Center
for Great Lakes Studies
Water
is the common denominator among all ecosystems
and global biogeochemical cycles. As such, it serves
as the focal point for research at the Center for
Great Lakes Studies. The Laurentian Great Lakes
collectively represent the largest body of fresh
water on the surface of the earth.
In
recognition of the importance of these lakes, the
Center for Great Lakes Studies was established
at the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in 1966. The Center,
administered by the UWM
Graduate School, has been designated a UWM
Center of Excellence as well as UW-System Regents
Center of Excellence, dedicated to research and
research training related to natural waters.
From
its inception, Center scientists have been involved
in interdisciplinary research activities that focus
on complex physical, chemical and biological processes
in lakes and oceans. The product of these endeavors
is a deeper understanding of the waters and their
inhabitants as evolving ecosystems, responding
to natural changes and to human activities. The
knowledge gained from these studies has been applied
to better predict and manage problems arising from
the multifaceted uses of the Great Lakes ecosystem
as a resource. The Center, located in the Great
Lakes Research Facility on Milwaukee's inner harbor,
five miles from the UW-Milwaukee campus, provides
an interdisciplinary setting for the exchange of
ideas between scientists, engineers and students.
Areas
of Research
From
Molecular Probes to Satellite Images
A
combination of biological, chemical and physical
processes have interacted in the Great Lakes to
produce what we see today, and will govern what
happens in the future. Center research ranges from
studies of microbial processes using gene probes
and electron microscopy, to the interpretation
of satellite images of the lakes, to sampling with
underwater robotics. The physics and chemistry
of water and sediment set the stage and the microscopic
bacteria, algae, planktonic animals, bottom dwellers,
and the fishes are the actors in the drama of biological
production and decay. But those are not the only
actors. The Great Lakes region is home to forty
million people, providing water for homes, farms,
industry and recreation, and shipping lanes linking
the heartland of North America to the rest of the
world.
Biological
Research
Center
biologists study how organisms respond to natural
and human-induced changes in the environment and
in turn, how organisms influence the lakes and
oceans in which they live. Studies range from field
investigations of the life histories, behaviors,
abundance and distribution of both native and exotic
species, to controlled laboratory experiments using
cultured organisms to test hypotheses generated
from field observations.
Researchers
study basic fish biology and ecology to determine
how reproductive behavior, physiological responses
to stress and energy transfer efficiency can be
applied to fishery management in the Great Lakes.
Others are developing aquaculture techniques which
may be used to produce commercially valuable species
as a source of protein.
Molecular
techniques are employed in conjunction with standard
physiological and ecological methods in order to
understand the role and diversity of microorganisms
involved in the cycling of gases, and inorganic
and organic compounds in the natural environment.
Biogeochemical
Research
Biogeochemical
research involves the study of chemical cycling
among the varied living and non-living compartments
within an ecosystem. Processes under study include
long-term global and regional fluxes of basic elements
such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous, as well
as molecular scale interactions at the reaction
interface. Biogeochemists seek to understand the
dynamics of biological and chemical interactions
and the rates at which both natural and anthropogenic
materials move between compartments within the
lakes and at the various interfaces of land, air
and sediments.
The
major thrust in other research efforts has been
to understand geochemical processes occurring in
lakes, both their influence on water quality and
their effect on the structure and function of ecosystems.
This has evolved through an interest in measurements
of contaminants, defined in the broadest sense,
in sediments and water. Understanding the distribution
of radionuclides in lakes has been and continues
to be, a critical component of this research as
they act as geochronometers as well as easily quantified
surrogates for many other chemicals.
Hydrogeology
and Geophysical Research
Geophysical
research has centered on developing techniques
to elucidate the structure of sublake bottom and
the hydraulic conductivity between the lake and
inland ground-water. Institute hydro-geologists
are examining the possible recharge of aquifers
by lake water and conversely, the transport of
potentially contaminated groundwater into the lake.
In addition, they are concerned with adsorption
processes and redox reaction in anaerobic systems.
Water
Resources Research
There
has been a long history of pollution in the lakes
by sewage, agricultural and urban runoff and industrial
wastes. Research into basic water resource problems
lead to new waste treatment processes and a fuller
understanding of how pollutants from both point
and diffuse sources are dispersed. Mathematical
models are developed to study lake hydrodynamics
and to predict the fate of pollutants in lakes
and their potential effect on the biota and the
water resources of the region.
Institute
researchers also examine environmental and economic
effects of human activities in the region. The
impact of introduced or exotic species on the flora
and fauna of the lakes as well as commercial industry
is evaluated.
Oceanography
Although
many miles from the sea, the Great Lakes are themselves,
inland seas directly connected to the oceans. Their
basic biological, physical and geochemical processes
are similar to those in open oceans; thus the lakes
are mesocosms of the oceans.
As
a result, Institute staff maintain active contacts
with colleagues at oceanographic institutions throughout
the world and participate in oceanographic cruises
and other collaborative research. Through these
cooperative ventures students who study with the
Center researchers have the opportunity to gain
marine as well as fresh water research experience.
Graduate
and Undergraduate Education
The
Center for Great Lakes Studies provides an experiential
platform for limnological and oceanographic studies
at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The
Center cooperates with academic departments at
UWM and other institutions in the region to provide
resources for both graduate and undergraduate studies
as well as educational programs such as NSF's Research
Experience for Undergraduates Program. Study at
the Center can be done in degree programs at the
B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels available through
the following departments at UWM:
A
M.S. and Ph.D. specialty in Biogeochemistry is
under construction.
For
UWM application information, select one of the
following:
In
addition to the traditional educational goal of
transferring knowledge to students, WATER Institute
educators and scientists provide hands-on training
in technical skills. Diverse in both instrumentation
and academic expertise, CGLS provides a multidisciplinary
atmosphere suitable for environmental scientists
of the 21st century.
