Research is an essential component of Sea Grant’s work in coastal and Great Lakes communities, supporting scientists from hundreds of institutions. Here are just a few of Sea Grant’s recent research publications that are making a splash.
 

Network with Sea Grant colleagues and learn the latest in coastal restoration and management during Restore America’s Estuaries’/Coastal States Organization’s National Coastal & Estuarine Summit, held virtually September 29 – October 1, 2020.

Understanding the role that eelgrass ecosystems play in preparing for and mitigating the effects of climate change provides an opportunity to secure protection and restoration resources. MIT Sea Grant worked with several partners in Massachusetts to quantify the carbon storage of eelgrass beds. 

Maryland’s coastal wetlands provide diverse ecosystem services for the Chesapeake Bay region, reduce flooding risks, and help to improve local water quality. These natural communities, however, also face threats from rising sea levels and invasive species. Of particular concern is the non-native reed Phragmites australis, which has displaced native marsh grasses in many Mid-Atlantic wetlands in recent decades. To inform the management of this invasive reed, Maryland Sea Grant funded research to better understand how climate change might affect the growth of Phragmites populations around Chesapeake Bay.