The primary objectives are: 1) To develop a tool to measure the accessibility of safe surface water and coastal recreational resources to communities around southern Lake Michigan, and link this tool to models that support economic valuation of coastal recreation and tourism areas. The aim of this tool is to identify the benefits of investments in improving water quality and public access in legacy contaminated areas, particularly Areas of Concern. 2) To characterize the current marketing and retail chain for Great Lakes fish, and measure the potential for value-added products and marketing to consumers in the region. Possible products include publications and educational materials aimed at increasing the profitability of commercial fish production and consumer access to locally-sourced fish, both wild-caught and aquaculture.

• Document the locations and diets of the invasive, PontoCaspian colonial hydroid, Cordylophora caspia in southern Lake Michigan
• Assess the feeding habits of C. caspia
• Determine whether the distribution of C. caspia is related to the presence of Dreissena polymorpha or D. bugensis as substrates

• Quantify the flux of carbon and phosphorus through the profundal quagga mussel community
• Determine the effect of these mussel-mediated fluxes on ecosystem-scale nutrient dynamics and energy flow

The overall goals of this project are to:

• Better understand coastal processes in terms of nearshore hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and coastal morphology under changing climate forcing in Lake Michigan
• Help effectively communicate to stakeholders, with the purpose of promoting sustainable shore protection, increasing the integrity of beaches; and stabilizing bluffs/dunes in Lake Michigan

This project aims to investigate the potential role of marine plastic debris as a vector for Perfluorinated Compounds (PFAS). Specific research questions are:

• To what extent do three common plastic types found in the environment act as a sink for select PFASs in Muskegon Lake?
• How important is the residence time of the materials present in these water bodies concerning the extent of PFAS accumulation?

The overarching goal of this graduate student scholars project is to better evaluate the effects of small dams and reservoirs on changing the flow of nutrients to downstream water bodies and water quality across Lake Michigan Watersheds. There are two primary objectives associated with this goal: (1). Small reservoir identification through a combination of remote-sensing and deep-learning approaches and reservoir dataset development with associated information (reservoir location, surface area, storage volume, catchment drainage area, and residence time). 2). Using hydrologic modelling and USGS water quality data collected above and below reservoirs to quantify the spatially and temporally varying effects of small reservoirs on water quality (nutrient runoff and retention). This proposed research is of pressing concern due to increased release of legacy contaminants to surface and groundwater around Lake Michigan.