Our funding will allow UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences to deploy a real-time data buoy in Wisconsin’s Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary off the shores of Sheboygan. There are currently no buoys of this size and data capacity within the Sanctuary. By collecting real-time data on waves, meteorological conditions, water quality, currents and water temperature, the buoy will provide important information for tourism, recreation, water supply, and transportation. Data from similar buoys is used to make management decisions about phosphorus loading, harmful algae blooms and fish stocking. Data from buoys is also used to develop and test mathematical models to simulate physical, chemical, and biological conditions in Lake Michigan that help answer questions about how the Lake is responding to climate change, how it is being impacted by invasive species such as quagga mussels and round gobies, and how changes in land use are creating stressors that alter the ecosystem structure and function.