Gap Analysis of the Great Lakes
This online engineering PDH course evaluates the operational efficacy and spatial distribution of the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) across the complex hydrological systems of the Great Lakes.
This course explores the bi-national management requirements for water level regulation and safe navigation with the geological realities of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). It navigates the technical transition from IGLD 1985 to the modernized IGLD 2020 datum, examining the vital role of hydraulic correctors and geopotential surfaces in maintaining vertical control across shifting basins.
Furthermore, this course highlights critical monitoring gaps in individual lakes and connecting channels, illustrating how the strategic deployment of GNSS technology and Continually Operating Reference Stations (CORS) resolves uncertainties in crustal movement and ellipsoidal height relationships.
This 4 PDH online course is applicable to civil engineers, land surveyors, as well as other technical professionals who are interested in learning more about the strategic alignment of water level monitoring networks within large-scale hydraulic basins.
This PE continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Highlighting the bi-national regulatory frameworks and complex inflow-outflow dynamics that govern the human-altered hydrology of the Great Lakes Basin
- Understanding the impacts of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment on vertical reference datums and the resultant apparent changes in lake levels across geospatial gradients
- Applying hydraulic correctors and geopotential principles to maintain a consistent International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) for maritime safety and resource management
- Recognizing spatial and temporal coverage weaknesses within the current observation network to prioritize the installation of seasonal gauges and permanent monitoring stations
- Integrating modern geospatial tools, including CORS networks and ellipsoidally referenced hydrographic surveys, to modernize long-term datum control and data integrity
- Evaluating the statistical correlations between station pairs to determine network redundancy and ensure the accuracy of lake-wide mean water level computations
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