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May 2017 • Volume 16, Number 1
Photograph, David Harp
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Daniel Pendick
Scientists use complex computer models to simulate how the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem works and to guide restoration efforts. These digital mimics generate estimates of how much we need to cut down on pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus to reduce algal blooms and low-oxygen "dead zones" in the Bay that harm aquatic life. Regulators relied on these predictions to establish a multiyear, mandatory "pollution diet" to improve water quality. Because computer models play a vital role, Bay managers are developing mid-course adjustments to predict the effects of unexpected environmental threats. The challenge for scientists: can they build a better Bay in a box to help keep the diet — and Bay restoration — on track to success? more . . .
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It was built of concrete, covered nine acres, and was nicknamed "the Matapeake monster." It held 450,000 gallons of water — enough to fill most of an Olympic swimming pool. Like today's computer models, this research tool was designed to study Chesapeake Bay processes but in a very different way. more . . .
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Slashing pollution flow into the Chesapeake Bay will require lots of local projects to reduce a key threat: stormwater runoff. Betsy Love of Annapolis stepped up: she enrolled in a special academy, one of five operating in Maryland, that trains volunteers to plan and find funding for these efforts. more . . .
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Five Knauss fellows supported by Maryland Sea Grant have begun working for federal agencies in Washington, D.C. Their projects include improving international partnerships, fisheries management, and pollution monitoring. more . . .
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In a new book published by Maryland Sea Grant, paleoecologist Grace Brush describes the decades she spent pulling sediments from the Chesapeake Bay's bottom — research she used to trace the estuary's ecological history and in the process overcome the challenges faced by a woman scientist trying to succeed in a male-dominated field. more . . .
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