Chicago, IL, USA

Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. This midwest prairie landscape developed rapidly in the mid 19th century, becoming a hub for a growing urban population. Early public works like the Illinois and Michigan Canal, connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River Basin and altered the flow of the Chicago river, allowed for a population explosion, the transportation of goods, and inadvertently contributed to a growing public waste problem. Sitting on the coast of Lake Michigan, Chicago has managed a delicate balance of flowing water since its origins as an American metropolis. The prairie landscape we see today formed through thousands of years of indigenous grazing and intentional burnings. As the city grew, the prairie landscape once home to grazing bison, elk, and deer, started to disappear into agricultural and urban space. Furs, timber, grains, and livestock were traded in one of the nation’s busiest ports increasingly flooded with new residents. Today, Harbor Lock separates the water of Lake Michigan from the Chicago River, however managing the flow is still a difficult feat. As climate change affects the frequency and severity of weather events, flooding has become an increasingly more dangerous issue in the city. Changes in global temperature and precipitation means that Lake Michigan’s highs will become higher, and lows will be lower, threatening more flooded basements, filled roads, and damaged property. Wildlife in the region has also faced its own challenges. Invasive quagga mussels decimate phytoplankton, decreasing the lake’s nutrient level and altering the fragile network of species interactions. Invasive carp are finding their way into the lake despite efforts to restrict access. Leaks and spills from the nearby oil industry severely threaten wildlife and natural habitats. Rare plants like the lakeside daisy and native orchids have suffered the consequence of habitat destruction and pollution. While efforts are being made to restore prairie habitats, climate change, agricultural and industrial pollution, and invasive species threaten this once glorious midwest landscape.