And all the Great Lakes are an important part of our country and continent. To protect them, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to support monitoring of the bottom of the food chain in them.

The agency awarded UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute a $3 million dollar grant to do the monitoring and research.

Specifically, looking at the phytoplankton, which are the microscopic algae that provide a food source for others.

Euan Reavie is the Water Research Group Manager and Senior Research Associate. "We're here to identify the problems before they become bigger problems. To monitor the situation. And potentially come up with solutions or at least some conclusions," he shared.

As for our big lake, he said, "Lake Superior is in a pretty good situation. It is low nutrient, with clear water." Still, the temperature is rising faster than any other large lake in the world, and that is a problem.

The team gets on board The Lake Guardian or the Blue Heron research vessels to collect samples. They collect both water and sediment samples.

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