The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is offering insight into their work on the Great Lakes on board Lake Guardian.
This is specialized work. The rosette takes water samples at great depths in the Great Lakes with 12 bottles taking in 8 liters each.
"We have the ability to collect water quality at the deepest depths of the lake, so a lot of our sampling equipment is oceanographic," said Elizabeth Hinchey Malloy with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.
Lake Guardian is a floating laboratory for the US Environmental Protection Agency.
"We collect water and test for nutrients water chemistry and a bunch of other parameters that tell us the condition of the lakes," Malloy said. "It's really important for us to monitor the Great Lakes' water quality and make sure water is safe for swimming, safe for drinking, safe for recreation."
Lake Guardian has a box corer that can take samples from the bottom of the lake, and in recent years, there has been evidence of invasive species.
One rock, they said, was covered with mussels.
Malloy is a scientist and supervisor at the Great Lakes National Program Office for the EPA based in Chicago.
"What you see here is a peak in chlorophyll biological activity in the surface waters of the lake," Malloy said.
Malloy says they are carefully watching the impact of invasive species.
"We are starting to be concerned in some areas about having enough food. So, prior to the quagga mussels invading, there would have been a bigger peak of algae there in the spring," Malloy said.
This week, Chicagoans have a chance to see how the scientists work and how changes to the Great Lakes can impact animals and humans.
"These lakes provide drinking water to 20 million Americans. Nothing gets more important than that," Malloy said.
You can see the Guardian and talk with the scientists. Especially if you know someone interesting in science or the environment, there are free tours on the hours through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., except on Thursday.
Lake Guardian is docked just south of the entrance to Navy Pier.