The National Science Foundation has renewed a $7.5 million grant for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program, a long-term ecological research project run by the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island.
The program is the premier ecosystem science program at NSF, comprising 27 programs across North America that are dedicated to understanding a diversity of habitats and how they respond to changing conditions.
Established in 2000, the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program has over 103 participants representing 10 academic institutions, including Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech. It's considered the largest research project on the Georgia coast. This is the fourth six-year funding cycle for the project.
It's not just about averages anymore. Extremes matter, and we're learning how those extremes shape the resilience of our marshes."
-Merryl Alber,
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
The next phase of the program will continue to focus on the impact of ecological disturbances - hurricanes and freezes, for example - on coastal salt marshes and estuaries, said Merryl Alber, director of the marine institute and a professor of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. It will also examine how these extreme fluctuations affect marsh health and resilience.
"We want to know whether changes in variability can actually tell us something about a system's underlying health, whether it's resilient or becoming more vulnerable," she said. "It's not just about averages anymore. Extremes matter, and we're learning how those extremes shape the resilience of our marshes."
Salt marshes protect shorelines, filter water, support fisheries, store carbon and sustain coastal economies. The project will measure drivers such as sea level, salinity, flooding and temperature, and then analyze their effects on estuaries and marshes. Policymakers and coastal communities can use the results of this study to make decisions on how to protect and manage coastal resources.
In addition to research, the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program is also a leader in education and outreach on coastal ecological issues. The program hosts an annual summer workshop for K-12 teachers at the Marine Institute on Sapelo Island for hands-on research experiences. It is also launching a citizen-science initiative called Flood Patrol to track high-tide flooding events by installing PVC gauges in the yards of coastal residents.
"The work of our coastal researchers has never been more important," said Chris King, interim vice president for research at UGA. "I'm proud of the work they've accomplished over the past two and a half decades and am excited to see the impact they'll continue to have through the help of this NSF grant."
