Publications by Heath Kelsey

IAN is committed to producing practical, user-centered communications that foster a better understanding of science and enable readers to pursue new opportunities in research, education, and environmental problem-solving. Our publications synthesize scientific findings using effective science communication techniques.

Improvements to Shellfish Harvest Area Closure Decision Making Using GIS, Remote Sensing, and Predictive Models (Page 1)

Improvements to Shellfish Harvest Area Closure Decision Making Using GIS, Remote Sensing, and Predictive Models

Kelsey RH, Scott GI, Porter DE, Siewicki TC, and Edwards DG ·
2010

Currently, many states use precipitation information to regulate periodic closures of shellfish harvest areas based on a presumptive relationship between rainfall and bacteria concentration. We evaluate this relationship in four South Carolina estuaries and suggest new predictive models that integrate remote sensing precipitation data with additional environmental and climatic data.

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Research findings for key bay fisheries species (Page 1)

Research findings for key bay fisheries species

Emily Nauman, Heath Kelsey, Jane Hawkey, Howard Townsend ·
30 September 2009

Fisheries research funded by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) provides science and information to enable natural resource managers to make informed decisions. The NCBO Fisheries Science Symposium is a chance for fisheries scientists in the Bay area to present their research findings and create collaborations. This document is an EcoCheck/NCBO collaboration and summarizes some of the key topics presented at the 2009 symposium.

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2008 Coastal Bays report card (Page 1)

2008 Coastal Bays report card

Caroline Donovan, Heath Kelsey, Emily Nauman ·
8 June 2009

This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2008 Coastal Bays’ health. Prepared annually, the report card rates six reporting regions of the Coastal Bays, using six indicators combined into a single overarching index of health. Health is defined as progress towards established scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. The overall health of Coastal Bays was moderate in 2008, obtaining a grade of C+.

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2008 Chesapeake Bay Report Card (Page 1)

2008 Chesapeake Bay Report Card

Ben Longstaff, Michael Williams, Caroline Donovan, Emily Nauman, Heath Kelsey ·
2 April 2009

This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2008 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. This is the third year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health. The overall health of Chesapeake Bay was poor in 2008, obtaining a grade of C-.

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Spatial and temporal variability of ribotyping results at a small watershed in South Carolina (Page 1)

Spatial and temporal variability of ribotyping results at a small watershed in South Carolina

Kelsey RH, Webster LF, Kenny DJ, Stewart JR, and Scott GI ·
2008

The utility of library-based ribotyping methods for a very small study area was evaluated through comparison of local results to libraries with differing spatial and temporal scales. Ribotyping of Escherichia coli isolates was used to evaluate sources of fecal pollution at a coastal golf course in Beaufort County, South Carolina.

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Assessing photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urbanized estuary (Page 1)

Assessing photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urbanized estuary

Vo M, Porter DE, Chandler GT, Kelsey RH, Walker SP, and Jones BE ·
2004

Increases in contaminants associated with urban sprawl are a particular concern in the rapidly developing coastal areas of the southeastern United States. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are contaminants associated with vehicle emissions and runofff from impervious surfaces. Increased vehicular traffic and more impervious surfaces lead to an increased loading of PAHs into coastal estuarine systems.

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Using multiple antibiotic resistance and land use characteristics to determine sources of fecal coliform bacterial pollutiion (Page 1)

Using multiple antibiotic resistance and land use characteristics to determine sources of fecal coliform bacterial pollutiion

Kelsey RH, Scott GI, Porter DE, Thompson B, and Webster L ·
2003

Multiple Antibiotic Resistance ( MAR) analysis and regression modeling techniques were used to identify surface water areas impacted by fecal pollution from human sources, and to determine the effects of land use on fecal pollution in Murrells Inlet, a small, urbanized, high-salinity estuary located between Myrtle Beach and Georgetown, South Carolina. MAR analysis was performed to identify areas in the estuary that are impacted by human-source fecal pollution.

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