Coastal SEES Collaborative Research: Effects of restoration and redevelopment on nitrogen dynamics in an urban coastal watershed

与城市化相关的过量氮是对地球仪沿海系统可持续性的严重威胁。 在美国，超过一半的河口由于过量的氮而表现出一定程度的损害。 对氮的担忧随着计划的制定而加剧，这些计划旨在实现符合新法规所需的营养减少。该项目将解决与城市河流和流域恢复工作对氮动态的影响有关的关键不确定性。还将讨论影响执行这些努力的人的社会和经济因素。 该项目对环境、社会和经济的综合见解有可能改变地球仪对城市沿海可持续性的评估和管理。 该研究将建立在与巴尔的摩市和县环境管理人员在水质和可持续性领域的持续关系的基础上。 研究人员将参与来自市，县和州政府机构的代表;非政府组织，如公园人民基金会和蓝水巴尔的摩;和当地社区团体通过面对面的采访，网络研讨会和研究摘要。 研究小组还将发起一项公民科学工作，居民收集与恢复工作有关的害虫和垃圾数据，并将确定作为公民科学家的参与是否会增加对恢复实践的了解和热情。 这项工作将直接解决许多巴尔的摩居民对犯罪、害虫生产和与恢复活动有关的垃圾的担忧。 其他更广泛的影响包括培训研究生和本科生在可持续发展科学。 该项目是美国国家科学基金会海岸科学、工程和可持续发展教育项目--海岸SEES的一部分，该项目将探讨城市化对海岸可持续发展影响的生物物理和社会科学因素之间的复杂相互作用。 在国家科学基金会资助的巴尔的摩城市长期生态研究（LTER）项目，巴尔的摩生态系统研究的耦合社会生态研究的基础上，这项工作将解决以下问题：如何有效的流恢复和安装绿色基础设施，减少氮输送到海岸？ 这些影响是否很容易被基本卫生基础设施的退化所抵消？ 不同社会经济地位和距离海岸远近的沿海居民是否了解和关心受纳沃茨的生态完整性？ 公民科学的努力能增加居民对沿海水质的知识和兴趣吗？ 一个由生态学家、工程师、地理学家、社会学家和经济学家组成的团队将评估巴尔的摩地区一系列新旧河流恢复项目的氮效益和公众支持，并确定这些灌溉和其他绿色基础设施干预措施的氮效益是否显著，以及在流域尺度氮质量平衡中是否可见。 该小组将评估利益攸关方在社会经济地位和距离海岸不同的社区采取这些干预措施的意愿，并对溪流和流域恢复工作进行经济和政策分析。 这一信息将用于确定城市和郊区综合体中社会和生物物理因素汇合的地区，以创造恢复和振兴的机会。

Excess nitrogen associated with urbanization is a critical threat to the sustainability of coastal systems across the globe. More than half of the estuaries in the United States show some level of impairment due to excess nitrogen. Concerns about nitrogen have intensified with the development of plans to achieve nutrient reductions required for compliance with new regulations. This project will resolve critical uncertainties related to the effects of urban stream and watershed restoration efforts on nitrogen dynamics. Human social and economic factors that affect the implementation of these efforts will also be addressed. The combined environmental, social and economic insights from this project have the potential to transform assessments and management of urban coastal sustainability across the globe. The research will build on ongoing relationships with environmental managers in Baltimore City and County in the areas of water quality and sustainability. Researchers will engage representatives from city, county and state government agencies; non-governmental organizations such as the Parks & People Foundation and Blue Water Baltimore; and local community groups through face-to-face interviews, webinars, and research summaries. The research team will also initiate a citizen science effort where residents collect data on pests and garbage associated with restoration efforts, and will determine whether participation as a citizen scientist increases knowledge of and enthusiasm for restoration practices. This effort will directly address concerns that many Baltimore residents have expressed about crime, pest production, and garbage associated with restoration activities. Additional broader impacts include training graduate and undergraduate students in sustainability science. This project is supported as part of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability program - Coastal SEES.This project will address the complex interactions between biophysical and social science factors that underlie the effects of urbanization on coastal sustainability. Building on the coupled socio-ecological research of the National Science Foundation funded Baltimore urban Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, the work will address the following questions: How efficient are stream restoration and installation of green infrastructure in reducing nitrogen delivery to the coast? Are these effects easily overwhelmed by degradation of fundamental sanitary infrastructure? Do coastal residents of different socio-economic status and distance to the coast know and care about the ecological integrity of receiving waters? Can citizen science efforts increase resident knowledge and interest in coastal water quality? A team of ecologists, engineers, geographers, sociologists and economists will evaluate the nitrogen benefits and public support for a series of old and new stream restoration projects in the Baltimore area and determine if the nitrogen benefits of these restorations and other green infrastructure interventions are significant and visible in watershed-scale nitrogen mass balances. The group will assess the willingness of stakeholders to adopt these interventions in neighborhoods varying in socio-economic status and distance to the coast and carry out economic and policy analyses of stream and watershed restoration efforts. This information will be used to identify areas within the urban to exurban complex where social and biophysical factors converge to create opportunities for restoration and revitalization.