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R/P-57
Do Oyster Filtration and Wave Attenuation Associated with Oyster Reefs and Breakwater Improve Seagrass Habitat?
Principal Investigator:
Raleigh HoodStart/End Year:
2003 - 2006Institution:
Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceCo-Principal Investigator:
Evamaria Koch, Roger Newell, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceTopic(s):
- Oysters
Description:
This project addresses one of the priorities established by Maryland Sea Grant: the health of our coastal ecosystems, or more specifically, a physical-biological link between oyster reefs and seagrass habitats. Our objectives are: (1) quantify the impact of oyster reefs and breakwaters on wave attenuation and water clarity using a combination of numerical modeling and field studies; (2) evaluate the potential for oyster reefs to create suitable seagrass habitats using these same approaches; (3) develop a model that can be used by managers to help guide their seagrass and oyster restoration efforts; (4) educate managers and citizens about the importance of oyster reefs in maintaining water quality and seagrass habitat.
Funding Start Year
2003
Funding End Year
2006
Related Publications:
Smith, KA; North, EW; Shi, F; Chen, SN; Hood, RW.; Koch, EW; Newell, RIE. 2009. Modeling the Effects of Oyster Reefs and Breakwaters on Seagrass Growth. Estuaries and Coasts32(4):748 -757. doi:10.1007/s12237-009-9170-z. UM-SG-RS-2009-12.
Chen, SN; Sanford, LP; Koch, EW; Shi, F; North, EW. 2007. A nearshore model to investigate the effects of seagrass bed geometry on wave attenuation and suspended sediment transport. Estuaries and Coasts30(2):296 -310. doi:10.1007/BF02700172. UM-SG-RS-2007-06.
Newell, RIE; Koch, EW. 2004. Modeling seagrass density and distribution in response to changes in turbidity stemming from bivalve filtration and seagrass sediment stabilization. Estuaries27(5):793 -806. doi:10.1007/BF02912041. UM-SG-RS-2004-11.
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Featured Fellow
Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
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