OH, BUOY!

Southeastern researchers place monitoring system in Lake Maurepas

Boaters might notice four yellow buoys that now dot the surface of Lake Maurepas as they ride by. These brightly colored buoys have a big job; they’re helping local researchers monitor conditions in the Lake.

Placed by Southeastern Louisiana University at the start of February, the yellow buoys are sending data directly to SLU researchers – and to the public – who are monitoring the health of the Lake Maurepas ecosystem. The buoys capture information about dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the lake and other metrics that help researchers track the health of the Lake over time.

“The buoys will gather a variety of parameters in real time with data regularly uploaded to the cloud,” said Director of the Lake Maurepas Monitoring Program Dr. Kyle Piller.

“The data will be posted on our project website with easy to interpret dashboards for each buoy. Each measured parameter has a ‘normal’ range, and the software can send alert messages if a particular measured parameter is out of the normal range.”

The buoys are outfitted with sensors to monitor water parameters, including dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, and carbon dioxide, Piller explained. One buoy will be outfitted with a weather station to measure atmospheric parameters, including wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and precipitation. To learn more about the researchers’ work and to see data from the buoys, visit Southeastern.edu/LakeMaurepas.

YSI Integration Engineering Manager Daniel Dawson inspects the solar panel on the monitoring buoy. Dawson’s team is responsible for ensuring the programming and hardware are compatible

“Southeastern will be monitoring all facets of this project involving the lake to ensure up-todate data and information are available. We are making all the data we record available to the public,” said Dan McCarthy, dean of the College of Science and Technology.

Air Products has supported this research, enabling Southeastern Louisiana University to launch the Lake Maurepas Monitoring Project, which puts SLU’s world-class researchers on the front line of producing independent research about this ecosystem. As part of its commitment to the Lake Maurepas community, Air Products has committed $1 million annually to support public safety, education and environmental causes in the parishes around the Lake, through a separate Lake Maurepas Community Fund.

“These buoys will provide data that the public can trust about the Lake Maurepas ecosystem since that data is coming directly from the lake itself. Independent monitoring of the lake is critically important to the community and all those people who live and work there,” said Louisiana Clean Energy Complex Commercial Executive Director Danna LeBlanc. “We know Southeastern researchers are the leading experts on Lake Maurepas, and the Air Products team is proud that they are able to expand their independent biomonitoring research by using these buoys.”

SLU Board of Directors Member Cynthia Nesser is among the university’s guests to witness the deployment of the lake monitoring buoys.

Air Products’ Louisiana Clean Energy Complex will produce clean hydrogen, creating 170 permanent jobs and 2,000 construction jobs. The facility will position Louisiana as a leader in producing new forms of energy. The project will include the safe, permanent storage of carbon dioxide approximately one-mile deep beneath the earth’s surface.

To learn more about Air Products’ commitment to safety, visit Safety.CleanEnergyLouisiana.com.