Georgia Coastal Research

Watershed Linkages
Water Quality
Modeling
Ecosystem Studies
Microbial Ecology
Biotechnology
Biogeochemistry
Aquaculture
Fisheries
Offshore and Nearshore Monitoring

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Watershed Linkages

• Study of Human Impacts on the Salinity Regimes of Coastal Georgia Estuaries
       Richard Wiegert, Merryl Alber, Alice Chalmers (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia) and Jackson O. Blanton (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• The Impact of Land Use Changes on the Salt Regimes of Georgia Estuaries
       Richard Wiegert, Merryl Alber, Alice Chalmers (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia) and Jackson O. Blanton (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• Geochemical and Microbial Signatures for Anthropogenic Disturbance of Coastal Environments
       Andrei L. Barkovskii (Georgia College and State Univ.), Dave S. Bachoon (Georgia College and State Univ.), and Johannes E. Leisen (Georgia Inst. of Tech.)

• The Influence of Land Use on Groundwater-Derived Nutrients and Organic Inputs to the South Atlantic Bight
       Mandy Joye, Wei-Jun Cai, Deborah Bronk, (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia) and Willard Moore (Dept. of Geological Sciences, Univ. of South Carolina)

• The Relationship between Artesian Groundwater Springs and Ecology of Coastal Rivers in Georgia
        James S. Reichard (Georgia Southern Univ.)

Water Quality
Assessment

• Coastal Watershed Condition Assessments: Cumberland Island Nat'l Seashore and Fort Pulaski Nat'l Monument
       Merryl Alber (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia, Athens), Janice Flory (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia, Athens), Karen Payne (Marine Extension Service, Savannah), Caroline McFarlin (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia, Athens)

• Archiving of Baseline Water Quality Data for Coastal Georgia
       Alice Chalmers (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)
  

• Water Quality Assessment of Georgia's Major Rivers: Biological Quality and Primary Productivity
       Keith W. Gates (Marine Extension Service)

• Water Quality Monitoring for Sapelo Island NERR
       Dorset Hurley (Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve)

• A GIS Water Quality Database for Georgia's Coastal Zone Counties
       Randal L. Walker and Karen Payne (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

• Long-Term Water Quality Sampling of the Skidaway River Estuary
       Peter Verity (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography, Savannah, Georgia, USA)

Nutrient Enrichment

• Coastal Eutrophication in the Southeastern United States: Nitrogen versus Phosphorus Limitation and the Contribution of Organic Nitrogen
       Deborah A. Bronk and Marta P. Sanderson (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Nutrient Delivery to the Coastal Zone by the Altamaha River
       James T. Hollibaugh (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)
• Long-Term Monitoring of Atmospheric Nutrient Deposition in Chatham County for Assessment of Potential Effectiveness of Non-Point Source Pollution Mitigation
       Richard A. Jahnke (Skidaway Inst of Oceanography, Savannah, Georgia, USA)
• Effects of Eutrophication on Marsh Plant Community Structure in Four Sea Grant States
       Steven C. Pennings (Sapelo Island Marine Institute)

• Effects of Anthropogenic Eutrophication on Salt Marsh Community Structure
       Steven C. Pennings and Steven Y. Newell (Sapelo Island Marine Institute)

Contaminants

• Biomonitoring for the Georgia Coast: Oysters as Sentinels of Coastal Water Quality
       Marc Frischer (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography), Keith Maruya (Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority)
• Combining Targeted Sampling and Fluorometry to Identify Sources of Human Fecal Contamination in Georgia's Coastal Waters
       Peter G. Hartel (Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA)
• Ribotyping to Determine the Host Origin of Fecal Contamination in Georgia's Coastal Waters
       Peter G. Hartel and William I. Segars (Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• Study of Changes in Contaminant Marker Compound Concentrations and Genotoxic Biomarkers During Phases of Development Planned for the Altamaha River Basin
       Richard F. Lee (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Genotoxicants in Retention Ponds and Adjacent Estuaries in Urban/Suburban Sites in Coastal Georgia
       Richard F. Lee (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Impact of Phenolic and Dioxin-like Contaminants on Coastal Georgia Water Quality
       Keith A. Maruya (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Development of Molecular Radiocarbon Analyses for Tracing Trophic Transfer of Anthropogenic Contaminants in Salt Marsh Sediments
       Stuart G. Wakeham (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Characterization of the Oxidative Stress Response of Marsh Plants for Detection of Sub-Lethal Stress from Chemical Pollutants
       Victor Dan Wall (Marine Institute, Univ. of Georgia)

Modeling

• Analysis of Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Stressors Using GIS Integrated Remotely Sensed Imagery and Modeling: A pilot study for the lower Altamaha River Basin
       Mustafa Aral (Georgia Technical University)

• An Efficient Computer Program for Modeling Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers
       Mark Bakker (Dept of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Univ of Georgia

• Modeling Study of Physical Processes over the Inner Shelf of the Georgia Coast
       Changsheng Chen (Univ. of Massachusetts, Dartmouth)

• Development of Unstructured Grids, Finite-Volume Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Model for Georgia's Estuaries
       Changsheng Chen (Univ. of Massachusetts, Dartmouth)
• Coastal Sound Science Initiative: A Scientific Study Of Groundwater Use In Coastal Georgia
       Gregory S. Cherry and Dorothy F. Payne (U.S. Geological Survey)

• Mapping of Water Quality Related Parameters in the Satilla River for Model Data Assimilation and Verification
       Chunyan Li (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

Ecosystem Studies

Estuaries and tidal creeks

• Georgia Coastal Ecosystems - Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)
       Merryl Alber, Tim Hollibaugh, Steve Pennings, Wade Sheldon, Clark Alexander, Dale Bishop, Jack Blanton, Adrian Burd, Chris Craft, Daniela Di Iorio, Mandy Joye, Christof Meile, Billy Moore, Brian Silliman and John Wares (see project summary for affiliations).

• Georgia Rivers Land Margin Ecosystem Research Program: A comparative study of the transport and transformation of materials from rivers through the land-sea margin
       Richard G. Wiegert, Robert Hodson, William Wiebe, Mary Ann Moran, Merryl Alber, Alice Chalmers (Dept. of Marine Sciences), Lawrence R. Pomeroy (Inst. of Ecology), Jackson O. Blanton and Clark Alexander (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• Estuarine Creek Fronts: Biological Interfaces Between Tidal Creeks and Estuaries
       Merryl Alber (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• State of Knowledge Report: Satilla River Estuary
       Merryl Alber (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia), Clark Alexander and Jack Blanton (Skidaway Inst of Oceanography), Alice Chalmers (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia), and Keith Gates (Marine Extension Service)

• The Fate of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in Chesapeake Bay and Two Georgia Rivers
       Deborah A. Bronk (Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, College of William and Mary) and Pat M. Glibert (Center for Env. Science, Univ. of Maryland)

• Ephemeral Microbial Mats in the Satilla River
       Deborah A. Bronk (Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, College of William and Mary) and Samantha Joye (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• The Fluxes and Sources of Carbon Dioxide in the Estuarine Waters of Georgia
       Wei-Jun Cai and Yongchen Wang (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• Bioremediation of Beach Creek, Jekyll Island, Through Shellfish Restoration
       Alan Power (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service), Randal Walker (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service), and Keith Gates (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

• Biomarker Approach Development for Study of Georgia Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems
       Ming-Yi Sun (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• Community Structure, Food Web Analysis, and Organic Matter Dynamics in a Brackish Tidal Creek within the Altamaha River Estuary
       Richard G. Wiegert (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia), Charles N. DeCurtis, Jr., and Marirosa Molina (Inst. of Ecology, Univ. of Georgia)

Salt marshes

• Research Experience for Undergraduates: Characterization of Salt Marsh Dieback Areas in Coastal Georgia
       Merryl Alber (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia) and Mary Carla Curran (Marine Science Program, Savannah State University)

• Analysis of the State of Knowledge of Respiratory Processes and the Net Productivity of Intertidal Salt Marshes in the South Atlantic Bight
       Wei-Jun Cai (Dept. of Marine Sciences) and Lawrence R. Pomeroy (Inst. of Ecology, Univ. of Georgia)

• Evaluation of Brown Marsh in Savannah, GA
       Mary Carla Curran (Marine Science Program, Savannah State Univ.)

• Loss of Salt Marshes in Georgia: Potential Causes and Remedies
       Chandra Franklin (Dept of Natural Science and Mathematics, Savannah State Univ.) and Jan MacKinnon (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division)

• Analysis of Plant Samples from 'Dead Marsh' Sites - A Pilot Study
       Chandra Franklin (Dept of Natural Science and Mathematics, Savannah State Univ.)

• Microbial Indexing of Saltmarsh Health and Recovery: Development of a Health/Productivity Scale
       Marc Frischer (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography), Jeffrey King (US Army Corps/Adjunct SkIO), Carla Curran (Savannah State Univ.), and Dionne Hoskins (Savannah State Univ.)
• Maintenance of Genetic Variation in a Salt Marsh Plant
       R. M. Mauricio (Dept of Genetics, Univ of Georgia) and C. L. Richards (Dept of Plant Biology, Univ of Georgia)
• Coastal Habitat Evaluation
       The Nature Conservancy, Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ga DNR Coastal Resources Division
• Mapping and Analysis Related to Marsh Dieoff and Residential Docks
       Karen Payne and Doug Atkinson (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

Ports

• Baseline Port Surveys for Introduced Marine Molluscan, Crustacen and Polychaete Species in the South Atlantic Bight 
       Alan Power, Randal Walker, Carolyn Belcher (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service) and Martin Posey, Troy Alphin (Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ of N. Carolina)
• Preventing the Introduction and Reducing the Spread of Invasive Aquatic Species in Coastal Georgia Through Research and a Public Awareness and Monitoring Campaign
       Alan Power (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

Microbial Ecology

• Estimating Rates of Marine Picoplankton Production: A Novel Approach
       Brian Binder (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Assessment of Microbial Community Structure in Estuarine Environments using Flow Cytometry
       Brian Binder (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• Optimization of New Bacterial In Situ Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Methodologies to Support Sea Grant Missions
       Robert Hodson, Mary Ann Moran and Feng Chen (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Prokaryotic in situ PCR: Visualization of Microscale Distribution of Specific Genes and Gene Products for Aromatic Pollutant Degradation in Marine Waters and Sediments
       Robert Hodson and Mary Ann Moran (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Identification and Characterization of Ecologically Relevant Lignin-Degrading Bacteria from Coastal Marine Environments
       Mary Ann Moran and Robert E. Hodson (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

• Lignin Degradation by Typical Bacteria from Coastal Seawater: the Marine Alpha Cluster
       Mary Ann Moran (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Interaction of Biological and Photochemical Processes in the Degradation of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Georgia's Estuaries
       Mary Ann Moran (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Ecological and Biogeochemical Characterization of a Dominant Lineage of Coastal Ocean Bacterioplankton: studies on the breakdown of aromatic compounds (e.g. humic substance) and transformation of organic sulfur compounds
       Mary Ann Moran (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Plasmids as BioMarkers to Access Coastal Ecosystem Health and Environmental Quality
        Patricia Sobecky (School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology)

• Biocomplexity: Bio-feedback Basis of Self Organization in Planktonic Ecosystems Using Phaeocystis as a Model Complex Adaptive System
       Peter Verity, Marc Frischer (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography), Mark Hay (Georgia Inst. of Technology), and Bernard Patten (Univ. of Georgia)

• Molecular Approaches for In Situ Studies of Nitrate Utilization by Marine Bacteria
       Marc Frischer, Peter Verity, (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography), Debbie Bronk (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), and Matt Gilligan (Savannah State Univ.)

Biotechnology

• Development of In Vitro Methods and Genetic Engineering Technology for Spartina alterniflora to Assess the Ecological Impact of Heavy Metal Contamination in Salt Marsh Ecosystems
       Chandra Franklin (Savannah State Univ.)

Biogeochemistry

• Rates and Controls of Sediment Processes Regulating Nutrient Regeneration/Burial in the Satilla River Estuary
       Joel E. Kostka, Clark R. Alexander and Richard A. Jahnke (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• Groundwater-derived Nitrogen and Phosphorus Inputs to the Satilla River Estuary: Impact on coastal ecosystem health
       Samantha B. Joye (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia), Carolyn D. Ruppel (Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Inst. of Tech.), and Williard S. Moore (Dept. of Geological Sciences, Univ. of South Carolina)

• Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen and Nitrous Oxide Concentrations in the Groundwater of Two Selected Sites in Coastal Georgia and South Carolina
        Samantha B. Joye (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Biogeochemical Processing of Bloom-Derived Organic Matter as a Function of Sediment Mixing Regime
       Ming-Yi Sun, Wei-Jun Cai, Samantha Joye, and James T. Hollibaugh (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

• Microbial Transformations of Selenate as a Model for the Role of Redox Reactions in Trace Metal Mobility and Bioavailability
       James T. Hollibaugh (Dept. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Georgia)

Aquaculture

• Black Sea Bass Culture
       Randal L. Walker (Shellfish Aquaculture Laboratory, Univ. of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

• Lymphoreticular Histology and Innate Immunity on Cultured Black Sea Bass
       Randal L. Walker (Shellfish Aquaculture Laboratory, Univ. of Georgia Marine Extension Service) Kenneth Latimer and Donald Evans (College of Veterinary Medicine, Univ of Georgia)

• Expanding Hard Clam Aquaculture in McIntosh County
       Randal L. Walker (Shellfish Aquaculture Laboratory, Univ. of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

Fisheries

• Sources and Transport Mechanisms of White Shrimp in Southeastern Coastal Waters
       Jackson O. Blanton, Peter G. Verity (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography), Charles A. Barans and Elizabeth L. Wenner (Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina DNR)

• A Study on the Use of Hydroacoustic and Biological Surveying to Assess Fish Populations in the Altamaha and MacKay Rivers
       Daniela Di Iorio (Dept. of Marine Sciences) and Gary D. Grossman (Warnell School of Forest Resources, Univ. of Georgia

• Establishment of a Shrimp Disease Diagnosis Center and Survey of Georgia Coastal Waters For Viruses
       Marc Frischer (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Optimizing Zebra Mussel Control and Preventing Dispersal Through Improved Veliger Detection Using an rRNA Probe
        Marc Frischer (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography)

• Development of an Offshore Ark Fishery in Georgia and Florida
       Keith Gates and Randal L. Walker (Univ. of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

• Residence Times, Movements and Growth of White Shrimp within Tidal Marsh Drainages Supplying Georgia Sounds
       Ronald Kneib (University of Georgia Marine Institute, Sapelo Island)

• Effects on the Blue Crab Population of Coastal Georgia of a Disease Associated with Parasitic Dinoflagellate, Hematodinium sp.
       Richard Lee (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• Biomonitoring for the Georgia Coast
       Keith A. Maruya (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• Biomarker Response and Persistent Contamination Levels in Estuarine Fish
       Keith A. Maruya (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)
• A Study on the Protozoan Pathogens Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nelsoni in the Easter Oyster, Crassostrea virginica within Georgia's Recreational Shellfish Harvest Areas
       Ellie Covington and Alan Power (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

• Identification of Quality Attributes for Differentiation of Shrimp Species
       Anna Resurreccion (Dept of Food Science and Technology, Univ of Georgia) and Marilyn Erickson (Center for Food Safety, Univ of Georgia)

• The Use of Ultrasonic Telemetry and Simulation Modeling to Determining Blue Crab Population Dynamics in a Georgia Salt Marsh Estuary
       Amanda Wrona and Richard Wiegert (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia)

Offshore and Nearshore Monitoring

• Support of Monitoring Activities and Site Characterization at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS)
        Jon Hare (Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, Beaufort, NC)

• South Atlantic Bight Synoptic Offshore Observational Network (SABSOON)
       James Nelson (Skidaway Inst. of Oceanography)

• South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEA-COOS)
       Harvey Seim (Univ of North Carolina), Chris Mooers (Univ of Miami), Russ Lea (Univ of North Carolina), Bob Weisberg (Univ of South Florida), Jack Thigpen (North Carolina Sea Grant), Madilyn Fletcher (Univ of South Carolina), and Cisco Werner (Univ of North Carolina)

• South East Area Monitoring and Assessment Program -- South Atlantic (SEAMAP-SA)
       Elizabeth Wenner (Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina DNR)

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