Stellwagen Bank, the National Marine Sanctuary just north of Cape Cod, is a true hotspot for some of the Atlantic Ocean’s most iconic creatures: whales, seals, tuna and seabirds, who all share a particular appetite for this one fish – sand lance. Some experts in the sanctuary’s ecosystem call this species its “backbone.” Could sand lance offspring be particularly sensitive to higher levels of oceanic carbon dioxide predicted during the next 100 to 300 years as climate change effects intensify?
Research
Gauging LIS landscape health for better conservation decisions
To foster more effective conservation, a team of experts has taken a new approach to looking at forest, river and wetland habitats on Long Island Sound.
Big jump seen in CT shellfish sales since 2007, new report finds
A newly published report finds that shellfish sales increased nearly 100 percent from 2007 to 2015, and puts the value of direct sales of oysters and clams that year at just under $30 million.
Raising royalty to foster a greener aquarium industry
Swimming rainbows of purple, magenta, orange and yellow on Caribbean coral reefs, royal gramma are one of the most popular fish for home aquariums. But the journey from the reef to the pet shop is often fatal, both for the little fish and their marine habitats.
Key findings of coastal storm awareness research
Sea Grant programs of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey supported $1.4 million in social science research to improve community understanding and response to coastal storm hazard information. The key findings are summarized here: csapbrochure
Research explores marsh migration process
As rising seas push coastal marshes inland, the yards and woodlands next door are changing. But not much is known about how this happens. That’s why Shimon Anisfeld and colleagues at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies began trying to tease out some of the details of the process by looking at marsh […]
Special issue of journal highlights resilience symposium research
Research from a recent symposium supported by Connecticut Sea Grant, titled “Resilience and the Big Picture: Governing and Financing Innovations for Long Island Sound and Beyond,” has been published in a special issue of the Sea Grant Law and Policy Journal. The six articles in the journal are based on the presentations and panels at […]
Project creating chemical, physical profile of Long Island Sound
Groton – A major two-year research project to profile the water chemistry on Long Island Sound as it changes with seasons and tidal flows completed its first phase in the eastern Sound this summer. Project leaders Penny Vlahos and Michael Whitney, both marine sciences professors at UConn Avery Point, in May 2016 began the series […]
Private landowners hold key to future of coastal marshes
While popular with conservation groups, coastal easements that prevent development in order to protect marshland are not favored by property owners, according to a new study by the University of Connecticut and Virginia Tech. Since private landowners will be critical partners in efforts to save coastal marshes in the face of climate change and rising […]