About GLOS
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) provides public access to critical, real-time and historical information about the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and interconnecting waterways for use in managing, safeguarding and understanding these immensely valuable freshwater resources. GLOS is intended to gather and integrate chemical, biologic and hydrologic data, and monitor lake conditions and trends over time.
A nonprofit GLOS Regional Association (GLOS-RA) governs and guides the system to ensure that stakeholder needs are met and that optimal information-gathering tools are in place and secure. GLOS is one of 11 regional associations within the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), a multidisciplinary network led by NOAA to provide data required by decision-makers to address common societal goals. GLOS currently addresses these four goals:
- Improve predictions of climate change and weather and their effects on coastal communities and the nation;
- Improve the safety and efficiency of maritime operations;
- Reduce public health risks; and
- Protect and restore coastal ecosystems more effectively.
Benefits to the Great Lakes Region
Observing systems, including sensors, stations, networks and field data collection are the primary means for gathering information on the chemical, biological and physical characteristics of the Great Lakes ecosystem. These observations are used in a host of monitoring programs to take the pulse of the Great Lakes, assess natural variability, drive ecosystem forecasting models, and assess the progress of restoration efforts. GLOS is helping to facilitate the following: 1) a complete inventory of federal, state/provincial and municipal observation and monitoring activities; 2) spatial density of basic observations across the system; 3) coverage over varying time scales (real-time to historic) and over space (site-specific, watershed and regionwide); 4) uniform monitoring protocols; and 5) broad availability of information on Great Lakes conditions and trends for managers and other stakeholders.About GLOS Factsheet (updated September 2008)