Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center

Project Overview

A changing climate will have significant effects on the economic vitality, ecological health, and the well-being of residents in the Great Lakes basin. GLISA links those in need of information about the climate with producers of that information to facilitate smart responses to climate variability and change. 

GLISA's initial focus is the watersheds of Lake Huron and Lake Erie in the states of Michigan and Ohio and the province of Ontario, but its reach encompasses the broader Great Lakes basin. The center's research and outreach spotlight three critical sectors in the region—agriculture, watershed management, and natural resources-based tourism—which are interconnected through issues of water quality and quantity.

The two overarching goals of GLISA are to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the region in the face of a changing climate and improve the utility of scientific knowledge to decision making.

Decision Support Tools

• GLISA Stakeholder Reports: A series of documents aggregated by governance level compiled by GLISA researchers while analyzing past assessments of climate change in the Great Lakes Region.

• GLISAClimate.org: With input from stakeholders, the GLISA team is developing an online problem-solving environment. The site provides a space for working on GLISA partnerships and features a resource portal.
• Great Lakes Station Climatologies: In partnership with the Office of the State Climatologist, GLISA developed summaries of this information for selected sites across the Great Lakes region. Each summary includes an overview of the climate along with relevant data and graphs. These climatologies can inform local adaptation planning and decisions. 
• Pileus Project: A suite of tools showing historical weather and future projections for the region. Decision maker-tailored tools are aimed at the ski and general tourism industries and tart cherry growers.
  
  

Outreach and Climate Literacy

• GLISA Connect Newsletter: A monthly e-newsletter from GLISA with news and updates about research, grant opportunities, and events.
  

• GLISA Downscaling Wiki: A wiki containing articles, datasets, links,  decision support tools, and presentations related to downscaling for a broad audience.

• GLISA on Facebook: A Facebook Page to connect with GLISA stakeholders and interested parties. Regularly updated with items from and about GLISA and the Great Lake region.

• GLISA on Vimeo: Currently videos from GLISA Symposium 2011 presentations.