NOAA in your backyard: Great Lakes

Educational opportunities and staff for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, western New York, and western Pennsylvania

NOAA in Your State & Territory

State by state listings of NOAA facilities and programs
A summary of NOAA facilities, programs, or activities based in, or focused on, your state or territory.

National Weather Service

School visits • Forecast office tours • Student and educator resources
The National Weather Service provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas.

  • To find your local Weather Forecast Office (WFO), visit the National Weather Service local contact page and enter your city and state or zip code in the box. A website, email, and phone number will show up. This is the best contact information for each office. 
  • Visit weather.gov and enter your zip code to find your local WFO.

National Estuarine Research Reserve System

Field trips • Professional development • Educator resources
The National Estuarine Research Reserves System protects more than 1.3 million coastal and estuarine acres in 30 reserves located in 24 states and Puerto Rico for purposes of long-term research, environmental monitoring, education and stewardship.

NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries

Field trips • Professional development • Educator resources
NOAA’s 14 National Marine Sanctuaries serve as the trustee for the nation’s system of marine protected areas, to conserve, protect, and enhance their biodiversity, ecological integrity, and cultural legacy.

National Sea Grant Program

Professional development • Curriculum • Student and educator resources
Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 34 university-based programs that conduct scientific research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources.

NOAA Marine Debris Program

Lesson plans and curricula • Stewardship projects • Media library
The NOAA Marine Debris Program envisions the global ocean and its coasts free from the impacts of marine debris.

Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

Curriculum • Data • Multimedia
The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national-regional partnership working to provide new tools and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment.

Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)

Competitive grants for educator watershed training programs
B-WET is an environmental educator program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment.

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

Student opportunities • Laboratory facilities • NOAA scientists
GLERL conducts innovative research on the dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes to provide information for resource use and management decisions that lead to safe and sustainable ecosystems, ecosystem services, and human communities.

Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)

Great Lakes lessons • Calendar of events • Background information
GLIN is a partnership that provides information related to the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region of North America, including data and information about the region’s environment, economy, tourism, education, and more.

Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) (Ann Arbor, MI)

Seminar series • Outreach events • Internships and fellowships
CIGLR is a partnership between the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan, NOAA, universities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses, which work on environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the Great Lakes.

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) (Madison, WI)

Educator workshops • Scholarships • Educator resources
CIMSS is a collaboration between NOAA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in atmospheric and Earth science utilizing satellite technology. Government, university scientists, and engineers work together on projects involving remote sensing of the Earth. 

Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC) (Champaign, IL)

Student and educator resources • Climate data • Citizen science
The MRCC serves the nine-state Midwest region to better explain climate and its impacts on the Midwest, provide practical solutions to specific climate change problems, and develop climate information for the Midwest on climate-sensitive issues such as agriculture, climate change, energy, the environment, human health, risk management, transportation, and water resources.

National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB)

Regional competitions in ocean sciences
NOTE: The NOSB national office will not host a national finals competition in 2023-24 or 2024-25. Some regional offices will be hosting competitions. Please reach out to contacts below for more details.
NOSB is a national high school academic competition with regional competitions for student teams to test their knowledge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.

Historical and real-time data

Local historical weather events and data

    NOAA Science On a Sphere® (SOS) locations

    Earth systems data projected on a six-foot globe
    SOS is a room-sized, global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display data onto a six foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe. It was developed by researchers at NOAA to help illustrate complex environmental processes in a captivating way.