Darren Ranco Coordinator of Native American Research University of Maine Katherine Allen School of Earth and Climate Science University of Maine The flow of water across Maine’s landscape, through its rivers, and into the sea represents a key link in the regional water cycle, impacting both terrestrial and marine environments. River runoff contributes […]
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Carolyn Tepolt Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Genetic adaptation may play an important role in the ability of lobsters to adapt to changing environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine. Earlier research has suggested that lobsters may have evolved genetic variation related to temperature. However, the potential of rapid genomic adaptation to contribute to lobster […]
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Kathleen Thornton Darling Marine Center University of Maine Citizen groups, aided by new technologies such as autonomous buoys, sondes, and other hand held instrumentation, as well as an expanding network of volunteer monitors, are obtaining a steadily increasing volume of coastal and estuarine water quality data. Even as the amount of data increases, there exist […]
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Meredith White Mook Sea Farm Some of the greatest risks facing oyster growers in Maine stem from ecosystem changes including increased temperature and changes to seawater chemistry that affect abundance of Vibrio species, an illness-causing bacteria. Illnesses linked to consumption of shellfish from cooler northeast waters had historically been rare but has increased in […]
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Amy Hamilton Vailea Maine Department of Marine Resources West Boothbay Harbor, ME Some species of phytoplankton (microscopic marine algae) can be toxic to humans and wildlife. Excessive growth or “blooms” of these phytoplankton are often called “red tide.” In Maine, species of Alexandrium produce toxins that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, and result in closures of […]
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Cary Friedman Assistant Professor of Marine Science Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME Persistent organic pollutants are pervasive throughout the world’s oceans, and they are present in the Penobscot River and Bay. One type of pollutant, a polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) used as flame retardant on a wide variety of products, can be toxic to people […]
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Ian Bricknell School of Marine Sciences University of Maine The European green crab, Carcinus maenas, is an invasive species on the East Coast of the United States as well as many other regions around the world, and threatens important seafood species in Maine. There are no significant natural predators of green crabs on the coast […]
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Karen Wilson University of Southern Maine In the Penobscot River Estuary, the return of large numbers of river herring coincides with a legacy of mercury contamination from historic industrial activity. Sea Grant funded research has demonstrated that juvenile river herring are spending much longer in the estuary than previously thought (weeks to months) and consuming […]
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David Fields Senior Research Scientist Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences East Boothbay, ME Temperature is the primary factor that determines survival and development in newly hatched crustaceans such as lobster. The ability of these early stages to develop in the face of increasingly warm ocean conditions will determine what species are able to maintain populations […]
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Meredith White Mook Sea Farm Email Mook Sea Farm Bacteria belonging to the genus Vibrio are found naturally in brackish and marine environments and represent the leading cause of human illness associated with eating raw seafood, including oysters. The recent warming trend in sea surface temperature of the North Atlantic is linked to the spread […]
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