1) Develop and deepen cross-disciplinary dialogue between social and natural scientists regarding climate-driven disturbances in the Great Lakes

2) Synthesize existing datasets and research to quantify important couplings between social and natural Great Lakes systems at a variety of scales, thus better informing decision making regarding solutions to existing and future challenges faced by coastal communities

3) Identify knowledge gaps for predicting impacts of climate-driven changes that impact coastal communities and relate these to potential community responses

4) Compare existing knowledge of climate-driven disturbances with community governance structures and community capacity building

5) Provide mentoring and training to the next generation of social and natural scientists who focus on socio-ecological systems in the Great Lakes.

The primary networking mechanism by which the CGVG- RCN will fulfill its goals will be three meetings held between 2021 and 2023. Each meeting will develop knowledge of variability in integrated social-environmental systems, but each will also have its own focus. The first workshop will focus on hydrological drivers, emphasizing storms and lake levels and their effects on the lake ecosystem and the communities around them. The second workshop will focus on biological drivers, including harmful algal blooms and invasive species. The third workshop will focus on human drivers such as demographic shifts or shifting economies.

This Project will address pressing questions about the nature of climate-driven variability on Great Lakes shorelines; the synchronicity between natural variability and social change; and the feedbacks and couplings between one of Earth’s largest fresh water sources and the intensive human social/economic system on its shores. When the RCN is complete, the scientific knowledge of how coastal communities in the Great Lakes Basin interact with climate-driven disturbances will have progressed significantly. A new framework for understanding coastal variability at a wide range of scales will have been produced.

The RCN will have four key benefits to the scientific community and coastal communities at large: (1) Training early career scholars in interdisciplinary research integrating social and ecological systems, with a particular focus on mentoring postdoctoral scholars. (2) Broader training for participants through collaborative and synergistic activities associated with the RCN. (3) Synergy with other networks. Participants are currently active in numerous existing networks throughout the region. Though these provide key pieces of what is needed, one of these is taking such a wide and comprehensive look at climate-driven variability. (4) Relevance to decision making. The CGVG-RCN will work closely with practitioners from private and non-profit industry, and local, state, federal, and tribal governments and agencies. Participation by these practitioners on the Steering Committee and in workshops will ensure that the RCN goals and activities are actionable, achievable, and realistic.