IAN eNewsletter Articles - Integration and Application Network

Newsletter examines effects of land use on water quality in Maryland's Coastal Bays

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Coastal lagoon ecosystems across the Delmarva Peninsula are rapidly evolving due to changing land use patterns and shifts towards intensive agriculture, particularly poultry production, and intensive rural-residential development. These changes in the coastal lagoon seascape are especially evident in the northern Coastal Bays watershed of St. Martin River. This region is intensely developed in areas such as the Ocean Pines canal community, is composed of a high percentage of crop agriculture, and contains a number of poultry feeding operations. Water quality degradation continues to be an important issue in the watershed. This newsletter examines how upstream land use affects water quality.

Scientist-educator partnerships produce classroom materials

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On July 30-31, the scientist-educator teams, hosted by Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) Coastal Trends, revealed the classroom materials they created during a six-week program. Each team developed materials for an interactive website where students can explore seagrass and dead zones, examine the trends in these topics, and investigate current research. Activities on the website directly relate to lesson plans that link the concepts on the website to classroom activities and assessment tools for teachers. Over the next few months, these materials will be tested in classrooms and made available to educators and the public.

REU students trained in Science Communication

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Students in the Research Experience for Undergraduates program (overseen by Maryland Sea Grant and funded by National Science Foundation) are now trained in Zen and the art of science communication. Students residing at both Horn Point Laboratory and Chesapeake Biological Laboratory met with Bill Dennison, Jane Thomas, Ben Fertig, and IAN intern Hilary Stevens at the Annapolis Synthesis Center to draw conceptual diagrams and improve visual aides using effective science communication techniques. Additionally, they were given a walking tour of Annapolis.

A new Program Manager for IAN

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Tim Carruthers has a background in seagrass research in Australia, Panama, and Mexico. Tim has worked with IAN since 2001 working on many regional, national, and international synthesis projects and this new position reflects his expanding roles with IAN: fundraising, developing partnerships, supervising staff, and academic mentoring of grad students and interns. With the assistance of a soon-to-be-appointed IAN Business Manager, Tim will manage IAN's growing and dynamic group of Science Integrators and Science Communicators. In his spare time, Tim enjoys surfing and snowboarding.

Wanted: IAN Business Manager

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Integration and Application Network invites applications for a Business Manager to assist with financial management and budgeting, and to provide leadership and direction to IAN staff on policy issues related to budget, financial management, and accounting procedures. For further information, please visit our vacancies page.

2008 Chesapeake Bay summer forecast released

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) recently released a forecast of Chesapeake Bay summer dissolved oxygen and harmful algal bloom (HAB) conditions. The forecasts are produced in collaboration with partners from USGS, Morgan State University and the University of Michigan. This year's forecast has been expanded to include a prediction of Prorocentrum harmful algal blooms in the Maryland portion of the Bay (thanks to Jon Anderson from Morgan State University). This summer it is predicted that: (1) the volume of anoxic water in the Bay's mainstem will be 1.7 ± 1.27 km³ , or the 5^th largest since 1985; (2) the volume of mainstem Bay hypoxic water during July will be 9.9 km³ , or the 6^th largest since 1985; (3) Microcystis blooms in the Potomac River will be of moderate severity; and (4) Prorocentrum blooms are predicted to occur in the lower reaches of the Patuxent River in late June to early July and in late June in the Lower Choptank River and Bay Bridge region. For further information, visit the EcoCheck Chesapeake Bay forecast pages.

Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence Coastal Trends hosts researcher, educators, and students

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

From June 16 to 19, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) Coastal Trends welcomed two scientist-educator teams to Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland for an orientation program. Each team includes a scientist, educator, graduate student, and undergraduate student committed to developing effective educational materials for K-12 classrooms. Through lectures, activities, and field trips, the orientation program introduced the teams to research trends in seagrass and dead zones and educational trends in inquiry and critical thinking. During the program, the teams discussed how to incorporate current scientific knowledge into the 5E lesson plan format, adapted from the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Over the course of the summer, these teams will conduct research and create educational materials on coastal trends that will be field-tested by teachers. IAN staff will provide science communication and web support to the teams as they develop their materials and assist in the evaluation of the final products.

Integrating Science with Park Management Decisions Workshop

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A National Park Service Workshop was held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a hotel/conference center in the converted railroad station in Chattanooga, Tennessee in June. The workshop was entitled "Integrating Science with Park Management Decisions" and included discussions between park superintendents, resource managers and scientists from the Inventory and Monitoring Program. Issues included science communication, barriers to effectiveness, thresholds, web tools, printed products, and assessment approaches. Bill Dennison and Shawn Carter presented the approach being developed in the National Capital Region Network parks and facilitated a session in which managers and scientists identified issues and proposed activities to enhance collaborations. This workshop continued to build on the strong partnership developed between the Integration and Application Network with the Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service.

New IAN Personnel

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On June 9, IAN welcomed Hilary Stevens as a Science Communication Intern. During her summer-long internship, Hilary will be working on several projects including the COSEE Coastal Trends project. Hilary will also assist IAN graduate student Ben Fertig in various field and laboratory analyses. Hilary grew up in Glenview, IL and will be starting her junior at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, in the fall. Hilary is working toward a degree in Communications with a minor in English. Hilary enjoys photography and one of her projects during her internship will be to enhance the IAN Image Library. Hilary's interests include running, reading, playing lacrosse and being outside.

Conceptual Diagram workshop held at the Technical Communication Summit

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Society of Technical Communication (STC) invited IAN to conduct a workshop at their 55th Annual Technical Communication Summit in Philadelphia, PA from June 1-4. Thirty-five conference attendees joined IAN science communicators Joanna Woerner and Caroline Wicks for a workshop called "Conceptual Diagrams: Tools for effective science communication." Professionals from the environmental science, medical, pharmaceutical, computer, financial, and engineering fields learned how to synthesize and integrate data through conceptual diagrams. This workshop, based on concepts presented in the "Effective Science Communication Course," consisted of a brief lecture, group discussion, and conceptionary—an interactive drawing exercise where participants practice using symbols to convey complex information.

Environmental report cards: A tool for better management, monitoring, and research

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Environmental report cards are an important tool for integrating assessments of ecosystem health and for communicating scientific understanding to decision-makers and the general public. This poster won a prize in the public poster category at the recent Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) conference in Cape Town, South Africa. It describes the impact that effective environmental report cards can have on management, monitoring, and research, as well as detailing the five step process used to develop a report card.

IAN Image Library now with over 2,000 images

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The IAN Image and Video Library is a searchable database of over 2,000 high-resolution images and other media files. Images are browsable by categories, but are also indexed by title, description, and keywords to make searching easy. Advanced search options include searching by media type (photos, satellite images, vector graphics, maps, animations, videos), orientation (portrait, landscape, panorama), image dimensions/resolution, and age. The library focuses primarily on Chesapeake Bay and surroundings, but we also have images from Alaska to Florida, and as far afield as Australia and Palau. All images are available cost- and royalty-free. You are also encouraged to submit your images for inclusion in the library to help expand this resource.

Science Communication Course for Chesapeake Bay Program staffers

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Integration and Application Network taught their Communicating Science Effectively course to the Chesapeake Bay Program staffers on Tuesday April 29. Jane Thomas and Jane Hawkey, along with Bill Dennison, instructed the course to the 11 staffers in the Annapolis Synthesis Center. The staffers are participating in the three-year Chesapeake Research Consortium's Fellowship Program. The courses provided an engaging opportunity for the staffers to learn science communication skills and techniques. For future courses, please check the course website or email us to enquire about costs of a custom course.

Chester and Patuxent River Report cards released

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

IAN and EcoCheck released the first ever Chester and Patuxent River report cards during April. These report cards are the result of a 12 month project aimed at showing how data collected by community groups and government departments can be combined into a product that engages and informs the local community. The project was supported by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The Patuxent River estuary scored a 'D-' grade although grades ranged from 'C-' to 'F', depending on the location. Creeks flowing into the Chester River scored a 'C' grade, while the tidal region scored a 'D'. Additional partners in this project were the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Waterkeeper Alliance and Gov4n6.

San Francisco Estuary report card scoping workshop

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A workshop sponsored by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis was held at the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The scoping workshop was organized by Drs. Erica Fleishman (NCEAS), Wim Kimmerer (San Francisco State University) and Bill Dennison (IAN). Workshop participants developed a report card framework based on the pelagic organism decline in the San Francisco Estuary. The pelagic organism decline is a relatively recent (ca. 2000), precipitous reduction in the numbers of various species of estuarine fish (e.g., delta smelt, threadfin smelt, longfin smelt and striped bass). A suite of water quality parameters and habitat features relevant to the pelagic organism decline was developed to form the draft indicators for a San Francisco Estuary report card.

Environmental problem solving in coastal ecosystems: A paradigm shift to sustainability

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This article, recently published in Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 77(2): 185-196, highlights pressures on coastal ecosystems and the need for a major paradigm shift directed at sustainability, and in a shift in scientific focus on solving rather than just studying our current environmental problems. Traditionally, science has been extremely effective at data acquisition and then successively less effective at translating this into information, knowledge and finally environmental problem solving. A key element in turning this process around is better science communication between scientists, key stakeholders and the community.

Science Communication Courses held at Horn Point and Charleston, SC

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Integration and Application Networks annual 'Effective Science Communication Course' was held from April 22-24 at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory (HPL). Twelve students, staff and faculty from UMCES were joined by eight other participants from federal, state and private agencies, traveling from as far as Hawaii, Seattle and the Sonoran Desert. In addition to the annual HPL course, two additional courses were taught at the beginning of April in Charleston, South Carolina. A 1-day and a 2.5-day course were provided to over 20 NOAA Coastal Services Center and SC Department of Natural Resources staff. The courses provided an engaging opportunity to learn or further develop science communication skills. For future courses, please check the course website or email us to inquire about costs of a custom course.

2007 Chesapeake Bay Report Card

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

IAN and EcoCheck (a NOAA-UMCES partnership) recently released the 2007 Chesapeake Bay Report Card. The report card provides a scientifically robust - and geographically detailed - annual assessment of Chesapeake Bay health. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of bay health. The Bay Health Index is defined as progress of the six indicators towards established, scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. The report card was produced in partnership with many Chesapeake Bay scientific and management organizations and individuals. The report card and supporting material can be downloaded from the EcoCheck website.

Reef Plan Monitoring: Marine Water Quality Impacts

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Marine Monitoring Program is a long-term water quality and ecosystem heath monitoring program carried out in the inshore region of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The program is an integral component of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, that will help to assess the long-term effectiveness of Reef Plan in reversing decline in the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the design, implementation and reporting of the monitoring program. This newsletter summarizes the outcomes from the Marine Integration Workshop, facilitated by Bill Dennison (IAN), Ben Longstaff (EcoCheck), and Jane Thomas (IAN).

Reporting fine scale water quality and nitrogen source patterns related to land use in Maryland's Coastal Bays

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Following prior studies in Maryland's Coastal Bays, graduate students Ben Fertig and Kris Beckert, and their advisors, Bill Dennison, Tim Carruthers, Judy O'Neil, and Tom Fisher conducted a more detailed assessment of nitrogen sources and linkages with land use. Focusing on St. Martin River, Johnson Bay, and Sinepuxent Bay, oyster bioindicators and a suite of water quality measurements suggest that these coastal bays are vulnerable to nitrogen loads from various land uses. Trends indicated degraded water quality, high turbidity, increasing total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, high natural isotope abundance (δ¹⁵N), and low dissolved oxygen. While terrestrial anthropogenic pressures vary within subwatersheds, water quality in these coastal bays is also influenced by differences in flushing and nutrient cycling abilities.

The charisma of coastal ecosystems: addressing the imbalance

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This article, recently published in Estuaries and Coasts 31(2): 233-238, assesses the relative research effort, as well as relative media reporting of this research effort, for the major coastal ecosystems. Although seagrass meadows support equivalent ecosystem services to coral, mangrove and salt marsh habitats - they recieve less research effort and that effort is proportionately reported in the media far less. Effective science communication to better educate the public and students is seen as essential to raise awareness of seagrass habitats and thus preserve their valuable ecosystem services.

New COSEE Center: Coastal Trends

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

A new Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) has been established through the collaborative effort of several institutions, including the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) and the Integration and Application Network (IAN). IAN's role includes development of communication tools, including the website, which has information on programs and activities, workshops, and an eNewsletter. Media-rich educational materials and classroom unit plans will be available in the coming months. Coastal Trends focuses on long and short term trends in our dynamic coastal systems through workshops for teachers and programs and activities for the general public.

IAN staff lead a workshop to develop a report card for Central Kura Basin, South Caucasus

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

The Kura river runs through the Republic of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, eventually reaching the Caspian Sea. The South Caucasus Water Program, funded by USAID, has spent three years building collaborations between water quality monitoring efforts in the three countries. IAN staff spent a week working with the program and partners to produce a demonstration report card for the central Kura basin and also provide science communication training to participants from all three countries.

Watershed condition assessment for Rock Creek Park

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

As part of the ongoing collaboration between IAN and Inventory and Monitoring at the National Capital Region Network of the National Parks Service, IAN staff presented the Watershed Condition Assessment for Rock Creek National Park. This presentation was one of four demonstration projects at the Water Resource Division aquatic professionals meeting in Fort Collins, Colorado, as part of continuing efforts to develop recommendations for carrying out these assessments across the US.

Managing the cultural and natural resources of the national parks of west Hawai'i island

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

The historical link between native Hawaiian culture and the natural environment means that all natural resources (native species, water features, and landscapes) also have cultural significance. One example is the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, a 175-mile corridor that circumnavigates 3/4 of the island and encompasses many of the natural resources on the island of Hawai'i. Like other parks of west Hawai'i, it is a park that must manage both a cultural and natural heritage. IAN staff, in collaboration with the Pacific Island Network of the National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring program, created posters for each of the four parks of west Hawai'i, representing the resource features and current challenges facing their individual parks. The posters will be displayed in the parks to communicate this information to the public.

Course in Communicating Science Effectively

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

The Integration and Application Network science communication course has been revised for 22-24 April, 2008. The new format is a 2 or 3 day course to help accommodate those with limited time availability. The venue has returned to the Horn Point campus to allow for more work space and to give access to cheaper accommodation at the campus dorm. Further details and online registration are available on the course website.

A cultural context for preserving Hawaii's diverse ecological landscape

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

The historical link between native Hawaiian culture and the natural environment means that all natural resources (native species, water features, and landscapes) also have cultural significance. This inseparable connection underscores the importance of maintaining both the natural and spiritual values of west Hawai'i national parks. IAN staff, in collaboration with the Pacific Island Network of the National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring program, have published a newsletter for four parks on the island of Hawai'i. This communication tool will be used by the parks to engage the local community in the appreciation and protection of the unique cultural and natural features of these parks.

IAN continues its involvement in the Maryland Coastal Bays

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Bill Dennison has taken over as the new chair of the Maryland Coastal Bays Science and Technology Advisory Committee (Coastal Bays STAC), succeeding Dr. Tom Jones of Salisbury University. UMCES graduate students, Kris Beckert and Ben Fertig continue their study and synthesis of Maryland's Coastal Bays. At the recent STAC meeting, they presented summary water quality and oyster bioindicator findings from their 2007 field surveys, and a data report will be available shortly. Jane Thomas presented the latest version of 'Shifting Sands', a synthesis book about the coastal bays.

Summer intern, Emily Benson publishes her bioindicator research

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Emily Benson, an intern with the Integration and Application Network / Horn Point Laboratory and now enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Alaska, had a paper published in January. The paper, "Using the aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria americana (wild celery) as a nutrient bioindicator", was published in Hydrobiologia (Vol. 596: 187-196) and was based on research in the Adirondack lakes in upstate New York and Chesapeake Bay in which nutrient sources were able to be traced using stable isotopes of wild celery. Multimedia and PDF versions of a seminar she gave on this study are available from the Chesapeake Bay Seminar Series website (March 2007).

EcoCheck website summarizes Chesapeake Bay summer conditions

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

EcoCheck recently updated its website to provide a review of Chesapeake Bay health last summer. The website summarizes conditions of key indicators such as water clarity, dissolved oxygen, harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and sea nettle occurrence. Last year's drought led to lower than normal nutrient and sediment discharge into the Bay during the summer. With fewer sediments and nutrients entering the Bay, the health of the Bay may have been expected to improve, however, this was not the case for water clarity, harmful algal blooms, and fish kills. While dissolved oxygen in the mainstem was still poor this summer, the volume of oxygen depleted water was relatively small compared to the past 22 years. Produced in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Program's Monitoring and Analysis Subcommittee (MASC).