• Determine how Lake Michigan microbial communities compare between near- to offshore sites and sites experiencing different nutrient inputs
• Evaluate which organisms are breaking down and assimilating various dissolved organic matter sources
• Determine how the response to a dissolved organic matter pulse is transmitted through the community over time

• Determine the impacts of invasive Asian carps on native fishes and aquatic food webs

• Examine the effects of nanotitanium dioxide on microbial communities in streams

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.

• Determine the role of green infrastructure (GI) practices in reducing flooding by developing Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment-Low Impact Development (L-THIA-LID) 2.2 models to simulate flooding (peak flow rate) and impacts of GI on reducing flooding
• Identify the long-term performance of GI practices in reducing flooding by improving the model algorithm to simulate GI practice efficiencies considering changes in performance of practices over time
• Enhance the optimization tool for selecting and placing GI practices to account for flooding
• Demonstrate the impacts of GI practice adoption on flooding through use of the improved model in analysis of potential and optimal GI impacts in the Washington Park community in Chicago
• Use the new tool to increase the understanding of impacts of GI practices in reducing flooding by providing outreach through tutorial and video instructional support including to community organizations around Chicago and classes at DePaul University and Purdue University

Story: Chicago and Milwaukee forecasters have a new tool to monitor potential flash flooding