Project Title: MBL Semester in Environmental Science: Assessing ecological and biogeochemical processes in Waquoit Bay to determine ecosystem status and health
Duration: Annually August – December
Funding Source(s): Marine Biological Laboratory educational programs
Lead Investigator: Mirta Teichberg, Marine Biological Laboratory
Onsite-contact: Jessica Donohue, Marine Biological Laboratory (jdonohue@mbl.edu)
Project Description: As part of the Fall Semester in Environmental Science Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory, faculty, teaching assistants, and undergraduate students will be studying Waquoit Bay and other local freshwater and marine ecosystems to gain an understanding of ecosystem structure and function under environmental change. Through course modules, students will measure physical, biological, and chemical parameters of the water and sediment and analyze chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations of groundwater and water-column samples, nutrient fluxes from sediments, and natural stable isotopes of C and N from macroalgae, saltmarsh plants, and invertebrates. The broader aims of the course modules are to define links between land-uses and nitrogen loads and how that impacts water quality. Students will learn about coastal eutrophication and indicators of estuarine health. They will also examine how excessive nitrogen loads alter the composition and structure of estuarine food webs. Waquoit Bay’s range in nitrogen loads will serve as a wider context within which to place data from other local estuaries. Additionally, impacts of climate variability and warming on estuarine processes will be assessed using available long-term data sets of Waquoit Bay. Potential for nutrient mitigation, ecosystem recovery, restoration, and use of nature-based solutions will be discussed with students using examples of previous and ongoing research.
