibly popular, and we’re committed to continuing it,” said Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Assistant Director Stuart Carlton. “We accept donations for the buoys via Purdue University, and we hope people consider helping out if they can. We know times are tough for everyone right now, and, regardless, we’ll try to get the buoy back in the lake as soon as possible.”

Instructions for donating can be found at https://iiseagrant.org/buoys/donate/. 

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

Contact: Jay Beugly, jbeugly@purdue.edu

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Located in Washington, D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. This is a one-year fellowship open to any student, regardless of citizenship, who is enrolled toward a degree in a graduate or professional program on the day of the deadline.

Students enrolled at an Illinois or Indiana university or college should submit their applications through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant by emailing Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu. Students in surrounding states without a Sea Grant program should contact the National Sea Grant College Program at oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov for a referral.

Application deadline: June 3, 2026.

To learn more about the fellowship, visit the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18059750612478364
Located in Washington, D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. This is a one-year fellowship open to any student, regardless of citizenship, who is enrolled toward a degree in a graduate or professional program on the day of the deadline.Students enrolled at an Illinois or Indiana university or college should submit their applications through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant by emailing Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu. Students in surrounding states without a Sea Grant program should contact the National Sea Grant College Program at oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov for a referral. Application deadline: June 3, 2026.To learn more about the fellowship, visit the link in bio.

PD hours + Great Lakes science + hands-on learning? Yes please.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has five educator workshops lined up for spring and summer 2026, covering birds, watersheds, coastal science, earth systems, and engineering design.

🐦 May 3 · 💧 June 10 · 🌊 July 16 · 🌍 July 31–Aug 1 · 🏗️ Aug 18

Real-world connections. Field experiences. Takeaways your students will actually feel.

🔗 Register at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18085146428065200
PD hours + Great Lakes science + hands-on learning? Yes please.Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has five educator workshops lined up for spring and summer 2026, covering birds, watersheds, coastal science, earth systems, and engineering design.🐦 May 3 · 💧 June 10 · 🌊 July 16 · 🌍 July 31–Aug 1 · 🏗️ Aug 18Real-world connections. Field experiences. Takeaways your students will actually feel.🔗 Register at the link in bio.