Human & Ecosystem Health Workshops

Motivation: Maintaining good water quality in nearshore regions is important to our well-being, economy, and diverse coastal ecosystems. Unfortunately, nearshore waters are threatened by increasing pollutants, pathogens, and contaminants associated with a range of geophysical and human pressures including, but not limited to warming temperatures, rising sea levels, increasing storminess, and expanding coastal populations. These pressures are resulting in an unprecedented and growing number of impacts to coastal ecosystems including beach and shellfishery closures that further impact coastal economies and communities. Major US governmental agencies (NIH, NSF, NOAA, EPA, USACE, and USGS) have recognized that the link between the coastal physical processes and human and ecosystem health is of critical importance.

Topics and Dates: Sessions will take place as webinars from 2 – 3:30 p.m. eastern time.

January 5-7, 2021: Coastal Pollutants 

• January 5: Nutrient and Harmful Algal Blooms
• January 6: Fecal Pollution
• January 7: Microplastics

January 12-14: Resilient Coastal Ecosystems 

• January 12: Coastal Fisheries
• January 13: Shellfisheries 
• January 14: Natural and nature-based infrastructure

Steering Committee:  

Brandon Boyd, U.S. Army Engineering & Research Development Center

Mara Dias, Surfrider Foundation

Diane Foster, University of New Hampshire

Chris Kinkade, NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Gregory Kleinheinz, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Joe Long, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Britt Raubenheimer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Brian Spears, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

John Wathen, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bret Webb, University of South Alabama

Steve Weisberg, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority

Who should attend: Local coastal decision makers, state and regional agencies, and academics, as well as scientists and engineers from federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry.

Workshop Format: Each day of the series will include three stakeholder presentations of 15 minutes in duration representing a range of geographies, concerns, and perspectives. A moderated webinar panel following each set of presentations will allow for discussion of the relevant challenges and federal needs. 

Outcomes: Workshop attendees will be invited to participate in an online poll, active during the week after the series, to collaboratively prioritize management challenges for future research investment.  The workshop aims to highlight research requirements to address management challenges and federal agency needs.  Working groups will then develop an authoritative report synthesizing our present understanding of the dynamics of human and ecosystem health in nearshore environments to help prioritize future research and investments.