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.

Moving beyond the ecosystem in ecosystem health report cards (Page 1)

Moving beyond the ecosystem in ecosystem health report cards

Laumann KM, Nastase EA, Vargas-Nguyen V, Kelsey RH, Carew A, Donovan EC, Fries AS, Spitzer SE, and Dennison WC ·
2019

Early ecosystem health report cards focused on assessing the health of natural ecosystems, producing a “snapshot” of ecosystem health at one point in time. Ecosystem health report cards are used to guide efforts that improve ecosystem health through natural resources manage- ment and stakeholder engagement. Common themes among Report Cards include water quality and quantity and habitat. These indicators are not strictly environmental concerns, though.

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Water quality gradients and trends in New York Harbor (Page 1)

Water quality gradients and trends in New York Harbor

Taillie DM, O’Neil JM, Dennison WC ·
2019

New York Harbor is a complex of interconnected waterways that have supported the rapid development of a thriving megacity and metropolitan region. The water quality of New York, a partner city in the World Harbour Project, is a reflection of the combined impacts of this metropolitan region. Water quality health and trends were assessed between 1996–2017 in 9 different reporting regions using publicly available data.

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Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Page 1)

Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Projecting changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services for decision-making

Brianne Walsh, Heath Kelsey, Bill Dennison ·
6 November 2019

The Belmont Forum Synthesis Workshop was held virtually, with four project teams from around the globe participating remotely. The process was convened by the Belmont Forum and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. It served as the-end term meeting for the Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services I (CRA). Project teams from around the globe participated virtually via online software.

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Understanding Responses to Global Change (Page 1)

Understanding Responses to Global Change

International collaborations for practical outcomes

Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen, Yesenia Valverde, Jane Hawkey, Bill Dennison, Heath Kelsey, Katie May Laumann, Sky Swanson ·
6 November 2019

The Tripartite Valorization Workshop was convened by the Belmont Forum and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Washington DC on 8-10 December 2018. It served as the-end term meeting for the Food Security and Land Use Change Collaborative Research Action (CRA), and mid-term meetings for the Arctic Observing and Science for Sustainability and Mountains as Sentinels of Change CRAs.

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Long-term Annual Aerial Surveys of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Support Science, Management, and Restoration (Page 1)

Long-term Annual Aerial Surveys of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Support Science, Management, and Restoration

Orth RJ, Dennison WC, Gurbisz C, Hannam M, Keisman J, Landry JB, Lefcheck JS, Moore KA, Murphy RR, Patrick CJ, Testa J, Weller DE, Wilcox DJ, and Batiuk RA ·
2019

Aerial surveys of coastal habitats can uniquely inform the science and management of shallow, coastal zones, and when repeated annually, they reveal changes that are otherwise difficult to assess from ground-based surveys. This paper reviews the utility of a long- term (1984–present) annual aerial monitoring program for submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries, and nearby Atlantic coastal bays, USA.

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2018 Maryland Coastal Bays Report Card (Page 1)

2018 Maryland Coastal Bays Report Card

Emily Nastase, Annie Carew, Bill Dennison, Heath Kelsey, Katie May Laumann ·
23 September 2019

The aim of this report card is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2018 Coastal Bays health. Coastal Bays health is defined as the progress of four water quality indicators (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen) and two biotic indicators (seagrass, hard clams) toward scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals.

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Drought in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands: Fact Sheets (Page 1)

Drought in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands: Fact Sheets

Brianne Walsh, Nathan Miller, Kate Petersen ·
1 August 2019

In August 2018, the National Climate Adaptation Science Center, with support from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network, U.S. Forest Service, and the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, held a two-day workshop to synthesize the impacts of drought on various sectors in the USAPI to address this need. Twenty-seven participants from government agencies and universities in the USAPI participated in the meeting.

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Drought in the U.S. Caribbean: Fact Sheets (Page 1)

Drought in the U.S. Caribbean: Fact Sheets

Brianne Walsh, Nathan Miller, Kate Petersen ·
1 August 2019

In 2015, the National Climate Adaptation Science Center began working with each regional Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) to implement a network-wide initiative aimed at identifying what we know about the impacts of drought on ecosystems across the country. A key component of this initiative was the implementation of eight regional ecological drought workshops.

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Ecological Drought Across the United States (Page 1)

Ecological Drought Across the United States

Profound, widespread, and becoming more severe

Carter S, Donahue K, Myers B, Rubenstein M, Dennison WC, Lentz R, Blackband J, Malpeli K, Costanzo S, and Walsh B ·
1 August 2019

Across the United States, ecological drought is ubiquitous, profound, and has become more severe. This newsletter summarizes the findings of a three-year synthesis on the current status of drought research across the United States. The ecological drought synthesis project involved workshops at each of the eight regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers.

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