Sustaining Coastal Experimentation and Observing Systems in Support of Marine Ecosystem and Climate Science

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Research (CBLR) Pier is an essential research facility that serves as a platform for instrumentation, equipment, and experimental mesocosms that test hypotheses and gather data required for models to inform ecosystem-based management decisions in the heavily used and presently compromised Chesapeake Bay. In recent years, the pier sustained significant structural damage that has resulted in closing it to research and educational activities. This project repairs storm damage to the pier and its seawater supply system. Repairs involve extensive replacement of the support structure and decking, replacing the pumping station, and securing seawater intake lines to the pier to protect them from future storm threats. These renovations allow the pier, which is presently closed to research and education activities, to be re-opened. The renovated platform will then be able to once again house microcosms and mesocosms for in-situ process studies that range from studies of predator-prey dynamics to fishery recruitment; to climate change; to ocean acidification; to the ecophysiology of fish, crabs, and sea grass; and to studies of eutrophication and mercury speciation in aquatic food webs. Broader impacts of the repair and reopening of the CBLR Pier include increased use for sensor testing and development as well as building infrastructure for science. The renovations will provide jobs in the Chesapeake Bay area and improved, safe areas where faculty, university students, K-12 teachers and students, and the general public can experience the integration of research and education through programs that provide extensive hands-on public outreach pertaining to Chesapeake Bay conservation and climate change. It is a place where the public gets to interact with scientists and participate in the collection of scientific data.