• Develop geologic soils-based site and surface design research to alleviate flooding in flood-prone urban areas

it is usually not obvious where a lake’s fixed N comes from. Therefore, understanding the ratios of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes (δ15N and δ18O) in nitrate is crucial for comprehending many environmental media interactions. Fixed N for many lakes comes from fertilizer application, sewage discharge, and atmospheric deposition. But these sources’ exact contribution to the Southern Lake Michigan nitrogen budget is unknown. Recently, several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of a stable isotope approach in identifying the nitrate sources in various ecosystems, specifically, approaches that utilize dual isotopes to simultaneously analyze δ15N and δ18O nitrate values.

We propose to utilize a dual isotope approach to conduct a comprehensive research study aimed at addressing the environmental issues brought on by nitrate contamination in southern Lake Michigan. The following scientific questions will be the focus of this study.

• What is the concentration of the nitrate pollutant in Southern Lake Michigan?
• What are the contributions of different nitrate pollutant sources?
• How do nitrate pollutant levels vary within Southern Lake Michigan, such as those near South Haven compared to Lake Michigan near Chicago during a single summer season?

This project will identify the drivers of thermal pollution within the Chicago River and examine the role of green space at the buffer and catchment scale in reducing water temperature. Specifically, this will include the calculation of daily thermal loads from potential sources of thermal pollution to identify the drivers of water temperature in the Chicago River. Thermal loads will be calculated for wastewater discharges, inflow from Lake Michigan, stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and cooling water discharges using data provided by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and modeling outputs from the Minnesota Urban Heat Export Tool (MINUHET). In addition, statistical analysis will be completed to determine if there is a significant correlation between landscape metrics within the buffer zone or the catchment area and the thermal loads for surface runoff. Landscape metrics will include percent green space, number of patches and patch density at the buffer and catchment scales and will be determined using FRAGSTATS to analyze land cover data.

This project proposes a computational framework to efficiently simulate the flood-infrastructure interaction mechanism, assess the impact and risk of flood on the infrastructure in the southern Lake Michigan region and provide recommendations on the selection of rational infrastructure types suitable for the flooding area. The goal of the proposed research is to mitigate potential losses, improve the current post disaster reconstruction strategy and therefore enhance the flood resilience of the infrastructure and coastal communities in the Great Lake region. Key outcomes include an extensive literature review on the flood hazard data and infrastructure damage data in the southern Lake Michigan region, and a computational framework that integrates the fluid-structure interaction model and flood risk assessment model.

Little progress has been made toward reducing fatal drowning incidents in the United States (U.S.) in the last 20 years. Recent data from the Great Lakes indicate the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in excess drownings during summer 2020. Chicago has 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 24 free, public beaches that are punctuated with piers and jetties. The resultant structural currents pose unique risks to patrons who often access the lake outside of the official summer season and in the summer season after lifeguards go off duty at 7 p.m. There is an urgent need for effective education programs to raise awareness about recreation safety in Lake Michigan, the deadliest of the Great Lakes, and to increase water competence in diverse communities that have historically been excluded from swimming. The community-engaged injury prevention and water safety experts in Chicago are uniquely situated to respond.

Objective 1: To assess the impact of Chicago Park District’s Community Water Safety Trainings on program participant knowledge and skills, community-level knowledge, and distressed swimmer events and drownings.

Objective 2: To implement, pilot, and evaluate the Swim to Survive Program enhanced with Great Lakes safety education in Evanston, IL and adapt the program for implementation in Chicago communities.

Our overall goal is to is to is to gain insight into the basic biology of Craspedacusta in order to better predict its ecological impact in response to climate change. In particular, we are interested in the following questions:

1. What are the environmental cues for Craspedacusta jellyfish blooms and can these cues predict when and where Craspedacusta blooms will occur in southern Lake Michigan?
2. Can these conditions be replicated in a laboratory environment to induce jellyfish formation?
3. Are the genetic mechanisms that control jellyfish blooms in Craspedacusta similar to that of their marine relatives, and thus likely to have a parallel response to climate change?

To address these questions we have three primary objectives:

1. Determine environmental parameters required for jellyfish blooms through field work and citizen science approaches;
2. With the involvement of undergraduates we will design and conduct laboratory experiments utilizing environmental parameters and zooplankton composition data from objective 1, with the intention of culturing Craspedacusta medusae to their reproductive stage.
3. Conduct transcriptional analyses to document differential gene expression in the different life cycle stages to determine the genetic cues for life cycle transitions. 

We have a fourth objective to improve scientific literacy on invasive aquatic species though developing educational modules with live Craspedacusta jellyfish for the public, K-12 classrooms, focusing on underserved communities.