Contact:
Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation/Tourism Specialist, P: 315.312.3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu
Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, P: 315-465-7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net
First-Time GLOS St. Lawrence River Forecasting Technology Will Help Boaters Plan Travel
Clayton, NY, July 31, 2012 - On Tuesday, July 31, New York Sea Grant announced the public upload of the new real-time Great Lakes Observing System St. Lawrence River Boaters Forecasting tool for recreational boaters.
The new tool extends Great Lakes global observing technology to the St. Lawrence River with some data specific to the river system.
The easy-to-use, web-based application at www.glos.us provides current-time and 12-hour-forecasted water current and depth data for points all along the St. Lawrence River.
Boaters, and marina operators, can access the site by computer and smart phone. Users can request email and text alerts that are sent when their personal pre-set datapoint (for example, a specific water depth or speed) is reached.
New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White made the announcement of the new tool developed by New York Sea Grant in partnership with Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (NOAA GLERL).
“Conditions on the St. Lawrence River can change dramatically due to weather events, drawdowns in the system, pooling and ponding. This new technology will help now help St. Lawrence River boaters plan and adjust their travel based on real-time and immediate future forecasting,” White said.
The new tool integrates data from various sources, including Environment Canada.
New York Sea Grant facilitated four public meetings held by GLOS in Alexandria Bay and Ogdensburg to provide developers with user input. That input was used to enhance hydrodynamic modeling initiated by researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research at the University of Michigan and NOAA GLERL.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, ME, developed the boater-friendly website. In recent weeks, boaters have beta-tested the stie to help fine tune the new data system resource.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, 1000 Islands International Tourism Council and others provided information for online directories of marinas and boat launches from Mud Bay south of Cape Vincent to sites north of Massena.
“New York Sea Grant is pleased to help bring this practical technology application to New York’s St. Lawrence River boating community and its visitors,” said New York Sea Grant Associate Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth, Ithaca. NY.
Kelli Page, Great Lakes Observing System Program Coordinator, Ann Arbor, MI, says, “GLOS has plans to extend the scope of the new tool across the entire Great Lakes basin in 2013.”
More Info:
New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 32 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971. For updates on New York Sea Grant activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) is dedicated to creating a fully integrated, bi-national observing system that provides products and services to decision-makers, resource managers and other data users. In partnership with federal, state and local government agencies, research institutions, industries, private corporations, bi-national organizations, and not-for-profit organizations, GLOS connects data users with data providers in ways that are supportive of policy and decision-making. Read the GLOS announcement for the new forecasting tool online at glos.us/news-events/news.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and marine commerce. NOAA’s vision for the future is one with healthy ecosystems, communities, and economies that are resilient in the face of change. More info: www.noaa.gov.
