Scientific Tools for Water Research
How do we measure the invisible? What happens when a lake breathes? The answers live in our tools—each one built for a specific question about the Great Lakes. From the field to the lab, from your phone to our servers, here's what we use to turn water into data.
Field Equipment
The Great Lakes don't wait for perfect weather. Our field gear is built to survive waves, wind, and the occasional curious gull. Here's what we carry when we step off the dock.
Multiparameter Sondes
YSI EXO2 units—each with 7 sensors (pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll, blue-green algae, fDOM). We own 12 of these, and they've logged 1,247 hours underwater in the last year alone.
Secchi Disks
The original water clarity tool—still the fastest way to measure transparency. We use 20 cm disks with a weighted line marked in 10 cm increments. Simple? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
Water Samplers
Van Dorn bottles (2.2 L capacity) for discrete depth sampling. We also use Niskin bottles on our rosette for larger volumes—perfect for when we need 10 liters from 30 meters down.
Plankton Nets
20 µm mesh nets for phytoplankton, 64 µm for zooplankton. We tow them horizontally at 1-2 knots—slow enough to catch the tiny drifters, fast enough to avoid clogging.
GPS Units
Garmin GPSMAP 66sr—sub-meter accuracy, even when the clouds roll in. We've marked 897 sampling stations across the lakes, and each one gets revisited every season.
(And yes, we bring duct tape. Always duct tape.)
Laboratory Instruments
Back in the lab, the real magic happens. Here's where we turn water samples into numbers—and those numbers into understanding.
Spectrophotometers
Shimadzu UV-1900—measures absorbance from 190 to 1,100 nm. We use it for nutrient analysis (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) and chlorophyll-a extraction. Precision: ±0.002 absorbance units.
TOC Analyzers
Shimadzu TOC-L—combustion at 680°C, then nondispersive infrared detection. We run 120 samples a week, measuring total carbon, inorganic carbon, and total organic carbon down to 4 µg/L.
ICP-OES
Agilent 5110—simultaneous measurement of 70 elements in a single run. We use it for metals (arsenic, lead, mercury) and major ions (calcium, magnesium, sodium). Detection limits: parts per billion.
Gas Chromatographs
Agilent 7890B with 5977B MSD—identifies organic contaminants (PCBs, pesticides, PAHs). We've detected 0.02 ng/L of atrazine in Lake Erie samples. That's 20 parts per trillion.
Microscopes
Olympus BX53—100x to 1000x magnification. We use it for phytoplankton identification (diatoms, cyanobacteria) and zooplankton counts. The camera captures 12-megapixel images for later analysis.
(Fun fact: our lab smells like a mix of argon, methanol, and coffee. The coffee is for the humans.)
Software Platforms
Data doesn't analyze itself. These are the tools we use to make sense of the numbers—whether we're tracking a bloom or modeling a lake's future.
R & RStudio
Our statistical workhorse. We use it for everything from simple t-tests to complex mixed-effects models. The 'tidyverse' package is our daily driver—dplyr, ggplot2, and purrr keep our code clean and our plots beautiful.
QGIS
Open-source GIS software. We use it to map sampling stations, analyze spatial patterns, and create publication-ready figures. The 'Processing' toolbox is a lifesaver for batch operations.
Python
For when we need more power. We use pandas for data wrangling, scikit-learn for machine learning, and xarray for multidimensional data (like our 3D lake models). Jupyter Notebooks keep our workflows reproducible.
GLM (General Lake Model)
One-dimensional hydrodynamic model. We use it to simulate temperature, stratification, and mixing in the lakes. It's helped us predict when Lake Erie will turn over—and when it won't.
Tableau
For sharing data with non-scientists. We've built dashboards that show real-time water quality trends, bloom forecasts, and even public health advisories. The interactive maps get the most clicks.
(Pro tip: Always save your work. Always. We learned that the hard way during a power outage in 2019.)
Mobile Apps
Science doesn't stop at the lab door. These apps help us collect data, share findings, and even identify species—all from a phone or tablet.
FieldScope
National Geographic's citizen science platform. We use it to map invasive species reports, track bloom sightings, and engage volunteers. Over 2,300 observations submitted since 2020.
iNaturalist
Species identification made easy. Snap a photo, upload it, and the community helps with ID. We've used it to document 47 new species in the lakes—including some that shouldn't be there.
ODK Collect
Open Data Kit—our go-to for field data collection. We've built custom forms for water quality, sediment sampling, and even weather observations. Works offline, syncs when back in range.
Mercury Calculator
Our own app—calculates safe fish consumption based on species, size, and location. We built it after seeing mercury levels spike in Lake Superior walleye. Available for iOS and Android.
Weather Underground
Not just for checking if it'll rain. We use it to monitor wind speed, wave height, and barometric pressure before heading out. The hyperlocal forecasts have saved us from more than one rough day on the water.
(Yes, we still carry paper field notebooks. Batteries die. Paper doesn't.)
Data Loggers
Some questions need answers every hour, every day, every season. That's where our data loggers come in—they're the silent observers, always watching, always recording.
HOBO Loggers
Onset U20 and U24 models—measure temperature, pressure, and conductivity. We've deployed 47 of these across the lakes, some at depths of 60 meters. They log every 15 minutes, year-round.
YSI EXO Sondes
The same sondes we use in the field, but set up for long-term deployment. We've got 12 buoys in Lake Erie alone, each one sending data back via cellular modem. Real-time monitoring of blooms, oxygen levels, and more.
Weather Stations
Davis Vantage Pro2—measures air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and solar radiation. We've got 8 of these, both onshore and on our research vessels. The data helps us understand how weather affects lake conditions.
(The loggers don't care if it's Christmas. Neither do the lakes.)
Calibration Standards
Garbage in, garbage out. That's why we calibrate—every instrument, every time. Here's what we use to make sure our data is as clean as the water we study.
pH Buffers
We use NIST-traceable buffers at pH 4.01, 7.00, and 10.01. Every sonde gets a two-point calibration before deployment—and a third point if we're working in extreme conditions (like acid mine drainage).
Conductivity Standards
1,413 µS/cm at 25°C—our go-to for calibrating conductivity sensors. We also keep a 12,880 µS/cm standard on hand for brackish water work. Temperature compensation is critical here.
Dissolved Oxygen
Zero solution (sodium sulfite) and span solution (water-saturated air). We calibrate our DO sensors at 100% saturation and 0%—and check them against a Winkler titration every month.
Turbidity Standards
Formazin standards at 0, 20, 100, and 800 NTU. We use them to calibrate our turbidity sensors—and to check our Secchi disks (yes, there's a correlation). The 800 NTU standard looks like chocolate milk.
Nutrient Standards
Certified reference materials for nitrate (10 mg/L N), phosphate (1 mg/L P), and silicate (10 mg/L Si). We run these with every batch of samples—and if the results are off, we recalibrate and rerun.
(Calibration is like flossing. Everyone knows they should do it. We actually do.)
Ready to use our tools?
Whether you're a researcher, a student, or just curious about the lakes, our tools are here to help. Want to borrow equipment? Need data for your project? Have a question about calibration? Let's talk.
Contact our team(We answer emails. Usually within a day. Sometimes within an hour.)