Thaw Hall, Room 11

Dr. Sean Smith

Associate Professor  

School of Earth and Climate Sciences

Sen. George J. Mitchell Center for

Sustainability Solutions

The University of Maine

Downeast Drainage:  Examining and Communicating Vulnerability to Bacterial Pollution Problems Along the Maine Coast

The New England Sustainability Consortium is an interdisciplinary NSF EPSCoR funded project organized to strengthen the connections between science and decision-making and to advance the practice of sustainability science. The project uses complementary research capacity at several institutions to examine watershed and estuarine processes linked to bacteria pollution affecting shellfish harvesting and beach water quality in the Gulf of Maine. A fundamental research target is the development of better approaches for prediction of coastal bacteria pollution events that can cause losses in tourism and shell-fishery revenue. Understanding the spatial variations in vulnerability to bacterial pollution is an important step towards sustainability solutions related to public health concerns, water monitoring strategies, and economic viability of coastal fisheries and communities. The prediction and communication of coastal pollution vulnerability requires simultaneous examination of watershed pollution sources, drainage system delivery, and estuarine residence times related to coastal watershed runoff. My presentation will summarize related observations and outcomes from our investigations along the coast of Maine and at two project reference sites located in Wells and Bar Harbor, Maine. Ongoing efforts to enhance our understanding of land-sea connections and develop a coastal pollution management decision support toolkit will also be discussed.