(AP) - A consortium of universities and research organizations in the Great Lakes region will develop a new approach to analyzing and managing Saginaw Bay's ecosystem.

The five-year project is funded through 3.8 million dollars awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Saginaw Bay, part of Lake Huron, was selected as a case study because it's complex coastal ecosystem faces a number of environmental stressors.

NOAA spokesman Robert Magnien says the project will serve as a blueprint for improving the management of other coastal systems facing similar stressors.

Schools involved in the project include Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Akron universities.