Ann Arbor, MI – Researchers from the University of Michigan and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working together to improve Great Lakes forecasting by combining artificial intelligence with scientific expertise rather than relying on AI alone.
According to the University of Michigan, the effort recently brought together scientists from NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS), and other federal partners for a hands-on workshop focused on responsible AI use in environmental science.
The training centered on cleaning environmental data, testing forecasting models, and evaluating AI-generated results against established lake physics before forecasts are used operationally. Researchers emphasized that human judgment remains essential, particularly when forecasting rapidly changing conditions across the Great Lakes.
The lakes contain roughly 21% of the world’s surface fresh water and about 84% of North America’s, making accurate forecasting critical for more than 40 million people who rely on the basin for drinking water, shipping, recreation, and commerce.
University officials said AI has the potential to improve forecasts for harmful algal blooms, lake ice, water levels, and other environmental conditions. However, scientists stressed that models must be validated using real-world observations from buoys, satellites, atmospheric records, and other monitoring systems to avoid inaccurate predictions.
The partnership builds on a long-standing cooperative agreement between NOAA and the University of Michigan that supports Great Lakes research and workforce development. Officials say the goal is not simply to create faster forecasting models but to develop reliable tools that can assist researchers and public agencies while keeping experienced scientists at the center of decision-making.
Researchers said the collaboration is intended to help communities across the Great Lakes region benefit from more accurate environmental forecasts as climate conditions continue to evolve.
