Give Us Your Thoughts on Our Future Direction

By Phil Moy

Email your thoughts about our new strategic plan to seagrantplan@aqua.wisc.edu. To ensure consideration of your input, please email prior to Aug. 3, 2012.

Three years ago, Wisconsin Sea Grant developed a strategic plan that laid a course for our activity and investments to meet the research and applied-science needs of our coastal residents. We now have an opportunity to make a course correction, if needed, in our current strategic plan as we begin to look towards our next four-year plan.

If you helped develop our strategic plan last time, you may recall the plan identified focus areas with associated needs or goals and strategies to address those needs. Our 2010 Wisconsin plan identified several priority issues and aligned them with the focus areas of the National Sea Grant strategic plan. The priority issues at that time were:

  • Aquatic invasive species
  • Toxic contaminants in sediment and water
  • Fishing and boating
  • Beach closings
  • Algal blooms
  • Water supply
  • Coastal erosion
  • Urban and rural aquaculture
  • Tourism along our Great Lakes coasts
  • Accelerated corrosion of harbor structures
  • Energy costs as they relate to marine business and recreation
  • Climate change

Our strategic plan for Wisconsin Sea Grant has three focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Coastal Community Sustainability and Resilience. The National Sea Grant strategy identifies coastal hazards as a fourth focus area. Because Wisconsin does not suffer from hurricanes, we included coastal hazards in our Community Sustainability and Resilience focus area.

Sea Grant identifies three cross-cutting goals in research, education and outreach. To apply this to Wisconsin and our coastal clients, we identified the needs in Wisconsin and strategies to address those needs.

Focus Area: Cross-Cutting

Research Goal:

  • Sound scientific information to advance understanding of the nature and value of our Great Lakes resources; to identify new ways to conserve and use these resources and to support evaluation of the environmental impacts and socioeconomic trade-offs involved in coastal decision-making.

Wisconsin Needs:

  • Techniques and technologies to address the effects of chemical contaminants, invasive species and projected climate changes on Great Lakes ecosystems.
  • A Great Lakes Observing System to provide decision-support tools for Great Lakes resource managers and coastal planners.

Strategies:

  • Utilize Sea Grant resources to engage researchers who can develop techniques and technologies to address the effects of chemical contaminants, invasive species and projected climate changes on Great Lakes ecosystems.
  • Work with state and federal partners to implement the Great Lakes Observing System and provide decision-support tools for Great Lakes resource managers and coastal planners through Wisconsin Sea Grant outreach activities such as workshops, websites and publications.
  • Integrate, translate and disseminate research findings and technological discoveries to the citizens, industries and leaders who need them to capitalize on opportunities and make wise management decisions.

Currently funded projects:

Parallel Toxicogenomic Resources for Zebrafish and Rainbow Trout: Identifying Conserved Molecular Biomarkers of Toxicant Exposure
Michael Carvan, UW-Milwaukee

This continuing project will use genomic tools to identify toxicant-response molecular biomarkers in zebrafish and rainbow trout for use in assays evaluating the potential effects of exposure to persistant, bioaccumulative toxicants on fish. The investigators will combine DNA microarray work with quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction methodologies to identify embryonic and larval genes responsive to dioxin (TCDD), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. They plan to sequence about 20,000 toxicant-response transcripts for zebrafish and rainbow trout and create publicly accessible, functionally annotated, expressed sequence tag databases–a biomarker library that can be used as reference for examining toxicant responses among Great Lakes wild fish species. R/BT-21

Genomic Approach to Understanding TCDD Toxicity in Zebrafish
Warren Heideman, UW-Madison; Richard Peterson, UW-Madison

This continuing project will address gene expression changes in zebrafish associated with TCDD exposures. Besides being nearly transparent, the zebrafish is the first fish to have had its genome mapped, which makes it ideal for research on the genetic effects of exposure to toxic contaminants. The goal of the project is to determine whether different TCDD responses in tissues correspond to a distinct gene expression pattern. Using DNA microarrays, the investigators hope to determine whether gene expression patterns can be used to predict sublethal toxicity; if successful, the microarray approach may be used as a screening tool to predict responses in wild fishes. This work directly addresses the strategic priority of developing gene microarrays in fish for identifying alterations in gene expression associated with chemical and physical stresses. R/BT-22

Multigenerational Effects of Sublethal TCDD on Fish Reproduction and Development
Warren Heideman and Richard Peterson, UW-Madison

Studies of AHR agonists in fish using the prototype chemical 2,3,7,8 Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) have focused on lethality. This project will study the effect of brief exposure to TCDD at parts per trillion concentrations during early zebrafish development on the health and reproduction of adults and subsequent generations. Preliminary results show skeletal malformations and reproductive defects in the adults exposed in early life. Sex reversal, in which fish develop with male gonads and female bodies, is also observed. These effects severely impact population maintenance. These investigators recently discovered that TCDD represses the sox9b gene in zebrafish. Humans carrying sox9 mutations have defects in skeletal formation and exhibit male-to female sex reversal in which XY males appear to be female. The researchers aim to characterize the skeletal abnormalities caused by TCDD, identify the cause of the sex reversal and determine whether TCDD exposure during development produces adverse effects in subsequent generations. R/HCE-06

An Autonomous Microbial Genosensor for Detection of Gene Expression in Toxic Cyanobacteria
Katherine McMahon, UW-Madison

This continuing project has set out to specifically and quantitatively detect Microcystin (mcyB) biosynthesis gene expression that can lead to harmful toxin-releasing algal blooms. Researchers are developing a new assay to detect the expression of genes responsible for cyanotoxin biosynthesis in mcyB species. The assay will then be adapted for use in an existing in situ autonomous microbial genosenor. That genosenor will be deployed in several inland Wisconsin lakes with a history of blooms accompanied by high mcyB concentrations, in a Florida lake used as a drinking water source, and finally, in Lake Erie. The genosensors hold promise as both research tools and potential early-warning systems for water resource managers dealing with the blooms. R/BT-24

Target Organ Toxicity and Blue Sac Syndrome
Richard Peterson and Warren Heideman, UW-Madison

Exposure of fish larvae to various chemicals causes blue sac syndrome, a cause of mortality in fish larvae in the lab and in the wild. This research will test the hypothesis that a birth defect involving the heart called “hypoplastic heart failure” causes the syndrome. This research project will test AhR2 agonists and non-AhR2 agonists for their ability to cause hypoplastic heart failure in zebrafish larvae. Results will help us understand the underlying cause of chemical-induced blue sac syndrome and recruitment failure in Great Lakes lake trout. Hatchery managers who encounter blue sac disease in hatchery stocks and aquatic toxicologists will find the results useful to better understand and evaluate the impacts of chemical exposure on feral populations. Ultimately, chemicals determined to cause hypoplastic heart failure in zebrafish may be useful in identifying heart teratogens that women may be exposed to during pregnancy that threaten the life of a fetus. R/BT-25

Physical and Biological Processes Associated with Resuspension of Contaminated Sediments in the Sheboygan River Estuary
Qian Liao, UW-Milwaukee; Chin Wu, UW-Madison

Many persistent contaminants, such as PCBs, are strongly associated with smaller, fine sediments in the Great Lakes. This is particularly important in the lakes, rivers and estuaries, where sediments are subjected to resuspension, scouring and effects associated with varying water levels. This project will involve conducting field experiments at the estuary of the Sheboygan River, one of the “areas of concern” identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, to quantify and compare several important forcing terms for sediment resuspension, including episodic storms, high-frequency lake seiches and snow-melt discharge. Using state-of-the-art imaging techniques, researchers will observe the response of mussels to suspended sediments through the measurement of particle fluxes both in the laboratory and in situ. Researchers will also evaluate to what extent the mussel filtration can alter the redistribution of contaminated sediments. R/HCE-3

Understanding Biological Impacts of Metals in Coastal and Urban Waters of the Great Lakes: Ligand-Interactions, Novel Biochemical Endpoints, and Model Development
Martin M. Shafer, UW-Madison

The objective of this continuing project is to measure and model the bioconcentration of methylmercury and the toxicity of copper and cadmium to phytoplankton in coastal regions of the upper Great Lakes. Field studies have been selected to provide key geochemical parameters and a range of both urban and rural influences on the phytoplankton Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Comparisons between observed and predicted bioconcentration or toxicity are being used to test the adequacy of the predicted biotic ligand models and to identify possible modifications needed to achieve targeted accuracy in the predicted values. The results will ultimately provide the tools needed to assess the sensitivity of coastal regions to metal toxicity and methylmercury bioaccumulation. R/UC-3

Education Goal:

  • An informed public that understands the value and vulnerability of coastal and Great Lakes resources and demands informed science-based decisions about the conservation, use and management of these resources, and a well-trained workforce that will make this a reality.

Wisconsin Needs:

  • Awareness, understanding and knowledge of Great Lakes issues and aquatic science among students and teachers at all levels and adults of all ages throughout Wisconsin and beyond.
  • Public understanding and awareness of Great Lakes history, culture, resources and current issues surrounding water supply, water quality, ecosystems and habitat.

Strategies:

  • Advance Great Lakes, ocean and coastal literacy through formal and informal learning opportunities in our schools, museums, aquariums and other educational forums, such as the on-line, digital collections of the Aquatic Commons and the National Sea Grant Library;
  • Work with regional Sea Grant, state and federal partners to develop and maintain a Web site or Web page that lists K-12 Great Lakes-related education resources.
  • Collaborate with NOAA and other partners to provide life-long learning programs for people of all ages that enhance understanding of coastal, ocean and Great Lakes environments and promote stewardship of healthy ecosystems.
  • Use Sea Grant’s strong university partnerships to create new research and education opportunities in marine and aquatic science for undergraduate and graduate students and to develop information products and training opportunities that will help build the workforce capacity for coastal-related jobs and professions.

Currently funded education projects:

Great Lakes Earth Partnership
Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong and Richard Hall, UW-Madison

University researchers, students and natural resource professionals will collaborate with K-16 students to assess environmental and human impacts on the watershed, collect data on water quality interventions, and predict and track change on the landscape. Researchers will collaborate with existing Earth Partnership School (EPS) Centers to implement Great Lakes Earth Partnership teacher training institutes, adapt EPS activities to riparian and shoreline habitats, and align EPS curriculum with existing Great Lakes curricula from other programs. Students, teachers and citizen volunteers will collaborate as community stewards for rain garden planting and restorations at schools and in the community. Students will develop public outreach materials based on their watershed assessments that will inform citizens about how they can reduce stormwater impacts by building rain gardens, installing rain barrels or changing lawn care practices. E/ML-16

Aquatic Sciences Exploration: Onboard and Online
Carmen Aguilar, UW-Milwaukee

The Aquatic Sciences Exploration: Onboard and Online Program provides immersion science learning to middle and high school students and teachers during authentic research cruises on Lake Michigan. Distance learning communication technologies such as wireless shipboard-based interactive videoconferencing allows participants to share and distribute their findings with others. The program provides the mechanism to test both the hands-on, hypothesis testing components (“onboard”) and the distance learning component (“online”) using pre-assessment, formative and summative evaluations as components of the program material. The program encourages the inclusion of under-represented students from the Milwaukee area. E/ML-9

Lake Sturgeon Bowl, Wisconsin’s Regional Academic Competition
Caroline Joyce, UW-Milwaukee

The local qualifier for the National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), Wisconsin’s Lake Sturgeon Bowl (LSB), allows high school teachers and students to advance their ocean and aquatic sciences literacy. Seventy-eight percent of Wisconsin students surveyed responded that participating in the LSB helped them increase their interest in freshwater and ocean science, while 67 percent of their coaches stated that the LSB resulted in an increased infusion of marine science into their classroom teaching. LSB is a vehicle not only for developing student interest in ocean and aquatic sciences but also for meeting professional development needs of high school teachers—especially those of underrepresented groups. Further, as a measure of success, Wisconsin’s LSB champion Marshfield High School went on to claim the national championship of the NOSB in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In addition, Wisconsin has been selected by NOSB as the national competition site in 2013. E/ML-19

Outreach Goal:

  • Decision-making processes that involve the full-range of Great Lakes interests, that integrate efforts of public and private partners at the federal, regional, state and local levels, and that provide mechanisms for establishing common understandings and generating outcomes that balance multiple interests.

Wisconsin Needs:

  • A public that is engaged in the development and implementation of Great Lakes protection and restoration plans.
  • Reduced conflicts between and among Great Lakes resource users and managers.
  • Public involvement in addressing a wide range of Wisconsin coastal issues.

Strategies:

  • Draw upon Sea Grant’s strength and expertise as a neutral facilitator to bring diverse groups together to generate understanding and consensus on Great Lakes issues including Lake-area Management Plans (LaMPs), “Area of Concern” Remedial Action Plans (RAPs), and comprehensive coastal development and watershed management plans.
  • Convene conferences and workshops for tribal leaders, commercial interests and state and local public officials to meet and discuss differences and identify common issues to reduce conflicts between and among Great Lakes resource users and managers.
  • Use Sea Grant’s research, extension, communications and education capabilities to encourage and support the creation of public decision-making processes that minimize overlap, maximize effectiveness and provide an integrated response to coastal problems and opportunities.
  • Develop and implement a wide range of communications, outreach and education strategies, tools and technologies to engage and educate audiences on Great Lakes issues.
  • Build consensus on complex issues such as coastal land use, energy development, public access, invasive species control, and climate change impacts by supporting cutting-edge research, building broader understanding among various constituency groups and convening diverse groups of stakeholders to work together to find common solutions;
  • Strengthen partnerships to promote national, regional and issue-related collaboration among federal and state programs and other partners in order to support more effective and integrated coastal decision-making.

Currently funded outreach projects: 

Great Lakes Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (Lubner)

The goal of this five-year Great Lakes Sea Grant Network project is to implement a Great Lakes Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE), which is designed to help teachers deliver high-quality educational programs in aquatic sciences by creating dynamic linkages between Great Lakes researchers and 4th- to 10th-grade educators and their students. The goal of the seven regional COSEEs is to help U.S. citizens become more scientifically literate and environmentally responsible through standards-based science curricula and programs. Funding source: National Science Foundation. A/AS-58

Science of the Great Lakes for the K–12 Classroom (Lubner)

In partnership with such organizations as Discovery World at PIER Wisconsin, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and UW Great Lakes WATER Institute, UW Sea Grant’s education coordinator will continue to develop programming for K–12 teachers on a diversity of Great Lakes issues. Courses and workshops provide educators with content knowledge about the Great Lakes and hands-on activities for use in their classrooms. Courses often include on-the-water and other field experiences that are available for credit.

Marine Science at Sea: A Hands-on Laboratory (Lubner)

This three-credit UW–Milwaukee course provides a hands-on, shipboard opportunity to learn the basics of oceanography and nautical science. Students sail aboard the S/V Denis Sullivan, a replica of an 1880s three-masted schooner, for two weeks as it travels from its winter port in Florida to Bahamian waters. They become members of the crew and engage in all aspects of shipboard operations while learning about the physical, chemical, biological and geological aspects of the ocean as well as the history and culture of the Bahamas.

Climate Change Reading List and Resources (Moser)

Through a generous grant from the Friends of UW Libraries, books about climate change and its impact on Wisconsin are purchased by Wisconsin’s Water Library and made available for statewide circulation. A reading list is created that includes both the books and additional resources to consult on this important topic. Titles are collected for both a lay audience, university staff and for children and teachers. The list can be found at the Water Library’s website at aqua.wisc.edu/waterlibrary in the “Wisconsin Residents” section.

Climate Change Outreach (All Outreach/IT Staff)

Wisconsin Sea Grant has already laid the groundwork for climate change outreach with funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program that supported the seminar series and corresponding publication Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion. Now, Wisconsin Sea Grant is expanding climate change outreach by participating in state (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts), regional (NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program [SARP] grant as part of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network: Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change) and national projects (NOAA SARP grant with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training: Enhancing Sea Grant Extension Capabilities through Training and Increased Interaction with NOAA Scientists).

Grandparents University (Moy/Kline) – This Wisconsin Alumni Association university is a two-day summer program of coursework in a number of subject areas for youngsters and their grandparents. Sea Grant and the UW–Madison Center for Limnology collaborate to offer a popular course on the study of lakes that includes taking water samples aboard a research vessel, hands-on operation of underwater robotic technology and activities involving aquatic invasive species.

Wisconsin’s Water Library (Moser) – Sea Grant will continue to develop and promote Wisconsin’s Water Library (aqua.wisc.edu/water library). All Wisconsin residents can check out any library material free of charge. Materials can be picked up at the library or sent to the user’s local public library for pickup and return, providing easy access to the more than 30,000 items in the collection. The library develops annotated reading lists emphasizing coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, provides water facts to help educate residents about the importance of water, and provides a lending library and activities for children through Wisconsin’s Water Library for Kids. The library also provides all levels of reference and referral service to any Wisconsin resident on a wide range of water related inquiries.

Library Services to Underserved Populations (Moser) – The staff of Wisconsin’s Water Library will continue to expand its services to underserved populations. In addition to involvement in story times for early-elementary students in the Allied Drive neighborhood of Madison, the library collaborates with the Head Start Program for preschoolers at the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin Dells. As with the program at Allied Drive, each story hour is organized around a water-related theme and includes art projects. These bimonthly events to underserved populations are conducted in partnership with organizations, including the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies, the Madison School and Community Recreation Safe Haven Childcare Program and the Ho-Chunk Nation, Head Start Program.

Coastal Engineering Reading List and Resources (Moser) – Through a generous grant from the Friends of UW-Madison Libraries, books about coastal engineering are available in support of the outreach and research activities of Sea Grant’s coastal engineer. As the demands of coastal development and investment continue to increase, so do the possibilities for increased loss of valuable property, habitat and life. Solid coastal engineering information is essential to address the challenges faced by coastal communities in Wisconsin. A reading list is available that includes both books and additional resources. The list can be found on the Water Library’s website.

Focus Area: Improve Great Lakes Ecosystem Health

Three years ago, Wisconsin Sea Grant developed a strategic plan that laid a course for our activity and investments to meet the research and applied-science needs for Healthy Coastal Ecosystems. We now have an opportunity to make a course correction, if needed, in our current strategic plan as we begin to look towards our next 4-year plan. Considering the broad context of this focus area that includes aquatic invasive species, water quality, ecosystem assessment as well as outreach, it is not surprising that this focus area has received the majority of our investment, capturing nearly 60 percent of our funding and effort.

National Goals:

  • Sound scientific information to support ecosystem-based approaches to managing the coastal environment.
  • Widespread use of ecosystem-based approaches to managing land, water and living resources on our Great Lakes coasts.
  • Restored function and productivity of degraded ecosystems.

Wisconsin Needs:

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Needs

  • To know why some water bodies are prone to invasion by nonnative species while others are not.
  • Assess the near- and long-term effects of AIS on Great Lakes food webs, nutrient and contaminant transport, and the economic impacts of AIS on Wisconsin.
  • Expand the array of tools to deal with AIS control and management, including ballast water treatment technologies.

Strategies:

  • Use Sea Grant resources to engage researchers who can determine the social, physical and chemical factors that make water bodies prone to invasion by nonnative aquatic species.
  • Support research to assess and evaluate the near- and long-term effects of AIS on Great Lakes food webs, nutrient and contaminant transport, the impacts of AIS on Great Lakes aquatic resources.
  • Support research to expand the array of tools to deal with AIS control and management, including ballast water treatment technologies and determine the financial costs of AIS on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes resources and economies.

Currently Funded Projects:

Cercopagis Invasion of Lake Michigan: Predictable Responses or “Invasional Meltdown” of the Planktonic Food Web?
Craig Sandgren and John Berges, UW-Milwaukee

Like the spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes cederstroemii) before it, the invasion of Lake Michigan by the fishhook waterflea (Cercopagis pengoi) is of great concern because it is a predatory zooplankton that competes with larval yellow perch and alewives for food. This new invasion offers an important opportunity to test the predictability of how Great Lakes ecosystems respond to repeated invasions by ecologically similar planktonic species. This continuing project examines Lake Michigan’s ability to absorb this new invader by documenting the dynamics of competing predatory zooplankton populations. R/AI-2

Reciprocal Spread of Invasive Species in Lake Michigan Coastal Habitats
M. Jake Vander Zanden, UW-Madison

Coastal areas and ports of the Great Lakes have been a major focal point of research and monitoring for aquatic invasive species (AIS). The spread of AIS is generally through human-assisted means (boat trailers, bait buckets, etc.), but one often-overlooked pathway is through tributaries in the Great Lakes watershed. This continuing project is studying the distribution and invasion processes of round goby from the Great Lakes and of rusty crayfish to the Great Lakes. Monitoring and modeling this movement with various management scenarios (e.g., dam removal, stream restoration, etc.) will help better understand options for future control in light of cross-habitat invasions between inland waters and the Great Lakes. R/AI-3

Modeling the Interactive Effects of Dreissenid Invasion and Nutrient Loading on Autotrophic and Food Web Structure in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
M. Jake Vander Zanden, UW-Madison

The introduction of zebra and quagga mussels has had a dramatic economic and ecological impact on lake ecosystems due to their remarkable ability to change primary productivity. Most research has focused on the open-water system, but this new research project will examine the impacts of mussels on primary production in bottom- and open-waters across the variable nutrient-enriched gradient of Green Bay and study the impacts across the aquatic food web. The researcher will measure primary productivity across the trophic gradient of the mussel-invaded Green Bay; use productivity models to estimate the impact on primary productivity, including the nuisance alga Cladophora glomerata; examine how changes in nutrient and sediment loading will affect autotrophic structure; and use stable isotopes to examine the trophic pathways supporting fish. R/HCE-5

Mussels in Lake Michigan
Harvey Bootsma and Qian Liao, UW-Milwaukee

Since the mid-1990s, quagga mussels have been displacing zebra mussels in Lake Michigan. Although the effects of zebra mussels in the nearshore zone have been well studied, the quagga mussel has spread into the profundal region, and there has been virtually no assessment of profundal mussels’ effects on nutrient cycling or food web dynamics in Lake Michigan. The objective in this Wisconsin-Illinois cooperative effort is to determine the role of the deepwater quagga mussel community in Lake Michigan’s energy flow pathways and nutrient cycling. The project’s main goals are: 1) to quantify plankton consumption by the mussels, 2) to quantify their phosphorus recycling, 3) to assess the impact of mussels on food supply to higher trophic levels and 4) to implement a hydrodynamic/biogeochemical model, with the specific goal of simulating the water column response to C and P dynamics within the benthic boundary layer. R/HCE-02-10

Physical and Biological Processes Associated With Resuspension of Contaminated Sediments in the Sheboygan River Estuary
Qian Liao, UW-Milwaukee; Chin Wu, UW-Madison

Many persistent contaminants, such as PCBs, are strongly associated with smaller, fine sediments in the Great Lakes. This is particularly important in the lakes, rivers and estuaries, where sediments are subjected to resuspension, scouring and effects associated with varying water levels. This project will conduct field experiments at the estuary of the Sheboygan River, one of the “areas of concern” identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, to quantify and compare several important forcing terms for sediment resuspension, including episodic storms, high-frequency lake seiches and snow-melt discharge. Using state-of-the-art imaging techniques, researchers will observe the response of mussels to suspended sediments through the measurement of particle fluxes both in the laboratory and in situ. Researchers will also evaluate to what extent the mussel filtration can alter the redistribution of contaminated sediments. R/HCE-03

Modeling the Interactive Effects of Dreissenid Invasion and Nutrient Loading on Autotrophic and Food Web Structure in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
M. Jake Vander Zanden, UW-Madison

The introduction of zebra and quagga mussels has had a dramatic economic and ecological impact on lake ecosystems due to their remarkable ability to change primary productivity. Most research has focused on the open-water system, but this new research project will examine the impacts of mussels on primary production in bottom- and open-waters across the variable nutrient-enriched gradient of Green Bay and study the impacts across the aquatic food web. The researcher will measure primary productivity across the trophic gradient of the mussel-invaded Green Bay; use productivity models to estimate the impact on primary productivity, including the nuisance alga Cladophora glomerata; examine how changes in nutrient and sediment loading will affect autotrophic structure; and use stable isotopes to examine the trophic pathways supporting fish. R/HCE-05

Dreissenid Impacts on Nearshore Carbon and Phosphorus Dynamics in Lake Michigan
Harvey Bootsma, UW-Milwaukee

The development of management goals and strategies for Lake Michigan relies on conceptual and numerical models that reliably simulate critical ecosystem processes. In the past decade, it has become apparent that these models require revision because of fundamental changes that have occurred in nutrient dynamics and energy flow. A number of these changes, including the decline of offshore plankton and invertebrate densities and the excessive growth of nuisance algae in the nearshore, have been attributed to the effects of filter-feeding Dreissenid mussels in the nearshore zone. Yet the mechanisms by which mussels influence energy and nutrient flow remain more conjectural than proven, leaving managers and policy makers without reliable models. This project will combine measurements of physical and biogeochemical processes in the Lake Michigan nearshore zone to quantify and model critical carbon and phosphorus fluxes, with an emphasis on the role of Dreissenids in mediating these fluxes. R/HCE-09

Interactions Between Dreissenid Mussels and River Sediment Plumes After Resuspension in the Coastal Area Around Sheboygan Harbor
Qian Liao, UW-Milwaukee; Chin Wu, UW-Madison

The presence of invasive zebra and quagga mussels in coastal areas of the Great Lakes may have a fundamental effect on the transport and redistribution of contaminants among the sediments, water column and biota because mussels are capable of removing a large amount of suspended particulates through filter feeding. This project will evaluate the interactions between the mussels in the coastal water near the Sheboygan Harbor and the river plume resulting from resuspension due to physical forcing and human disturbance (during and after dredging). State-of-the-art field instruments will be deployed to quantify the transport and deposition of contaminated sediment plume after resuspension. The exchange rate of suspended sediment particles between the water column and the benthic community colonized by Dreissenid mussels will be measured and calculated. Data will be used to validate hydrodynamic-biogeochemical numerical models with the purpose of facilitating the assessment of ongoing and future remediation efforts. R/HCE-11

Water Quality Needs:

  • To understand the sources, transport and fate of bacterial and viral pathogens and chemical contaminants in the Great Lakes; know the risks they pose to people and wildlife; and have tools and techniques to address these risks.
  • Methods to address the problems the nuisance alga Cladophora causes for coastal communities, lakeshore power plants, beach goers and other Lake Michigan water users.
  • Methods to address nonpoint-source phosphorus inputs and other nutrient issues in Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
  • Techniques to reduce the adverse water quality impacts associated with Great Lakes marinas, ports and other lakeshore facilities.

Strategies:

  • Engage university researchers to determine the sources, transport and fate of bacterial and viral pathogens and chemical contaminants in the Great Lakes; evaluate the risks they pose to people and wildlife, develop tools and techniques to address these risks and communicate these solutions to Great Lakes users.
  • Identify, develop and deliver methods to address and ameliorate the problems Cladophora causes for coastal communities, lakeshore power plants, beach goers and other Lake Michigan water users.
  • Develop and communicate to marina and port operators through publications and outreach techniques to reduce the adverse water quality impacts of Great Lakes marinas, ports and other lakeshore facilities.

Currently Funded Projects:

Application of Molecular Based Methods for Investigation Sources of Fecal Pollution at Great Lakes Beaches
Sandra McLellan, UW-Milwaukee

Beach closings are a major environmental and public health issue throughout coastal regions of the United States, including the Great Lakes. The overall goal of this project is to develop better assessment tools for contaminated beaches and partner with beach managers to reduce beach closings on the Great Lakes. The investigators will use a promising new sequencing technology to identify alternative indicators that may relate more accurately to human health risk. Rather than trying to identify a single human or animal waste-specific organism, they are using a completely different strategy and using the 454 Life Sciences sequencing platform to generate a comprehensive inventory of microbial communities in sewage and contaminated waters. R/HCE-1

Influence of Regional Mercury Sources on Lake Michigan Tributaries: A 15-Year Comparison
Christopher Babiarz, UW-Madison

Fifteen years have passed since the completion of the first Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and during that period both industrial use and atmospheric emissions of mercury have been reduced in the Great Lakes Basin. Given the magnitude of these reductions, and new information on the residence time of mercury in aquatic ecosystems, the investigator believes a similar decrease in mercury loading has occurred in the tributaries of Lake Michigan. This project will coordinate with the 2010 USEPA lakewide sampling of Lake Michigan as well as a proposed intensive on-lake mercury sampling by the U.S. Geological Survey through its proposed Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Project. R/HCE-2

Living on the Edge: The Role of the Microbial Community at the Sand-Water Interface in Degraded Beach Water Quality and Ecosystem Health

Sandra McLellan, UW-Milwaukee

Indicators of fecal pollution of beaches include E. coli, used historically in the Great Lakes, and Enterococci. Past studies demonstrate that sand acts as a reservoir for E. coli, which hampers beach-monitoring programs by introducing these bacteria into beach water in the absence of a primary source of fecal pollution. This project will evaluate the persistence and potential for growth of Enterococci in sand, especially compared with new alternative indicators such as Bacteroides sp. and Lachnospiraceae sp. The researchers will use culture and qPCR detection methods to discriminate between viable cells in sand reservoirs or accumulation of nonviable cells that are detected with DNA-based methods. They will also examine the role of the microbial community in excluding fecal bacteria and evaluate microbial community structure at contaminated and non-contaminated beaches. Microbial community structure may serve as an overall “indicator” for beach ecosystem health. R/HCE-10

Assessment of Beach Remediation Efforts at Select Lake Michigan Beaches (FY13 Start)

Gregory Kleinheinz, UW-Oshkosh

Water quality at more than 30 public beaches in Door County, Wis., has been monitored under the BEACH Act since 2003, using the fecal indicator bacterium (FIB) Escherichia coli (E. coli). Although sanitary survey analyses of these beaches have been performed and several beaches have been redesigned, assessment of the effects of beach redesign on water quality has not been included. This research will assess water-quality parameters (E. coli and Enterococci) during wet and dry weather at a newly redesigned Door County beach and a similar beach that has not yet been redesigned. A large historical database of FIB concentrations in beach water exists for these beaches and will be compared to post-redesign FIB concentrations. Since the U.S. EPA plans to implement rapid methods for beach water-quality measurements (qPCR for Enterococci), this study also will compare Enterococci concentrations with traditional culture and molecular methods. R/HCE-13

Ecosystem Assessments Needs:

  • Improved design, function and assessment of coastal habitat rehabilitation restoration and remediation projects.
  • Improved models of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior food web dynamics.
  • To know the bioenergetics, trophic status and food web relationships of noncommercial and non-recreational fish species in Lake Michigan.
  • To know physical, chemical, biological and geological coupling and the current status and trends of nutrient inputs to Lake Michigan and Lake Superior during extreme precipitation events and other processes at the land-water interface.
  • To know the potential ecosystem effects of long-term low water levels for Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
  • An ability to monitor nearshore sedimentation and bathymetry.

Strategies:

  • Support research to improve the assessment and effectiveness of coastal habitat rehabilitation, restoration and remediation projects.
  • Utilize Sea Grant outreach and communication products to provide technical support for citizens and businesses that need help with specific mitigation/ restoration problems, and provide them access to the latest information and techniques.
  • Contribute to the development of baseline data associated with physical, chemical, biological and geological coupling at Lake Superior and Lake Michigan land-water interfaces; work with state and federal partners such as NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop standards, and indicators to support ecosystem-based approaches for land use, water, fisheries, and other resource management and work.
  • Support research to develop and improve models of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior food web dynamics.
  • Develop a large-scale, partnered research program on the potential and realized impacts of aquatic invasive species on the Lake Michigan food web.
  • Invest in the development and dissemination of new information, policies, technologies and methods to address water quality degradation, prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic non-native species, climate change and minimize the negative impacts of these on coastal, ocean and Great Lakes food webs.

Currently Funded Projects:

Lake Superior Food Web Dynamics: Modeling at Multiple Scales
James Kitchell, UW-Madison

Trophic interactions occur at multiple scales, ranging from predator-prey interactions that govern population dynamics and community structure to daytime-nighttime vertical and horizontal migrations that regulate the daily feeding activity and growth rates of individual aquatic species. This continuing project will develop a model to assess diel changes in predator-prey encounters as a function of time of day, depth and nearshore versus offshore habitats. Complementing a Minnesota Sea Grant study, this work is novel in developing the first simulation model of diel changes in predator-prey relationships specific to the Lake Superior food web. R/EH-1

Utilizing Molecular Genetic Markers to Develop Wild Rice Restoration and Management Guidelines for Great Lakes Coastal Habitats
Anthony Kern, Northland College

American wild rice, a native, emergent aquatic grass, once served important ecological, cultural, historical and economic roles in the Lakes Superior and Michigan basins. Habitat loss and degradation have led to a dramatic change in wild rice populations. Because inbreeding has compromised genetic diversity and fitness, restoration efforts have failed. In this continuing project, researchers are working to describe the genetic effects of fragmentation on threatened populations of wild rice, perform genetic diversity studies on remnant populations and quantify the effects of inbreeding. R/BT-23

Ecological Immunology and Pathogen Resistance of Amphibians in Stressed Great Lakes Ecosystems
William Karasov, UW-Madison

This multi-institutional, multidisciplinary continuing research program hypothesizes that contaminants will depress immunocompetence and pathogen resistance of Great Lakes amphibians. Developing leopard frogs are being exposed to two congeners of PCB (126, 70), one heavy metal (Cd) and a mix of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).The resistance of contaminant- and non-contaminant-exposed frogs to three types of pathogens common in microbially contaminated habitats in the Great Lakes will then be evaluated. The research is developing biomarkers for immunocompetence in amphibians to aid natural resource managers in diagnostic and remediation efforts in the region, and it will facilitate prediction of toxicological effects on amphibians at other times and/or in other regions. R/EH-2

Stressor Gradients and Spatial Narratives of the St. Louis River Estuary
Janet Silbernagel, UW-Madison

The Wisconsin portion of this project will develop communication and education tools, including an open geospatial archive, a “deep map” that incorporates vignettes of local communities, augmented reality games and geo-tours of the estuary, ship-based activities and a diverse array of complementary online resources. Results of this project coupled with the monitoring and spatial narratives constructed from Minnesota research will guide implementation of the St. Louis River Habitat Plan; help prioritize monitoring, restoration and remediation activities; and enhance public awareness and understanding of estuaries in coordination with the development of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. R/RegHCE-8-10

Linking Primary Production and Fish Along the Trophic Gradient in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
M. Jake Vander Zanden, UW-Madison

Lake productivity has long referred to the productivity of the pelagic, open-water zone, but recent work indicates that bottom habitats may also be important contributors. Additionally, the ongoing spread of Dreissenid mussels in North America generally increases the importance of benthic production and processes in lakes. In this project, researchers define lake autotrophic structure as the distribution of the overall primary production between benthic and pelagic habitats. They propose to quantify changes in autotrophic structure along Green Bay’s dramatic trophic gradient (ranging from hypereutrophic to oligotrophic) and use their field data to parameterize models estimating how changing Dreissenid grazing, nutrients and suspended sediments might be expected to affect autotrophic structure. They will also use stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes on contemporary fish and invertebrate samples, as well as archived scale samples, to test the hypothesis that the carbon sources underlying fish production track autotrophic structure across Green Bay’s trophic gradient. R/HCE-07

Constructing the Nearshore Lake Michigan Food Web Using Multiple Trophic Indicators (with Illinois/Indiana Sea Grant)
Harvey Bootsma and John Janssen, UW-Milwaukee

Food web studies in Lake Michigan have focused primarily on the pelagic food web, due to the significant role of pelagic fishes in both commercial and sport fisheries. The trophic ecology of several nearshore species, particularly yellow perch, has received attention, but the nearshore food web as a whole is not well studied. In many parts of the lake, the nearshore fish community has changed from one composed of a mixture of species with moderate numbers to one dominated by high densities of the round goby, whose trophic role is not well understood. This project will use a combination of three methods—stomach content analysis, fatty acid analysis and stable isotope analysis—to construct the nearshore food web and assess how it varies with substratum and location. Results will be used to determine how individual species have responded to change in community structure and energy flow. R/RegHCE-4

Changing Benthic Metabolism in the Great Lakes (FY13 Start)
J. Val Klump, UW-Milwaukee

The Great Lakes have experienced arguably the largest short-term ecological shift in their history within the last decade and face a long-term climate shift in the decades to come. The invasion of Dreissenid mussels, the disappearance of Diporeia, and the predicted increasing temperatures and lengthening stratification have altered and will alter the role of benthic metabolism. The nearshore habitat is a complex of newly colonized cobble, gravel, hard clay and silty sands. Deepwater bottoms have been overrun with mussels. Production and respiration of oxygen are notoriously difficult to measure in such environments since many of the common methods—oxygen and pore water gradients, sediment or chamber incubations—all have limitations. The researchers propose to employ new, nondisruptive eddy correlation techniques to study oxygen exchange at the benthic boundary in a range of Great Lakes environments that have undergone or will undergo significant change. R/HCE-12

Landscape Regulators of Biogeochemical Pattern and Process in the Saint Louis River Estuary (with Minnesota Sea Grant)
Emily Stanley, UW-Madison

Despite the importance of the St. Louis River Estuary in supporting fisheries, harboring unique ecological communities, delivering water and materials to Lake Superior and bolstering the regional economy, the biogeochemical processes that support this ecosystem are poorly known. In this study, researchers will conduct a spatially explicit characterization of biogeochemical processing rates within the estuary under high- and low-flow conditions. First, they will identify spatial and seasonal hotspots of nutrient and organic matter processing by combining longitudinal surveys of water chemistry with results from a dynamic estuary model. Second, they will characterize dissolved organic matter quality and rates of primary production and respiration at a series of stations along the estuary. Third, they will measure potential denitrification rates and controls at sites throughout the estuary. This will provide a baseline understanding of the biogeochemical processes supporting the estuarine ecosystem and identify the role of anthropogenic stressors in altering these rates. R/RegHCE-09-12

Education and Outreach Needs:

  • Managers and the public who have up-to-date information on ecosystem change trends and insights that lead to adaptive management.
  • Identification of critical coastal habitats and information leading to habitat protection and rehabilitation.
  • Shoreland property owners and local officials who know about the values of coastal habitats and how to protect, restore and manage these habitats.
  • Develop and implement a program to address water quality impacts in Wisconsin ports and harbors.

Strategies:

  • Work with partners within and outside of NOAA to develop data, models, and training activities that support ecosystem-based planning and management and protection approaches, and share these with a wide variety of constituencies.
  • Develop outreach and communications strategies to inform the public about what can be done to prevent the spread of invasive species and protect coastal water quality and habitat.

Currently Funded Outreach Projects:

Green Marina Outreach and Education (Harris/Clark)

This three-year project is in partnership with Michigan Sea Grant and Clean Marina Program managers in other Great Lakes states. Specialists Harris and Clark will develop online curriculum, deliver training through seminars and other public events, and formulate program evaluation tools. Funding source: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. A/GLRI-1

Beach Information Communication System (Clark)

This three-year project is in partnership with Minnesota and Michigan Sea Grant. Specialist Clark will develop a beach information system where Great Lakes beach users will have immediate access to an unprecedented amount of data about beaches, including bacteria monitoring, harmful algal blooms, wave heights, water temperature, weather data and rip current forecasts. All of these pieces of information can help beach users decide if today’s the right day to go to the beach, but nowhere is all of this information synthesized in one place. This project will bring these disparate sources of information together into a single “Beach Report” that users can sign up to receive in any of a multiple of formats. Examples of potential formats include Twitter notices, RSS feeds, email alerts and Facebook notices. Funding source: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. A/GLRI-2

Wisconsin Clean Marina Training and Certification (Harris/Clark)

The Clean Marina Initiative is a voluntary, incentive-based program promoted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and others that encourages marina operators and recreational boaters to protect coastal water quality by engaging in environmentally sound operating and maintenance procedures. Participating marinas will voluntarily adopt pollution prevention strategies, environmental risk reduction, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement in the context of good business practice. Specialists will promote best management practices to marina operators and certify those that meet rigorous criteria. Funding source: Wisconsin Marina Association using funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. A/WMA-1

Climate Change Outreach (All Outreach/IT Staff)

Wisconsin Sea Grant has already laid the groundwork for climate change outreach with funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program that supported the seminar series and corresponding publication Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion. Now, Wisconsin Sea Grant is expanding climate change outreach by participating in state (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts), regional (NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program [SARP] grant as part of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network: Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change) and national projects (NOAA SARP grant with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training: Enhancing Sea Grant Extension Capabilities through Training and Increased Interaction with NOAA Scientists).

Focus Area: Support Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

Three years ago, Wisconsin Sea Grant developed a strategic plan that laid a course for our activity and investments to meet the Fisheries and Aquaculture research and applied-science needs of our coastal residents. We now have an opportunity to make a course correction, if needed, in our current strategic plan as we begin to look towards our next four-year plan.

National Goals:

  • A sustainable supply of safe seafood to meet public demand.
  • A healthy domestic seafood industry that harvests, produces, processes and markets seafood responsibly and efficiently.
  • Informed consumers who understand the importance of ecosystem health and sustainable harvesting practices to the future of our domestic fisheries, who appreciate the health benefits of seafood consumption, and who understand how to evaluate the safety of the seafood products they buy.

Wisconsin Needs

Fisheries Needs:

  • New and improved models for sustainable management of Great Lakes fish and fisheries.
  • Successful rehabilitation efforts for native Great Lakes fish species.
  • New markets and uses for traditionally harvested Great Lakes species as well as underutilized and established nonnative species.

Strategies:

  • Support research to develop new and improve existing fisheries population and stock assessment models for sustainable management of Great Lakes fish and fisheries.
  • Support research and state and federal partners in their efforts to assess the success of lake trout, lake sturgeon and yellow perch rehabilitation efforts.
  • Engage university researchers in the development of new uses and identification of alternative markets for traditionally harvested Great Lakes species as well as underutilized and established nonnative species.
  • Support research, development, and transfer of new technologies to keep the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry financially competitive and environmentally responsible.
  • Engage harvesters, recreational fishermen, producers and managers in the development of research and management innovations related to the condition, use, and conservation of the natural resources they depend on.

Aquaculture Needs:

  • Sustainable, cost-effective intensive production technology and domestication methods for economically important farm raised species.
  • Improved growth and reproductive success of farm raised species to enhance the sustainability of Wisconsin’s aquaculture operations.
  • Techniques to reduce the risk of VHS and other pathogens associated with baitfish production and distribution.

Strategies:

  • Support efforts to develop sustainable, cost-effective intensive production technology and improve growth and reproductive success of economically important farm raised species to enhance the sustainability of Wisconsin’s aquaculture operations.
  • Work with state and federal partners to identify, expand and apply techniques to reduce the risk of VHS and other pathogens associated with baitfish production and distribution and use.

Education and Outreach Needs:

  • Consumer education and communication products to help them understand and evaluate the benefits, risks and ecological consequences of their seafood purchases.
  • Aquaculture producers who understand how to apply the methods and techniques developed through research.

Strategies:

  • Develop educational programs and materials that enhance the American public’s understanding of what is required to maintain sustainable fisheries.
  • Work with Great Lakes state, federal and regional partners to develop communication products for consumers and communities living on a subsistence diet to help them understand and evaluate the benefits, risks and ecological consequences of their purchases and consumption of fish and other seafood.
  • Cooperate with the Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility and UW-Extension to help Wisconsin residents apply sound aquaculture production techniques.

Currently Funded Projects:

Increasing the Efficiency of Yellow Perch Fingerling Production by Optimizing Pond Trophic Dynamics and Feed-Training Strategies

Christopher Hartleb, UW-Stevens Point; Jeffrey Malison, UW-Madison

In this ongoing project, researchers are looking at the food chain dynamics and feed training methods used in the yellow perch aquaculture industry. The growth of the yellow perch aquaculture industry is constrained by the high cost of feed-trained fingerlings. Using eight ponds at two locations, this project is using selected fertilizer regimes to identify and quantify plankton and benthic communities in pond culture systems; examining larval and post-larval prey selection and prey availability; and comparing photo-periods, temperatures and dietary regimes—krill and a moist diet versus a conventional dry diet – during the weaning period. At harvest, fish survival and net fish yield for each pond is measured. R/AQ-42

 

Evaluation of Sources and Uptake of Methylmercury in Farm-Raised Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchuss Mykiss) and Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens)
Christopher Babiarz, UW-Madison

Elevated methylmercury (MeHg) levels in fish are known to slow their growth rates, disrupt their reproductive success, and increase their rates of infectious disease; MeHg may also result in fish consumption advisories for humans, but little is known about MeHg levels in the most popular farm-raised fish in the Midwest. The goal of this research project is to determine the critical factors controlling MeHg concentrations in farm-raised rainbow trout (Oncorhynchuss mykiss) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) by tracking the quantity and quality of the feed, the growth stage of the fish, and the anaerobic conditions of the ponds. The resulting field- and laboratory-generated data will be used to calibrate a contaminant-accumulation model across species and method of aquaculture. Improved best management practices will be developed to minimize potential inputs of MeHg to farm-raised fish and to reduce the impact of mercury from aquaculture waste to the surrounding environment. R/AQ-43

 

Development of Yellow Perch Broodstocks for Selective Breeding
Rick Goetz and Fred Binkowski, UW–Milwaukee

The recent decline of the yellow perch fishery in Lake Michigan has led to a shift toward aquaculture to replace this lost food resource, yet many unknowns add risk to developing a viable yellow perch aquaculture business. One is the need for a dependable supply of broodstocks with the ability to produce offspring at multiple times during the year. The investigators of this ongoing project are evaluating broodstocks from wild perch derived from several geographic regions in the United States. They are then determining genetic variation and phylogenetic relatedness of perch and their crossbred offspring using DNA microsatellite markers. This project is testing the viability of this genetic marker approach for developing aquaculture broodstock capable of out-of-season spawning. R/AQ-44

Lake-Wide Sustainability of Lake Trout Stocks in Lake Superior
Michael Hansen, UW-Stevens Point

A meta-population model is being developed to evaluate lake-wide sustainability of recently restored lake trout stocks across Lake Superior, building on a stochastic, agestructured population model that was developed under a previous Sea Grant-funded project. The hypothesis with this continuing project is that long-term sustainability of individual stocks within Lake Superior is enhanced by the presence of other stocks in the lake through immigration. Movement among stocks and effects of environmental factors are being modeled. It is also mimicking combinations of recreational and commercial fishery harvest by simulating probability distributions for key population parameters, such as population abundance and recruitment. R/FI-2

Reducing the Level of Bio-Contaminants in Fish-Based Food
Mark Richards, UW-Madison

Concern about mercury contamination of fish-based products is an issue that negatively affects fish consumption. The focus of this continuing work is to determine the location of mercury in fish tissues and to determine if certain processing steps can be used to lower mercury levels in the resulting food product, specifically, a process that manipulates pH. That process is now used to manufacture surimi, imitation crab meat. R/SS-1

Urban Aquaculture—A Game Changer
Fred Binkowski, UW–Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee WATER Institute personnel, supported by Wisconsin Sea Grant, will provide technical assistance in all aspects of urban aquaculture with expertise in biological, chemical, physical and economic parameters. Sea Grant will use this opportunity to involve new people and potential investors in the urban setting, which has the advantage of product availability near consumer demand and reduces transportation costs. Sea Grant and the WATER Institute are in a unique position to act as advisors for aquaculturists working in a number of settings because both organizations have extensive experience in establishing and maintaining many types of fish-rearing systems. Investors who have questions on the marketability of urban aquaculture systems will come to appreciate the benefit of growing food locally, the creation of jobs in an urban environment and the balance of risks associated with starting a new business. In addition, Sea Grant’s communications staff will produce outreach products to further support and promote urban aquaculture. (This project also fits within the “Enhance Coastal Community Sustainability and Resilience” focus area.) Also supported by the NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Extension and Technology Transfer 2010 competition. A/AQ-02

Climate Change Increases Sea Lamprey Impact in Lake Superior
James Kitchell, UW–Madison

The average summer surface water temperature of Lake Superior has increased by about 3.5°C over the past three decades. Warmer water temperatures have increased the duration of thermal stratification and lengthened the period of lake trout’s preferred thermal habitat (9-11°C) by up to twofold. Because lake trout are the preferred host of sea lamprey, changes to their thermal habitats alter the feeding and growth of sea lamprey, among the greatest threats to Lake Superior fisheries. While control efforts have been tremendously successful at reducing lamprey abundance, climate change raises questions about how increasing water temperatures in Lake Superior will change the parasitic behavior of remaining lamprey. This project will develop bioenergetic models that estimate effects of climate warming on sea lamprey growth in multiple regions of Lake Superior. Combining these results with information about host abundance and stable isotope-based estimates of lamprey diet in Lake Superior, the project will determine how increased lamprey growth may influence mortality of native lake trout. R/SFA-02

Novel Epidemiologic and Diagnostic Approaches for Reducing the Impact of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus on Aquatic Ecosystems in Wisconsin
Tony Goldberg, UW–Madison

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is an invasive pathogen that threatens the health and sustainability of Wisconsin’s aquatic ecosystems. In Wisconsin, the virus has been found in the Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago watersheds. Despite the potential economic and ecological damage that could ensue if VHSV spreads to other areas of Wisconsin, adequate tools for predicting and managing the emergence of the virus are lacking. This project seeks to develop and distribute novel epidemiological and diagnostic tools for predicting the emergence and spread of VHSV. Specifically, it will develop non-lethal laboratory diagnostics to detect VHSV antibodies and use them to construct and validate a predictive model of VHSV transmission. This effort will allow the future course of VHSV transmission to be forecast from current measures of fish demographics and infection status, thus improving our ability to monitor and manage the disease in Wisconsin’s wild fisheries. R/SFA-03

Effectiveness of a Lake Trout Refuge at Gull Island Shoal, Lake Superior
Michael Hansen, UW-Stevens Point

Lake trout were the predominant fish predator in Lake Superior before stocks collapsed from exploitation and sea lamprey predation. In Wisconsin waters of the lake, the Gull Island Shoal refuge, created in 1976 to prevent depletion of a remnant lake trout stock, enabled the stock to recover by providing recruitment to the entire Apostle Islands area. Previous research has shown that growth and recruitment of lake trout in the Apostle Islands region changed from density independent during early recovery to being density dependent at present, which indicated that the population was nearing carrying capacity and may be able to sustain harvest. This project will thoroughly evaluate historical effectiveness and future need for the Gull Island Shoal Refuge on lake trout stocks residing in Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior. R/SFA-04

GIS-Based Analysis of Sustainable Domestic Aquaculture Development in Wisconsin
Christopher Hartleb, UW-Stevens Point

The overall hypothesis for this project is to determine if location characteristics of aquaculture operations are significant for determining success or failure of commercialized operations in Wisconsin. Specific objectives are to: 1) develop a predictive aquaculture farm model using a multi-criteria evaluation procedure in GIS and 2) synthesize current data about existing aquaculture farms into the GIS model based on common culture methods and species to improve the model’s efficaciousness and using these data further refine a predictive model for particular species or culture-system selection for future aquaculture operations. R/SFA-05

Development of a Submersible Electroshocking Sampler for Invertebrates and Larval Fishes in Rocky Habitats
John Janssen, UW-Milwaukee

The Dreissenid mussel invasion has resulted in increased benthic production, especially in rocky habitat, which increases the importance of quantifiying the inhabitants of these areas. Assessing the density of invertebrates in rocky aquatic habitat is a long-standing challenge for aquatic ecologists, but significant innovations using electroshocking are evolving. In coastal waters, electroshocking appears to be effective at drawing the most numerous arthropods from crevices and under stones to where they can be suction sampled, but the present configuration is designed to collect small fishes. The researchers will develop and test a system in which the electroshocking apparatus is not attached to a submersible but dangled from a boat and positioned by hand using an attached submersible video camera. They also propose to modify the system to either include a suction sampler or to generate water flow so that electroshocked animals drift into a net. R/SFA-07

Genetic Analysis of Virulence Factors of the Fish Pathogen Flavobacterium Columnare (FY13 Start)
Mark McBride, UW-Milwaukee; David Hunnicutt, St. Norbert College

Flavobacterium columnare is a common fish pathogen that causes columnaris disease in wild and farmed freshwater fishes and results in devastating losses in the aquaculture industry. The disease has been recognized for nearly 100 years, but a lack of genetic tools to manipulate the bacterium has hampered identification of the mechanisms of pathogenesis. The researchers developed robust genetic tools and procedures for Flavobacterium johnsoniae and recently demonstrated that some of these function in F. columnare; they propose to adapt additional genetic tools for use in F. columnare. F. johnsoniae GldN is a component of a novel protein secretion system. The researchers suspect that F. columnare GldN is involved in secretion of the chondroitinase CslA, and that GldN and CslA are needed for virulence. To test these hypotheses, wild-type, gldN mutants and cslA mutants will be examined for ability to cause disease in the model zebrafish system and in yellow perch. R/SFA-08

Currently Funded Projects:

A Comprehensive Regional Public Outreach Campaign on AIS (Moy)

Using an array of tools, Invasive Species Specialist Moy will work with Minnesota Sea Grant to coordinate the work of the Great Lakes Sea Grant programs and other external partners to educate students, sportsmen, recreational boaters and the general public about aquatic invasive species in both Lakes Michigan and Superior. Funding source: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through Minnesota Sea Grant. A/GLRI-3

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Sea Grant Partnership for AIS Prevention (Moy)

This project, supported by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds will support an aquatic invasive species (AIS) outreach coordinator to promote county- and municipal-level AIS prevention, control and education activities in Wisconsin’s Great Lakes’ drainage basins. Over the two-year project period, the outreach specialist will develop partnerships and increase awareness of WDNR AIS grants and other support to assist local AIS prevention efforts. In addition, the WDNR has provided GLRI funds to significantly expand the continuing AIS watercraft inspection project. This includes support for a coordinator and nine watercraft inspectors who will be stationed at Great Lakes boating access sites.

Fishing Tournament Organizers and Professional Anglers: Preventing the Spread of AIS by Extending AIS-HACCP and the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers Campaign in the Great Lakes (Moy)

Most public information campaigns related to preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been directed toward recreational boaters. However, recent unpublished research and anecdotal information suggests that fishing tournaments may serve to exacerbate the transport/colonization risk posed by zooplankton and disease organisms. This project will train professional anglers and tournament organizers in preventing the spread of AIS and produce brochures and booklets to help anglers become part of a broader citizen AIS monitoring network. Funding source: National Sea Grant Office. A/AS-64

Climate Change Outreach (All Outreach/IT Staff)

Wisconsin Sea Grant has already laid the groundwork for climate change outreach with funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program that supported the seminar series and corresponding publication Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion. Now, Wisconsin Sea Grant is expanding climate change outreach by participating in state (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts), regional (NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program [SARP] grant as part of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network: Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change) and national projects (NOAA SARP grant with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training: Enhancing Sea Grant Extension Capabilities through Training and Increased Interaction with NOAA Scientists).

Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (Moy/Kline)

Conducted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Sea Grant Great Lakes Network, this project will evaluate the impact of charter fishing on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Charter fishing business owners will receive written surveys, and Wisconsin Sea Grant will assist Ohio Sea Grant in presenting the results. This project is part of a larger effort to examine the economic impacts of establishing an ecological separation between the Great Lakes drainage basin and the Mississippi River drainage basin at the Chicago area waterway system.

Great Lakes Commercial Trap Nets Location (Moy)

In order to diminish entanglement events between sport anglers’ equipment and commercial fishing nets, Sea Grant works with the Lake Michigan commercial whitefish fleet to make the GPS coordinates of commercial trap nets available to anglers on its website and in printed maps in some locations. Last year, the project expanded from the Sheboygan and Two Rivers/Manitowoc area into Door County.

Promoting the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Campaign Throughout the Triathlon Community (Campbell)

The triathlon community has the potential to be a vector for aquatic invasive species (AIS). Wetsuits, which are commonly used during the swim portion of the event, have long been known to be a vector for AIS while swim course markings used by event organizers are often transported to multiple event sites, creating another potential vector for AIS. The sport is experiencing rapid growth and the potential for triathlon-mediated invasions is increasing. This project will educate triathletes and event organizers on the impacts of AIS, and what steps they can take to prevent the spread of AIS.

Aquaculture Industry and Education (Binkowski)

The U.S. imports more than 80 percent of the seafood it consumes. Aquaculture can fill some of that gap with domestically produced fish, raised through either a recirculating aquaculture system or an aquaponics system. Sea Grant offers outreach services on both systems in a variety of settings in Wisconsin, and in the Midwest, including in two Wisconsin high schools to inspire young people.

Safe and Sustainable Seafood Consumer Education (Moy/Kline/Conklin)

Consumers often have questions about which fish is healthiest for their families, and many people are interested in purchasing more of their food from local sources. This educational campaign will primarily target grocery store consumers, providing facts about the health benefits, risks and sustainability of locally produced seafood. As a pilot project, Sea Grant will partner with one grocery store and focus on providing information about Wisconsin farm-raised fish. The campaign will be developed based on consumer surveys to determine information needs, and may include fact sheets, news releases, social media, recipes posted on the Sea Grant website and YouTube.com, cooking presentations, free samples and information stations. Depending on the preliminary success of the campaign, Sea Grant will then partner with other organizations and enlarge its focus to encompass Great Lakes fisheries.

Focus Area: Enhance Coastal Community Sustainability and Resilience

Three years ago, Wisconsin Sea Grant developed a strategic plan that laid a course for our activity and investments to meet the research and applied-science needs of our Coastal Communities. We now have an opportunity to make a course correction, if needed, in our current strategic plan as we begin to look towards our next 4-year plan.

National Goals:

  • Healthy coastal economies that include working waterfronts, an abundance of recreation and tourism opportunities, and coastal access for all citizens.
  • Coastal communities that make efficient use of land, energy and water resources and protect the resources needed to sustain coastal ecosystems and quality of life.
  • Coastal citizens, community and tribal leaders, and industries that recognize the complex interrelationships between social, economic and environmental values in coastal areas and work together to balance multiple uses and optimize environmental sustainability.
  • Widespread understanding of the risks associated with living, working and doing business along our state and nation’s coasts.

Sustainable Development Needs:

• To know the effects shoreline structures have on coastal habitat.

  • Techniques to predict and prolong the life of coastal infrastructure.
  • State-of-the-art “Smart Growth” coastal development planning tools that are user friendly and accessible to planners and decision makers.
  • Technologies to provide ready access to ecosystem-based Great Lakes information for local, tribal, state and federal decision makers.
  • Remote sensing data to improve our understanding of the physical, chemical, biological and geological coupling at the land-water interface and make these improved data access and visualization technologies available to decision makers.
  • A Great Lakes Observing System and decision-support tools for Great Lakes resource managers and coastal planners.

Strategies:

  • Support research to predict and prolong the life of coastal infrastructure and determine the positive and negative effects shoreline structures have on coastal habitat and communicate strategies to cope with the infrastructure impacts of climate change and extreme changes in water levels in the Great Lakes to port and marina operators.
  • Develop state-of-the-art “Smart Growth” coastal development planning tools that incorporate ecosystem-based information and that are user friendly and make them accessible to planners and decision makers.
  • Integrate remote sensing data from systems like the Great Lakes Observing System to improve our understanding of the physical, chemical, biological and geological coupling at the land-water interface and make these improved data access and visualization technologies available to decision makers.
  • Support the development of regional coastal observation systems and other collaborative efforts that advance our capability to predict the effects of human activities and environmental changes on coastal resources in order to take steps to mitigate their effects.

Sustainable Economies Needs:

  • Determination of the value of Great Lakes and coastal businesses, property, infrastructure and facilities.
  • Ability for waterfront businesses to remain financially viable while satisfying state and federal environmental regulations related to protecting the Great Lakes and coastal ecosystems.
  • Offshore wind energy and other forms of alternative energy in Great Lakes and coastal environments, communities and ecosystems.
  • Energy conservation and alternative energy sources for water-based businesses, lakeshore industries and coastal communities.

Strategies:

  • Evaluate and communicate the local, state and regional value of Great Lakes and coastal businesses, property, infrastructure and facilities.
  • Support research to improve cost efficiencies, enhance energy conservation and develop environmentally sound alternative energy sources to help Great Lakes businesses and coastal economies remain viable.

Resilient Communities Needs:

  • To know what causes extreme changes in Great Lakes water levels, the economic impacts of these changes and their effects on coastal infrastructure and coastal communities.
  • To know what effect climate change will have on stormwater hydrology and the potential effects on coastal communities and Great Lakes industries.
  • GIS, visualization technology, computer-aided designs and other technologies to assess and reduce the risks of coastal erosion, storm wave run-up and other natural hazards to coastal structures.

Strategies:

  • Utilize GIS, visualization technology and computer-aided designs to determine the effects of climate change on Great Lakes water levels and stormwater hydrology; evaluate the economic impacts of extreme water level changes and their effects on coastal infrastructure and coastal communities and means to reduce these risks.
  • Conduct research to assess hazard-related risks and increase the availability and usefulness of hazard-related information and forecasting for citizens, industries, and decision-makers in coastal communities.
  • Work with coastal businesses to assess the risks associated with doing business in coastal areas in the context of severe coastal storms, climate-related changes, and dramatic changes in port and international trade activities.

Education and Outreach Needs:

  • Marina and harbor operators who can adapt to changing lake levels and infrastructure impacts associated with climate change.
  • Integration of habitat protection and rehabilitation into coastal development plans and infrastructure design.
  • Local and tribal government officials who are aware of the ecosystem effects of urban areas and development in coastal watersheds and who know how to integrate land use planning, zoning and future development planning for environmentally safe, sustainable economies.
  • Information about the effects of climate change on Great Lakes coastal erosion, stormwater hydrology, water quality and wave run-up so that Great Lakes users can improve public safety through greater awareness of Great Lakes hazards.

Strategies:

  • Educate community planners, local and tribal government officials and decision makers about the ecosystem effects of urban areas and development in coastal watersheds and how to integrate land use planning, zoning and future development planning for environmentally safe, sustainable economies; communicate Smart Growth techniques that integrate habitat protection and rehabilitation into coastal development plans and infrastructure design.
  • Communicate information about the effects of climate change on Great Lakes and stormwater hydrology and water quality to Great Lakes users and improve public safety through greater awareness of Great Lakes hazards.
  • Work with federal partners to develop, test and promote beneficial uses for dredged material and the reuse of clean dredged material to help maintain healthy coastal communities and habitats.
  • Work with the NOAA Climate Change Program and other public and private sector partners to develop and deliver comprehensive education/literacy programs on the immediate and long-term effects of climate-related changes, and other hazardous events, on human safety and property along the coast, and how to prepare for and survive them.

Currently Funded Projects:

Diving Deeper: Deepwater Archaeology, Geocaching, and Traveling Exhibits Supporting Wisconsin’s Maritime Heritage
John Broihahn, Wisconsin Historical Society; John Karl, UW-Madison

The Great Lakes hold one of the world’s best-preserved repositories of historic shipwrecks. More than 750 shipwrecks lie in Wisconsin waters alone, representing a remarkable range of vessel types, genres and histories. The archaeological, historical and recreational value of these resources is enormous. However, continuing threats of looting by recreational divers, coupled with advancing depths of recreational dives, renders these resources vulnerable to exploitation and degradation. This project will mitigate those threats with a sustained program of outreach and education to increase divers’ and the public’s appreciation of these resources’ value and the need to protect them. In addition, this project will work closely with NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program, which is assessing factors for a possible shipwreck sanctuary in Wisconsin. C/SCD-1

An Economic Spatial-Dynamic Model of Great Lakes Coastal Development
R. William Provencher and Volker Radeloff, UW-Madison

This continuing project is focused on two land development issues. First, it is looking at the effects of coastal (shoreline and nearshore) land use policies and management tools on the spatial dynamics of private subdivision. Second, researchers hope to provide local Great Lakes governments and planning agencies with GIS tools that can be combined with econometric models of the subdivision decisions of private landowners to create a dynamic, spatial forecast of the effect of various landscape policies and management options. R/CC-1

Determining and Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on Stormwater Hydrology and Management for Great Lakes Coastal Communities
Kenneth Potter and David Liebl, UW-Madison

This project will use the current scientific knowledge about the potential increase in magnitude and frequency of large rainfalls in a changing climate to update the methods used to design and evaluate stormwater-related infrastructure in the Great Lakes region. These updated methods will be made available to local decision makers in Wisconsin’s coastal communities for proactive design of stormwater management systems. R/SCD-2

Davidson’s Goliaths: Documenting James Davidson’s Remaining Vessels in Wisconsin and His Contributions to Naval Architecture
Keith Meverden, Wisconsin Historical Society; John Karl, Wisconsin Sea Grant

From 1870 to 1903, the James Davidson shipyard in West Bay City, Mich., pushed the limits of wooden ship construction beyond anything the world had ever known. At a time when other shipyards had converted to iron and steel, Davidson continued setting new size records for wooden vessels. Four of Davidson’s vessels have been archaeologically documented in Wisconsin; this project includes documenting the remaining two—the Australasia, which lies off Whitefish Dunes State Park, and the Adriatic, which lies within the city of Sturgeon Bay. Wis. Documentation of the Australasia will include constructing an interpretive display in partnership with Whitefish Dunes State Park. Documentation of the Adriatic will aid decision makers in development of the Sturgeon Bay waterfront while preserving an important historic vessel. Collected data will be used to evaluate and nominate both sites according to National Register of Historic Places criteria. C/SCD-02

The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas: Building a Coastal Spatial Data Infrastructure for Wisconsin
Stephen Ventura, UW–Madison

Coastal web atlases have emerged as an important resource to help organize and present maps and data about coasts and make them more relevant to decision making about coastal management. The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas (WCA) will serve as the primary portal to geospatial data about the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coasts of Wisconsin. It will be organized into four sections—maps, tools, learn and search. The primary Webmapping interface will provide an overview of the Wisconsin coastal zone. A gallery of additional mapping interfaces will provide customized perspectives related to specific coastal issues. The atlas will allow users to search a catalog of coastal geospatial data. The catalog for the atlas will connect to distributed catalogs maintained by other data custodians, allowing discovery, assessment and download of a network of coastal geospatial data. In addition, the WCA will serve as a gateway to spatial decision support tools relevant to the Great Lakes and as a site to learn more about coastal issues and places. The research undertaken as part of this project will frame the WCA as an important building block of an eventual Great Lakes coastal atlas and will promote adaptive management of the Great Lakes at an ecosystem scale. R/SCD-01

Characterization of the Water Environment at the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior
Chin Wu, UW–Madison

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior is a treasured landscape, popular recreation area and a sensitive ecosystem. The 21 islands constitute a complex and poorly understood water environment. The investigator plans to observe and model the water environment at the Apostle Islands 1) to better understand the processes by which dangerous extreme (freak) waves are generated in popular areas of the park, 2) to identify at three spawning sites in the region a turbulence threshold that facilitates egg development and 3) to develop “nowcasting” and forecasting models to aid park managers and visitors in wisely using this resource. This limnological research study has also received support from the National Park Service at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and various citizen groups. R/SCD-03

The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas as a Foundation for Effective Spatial Decision-Support Tools Addressing Great Lakes Management
Stephen Ventura, UW–Madison

The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas (WCA) (wicoastalatlas.net) provides access to maps, data and tools to support decision making about the Great Lakes. It builds on many years of collaboration between Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility at UW-Madison to leverage sizeable investments made by local governments in land information systems and apply geospatial technologies to the sustainable management of the Great Lakes. This second phase of the WCA will incorporate satellite imagery and open-water observations in order to: 1) communicate water quality trends in Green Bay, 2) reduce conflicts between recreational fishermen and trap nets in Lake Michigan, and 3) improve the safety of water sports on the Great Lakes. The project will develop and apply social-science methods to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of spatial decision support tools and establish a webinar series to promote the development of a Great Lakes Coastal Atlas Network. R/SCD-04

Geotools for Fostering Citizen Engagement and Understanding of the Socio-Environmental Complexities of Great Lakes Coastal Estuaries
Janet Silbernagel, UW-Madison

Spatial narratives have been framed as conceptual tools for synthesizing multiple forms of bioregional knowledge for community-based decision making and stewardship. While the spatial narrative has been useful in several research and outreach applications, it has not yet been truly operationalized as a digital “geotool” or evaluated for its utility for citizen engagement and spatial literacy. In this project, researchers are partnering with the Applications Prototype Lab of Esri, a global leader in geographic information systems solutions, to develop a spatial narrative geotool application that allows coastal community groups to form digital spatial narratives for their own estuary-based bioregions and place-based issues. The project will evaluate citizen experiences and engagement in coastal estuaries with the geotool through a social science research design. With new modes of place-based learning, social media and participatory decision making, spatial narratives could be valuable in advancing spatial literacy and thoughtful dialogue around environmental sustainability in coastal communities. R/SCD-05

Algal Bioremediation of Wastewater Inputs to Great Lakes Ecosystems (FY13 Start)
Erica Young, UW-Milwaukee

Future sustainability of coastal communities demands a reduction of nutrients in effluents from wastewater treatment plants, and population growth is increasing pressure on communities’ infrastructure to manage and treat wastewater. Algal species like Cladophora can tolerate and take up high concentrations of nutrients, and this can be exploited for nutrient remediation of wastewater. The researchers have already shown in laboratory tests that Cladophora can deplete sewerage effluent of soluble reactive phosphorus to <5 ug/L and also provide a good biomass feedstock for biofuels production, offering combined sustainability benefits for use in remediation of wastewater. This project aims to develop algal nutrient remediation of wastewater that will provide cost savings to coastal communities and offer more sustainable options to improve lake ecosystem health. R/SCD-06

Assessment and Evaluation of the NOAA Climate Services Portal
Margaret Mooney, UW-Madison; Jean Phillips, UW-Madison

Scientists, educators, decision makers and the general public turn to various sources for climate information. Investigators will conduct a literature review to determine the types of information sources. Guided by those findings, researchers will then design an evaluation tool and apply it to plumb the perceptions of the NOAA Climate Services Portal. Funding source: Supplemental grant from the NOAA Sea Grant Office. A/AS-65

Currently Funded Outreach Projects:

Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change: Translating Model Results to Prepare Ports, Harbors and Stormwater Management Facilities in an Era of Climate Variability and Scientific Uncertainty (Harris/Clark)

This Great Lakes Sea Grant Network project involves two tasks: 1) the creation of economic tools or scalable models for evaluating the potential Great Lake economic impacts to navigation and port, harbor and marina infrastructure due to climate-induced variations and 2) the visualization of shoreline and water level change for three Great Lakes harbors based on updated climate change and lake level scenarios. Funding source: NOAA, Climate Program Office. A/AS-62

Great Lakes Mapping Mashups: Training to Leverage GLOS Products and Distributed Web Services (Hart)

This project supports holding one-day workshops on each of the Great Lakes to: 1) showcase existing Great Lakes mapping and decision-support tools, 2) help Great Lakes constituencies assess their needs for new Great Lakes mapping and decision-support tools, 3) identify existing sources of Great Lakes maps and data and, 4) provide hands-on training to show how participants can develop their own Great Lakes mapping mashups. Funding source: Great Lakes Observing System. A/GLOS-1

Enhancing Sea Grant Climate Extension Capabilities Through Training and Increased Interaction With NOAA Scientists (Hurley)

Sea Grant extension agents and specialists are constantly responding to stakeholders with concerns about potential impacts of climate change in coastal areas. However, at this time, there is no centralized training available for them, nor is there a convenient way for NOAA and Sea Grant climate research scientists to interact in a way that brings current science to coastal stakeholders. The co-principal investigators plan to form an advisory committee consisting of selected NOAA climate scientists and Sea Grant extension personnel to develop an online training course for coastal extension agents as well as a climate-based wiki to increase interaction between key NOAA scientists and coastal stakeholders. Public access to the site will allow coastal stakeholders access to all wiki content and the ability to locate key Sea Grant and NOAA climate personnel. Funding source: NOAA, Climate Program Office Sectoral Applications Research Program. A/SARP-1

Enhancement of the Wisconsin Coastal Guide (Hart)

The project enhances the Wisconsin Coastal Guide by completing a comprehensive inventory and classification of public access sites, enhancing panorama photos, partnering with Portal Wisconsin to map the calendar of cultural events in coastal communities, developing a map interface for “stories” that communicate the special nature of the Great Lakes, and adding several new map features to include nature centers, museums, marinas, geocaches, state natural areas and wildlife refuges. Funding source: Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. A/WCMP-4

Ports, Harbors and Marinas Initiative (Clark/Harris)

Wisconsin Sea Grant will assist Great Lakes ports, harbors and marina managers and owners with all aspects of port, harbor and marina infrastructure maintenance and repair, dredging technology and dredged material disposal, and facility management. A single non-advocacy source for reliable, up-to-date information to help managers and owners is critical to the operation and maintenance of our ports, harbors and marinas. New techniques need to be verified and information disseminated to assist managers with their project investigation studies and repairs. Wisconsin Sea Grant will partner with the Great Lakes port, harbor and marina managers, in addition to other regional and national entities, to establish a direct link between managers experiencing operational problems and valuable resources for technical information and engineering assistance.

In addition, Wisconsin Sea Grant will initiate a coordinated outreach and education campaign for Wisconsin’s coastal ports, harbors and marinas. Working with the newly formed Wisconsin Marina Association, Wisconsin Sea Grant will help establish and promote a Clean Marina Program in the state. Central to this effort will be a Sea Grant created website for timely information on port and harbor infrastructure, beneficial uses of dredged materials, guidance for adaptive response to changing lake levels in the face of climate change, and best management practices for a variety of operational and environmental issues.

Climate Change Outreach (All Outreach/IT Staff)

Wisconsin Sea Grant has already laid the groundwork for climate change outreach with funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program that supported the seminar series and corresponding publication Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion. Now, Wisconsin Sea Grant is expanding climate change outreach by participating in state (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts), regional (NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program [SARP] grant as part of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network: Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change) and national projects (NOAA SARP grant with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research & Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training: Enhancing Sea Grant Extension Capabilities through Training and Increased Interaction with NOAA Scientists).

Climate Change Adaptation and Wisconsin’s Coastal Communities: Connecting With Users (Moy/Hart/Clark)

Advisory Specialists Moy, Hart and Clark will work with coastal communities to inform planners and decision makers about the current science on climate adaptation. Moy, Hart and Clark served as co-chairs of the Coastal Communities Working Group of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, and they will collaborate with coastal communities, non-governmental organizations, and university, state and federal agencies to conduct a comprehensive needs analysis to determine climate impacts, vulnerabilities and possible adaptation plans. Funding source: Supplemental grant from the NOAA Sea Grant Office.

Great Lakes Observing System – Teaching With Great Lakes Data (Hart)

As part of the Great Lakes Observing System education activities, Sea Grant is enhancing the “Teaching with Great Lakes Data” lessons that utilize real-time observation data and models to promote to better understand waves and water safety. Funding source: Great Lakes Observing System.

Great Lakes Observing System – Adaptive Management Needs Assessment (Hart)

The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network is developing an adaptive management needs assessments for three priority user communities—public health managers, fisheries managers and ecosystem restoration professionals. Funding source: Great Lakes Observing System.

Climate Adaptation Implementation Assistance for Coastal Communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota (Hart/Schomberg)

This is a joint project of Wisconsin and Minnesota Sea Grant to provide climate adaptation implementation assistance for Great Lakes communities. A half-time climate adaptation specialist based at Wisconsin Sea Grant will focus on the Lake Michigan coast of Wisconsin through collaboration with the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts. A second half-time specialist based at Minnesota Sea Grant will focus on the Lake Superior coast of Minnesota and Wisconsin through collaboration with the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. Funding source: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Coastal Hazards Workshops (Clark/Hart)

This project is in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Office of the Great Lakes and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Hazards Team to conduct a series of coastal hazard workshops for two specific audiences. The first audience included regional and county zoning administrators, building inspectors and land and water conservation staff while the second audience will include WDNR water management specialists as well as zoning management specialists and basin supervisors. These workshops will educate these specific specialists to assist them in reviewing and permitting projects along the Great Lakes shorelines and to consider the impacts of future development projects. The goal of these workshops is to convey knowledge gained through experience, education and work of the Wisconsin Coastal Hazards Workgroup team.

Preparing Coastal Communities for Climate Change: Translating Model Results to Prepare Ports, Harbors and Stormwater Management Facilities in an Era of Climate Variability and Scientific Uncertainty (Clark/Hart)

This Great Lakes Sea Grant Network project involves two tasks: 1) the creation of economic tools or scalable models for evaluating the potential Great Lake economic impacts to navigation and port, harbor and marina infrastructure due to climate-induced variations and 2) the visualization of shoreline and water level change for three Great Lakes harbors based on updated climate change and lake level scenarios. Funding source: NOAA, Climate Program Office. A/AS-62