DULUTH – A new website offers real-time wave conditions for Lake Superior's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

WISC-Watch, infos.cee.wisc.edu/wisc-watch, shares information from seven spotter buoys deployed throughout the islands, Chequamegon Bay near Ashland and Siskiwit Bay near Cornucopia. The buoys monitor wave height, water temperature and wind information.

Water conditions around the 22 Apostle Islands vary widely because of their sheltering effects, fast-moving storms and changing winds. The area, popular with kayakers and sailors, is known for unexpected currents and waves taller than 10 feet under certain conditions.

"Treacherous waves and frigid water temperatures can imperil boaters," the national park's superintendent Lynne Dominy said in a news release. "We hope boaters will use this system to assess current conditions and to make good decisions before venturing out on Lake Superior."

Along with Wisconsin Sea Grant, those involved in the project include the University of Wisconsin, the National Park Service and Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.