Continuing the Conversation on Coastal Adaptation

From July 6–10th, Heath Kelsey and Lili Badri attended a meeting on coastal adaptation in Pugwash, Nova Scotia. The meeting was hosted by Future Earth Coasts and Thinkers Lodge, similarly to last year. Meeting participants represented a diverse group of academic and non-profit experts from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Over the week, our discussions focused on how coastal adaptation strategies can move beyond traditional models to meaningfully include diverse perspectives. We explored effective ways to keep communities informed and ensure that government policies translate into concrete action. We also visited several sites to learn about the various challenges facing Atlantic Canada’s coastlines, and we held a community meeting where locals could express their concerns and learn about key resources. A more detailed report about the meeting will be released in the coming month.

On July 21st, Alexandra Fries at IAN, Shane Mizelle at USGS, and Becky Monahan at MDE conducted a tidal water quality and bacteria monitoring field and lab audits for Gunpowder Riverkeeper. The Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative recently incorporated bacteria monitoring in its protocols and several groups in Maryland are collecting high quality bacteria data that is now approved as Tier III. Theaux Gardeur, the Gunpowder Riverkeeper, and Brady Bayne, the Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps Member and Outreach Specialist, took Shane and Alex out on their boat to see the water quality monitoring process. Afterward, they met up with Becky to see the bacteria process in the field and lab. The Gunpowder Riverkeeper uses these data to defend the Gunpowder, Bush, and Middle River watersheds from environmental threats and inform local communities about river conditions.

Modeling Microplastic Transport in Chesapeake Bay

Loni Matthew presented her Master’s research on microplastic transport dynamics on July 21st. Microplastics (plastic particles <5mm) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Understanding how they move within aquatic systems is key to understanding how to manage them. Loni’s research used a particle transport model (LTRANS) coupled with hydrodynamic model (ChesROMS) to evaluate the importance of different factors that alter the way plastic particles move within aquatic spaces. Loni’s results show that factors like particle density, biofouling, turbulence, “beaching” (determining if a particle gets “stuck” when it encounters a shoreline), and even seasons, all have a clear impact on the ultimate fate of microplastics. Congratulations Loni on a successful defense!

Congratulations, Anikka!

On July 29th, UMCES graduate student Anikka Fife successfully defended her master's thesis on the willingness of Chesapeake Bay farmers to adopt green nitrogen, which is produced with less carbon emissions than traditional fertilizer. Her research was supported by the Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE), an UMCES-based network advancing sustainable nitrogen technologies globally. Anikka began her academic career as a Science Communication Scholar here at IAN, and we are very proud of her hard work. We wish her the absolute best in her next chapter!

Underground Underwater is a project in collaboration with The Harriet Tubman Freedom Center located in Cambridge, MD. For this project, IAN is designing an exhibition highlighting the stories and sites of Harriet Tubman’s birth, enslavement, and eventual escape to freedom, and considering how these historic sites may have looked in her time, as well as how they look currently, and what they will look like in the future as climate change and sea level rise change the face of the landscape. This project is also looking to document certain historic sites through the production of digital twins in the case that these sites are heavily damaged by rising sea level, which has affected much of the coastal areas in Dorchester County. By weaving together the stories of Harriet Tubman’s resilience and contribution to American history, as well as the story of the changing climate, we hope to put together a compelling exhibit. By telling the story of the past, present, and future of various historical sites significant to Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy, the project team hopes that visitors walk away knowing that they too can impact the future the way that Harriet Tubman was able to, despite being one person.