Dr. Jeffrey Cornwell, a professor at the Horn Point Laboratory and an expert in sediments, water quality, and wetlands, has been honored by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science with the President's Award for Excellence in Application of Science. Cornwell was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of nutrient cycling in the Chesapeake Bay, including his leadership in advising the Maryland Port Authority on the impacts of dredging, the role of oysters in removing nutrients from the water column, and the impact of sedimentation at Conowingo Dam.
“Jeff Cornwell brings a long history of applying sound science to managing Maryland’s natural resources,” said Don Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “His contributions to the understanding of nutrient cycling in the Chesapeake Bay and its implications for restoration efforts has helped state agencies chart a course to a healthier Bay.”
A member of the Horn Point Laboratory faculty for 28 years, Cornwell’s research focuses on the biogeochemistry of nutrients and metals in aquatic sediments, estuarine chemistry and water quality, metals, nutrients and stable isotopes in tidal and non-tidal wetlands, and freshwater chemistry and ecology
In the last decade, his lab has worked on problems related to the placement of dredged materials, assessing the nutrient effects of dredging and the use of dredged materials in restoration of Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay. His advice in the field of sediment geochemistry has assisted the Maryland Port Administration with its dredging program efforts, helping the port to maintain safe, navigable channels. His work has included gathering the first data in the Chesapeake Bay on navigation channel sediment nutrient fluxes, monitoring the geochemical changes created in wetlands, predicting nutrient releases during dredged material placement, and assisting with nutrient management best practices for dredged material management projects.
He has helped move forward efforts to restore the Bay’s oyster population through insights on the role of oysters in removing nutrients from the water column and how aquaculture impacts the chemistry of sediments and the impact of nutrient and phosphorus pollution on excess algae growth. In 2013, he published the first research on the nutrient balance of restored oyster reefs, work that is continuing with the Harris Creek oyster restoration project.
Most recently he has assumed one of the lead roles in assisting the State in understanding the effects of the Conowingo Dam on the balance of nutrients in the upper Chesapeake Bay.
Beyond the Chesapeake, he has conducted research in a number of other locations, including Florida Bay and the Everglades, coastal Virginia, New York City and Long Island, Maine, Manitoba, Puget Sound, and San Francisco Bay.
“I’m especially fond of research that has a near-term value to managing ecosystems,” says Cornwell. “Our work on oyster nitrogen cycling, nutrient release from dredging activities, and the role of sediments in coastal nutrient balances is a strong point of pride, as is our basic science research on microbial biogeochemistry. We’ve been fortunate to be able to apply state of the art techniques to problems relevant to ecosystem management.”
Cornwell completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from the University of Alaska in 1983, Ph.D. He holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Hobart College.
The President's Award was established in 1999 to honor exemplary applications of science that have had a positive impact on environmental protection and management.
