COMPUTER VISUALIZATION OF LONG-TERM AVERAGE GREAT-LAKES TEMPERATURES AND ICE COVER

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) developed da ta sets of daily long-term averages over the annual cycle for surface water temperature, ice cover concentration, and derived lake-averaged vertical temperature profiles for each of the Laurentian Great Lakes. The two-dimensional data sets have a spatial resolution of approximate ly 2.5 km and are gee-referenced with latitude and longitude. A lake b athymetry data set was also produced for the same grid. The objective of assembling these particular data sets was to develop a computer too l to visualize and explore spatial and particularly temporal relations hips between long-term averages of temperature (surface and lake-avera ged vertical profile), ice cover, and bathymetry on a given lake and b etween lakes. Here, we briefly describe the data sets, summarize data sources and algorithms used to develop these data sets, and discuss th e limitations of these data. We also briefly summarize the capabilitie s of the interactive menu-driven system to manipulate and display the daily long-term average temperatures and ice cover.