Environmental Cooperative Science Center ECSC

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Environmental Cooperative Science Center November
2003
Overview of environmental research center
Slide 27
Mark Harwell ECSC Distinguished Professor Larry
Robinson Provost and ECSC Director Florida AM
University
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Environmental Cooperative Science Center
Institutions and Affiliated Study Sites
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ECSC PRIMARY GOALS

• Increase the number of underrepresented minority
  Ph.D.-level scientists in NOAA and the
  NOAA-related sciences and expand the capacity of
  partner institutions to participate in
  NOAA-related research
• Develop tools, including conceptual models, to
  assess the response of coastal ecosystems and
  communities to perturbation, and to develop
  measurement programs to monitor critical system
  attributes
• Improve the scientific basis for coastal resource
  management
• Facilitate community education and outreach
  relating to the function and significance of
  coastal ecosystems.

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ECSC Organizational Structure
NOAA Program Manager
NOAA Key Contact
Principal Investigator FAMU
Technical Advisory Panel
Management Advisory Com.
Internal Management Team Co-PIs at partner
universities
DSU
JSU
MSU
SCSU
UM
FAMU
RESEARCH TEAMS
Study Sites and Stakeholders
CALMIT
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ECSC APPROACH

• Conduct regional studies on partner NERR sites
  for sustainable management of coastal and marine
  habitats
• Develop conceptual models of the coupled
  ecological-human systems
• Conduct specific field, laboratory, and modeling
  studies in each site, including hyperspectral
  imaging and ground-truthing
• Investigate the economic and societal systems of
  coastal communities and their relationships to
  the natural systems.
• Implement an interdisciplinary approach to
  training future scientists, managers, and the
  communities they serve.

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ECSC Partner NERR and Sanctuary Sites






FKNMS
Apalachicola Bay 246,000 acres
Chesapeake Bay (MD) 4,820 acres
ACE Basin 34,710 acres
Delaware Bay 8,600 acres
Grand Bay 18,400 acres
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
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ECSC Conceptual Modeling Activities Years 1 and
2

• Apalachicola NERR Conceptual Model Workshop March
  2002
• ACE Basin NERR Conceptual Model Workshop June
  2002
• Delaware NERR Conceptual Model Workshop July 2002
• Chesapeake Bay NERR Conceptual Model Workshop
  September 2002
• Grand Bay NERR Conceptual Model Workshop November
  2002
• In Prep Special Issue of Journal Urban
  Ecosystems

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Linkages Between Societal Drivers, Stressors, and
Effects
(Gentile and Harwell 1996)
Societal Drivers
Environmental Stressors
Ecological Effects on VECs
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Apalachicola Bay Salt and Freshwater Marshes
Page 1 of 16
River Water Management
Sea-Level Rise
Development
Navigation Water withdrawals
Runoff Erosion Chemical releases
Altered Flow Regime
Changes in Water Quality
Altered Salinity Regime
Sedimentation
Mechanisms Burial Suffocation, Gill clogging
Mechanisms Low D.O. Reduced Light Etc.
Mechanisms Alter sediment type Erosion Altered
salinity
Mechanisms Altered mean salinity Altered
frequency of low salinity events
Selected Species Abundance Health e.g.,
gators Turtles, Halophytes etc.
Areal Extent Of Marshes
Biogeochemical Processes Nutrient
dynamics Decomposition, etc.
Primary Production Spartina/Typha etc.
Productivity
Exotic Species Abundance Distribution e.g.,
Phragmites etc.
Macroinvert. Community Abundance Diversity
Water Quality Nutrients DO Turbidity, etc.
Nursery Function Fish and Invertebrates
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Linkages Between Societal Drivers, Stressors,
and Effects
(modified from Gentile and Harwell 1996)
Societal Drivers
Service Flow Feedback
Environmental Stressors
Ecological Effects on Valued Ecological Components
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ECSC Remote Sensing Activities Years 1 and 2

• Remote Sensing Aircraft Flyover Apalachicola Bay
  NERR October 2002
• Remote Sensing Aircraft Flyover ACE Basin NERR
  June 2003
• Remote Sensing Aircraft Flyover Grand Bay NERR
  October 2003
• Next Flyover Chesapeake Bay NERR
• and Delaware NERR June 2004

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ANERR Flyover Subprojects

• 1) Water column characterization Chl a, TSS,
  other spectral characteristics in St. Joseph's
  and Apalachicola Bay and River
• 2) Distribution of seagrass habitats focus on
  St. Joseph's Bay and Apalachicola Bay
• 3) Distribution of oyster bars focus on
  Apalachicola Bay
• 4) Distribution of emergent plant species,
  including invasives focus on Apalachicola Bay
  and Apalachicola River species of concern
  include Spartina (cordgrass), Juncus (black
  needlerush), Cladium (sawgrass), Typha (cattail),
  and Phragmites (giant reed grass)
• 5) Distribution of salt pannes focus on St.
  Mark's estuary
• 6) Habitat mosaic distribution of human
  development on coast, barrier island, riparian,
  marsh habitats

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Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Oyster Site
Central Estuary Flight Path
Oyster Site
Compare Developed vs. Undeveloped
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DOC

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NOAA-FUNDED ECSC Research Activities

• 1.6M in Years 1 and 2
• 33 faculty at 7 universities in 5 NERR and 1
  Sanctuary sites on more than 90 research projects
• 62 students, mostly MS and PhD
• Broad suite of topics examples
• Ecotoxicology
• Remote sensing and hyperspectral analyses
• Invasive species
• Ecological and hydrological modeling
• Nutrient dynamics
• Water quality studies
• Bioindicators of ecosystem health
• Harmful algal blooms
• Land use and ecosystem management
• Economic analyses
• Environmental valuation

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Apalachicola Bay Salt and Freshwater Marshes
Page 1 of 16
River Water Management
Sea-Level Rise
Development
Navigation Water withdrawals
Runoff Erosion Chemical releases
Altered Flow Regime
Changes in Water Quality
Altered Salinity Regime
Sedimentation
Mechanisms Burial Suffocation, Gill clogging
Mechanisms Low D.O. Reduced Light Etc.
Mechanisms Alter sediment type Erosion Altered
salinity
Mechanisms Altered mean salinity Altered
frequency of low salinity events
Selected Species Abundance Health e.g.,
gators Turtles, Halophytes etc.
Areal Extent Of Marshes
Biogeochemical Processes Nutrient
dynamics Decomposition, etc.
Primary Production Spartina/Typha etc.
Productivity
Exotic Species Abundance Distribution e.g.,
Phragmites etc.
Macroinvert. Community Abundance Diversity
Water Quality Nutrients DO Turbidity, etc.
Nursery Function Fish and Invertebrates
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ECSC Long-Term Strategy

• GOAL ECSC sustainability
• Diversify NOAA funding sources
• Maintain MSI core mission, funding
• Add non-MSI NOAA funding
• Enhance and expand ECSC role in NOAA National
  Ocean Service
• Diversify non-NOAA funding sources
• Enhance capacity to compete for extramural
  funding
• Recruit faculty
• Acquire equipment, facilities
• Improve administrative functions
• Expand network of partner institutions
• Establish national reputation for ECSC

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Other ECSC Extramural Research Activities

• EPA STAR grant 750,000 to develop hydrodynamic
  and ecological models of the Apalachicola Bay and
  River system M Harwell and five co-PIs
• EPA STAR grant 250,000 through Texas AM
  University to assess global climate change
  science in support of decision making, with
  Apalachicola as case study M Harwell and D
  Worthen, co-PIs
• DOE grant 450,000 to study biochemistry of
  marine diatoms and global CO2 dynamics J
  Cherrier, PI
• NSF COSEE grant 180,000 to integrate ocean
  science research with K-16 education and outreach
  in Florida J. Cherrier, PI
• NSF grant 280,000 to study C dynamics in coastal
  marine sediments J. Cherrier, PI
• NOAA grant 250,000 to conduct environmental
  monitoring and modeling in the Apalachicola Bay
  system L Robinson, E Johnson and five co-PIs