Eastern Lake Erie Great Lakes Observing System buoy:Hypoxia and summertime fish kill in the eastern basin

In 2012 Buffalo State College participated in the Great Lakes Observing System with the re-installation of the first GLOS buoy in eastern basin of Lake Erie. The buoy was deployed 5 miles NNW of Dunkirk in 30 meters of water. The buoy collects meteorological information including solar radiation, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity. It also collects wave height, direction and period information as well as measuring water temperature from the surface to 20m at 2m increments along with dissolved oxygen and conductivity at 20m. Data collected are logged and transmitted via a cellular link back to the Great Lakes Center and on to the GLOS network. Information collected in 2012 suggests that a summertime fish kill seen along the Canadian shore was the result of hypoxic waters and a seiche. This evidence of hypoxia and subsequent fish die off is significant because the eastern basin of Lake Erie is generally thought not to suffer from low oxygen levels.