Schedule

This session will highlight ecological modeling and empirical studies of biological-physical interactions and biogeochemistry in the pelagic and benthic zones of large lakes as well as streams and rivers in their watersheds. We encourage contributions that address important ecological functions as well organismal responses to abiotic factors using process-based numerical models, data-driven models, ecological experiments, physiological or molecular tools, and in situ observations. Chaired by: Mark Rowe1 , Reza Valipour2 , Casey Godwin3 , Josef Ackerman4 1 NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 2Environment and Climate Change Canada, 3University of Michigan, Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, 4University of Guelph

• Biogeochemistry, Physics, and Modeling

The coasts of the North American Great Lakes (NAGL) are geomorphically diverse and dynamic systems that influence water quality, provide valuable ecosystem services, and support major economic activity. These coasts include morphologies ranging from hard rock cliffs and cohesive bluffs to sandy shores and wetlands, each with unique and potentially nonstationary morphodynamic responses to environmental perturbations. A similar compositional diversity exists in the nearshore, yielding many unique combinations of onshore and offshore morphology. The evolution of coastal systems is influenced by lithology, biology, atmospheric forcing, and anthropogenic factors. These processes are interdependent, i.e., coastal erosion and nutrient delivery, nearshore morphodynamics and wave transformation, or vegetative succession and aeolian deposition. Coastal processes in the NAGL are understudied relative to marine coasts, limiting our ability to provide the decision-ready science that managers need to protect ecosystems and limit natural hazards exposure. The climate and geology of the NAGL coastlines are unique and advancing the field requires research on individual processes, intersections and feedback mechanisms between processes, and integrative syntheses of system behavior. This session will highlight recent research on NAGL coastal evolution, the physical processes active along the nearshore and shoreline, and their implications for the environment and society. We encourage submissions of field, laboratory, remote sensing, modeling, and public policy research that investigates coastal processes and/or their societal implications at any spatiotemporal scale. Chaired by: Chelsea Volpano1 , Collin Roland1, 2, Ethan Theuerkauf3 , Luke Zoet1 1 University of Wisconsin Madison, 2U.S. Geologic Survey Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 3Michigan State University

• Watersheds, Wetlands, and Coastal

High frequency water level fluctuations have been associated with a critical set of coastal hazards like dangerous currents, sudden water level surges that overtop coastal structures and sweep people off piers, rapid water level drawdowns to navigation threats. In the Great Lakes, these high-frequency water level oscillations like meteotsunamis, infragravity waves, edge waves, seiches, etc. have not yet or barely been detected by existing monitoring infrastructure and current state-of-the art modeling prediction, prone to dangerous beach hazards to the public. For example, a recent study reported that 65% of drowning incidents in Lake Michigan were caused by meteorologically-induced high-frequency oscillations. The aim of this session is to call attention to high-frequency water level fluctuations and the induced coastal hazards. Studies that (i) characterize high-frequency water level fluctuations, dangerous currents, drowning incidents, etc., (ii) test innovative monitoring platforms (buoys, sensors, communication networks, etc.), and (iii) develop predicted models and toolkits to detect and issue warning for high-frequency water level fluctuations-induced coastal hazards, and (iv) engage stakeholder groups and communities to address high-frequency water level fluctuations induced coastal are particularly welcomed. The goal is to provide a broad forum to discuss insights and strategies to mitigate the impact of coastal hazards induced by high frequency water level fluctuations on water safety in the Great Lakes. Chaired by: Chin Wu1 , Eric Anderson2 , Guy Meadows3 , Megan Dodson4 1 University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2Colorado School of Mines, 3Michigan Technological University, 4Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium

• Biogeochemistry, Physics, and Modeling
• Watersheds, Wetlands, and Coastal
• Observing and Sensor Technology

The rapid pace of technological innovation has enabled radical shifts in environmental sensing and monitoring capabilities. Newly affordable solutions for distributed in‐situ monitoring, remote sensing, community science, and data fusion offer broad opportunities to build the research, management, and community capacity needed to understand, protect, and restore water resources across the Great Lakes Basin. New technology is enabling a broader movement of water monitoring by community groups, municipal actors, cross-sector partnerships, and industry leaders across the states and provinces along the shoreline. These technologies enhance our ability to provide functional, streamlined solutions for water quality monitoring of ever-changing conditions. This infrastructure enables early warning and real-time insights for industry, utility, agriculture, maritime, and recreational interests across the Lake and its tributaries. This session will highlight case studies and innovative tech to explore the next generation of lake data collection and analysis systems. By bringing together perspectives from research, nonprofit, and industry, this session will not only showcase technologies and research methods, it will also highlight the collaborations and partnerships that enable development, piloting, and field operation. Consider this session a water tech symposium, with submissions including experiential components such as on‐stage demonstrations of wireless sensor networking or navigating real-time data with VR technology along with conventional research presentations. Users of the newly created testbed program will also be featured that help companies rapidly test and deploy technology on the Great Lakes. Chaired by: Edward Verhamme1 , Emily Hamilton2 , Todd Miller3 1 LimnoTech, 2Cleveland Water Alliance, 3University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

• Observing and Sensor Technology

Over the past 200 years, salinity levels in many of the world's Great Lakes have risen significantly due to human activities, particularly the discharge of wastewater from industrial facilities. In addition, the Laurentian Great Lakes face added pressures from road salt application and runoff, which are used to prevent ice formation on roads and walkways. This session will feature presentations on the latest research concerning the impacts of salt on Great Lakes ecosystems, its sources, and the role of climate change in the rising salinization trend. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration among policymakers, scientists, and communities to develop effective monitoring techniques, mitigation strategies, and policies aimed at reducing harmful effects and preserving the integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Chaired by: Donna R. Kashian1 , Héctor Esparra-Escalera1 , Margaret R Menso1 1 Wayne State University

• Contaminants, Pathogens, and Microbiology

Invasive species are a leading threat to native species and biodiversity, are an important driver of global ecological and evolutionary change, restructure food webs, and have caused significant economic damage to ecosystems. This session welcomes presentations reflecting a broad array of aquatic invasive species research in large lakes of the world. We encourage presenters to connect their research to recent international, national, regional or local management-driven research prioritization lists and gap analyses such as the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force’s National Priorities List. Chaired by: Rochelle Sturtevant1 , Connor Shelly1 , El Lower1 1 Michigan Sea Grant

• Fish and Non-Indigenous Species

To achieve coastal resilience goals, communities must consider a variety of interests, including public and private rights, the natural environment, and our built environment. While these interests often conflict, effective shoreline management should strive to balance all interests while bridging the gap between science and policy. This session will explore whether laws regulating Great Lakes shorelines are aligned with real-world conditions and with the public trust doctrine, and how these policies may be better informed by community-based research. In this session, the audience will hear from a multidisciplinary group of experts on the intersection between changing lake levels and the built environment of Great Lakes shorelines. Presenters will discuss various aspects of shoreline armoring: implications for public access, public funding sources, scientific monitoring, public perception, state permitting implementation, and possible legal constraints on regulation. Additionally, presenters will reflect on historic limitations on access to the Great Lakes and highlight the benefits of incorporating environmental justice practices into shoreline management plans. While this session will largely focus on the complexities of managing developed shorelines, attendees will also learn about efforts to preserve natural shorelines through conservation. Chaired by: Melissa Scanlan1 , Cora Sutherland1 , Emma Ehrlich1 1 UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy

• Watersheds, Wetlands, and Coastal

The Laurentian Great Lakes are affected by a wide range of legacy and emerging organic contaminants and metals. These contaminants can result in fish consumption advisories and other waterbody use restrictions within contaminated regions (i.e., federally designated Areas of Concern) as well as nearshore and offshore environments across the Great Lakes ecosystem. The release, transformation, transport, and bioaccumulation of different contaminants is dependent on a wide array of physical, chemical, and biological factors. In turn, each of these factors is responsive to many local and global changes, such as changing source portfolios, climate change, biological invasions, and bioenergetics. Limited understanding of the response of contaminant fate and transport processes to the abovementioned co-occurring stressors can obscure forecasting of management action outcomes. By developing a mechanistic understanding of contaminant cycling, we can better predict and ultimately manage the impact of local and global change on contaminant-based impairments. Emerging methods and large multidisciplinary studies offer an opportunity to develop such mechanistic understandings. For this session, we invite abstracts that target biogeochemical and food web focused contaminant studies within the Great Lakes and their watersheds. Emphasis will be placed on presentations that use multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches or novel methods; target a mechanistic understanding of contaminant fate or transport in waters, sediments, or aquatic food webs; or target understudied but important contaminants in the system. Chaired by: Benjamin D. Peterson1 , Sarah E. Janssen2 , Ryan F. Lepak3 , Christopher T. Filstrup4 1 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, School of Freshwater Sciences, 2United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 3United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, 4University of Minnesota - Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute

• Contaminants, Pathogens, and Microbiology