How to Model Eel Sex Ratios, Submersible Search, and Great Lakes Water Levels

A Problem: Resource Availability and Sex Ratio

Background: In many animal species the sex ratio is typically close to 1:1, but deviations occur due to environmental factors such as nest temperature in alligators. Marine eels exhibit complex roles; in some regions they are parasites, in others a food source.

Question: The sex ratio of marine eels can shift with resource availability. Low food leads to slower larval growth and a male proportion of about 78 %; abundant food yields about 56 % males. The task is to assess the advantages and disadvantages of this plasticity for the eel population and the broader ecosystem, and to develop and test a model that provides insight into these interactions.

Requirements: Analyze ecosystem impacts when eels can change sex ratios, discuss benefits and costs for the eel population, evaluate effects on ecosystem stability, and examine whether altered ratios advantage other organisms such as parasites. Deliver a PDF report ≤ 25 pages with abstract, contents, solution, references, and AI usage report.

B Problem: Submersible Search

Background: MCMS builds crewed submersibles for deep‑sea tourism in the Ionian Sea. Before deployment they must create safety procedures for loss of communication with the mothership and possible propulsion failure, to obtain regulatory approval.

Task: Develop one or more models that predict the submersible’s position over time, identify uncertainties, and propose telemetry that could reduce them. Recommend additional search equipment for the mothership and rescue vessels, considering availability, maintenance, and cost. Using the positioning model, design deployment points and search patterns that minimize time to locate a lost submersible, and estimate the probability of detection as a function of time. Extend the model to other destinations such as the Caribbean and to scenarios with multiple submersibles. Submit a ≤ 25‑page PDF including a two‑page memorandum for Greek authorities.

C Problem: Great Lakes Water‑Resource Management

Background: The five Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on Earth, supporting many cities and diverse uses. Water levels are governed by complex interactions among temperature, wind, precipitation, evaporation, inflows, outflows, dam operations, and climate variability.

Requirements: Build a network model of flows from Lake Superior to the Atlantic, determine optimal lake levels for all stakeholders, devise an algorithm to maintain those levels, assess sensitivity to dam releases and to environmental changes, and evaluate performance using 2017 data. Provide a one‑page memorandum for IJC leadership summarizing the model’s key features.

E Problem: Sustainability of Property Insurance

Background: Extreme weather events are increasing claims and premiums, creating a profitability crisis for insurers and affordability issues for property owners. The insurance protection gap averages 57 % and is growing.

Task: Design a data‑driven model that helps insurers decide where and when to underwrite policies under rising climate risk, demonstrating it with two regions on different continents. Propose a complementary model for community leaders to identify culturally or historically important structures that merit protection, and draft a one‑page recommendation letter for a selected landmark.

F Problem: Reducing Illegal Wildlife Trade

Background: Illegal wildlife trade generates up to $26.5 billion annually and threatens biodiversity.

Task: Create a five‑year, data‑based project plan aimed at a suitable client, justify the client choice with literature and analysis, outline required resources, predict measurable impacts, conduct sensitivity analysis, and discuss how the project fits within broader complex‑system efforts. Include a one‑page memo for the client.