Enhancing Winter Wave Dynamics Understanding in Large Lakes: Integration of Buoy and SWOT Observations

As the largest freshwater system on Earth, the Great Lakes are crucial for both economic vitality and water resource management. Historically, data-collecting buoys have been removed before winter to avoid damage from harsh wave, wind, and ice conditions, resulting in significant data gaps in our understanding of winter wave dynamics. In 2023, for the first time, three winter buoys were deployed in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron co-located with historic buoy sites, to capture winter wave behaviors.

This study leverages this novel winter buoy data to address these gaps and enhance our understanding of winter wave dynamics. The deployment of these winter wave buoys provides unprecedented temporal coverage, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite data, SWOT's Ka-band SAR interferometer provides high-resolution water surface measurements, potentially offering year-round wave height data for the Great Lakes. This capability is especially valuable during late fall and winter when the lakes experience maximum evaporation and strong overwater winds.

By comparing SWOT-derived data with buoy measurements, we aim to assess the accuracy and reliability of satellite observations for monitoring lake waves. This integration of high-resolution satellite data with buoy observations aims to revolutionize our understanding of winter wave dynamics and improve operational forecasting capabilities. The findings are expected to enhance winter wave predictions and expand year-round wave forecasts, providing valuable insights for stakeholders in commercial shipping, transportation, navigation, search and rescue operations, and water resources management.