6/7/01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORKSHOP AT UWM FOCUSES ON THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON GREAT LAKES

MILWAUKEE - How does the changing climate affect the ecological health of the Great Lakes, the state's commercial fishing industries, or even the production of drinking water in our area?

These questions will be explored at a one-day workshop that will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Great Lakes WATER Institute June 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Climate Change and the Water Ecology of the Great Lakes: The Potential Impacts and What We Can Do," is presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the University of Michigan, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Great Lakes Regional Assessment Team in which UWM has members. The event will allow scientists from the entire Great Lakes region to share research and discuss topics affecting freshwater ecology.

The workshop is one of five regional workshops planned by the EPA this year to inform concerned citizens in the Great Lakes region about the potential impacts of global climate change and engage people in addressing these issues. The first, "Great Lakes Water Levels," was held in Chicago in March.

These workshops follow the release of a major scientific assessment sponsored by and conducted in partnership with EPA's Global Change Research Program, in which researchers have found that climate change may have profound effects on the Great Lakes region, potentially affecting weather patterns, lake temperatures, fish health, the numbers of exotic (invasive) species, and the aquatic food chain.

"Nobody is 100 percent sure what will happen with the climate, let alone the fish," says Arthur Brooks, UWM professor of biological sciences and CGLS at the WATER Institute, moderator of the event. The effect of climate change on the lakes could be either beneficial or disastrous, says Brooks.

"If these physical changes to the lake are minor, the warmer temperatures may give fish a chance to grow more rapidly," he says. "On the other hand, if the production of food sources is adversely affected, the fish will not have enough food and their production could decline. It's not a simple matter."

The temperature of the lakes' water would affect how well cold-water species of fish, such as salmon and trout, thrive. It also may impact the chemistry of the water, altering the habitat of native fish. That could have consequences for the commercial fishermen and fisheries managers.

Fish health isn't the only unknown. The introduction of more non-native species could pose a challenge to water utilities. Consider how the invasive zebra mussel population has boomed, blocking water intake pipes from Lake Michigan.

The event also will examine how Native American tribes depend on the ecological balance of the Great Lakes.

Featured speakers include: * Harvey Bootsma, UWM * John Magnuson, UW-Madison * Peter Sousounis, University of Michigan, and Brent Lofgren, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab * Mic Isham, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians * Ted Eggebraaten, Wisconsin Commercial Fishing Association * Susan Horfod Julius, EPA * Art Brooks, UWM

For additional information on this workshop, log on to the Web site: www.epa.gov/glnpo/climate/workshops.html or call Bill Omohundro at the EPA, (312) 353-8254. For directions to the WATER Institute, see their Web site: www.uwm.edu/Dept/GLW/location.html. To register, call Joanne Bisanz at (734) 764-6163.

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