NOAA is engaged in a program to compile Great Lakes bathymetric
data and make them readily available to the public, especially to the
communities concerned with Great Lakes science, pollution, coastal
erosion, response to climate changes, threats to lake ecosystems, and
health of the fishing industry. This program is managed by NGDC and it
relies on the cooperation of NOAA/Great Lakes Environmental Research
Laboratory, NOAA/National Ocean Service, the Canadian Hydrographic
Service, other agencies, and academic laboratories.
Compilation of new bathymetry for the Great Lakes is an important
part of this program, being carried out cooperatively between NOAA
(NGDC and GLERL), and the Canadian Hydrographic Service. This new
bathymetry provides a more detailed portrayal of lakefloor topography,
and reveals some lakefloor features seen for the first time.