TRAVERSE CITY, MI (AP)-- An observation system that provides real-time data on the health of the Great Lakes' coastal ecosystems is getting a federal grant to improve its online presence.
The $252,681 award comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the Synthesis, Observations and Response (SOAR) system, which integrates various activities in support of Great Lakes restoration. The University of Michigan will administer the grant.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan says the funding will boost access to information for researchers working on Great Lakes environmental problems.
SOAR combines observations of water conditions and models of the coastal ecosystem to develop tools such as sensing platforms and databases created from those observations.