ANN ARBOR, MI, March 13, 2015 -- The University of Michigan's (U-M) Graham Sustainability Institute recently announced that it has awarded seven grants, totaling $70,000, to U.S. and Canadian researchers who will help residents of shoreline communities adapt to current and future variability in Great Lakes water levels.
Researchers from 16 U.S. and Canadian universities and organizations will use the $10,000, six-month planning grants to study policy options and management actions available to residents, businesses and government officials in shoreline communities impacted by Great Lakes water-level fluctuations.
The researchers will examine potential adaptation strategies, including the associated environmental, social, political, and economic benefits and challenges. Key considerations include reduced property values, education and resiliency planning, shoreline planning, stability and erosion, and climate change.
Later this year, four or five of the seven research teams will be selected to proceed with a detailed 18-month project -- beginning this November and ending in April 2017 -- as part of the U-M's Great Lakes Water Levels Integrated Assessment (see "U-M to explore strategies to address water level changes in Great Lakes"). Each of the finalist teams will receive about $50,000 to help communities identify practical, localized options to minimize the negative impacts of Great Lakes water-level fluctuations.
"The purpose of this project is to equip the region with a robust set of water-level adaptive strategies that protect the ecological integrity, economic stability and cultural values of the region," said John Callewaert, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute's Integrated Assessment Center.
Since September 2014, all of the Great Lakes have been above their monthly average levels for the first time since the late 1990s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The unusually wet conditions of 2013 and 2014 ended a 15-year period of persistent below-average water levels on lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, including record lows set on Michigan and Huron in early 2013, according to NOAA.
Low lake levels can interfere with commercial shipping, hydropower, recreational boating and tourism, among other things. But above-average water levels can have negative impacts as well, including coastal erosion, flooding and property damage along the shoreline.
The U-M Great Lakes Water Levels Integrated Assessment is a collaborative effort of the Graham Sustainability Institute's Water Center and its Integrated Assessment Center. The goal is to use place-based, interdisciplinary studies to develop the information, tools and partnerships needed to address the challenges and opportunities posed by water-level variability.
For a complete list of the location-specific projects supported by the seven planning grants, click here.
See also:
"EPA awards $8M in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to combat invasive species"
"U-M to demonstrate innovative green water treatment for campus energy systems"
###
