Community Lab

Another win for seagrass: its ability to sequester carbon.

Deep Seagrass Bed Could Stall Climate Change, If Climate Change Doesn't Kill It First Scientists have identified a giant bed of deep sea grass in Australia's Great Barrier Reef that may be absorbing millions of tons of carbon. But these so-called blue carbon sinks need protecting too.

Our very own Data Specialist, Ashley Taylor, took first place in the poster session at the Maine GIS User Group Conference at Bates College last week! Her project focused on devising new methods for mapping eelgrass beds using mobile devices.

Our longest-serving volunteer, Allan, with a new trainee (his granddaughter!), sampling the water at the beach in Seal Harbor for bacteria and educating visitors about the Maine Healthy Beaches program. We're very thankful for our volunteers of all ages!

Today is , and the 2018 theme is preventing plastic pollution. Coincidentally, our summer student embarked on a microplastic monitoring program today as part of her summer research. We celebrate the ocean everyday (check out our slice of ocean below!) and work towards solutions for a healthy ocean! Check out this link for plastic pollution resources: http://www.worldoceansday.org/plastic-pollution-resources-1.

Think you could swim across the Pacific? This man is trying it to bring attention to pollution from plastics. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/man-begins-swim-across-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch-all-n880326. In a similar vein, when scientists in Thailand performed a necropsy on a pilot whale, they found 80 plastic bags in its stomach. What can we do to change things?

Garbage patch and sharks are obstacles for trans-Pacific swimmer Ben Lecomte, born in France and now living in Texas, has begun a swim estimated at 5,500 miles. He hopes to bring attention to pollution from plastics.

Though we didn't meet any swimmers at the beach today (brrr!), we did start sampling the water for bacteria as part of the Maine Healthy Beaches program. You can check http://www.mainehealthybeaches.org/index.html for information and advice about swim beaches in your area, wherever you are in coastal Maine. Long-time volunteer Allan poses here in his waders and Healthy Beaches cap!

If you're a visual learner, check out this infographic about seagrass. If you're a hands-on learner, contact the Community Lab ([email protected]). We often have volunteer opportunities available!
https://www.facebook.com/deepsthlmuni/posts/615267532166092

A new study provides evidence that 1/5th of the World’s biggest fisheries, such as Atlantic Cod and Walleye Pollock🐟 are reliant on healthy seagrass meadows🌿. The study also demonstrates the prevalence of seagrass associated fishing globally.🌏

The study, carried out in partnership with Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth at Cardiff University and Dr Lina Mtwana Nordlund at DEEP, demonstrates for the first time that seagrasses should be recognised and managed to maintain and maximise their role in global fisheries production. Dr Cullen-Unsworth said “the chasm that exists between coastal habitat conservation and fisheries management needs to be filled to maximise the chances of seagrass meadows supporting fisheries, so that they can continue to support human wellbeing”.

Infographic by Richard Unsworth.
Lina Mtwana Nordlund

We've been talking about single-use plastic a lot lately in the Community Lab, including the plastic used in environmental research. Seems a little ironic. We recently found artist Mariah Reading Art's "ecoart", and she addresses this irony in her STREAM project. Check out her work (she's from Bangor!) and have a conversation with someone about it.
http://www.mariahreadingart.com/ #/stream/

Work I have been contemplating my relationship with art and the large amount of waste it can produce. I wanted to find ways I can validate art and its important purpose by working with recycled materials found in National Parks and other landscape environments. With 2016 having been the 100th anniversary...

Eelgrass in the Chesapeake Bay has come back in "the biggest resurgence of grass ever recorded". How's that for a win for all the scientists and volunteers out there fighting for the environment?

Chesapeake Bay grass resurgence is first big conservation success tied to humans, scientists say "The biggest resurgence of grass ever recorded – that's impressive," said Chris Moore, senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "It's a great indication that the changes we're making on

Talk at last month's Fishermen Forum partially focused on the decrease in lobster landings in 2017, down 22 million pounds from 2016. Complicating the story are data from four DMR long-term monitoring programs that indicate an increasing number of sublegal lobsters. What's going on? Read more here:

Contrary survey results are puzzling scientists Given the talk on the wharves all year, it was no surprise to hear the official 2017 numbers on Maine’s lobster fishery—110.8 million pounds with a value of $433.8 million, down nearly 22 million pounds from 2016.