Grantee Research Project Results
The Choptank River: A Mid-Chesapeake Bay Index Site for Evaluating Ecosystems Responses to Nutrient Management
EPA Grant Number: R826941Title: The Choptank River: A Mid-Chesapeake Bay Index Site for Evaluating Ecosystems Responses to Nutrient Management
Investigators: Malone, Thomas C. , Cornwell, Jeffrey C. , Boicourt, William C. , Stevenson, J. Court , Harding Jr., Lawrence W.
Institution: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Current Institution: Horn Point Laboratory
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 15, 1998 through September 14, 2001 (Extended to September 14, 2002)
Project Amount: $596,097
RFA: Ecological Effects of Environmental Stressors Using Coastal Intensive Sites (1998) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Environmental Statistics
Description:
This proposal requests support to establish the Choptank River as an Index Site in the CISNet program. The Choptank, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, is representative of rivers draining largely agricultural landscapes in the coastal zone of the eastern US. The submittal consists of two components, one focusing on traditional shipboard sampling and retrospective data analysis, the second using remote sensing from aircraft and buoys to obtain data of high spatial and temporal resolution for key variables. The primary goal of this effort is to develop and examine methods for detecting responses to anthropogenic stresses and to establish this Site as a sentinel for change in a broader domain of coastal plain ecosystems. Of particular interest are the impacts of meteorological fluctuations and nutrient management on water quality and living resources in the Choptank drainage basin.
Approach:
To achieve this goal, resources of the Index Site will be used to: (1) synthesize data from past and ongoing research and monitoring programs; (2) implement an integrated program of in situ and remote sensing for the collection of long term, spatially synoptic, high resolution measurements. The intent is to capture the full range of variability that characterizes the Choptank River Index Site, to resolve responses elicited by human activities from variability imposed by nature, and to predict trends and their consequences. Specific studies in the proposed Index Site will: (1) determine the effects of nutrient management actions on patterns of N and P inputs; (2) quantify the effects of changing patterns of N and P inputs on water quality and living resources; (3) examine the role of marshes and SAV in modulating the fluxes of nutrients from land to water; and (4) develop and evaluate indicators of coastal ecosystem integrity and sustainability that integrate over the spectrum of ecological variability.
Expected Results:
The establishment of the Choptank River Index Site will benefit from results of previous and ongoing research and monitoring efforts in the region that encompasses a broad range of nutrient loads and sources, including both land drainage and atmospheric deposition; it will promote partnerships with state and federal agencies and add value to Baywide monitoring by providing improved spatial and temporal coverage of key indices of ecosystem state; and it will exploit the capabilities of Horn Point Laboratory in high-resolution, long-term time series observations (in situ monitoring) and remote sensing (aerial and satellite) for the purpose of separating short- term variability from long-term trends in coastal ecosystems.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 22 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 3 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Atmosphere, watersheds, land, sediments, marine, estuary, ecological effects, particulates, discharge, ecosystem, indicators, restoration, scaling, integrated assessment, decision making, environmental chemistry, marine science, biology, physics, ecology, hydrology, modeling, monitoring, analytical, surveys, measurement methods, remote sensing, Chesapeake Bay,, RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Water, Waste, Ecological Indicators, Air Deposition, State, Ecosystem Protection, Chemistry, Ecology, Watersheds, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Contaminated Sediments, Monitoring/Modeling, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Hydrology, Nutrients, Physics, Water & Watershed, predictive model, shipboard sampling, nutrient flux, watershed management, water quality, contaminated sediment, aquatic ecosystem, soil, coastal ecosystem, Chesapeake Bay, stress responses, atmospheric deposition, coastal plain ecosystems, agricultural runoff, coastal zone, hydrological stability, ecological exposure, meteorology, CISNet Program, agriculturally impacted watershed, basin hydrology, CISNet, nitrogen, anthropogenic stresses, nutrient transport model, discharge, Choptank River, aquatic ecosystems, nutrient transport, ecological response, anthropogenic stress, remote sensing data, Maryland (MD), nutrient supplyProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.