Research Projects

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Principal Investigator:
Tom Miller
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fellow: Reed Brodnik
Summary:

The existence of spatial structure in populations of exploited marine fishes challenges our ability to develop reliable stock assessments. Using the northern stock of Black Sea Bass (BSB - Centropristis striata) on the US Atlantic coast as a model species, I will combine empirical and analytical approaches to explore the impacts of the spatial resolution of population and assessment models on the reference points generated by assessments. In this region, the distribution of BSB is highly structured during summer months when the fish are inshore, but the distribution is more widely dispersed when offshore in the winter.

Principal Investigator:
Katherine Tully
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fellow: Danielle Weissman
Summary:

As the world’s climate changes, rural coastlines are becoming more vulnerable to sea level rise. Consequently, these ecosystems are undergoing major disruptions in nutrient cycling. Tidal salt marshes, riparian forests, and farmland converge on coastlines, forming ecotones, or unique transitional ecosystems. With centuries of farming and fertilizer additions, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in excess of plant demand can accumulate in soils (known as legacy nutrients). Sea level rise and associated saltwater intrusion following storm events can remobilize legacy nutrients years or even decades after application, supplying a persistent but unpredictable source of nutrients to downstream waterways.

Principal Investigator:
Matthew Baker
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fellow: Hayley Oakland
Summary:

Most stream restoration is predicated on the assumption that modifications to local physical habitat can positively influence stream biota and ecosystem integrity. However, conventional field surveys rely on coarse scale summary of aquatic habitat as well as fine scale measures of channel hydraulics at intermittent locations within a sampling reach. Thus, contributions of habitat modification in the restoration process remain poorly understood. Recent advances in the use of small drones have potential to dramatically improve measures of stream habitat while lowering costs and time in the field.

Principal Investigator:
Michael Paolisso
Co-Principal Investigator:
Brian Needelman, University of Maryland, Department of Environmental Science and Technology; Christina Prell, University of Maryland, Department of Sociology; Klaus Hubacek, University of Maryland, Department of Geographical Sciences
Summary:

Social scientists will collaborate with a wetlands ecologist to improve assessments of communities’ vulnerabilities to climate change and to help communities develop strategies to adapt. Better integration of geospatial and modeling data with social science knowledge has the potential to reveal critical decision points leading to more resilient communities, economies, and ecosystems.

Principal Investigator:
Ten-Tsao Wong
Co-Principal Investigator:
Yonathan Zohar, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Adam Luckenbach and William Fairgrieve, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Summary:

We have developed a technology to efficiently produce infertile fish by disrupting primordial germ cell development in fish embryos. The technology uses a bath immersion to administer a Morpholino oligomer (MO) against Deadend (Dnd), an essential protein for early germ cell development in fish. This approach has been successfully used in the zebrafish, trout and salmon. The goal of this proposal is to examine the feasibility of applying this technology to sablefish. This goal will be achieved via the following two specific objectives: 1) Identify a suitable sablefish dnd-MO for immersion protocol development; 2) Implement the embryo immersion protocol, evaluate the level of sterility achieved, and optimize treatment conditions to achieve 100% sterility.

Principal Investigator:
David Nelson
Co-Principal Investigator:
Keith N. Eshleman, Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Cathlyn D. Stylinski, Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Riverine nitrogen (N) export has decreased in forested and mixed land-use watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay (CB) in recent decades, but the factors driving these water-quality improvements are uncertain. This knowledge gap impedes the development of science-based strategies to project future changes in water quality. One factor that may explain these trends is reduced atmospheric N deposition, but existing data cannot address this hypothesis.

Principal Investigator:
Denise L. Breitburg
Co-Principal Investigator:
Matthew Ogburn and Seth Miller, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Summary:

Researchers will examine how Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) respond to acidification of Chesapeake Bay waters caused by climate change and to low-oxygen (hypoxic) conditions. Understanding these responses is important to ensure success in efforts to restore the Bay’s wild oyster population and expand oyster aquaculture.

Principal Investigator:
Genevieve Nesslage
Co-Principal Investigator:
Michael J. Wilberg, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) play a vital role in Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic marine ecosystems by providing forage for recreationally important piscivorous fishes while also supporting the largest commercial fishery by volume on the US Atlantic Coast. Recognizing the importance of forage fish such as menhaden to marine ecosystems, fisheries managers have set a goal of adopting ecosystem-based reference points for menhaden that account for the forage services menhaden provide.

Principal Investigator:
Katharina A. M. Engelhardt
Co-Principal Investigator:
Maile C. Neel, University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
Summary:
In the Chesapeake Bay, many beds of underwater grasses are small and transient, which makes it difficult for them to recover from environmental stress and disturbances. This study will examine the species Vallisneria americana (commonly called wild celery) to learn how the extent and proximity of these grass beds are related to the genetic and functional characteristics of the plants living there and in turn how these traits affect the beds’ long-term growth and survival. The study is intended to help natural resource managers restore submerged aquatic vegetation in the Bay. 
Principal Investigator:
Louis Plough
Co-Principal Investigator:
Katie Hornick, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

A century of overfishing, habitat destruction, and disease have left stocks of the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica at historically low levels in Chesapeake Bay, prompting wide-ranging restoration efforts. A large hatchery-based supplementation program has been established in Harris Creek on the Choptank River, in which billions of spat produced by the Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) Oyster Hatchery have been planted since 2011. While this effort has been successful in increasing abundance, there has been no genetic monitoring of the restored or proximal wild populations, thus the potential negative genetic impacts of supplemental breeding on the long-term viability and resilience of oyster populations in Harris Creek remains unknown.

Principal Investigator:
Jen Shaffer
Co-Principal Investigator:
Adriane Michaelis, University of Maryland, College Park
Summary:

In Maryland, oyster restoration projects have attempted to enhance the Chesapeake Bay's wild oyster population and restore critical ecosystem services provided by oysters. Oyster aquaculture, paired with restoration, is a sustainable alternative or complement to wild harvest that can reduce fishing pressure on wild populations, contribute to the ecological role of oysters in the bay, and provide a more rel iable source of income for those involved. The potential of oyster aquaculture in Maryland, however, is hindered by resistance to aquaculture by Maryland's wild oyster harvesters, hereafter referred to as watermen. My research aims to investigate this resistance and address issues related to watermen's involvement in oyster aquaculture.

Principal Investigator:
Ming Li
Co-Principal Investigator:
Xiaohong Wang, Salisbury University
Summary:

Researchers will develop computer models to simulate the impacts of long-term sea level rise and episodic storm surges on the low-lying lands of Maryland's Eastern Shore in 2050 and 2100. The project will utilize web-based graphics to help communities to better understand risks of coastal flooding to people and property at street-level detail.

Principal Investigator:
Lora A. Harris
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jeremy Testa, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Researchers will investigate the effects of low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions on natural processes that remove excess nitrogen from the Chesapeake Bay.  The researchers will use a large-scale, engineered aeration system in Rock Creek to experimentally reduce dissolved oxygen in bottom waters by turning off the aeration. This research may inform estimates of how quickly water quality in the Chesapeake will improve as nutrient loads are reduced.

Principal Investigator:
Eric Davidson
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fellow: Jake Hagedorn
Summary:

To ensure that Maryland's coastal resources are resilient and sustainable, the agriculture that is vital to the state economy must find ways to reduce nutrient runoff into precious water resources. One such way is a best management practice (BMP) that uses control structures to manage drainage water levels in farm fields. The goal is to increase the amount of denitrification by elevating the water table. Preliminary studies have shown that this BMP reduces nitrogen leaching by half because it increases denitrification, which microbially reduces nitrate to inert nitrogen gas (N2). The concern is that nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas (GHG) about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2), is also a product of denitrification.

Principal Investigator:
Michael Gonsior
Co-Principal Investigator:
Lora A. Harris, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Andrew Heyes, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Scientists will examine whether technology used in newer septic systems is more effective than older septic systems are at reducing nitrogen loads and improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The project will seek to identify unique organic tracers that are specific to septic-system effluent and use them to track the effluent as it travels far from septic systems and into streams and groundwater. It is anticipated this project will improve understanding of septic system contribution to excess nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay. This information could help municipalities understand how best to achieve their Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets for water quality in the estuary.

Principal Investigator:
Paul Leisnham
Co-Principal Investigator:
Kanoko Maeda, University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Environmental Science and Technology
Summary:

The quality of water in our streams, lakes, and estuaries results from interactions between the biophysical landscape and the attitudes and behaviours of communities. Unfortunately, the majority of watershed research and intervention programs have been on either the biophysical or the social components alone. The artificial separation of coupled human-natural dimensions of watersheds appears particularly damaging in urban systems that are under acute stress from non-point source pollution, are managed by numerous private landowners, and that already experience numerous social and environmental stressors.

Principal Investigator:
Keryn Gedan
Co-Principal Investigator:
Chris Hein, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Sunny Jardine, University of Delaware, School of Marine Science and Policy; Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Montclair State University, Earth and Environmental Studies
Summary:

This regional project funded by the Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia Sea Grant programs will provide insight into best practices for stabilizing barrier islands and conserving tidal marshes behind them in ways that preserve biodiversity and beach width as well as stores of carbon that are naturally sequestered in marshes. Areas to be studied include Parramore and Assawoman islands in Virginia; Fenwick/Assateague Island in Maryland and Delaware; and Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

Principal Investigator:
Cindy Palinkas
Co-Principal Investigator:
Emily Russ, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

This research looks to improve the the sediment-transport model between the lower Susquehanna River to the upper Chesapeake Bay through the development of sediment budgets and exploring techniques to differentiate sediment sources. Results from this project are expected to inform water quality and coastal resilience issues in the Chesapeake Bay region for local governments and the general public.

Principal Investigator:
David Tilley
Co-Principal Investigator:
Rhea Thompson, University of Maryland, College Park
Summary:

Green infrastructure (GI), by relying on natural processes and energies for its ability to reduce flooding, decrease heat waves, enliven the local environment and provide ecological habitat, has the ability to increase the resilience of coastal communities and their environments, and adapt to climate change. New complexity metrics are needed to fully appreciate the multiple benefits GI has to offer, and this project looks to develop a model that integrates information theory with energy accounting to understand the role of GI in urban environments.

Principal Investigator:
Thomas Miller
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, serves an important ecological and economic role in the Chesapeake Bay. Projected climate change scenarios, however, will fundamentally disrupt the existing ecological and economic pattern and may have profound impacts on management regimes and social patterns for coastal communities who rely on the blue crab fishery. This project looks to use data from environmental experiments to forecast the population level impacts of climate change on blue crab in the Bay.

Principal Investigator:
William P. Ball
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Toward controlling hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay, management programs have focused for decades on reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment loads from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW). In this context, the Chesapeake Bay Partnership (CBP) is currently working to improve its model-based support for the establishment of Total Maximum Daily Loads and the associated development (by others) of Watershed Implementation Plans. This project will help better quantify important nutrient and sediment trends in the major tributaries of the CBW and develop new understanding of the applicability, uncertainty, and accuracy of the WRTDS method, a state-of-the-art riverine loading estimation method developed by the USGS as an alternative to the Chesapeake Bay Model. 

Principal Investigator:
Anson H. Hines
Co-Principal Investigator:
Matthew B. Ogburn, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Eric G. Johnson, University of North Florida, Department of Biology
Summary:

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is perhaps the Chesapeake Bay's most iconic species, supporting the Bay's most lucrative commercial fishery and a thriving recreational fishery. The fishery is complex, with multiple management jurisdictions, regional and seasonal variation in fishing gear and effort, and a variety of markets. In stock assessment models used for fishery management, recreational harvest is estimated to be 8% of commercial harvest, but this estimate is outdated and is based on highly variable estimates of recreational fishing. The primary objective of this study is to generate scientifically-rigorous estimates of recreational crab harvest for Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Principal Investigator:
Dana Fisher
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Watershed Stewards Academies (WSAs) are part of a national movement to train citizens to become Master Watershed Stewards in their communities. In Maryland, they are based on a specific model of stewardship and are currently training environmental stewards in three regions of the state. This project employs a variety of social science research methods to study the local franchises of this organization and their connections to communities in Maryland. Integrating closed-ended survey and open-ended semi-structured interview research methods, this project will assess the experience of WSA participants, analyze how they connect to government offices, community groups, and individual volunteers, as well as determine the actual environmental effects of the Watershed Stewards Academies in each region.

Principal Investigator:
Robert Hilderbrand
Co-Principal Investigator:
Stephen R. Keller, Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Alyson Santoro, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Land-use changes create numerous adverse impacts on stream ecosystems within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including degraded water quality for both human and non-human use. Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates are traditionally used as indicators of biotic response to watershed disturbance. However, these indicators do not necessarily reflect the status of key ecosystem processes such as the metabolism of nutrients and other pollutants that otherwise can flow to coastal waters. Microbial communities drive many ecosystem processes, including nutrient cycling, and thus their diversity and composition have great potential to assess and possibly mitigate impacts on aquatic ecosystems. However, almost nothing is known about the biogeography of microbial community diversity in stream ecosystems and how this varies with watershed alterations.  Working with the Maryland Biological Stream Survey, this study will robustly characterize the relationships between microbial diversity and land use change within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

Principal Investigator:
Lawrence P. Sanford
Co-Principal Investigator:
Cindy M. Palinkas, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

The Conowingo Dam has historically trapped a significant fraction of the sediments and particulate nutrients carried by the Susquehanna River bound for Chesapeake Bay (CB). However, the effective trapping capacity of the dam may be decreasing, such that more of these materials reach the CB than in the past. However, the role of the extensive beds of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) that occupy the Susquehanna Flats (SF) in modulating these inputs has not yet been addressed. The resurgence of these SAV beds, and their cold-season senescence, may significantly mitigate the ecosystem effects of inflowing materials from behind the dam through seasonal trapping, re-release, burial, and transformation.  The proposed study focuses on the sedimentary history of the SF over the last ~100 years, and on the modern, seasonally varying, dynamics of sediment trapping and release on the SF. 

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.

The Blue Crab: Callinectes Sapidus

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pile of cooked crabs