(WFRV) – Bystanders near Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline may have seen an unidentified flying object, but fear not it was just the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fixed-wing drone doing ozone monitoring.

The DNR posted a video on their Facebook page showing the fixed-wing drone launching as it studies the ozone along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with Purdue University and the University of Colorado are partnering to measure ozone concentrations in the vertical air column, along with wind speed and direction to better understand the role lake breeze plays in ozone movement.

The project is reportedly funded by the National Science Foundation. This research happened while the regulatory ozone monitors were measuring elevated ozone concentration along the shoreline at the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area monitoring site.

More information regarding the DNR’s air quality monitoring can be found on their website.