Research Projects

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Principal Investigator:
Sujay Kaushal
Co-Principal Investigator:
Shuiwang Duan, University of Maryland College Park
Summary:

Salinization is increasingly affecting many watersheds, significantly impacting drinking water resources and infrastructure, reducing stability and resilience of aquatic ecosystems, and potentially hindering stream and river restoration efforts. Salinization is related to deicer use on roadways with additional contributions from accelerated weathering of impervious surfaces, water softeners, and sewage. The concentrations of chloride observed in many urban streams in Maryland now exceed the limit of 250 mg/L established by the U.S. EPA for chronic toxicity to freshwater life. These observed ranges and extreme fluctuations in salinity can mobilize nitrogen, phosphorus, base cations, and toxic metals from sediments to streams due to enhanced ion exchange and solubility.

Principal Investigator:
Roger I.E. Newell
Co-Principal Investigator:
Victor S. Kennedy, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

We will quantify mortality rates of different sized C. ariakensis when exposed to the dominant predators in the mesohaline region of estuaries in the mid-Atlantic region. In concurrent studies we will measure the mortality of similarly sized eastern oyster C. virginica exposed to the same predators. By statistically comparing rates of mortality between the two species exposed to the same predators under identical conditions we will ascertain if natural predators can control feral populations of C ariakensis to the same degree as they control eastern oyster populations. We will use these data to inform managers charged with evaluating the possible consequences of the proposed introduction of a non-native oyster.

Principal Investigator:
Gerardo R. Vasta
Co-Principal Investigator:
Adam G. Marsh, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
Summary:

We plan to apply the methodologies developed from our current NMFS-funded project for mtDNA markers, DNA fingerprinting, RNA probes and PCR technologies to quantify low-levels of Perkinsus marinus infections in order to fully describe the etiology of this oyster disease. Our progress in working with genetic markers of P. marinus has: Developed a sensitive PCR-based diagnostic assay for detecting P. marinus infections ; Identified an extrachromosomal relic plastid-genome in P. marinus that is indicative of this species' close affinity to dinoflagellates and a photosynthetic ancestor; Described two ribosomal RNA genes that have been used in a phylogenetic reconstruction of the ancestral lineages of P. marinus ; Quantified tissue-specific P.

Principal Investigator:
Eric Schott
Co-Principal Investigator:
Tsvetan Bachvaroff, Institute of Marine & Env. Tech., UMCES; Mingli Zhao, Institute of Marine & Env. Tech., University of Maryland Baltimore County
Summary:

Rationale: Blue crab harvests and populations are highly variable in Maryland. Viral disease is a possible cause of blue crab mortalities, but  little is known about viruses in crabs. Interstate transport of blue crabs may introduce new viruses into the bay.

Principal Investigator:
Lawrence W. Harding, Jr.
Co-Principal Investigator:
Raleigh Hood, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

This research will use ocean color data from satellite and aircraft instruments in data assimilation models to: quantify seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the Chesapeake Bay with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution; use in combination with a coupled biological and physical model of Chesapeake Bay and the outflow plume to interpolate between observational periods, extend these observations in a third - vertical - dimension, and provide estimates of production and biomass of higher trophic levels.

Principal Investigator:
Yang Tao
Co-Principal Investigator:
Dongyi Wang, University of Maryland College Park (UMCP)
Summary:
Blue Crabs and their meat are an iconic cultural export for the Chesapeake area, and make a huge economic contribution to local fishing industry. Compared to unprocessed crabs, processed crab meat can promote the added value of blue crabs. However, currently, commercial meat is still hand-picked, which is an arduous and dangerous process. The shortage of skilled labor further impedes the healthy development of the crab industry. Targeting to these problems, an undergoing project in the lab is to design an automated crab meat processing machine integrating advanced machine vision and automation techniques to minimize the potential injury risk of human pickers, alleviate the labor force shortage, maximize the market value of blue crabs, and promote the development of crab industry.
Principal Investigator:
Robert P. Burchard
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The proposed research is designed to characterize an inhibitor of adhesion of marine, estuarine and freshwater biofilm bacteria. The inhibitor is produced by a marine gliding bacterium. The biological spectrum of adhesion inhibitory activity and the inhibitor's effects on the dynamics of biofilm formation on substrata differing in critical surface energy will be determined. Other marine and estuarine biofilm bacteria will be screened for the production of inhibitors of adhesion. AIF is a high molecular weight complex of polypeptides and glycoproteins. If one subunit of the AIF complex is responsible for inhibition of colony expansion and adhesion, it can be cloned and over-produced. AIF or a subunit can be immobilized on or in a substratum so as to maintain it anti-adhesion activity.

Principal Investigator:
Cynthia C. Gilmour
Co-Principal Investigator:
Douglas G. Capone, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

To look for changes in heterotrophic bacterioplankton production, biomass and C cycling in the Patuxent River as point source N loadings to the river decline. To examine the limitations on pelagic bacterial production. To use the information collected from this research project in conjunction with other studies of C and nutrient cycling the Patuxent to work toward a C budget for the Patuxent. We will extend our baseline studies of N & P cycling in the river through the current period of sharp reduction of N inputs. In addition to determining changes in bulk water characteristics, we will specifically examine the relative importance of planktonic heterotrophs, relative to autotrophs, in the uptake and regeneration of N & P as a function of season and site in the river.

Principal Investigator:
Mario N. Tamburri
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The full-scale controlled experiments under real-world conditions evaluations of Venturi Oxygen Stripping will be divided into two distinct phases or objectives: 1) Engineering Efficacy: Install and verify operational abilities, effectiveness to produce intended conditions, and reliability of the VOS systems onboard active vessels. 2) Biological Efficacy: Test the ability of VOS to reduce concentrations of living ballast water organisms, during normal vessel operations, to meet draft International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards.

Principal Investigator:
David A. Wright
Co-Principal Investigator:
Rodger Dawson, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Neil A. Belson, Pharmacognetics, Inc.
Summary:

The objectives of the Research Plan are (1) to demonstrate the efficacy, feasibility and environmental safety of Cutlerite as a treatment for ballast water, and (2) to obtain the experimental data necessary to satisfy EPA requirements for registration of Cutlerite as a commercial biocide. The Research Plan includes three separate components: 1. Aquatic toxicology assays, to measure the effective concentrations of Cutlerite against potential aquatic nuisance species; 2) Environmental fate analyses, to measure the biodegradation of Cutlerite; 3) Dockside and Shipboard trials, to measure the performance of Cutlerite under real-world conditions.

Principal Investigator:
Jeffrey C. Cornwell
Co-Principal Investigator:
Robert P. Mason, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

To measure depositional fluxes of sediment and sediment-water exchange rates of trace metals in order to develop a sediment budget for Baltimore Harbor, examine rates and locations of high rates of metal deposition and develop sediment-water exchange procedures for metals and to determine if such exchanges are important to the biota and overall metal budgets.

Principal Investigator:
Yonathan Zohar
Co-Principal Investigator:
Thomas T. Chen, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute; L. Curry Woods, University of Maryland, College Park
Summary:

Our major objectives are to complete the development of a simple, efficient and reliable technology for the induction of spawning and sperm production in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and related species, based on sustained administration of highly potent analogs of GnRH (GnRHa) via polymer-based delivery systems, and to gain a basic understanding of the mechanisms involved in GnRH synthesis at the level of the GnRH gene.

Principal Investigator:
Roberta L. Marinelli
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

A synthesis effort is proposed to examine relationships among benthic community composition and biogeochemical function, and identify "keystone" species having disproportionate effects on benthic biogeochemistry and benthic-water column interactions. The objectives are: (1) To examine the quality of faunal data sources, and to sort and arrange the data in terms of ecological relationships and likely biogeochemical interactions; (2) To examine the quality of related biogeochemical data and evaluate the extent of overlap (e.g.

Principal Investigator:
Ryan Woodland
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jeremy Testa, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, UMCES; Viacheslav Lyubchich, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, UMCES; Ryan Langendorf, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies
Summary:

Ecosystem-based management approaches require an understanding of how environmental conditions interact with living ecosystem components to influence the productivity of harvested species. This project is structured around the central hypothesis that the intensity, duration, and spatial extent of hypoxia will have important and measurable effects on the benthic invertebrate community that anchors much of the Chesapeake Bay demersal food web and contributes to the diet of many economically and ecologically important fishery species. In addition to this central hypothesis, we will evaluate the ecological trade-offs resulting from simultaneous stimulation of food availability and habitat loss (e.g., hypoxia) associated with nutrient loading.

Principal Investigator:
David Velinsky
Co-Principal Investigator:
Gregory D. Foster, George Mason University; Donald P. Kelso, George Mason University
Summary:

The overall objective of this project is to quantify the bioaccumulation and food web dynamics of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs: primarily PCBs, chlordanes and DDTs) in Anacostia River via exposure through the water column (e.g. suspension feeders, predators) and the benthic (e.g. deposit feeders, suspension feeders) communities in the sediments of the river. Specific objectives are to determine the contaminant level and season variations in important food sources to benthic and pelagic fish in the river, and determine the inter-relationships among primary producer-consumer-predator using multiple techniques including stable isotopes, gut content analysis, and PCB and chlordane concentration and fingerprinting analysis.

Principal Investigator:
Arthur N. Popper
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Our studies will focus on the impact of ambient sound on tilapia (Tilapia aurea), an aquaculturally important finfish species in Maryland and a good model of general teleost hearing capabilities. This will be accomplished by evaluating a suite of integrated endpoints in response to specific acoustical stress exposures. These endpoints include alterations in growth, hearing capabilities as determined using neurophysiological techniques, microanatomical pathology as assessed by electron microscopy, and changes in whole organism stress assessed by alterations in serum stress hormones and susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens.

Principal Investigator:
Ronald Weiner
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

To assess degradative enzyme activity of Alteromonas 2-40 (2-40) by: a) Assaying degradative activity in sole and multiple carbon sources (substrates), e.g. combinations of agarose, chitin and alginate (a condition 2-40 is likely to encounter in nature); b) Assessing enzyme activity of cells, grown in combinations of these complex carbohydrates in time course and as to culture fraction (e.g. supernatant, membrane and whole cells).

Principal Investigator:
Lawrence P. Sanford
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jerome P.-Y. Maa, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Jeffrey C. Cornwell, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Carry out an exploratory study of bottom sediment erodibility in the muddy northern half of Chesapeake Bay. Compare and evaluate two state-of-the-art techniques for measuring erodibility to ensure high data quality and to investigate potential differences in results. Analyze the data in the context of a newly developed erosion formulation that allows application of results for numerical sediment transport modeling and accounts for a potentially limited supply of erodible sediment. Relate seasonal and spatial changes in erodibility to environmental factors such as grain size distribution, sediment water content, recent sedimentation rate, biological activity, and water quality.

Principal Investigator:
Fredrika C. Moser
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The Pilot Bridge to Marine Science REU program’s goal is to increase interest and participation by Hispanic early stage undergraduate students from different disciplines in marine science.

Principal Investigator:
Yoni Zohar
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fredrika Moser, Maryland Sea Grant; James Hurley, Wisconsin Sea Grant; Gayle Zydlewski, Maine Sea Grant
Summary:

The recent exponential growth in established or planned US closed-containment Atlantic salmon production has been associated with over $1B investment into this aquaculture sector. The success of this dramatic expansion/investment in land-based, RAS salmon production requires a national, coordinated and interdisciplinary effort to ensure that current barriers are eliminated and efficiency and cost-effectiveness are attained. While major progress has been achieved in recent years in RAS technology, its scaling up may face biological, engineering, technological, economical and societal constraints that should be addressed via a fully integrated research, extension, outreach, education and workforce development network.

Principal Investigator:
Roger I.E. Newell
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jeffrey C. Cornwell, Jon H. Tuttle, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

We will test the hypothesis that water quality in eutrophic estuaries can be substantially improved as a consequence of the feeding activity of bivalves. These organisms serve to remove large quantities of phytoplankton and hence may reduce the amount of organic material settling beneath the estuarine pycnocline where its degradation causes hypoxia. We will determine if the rate and form of nitrogen regenerated from oyster biodeposits in aerobic waters differs from when the same amount of plankton biomass is degraded through anaerobic microbial processes. This research is pertinent to both the Environmental Studies and Fisheries and Aquaculture programmatic areas.

Principal Investigator:
Judith O'Neil
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jeffrey Cornwell, HPL, UMCES; Cassie Gurbisz, St. Mary's College of Maryland; Catherine Wazniak, MDDNR; J. Brooke Landry, MDDNR
Summary:

Management efforts to reduce nutrient pollution have prompted the recovery of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay (CB), particularly in the Bay’s tidal fresh and oligohaline waters. Unfortunately, benthic filamentous cyanobacteria have also become increasingly common in some of the areas where SAV is expanding the most. Although the prevalence of cyanobacteria is increasing globally, it is relatively uninvestigated in CB where it may threaten the stability and resilience of recovering SAV, disrupt the nutrient balance of SAV beds, which are generally thought to be nutrient sinks, and potentially affect recreational and commercial activities if they produce toxic compounds.

Principal Investigator:
Jennifer E. Purcell
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The objective of the proposed research is to evaluate the importance of chaetognaths as predators and competitors of larval fishes as part of the on going South Atlantic Bight Recruitment Experiment (SABRE).

Principal Investigator:
Louis Plough
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fellow: Katie Hornick
Summary:

Hatchery-based enhancement of marine fisheries is being undertaken on a worldwide scale, but the genetic impacts of these practices, specifically their effects on diversity and long-term population resilience, are often not fully understood and rarely monitored. Intensive hatchery-based restoration is underway in the Chesapeake Bay supplement depleted eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica populations, but the potential genetic impacts of this program remain poorly understood. While previous and ongoing work in the Harris Creek sanctuary has generated baseline data on genetic impacts at one planted reef, it remains difficult to draw conclusions about the genetic impact of the restoration program with so few samples.

Principal Investigator:
Kennedy T. Paynter, Jr.
Co-Principal Investigator:
Donald Meritt, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Standish K. Allen, Virginia Institute Of Marine Studies
Summary:

Compare the growth, disease acquisition, mortality and potential reef structure creation of sterile triploid Crassostrea ariakensis and sterile tripoid C. virginica at four sites in the Chesapeake Bay.

Since 1977, Maryland Sea Grant has funded scientific research relevant to the Chesapeake Bay and the Maryland residents who conserve, enjoy, and make their living from it. We strive to fund projects that both advance scientific knowledge and offer practical results benefiting ecosystems, communities, and economies throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

Click on an individual project to find out more. Search current and past research projects here.

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