CBL Assistant Professor Dr. Jeremy Testa is trying to understand the effects big storms have on the behavior and health of shallow bodies of water, focusing on Maryland’s Chincoteague Bay.
Storms like Hurricane Sandy have many impacts on shallow, coastal bays — they alter the barrier islands between the bay and the ocean, move large amounts of sediments within the bay, and affect nutrient levels within the bay. These changes alter the distribution of algae and underwater grasses — submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV, below). When storms alter the channels that connect the bays to the ocean, or create new ones, they impact how long nutrients stay in the bay.
Monitoring these many changes during a storm is difficult, so scientists are developing a computer modeling system to simulate them. The model will use data on environmental conditions and a linked set of equations to represent storms and the environment’s response to them.
Testa’s part of the system will predict algal growth and chemical changes in the bay, and where and how much SAV can grow in Chincoteague Bay based on how deeply sunlight penetrates in the water and other factors. His colleagues will simulate water flow within the bay to determine how SAV spread affects the movement of sediment and nutrients during storms. SAV slows water flow and traps sediments within its bed, which is healthy for bays.
Testa and his colleagues will combine their models, ultimately providing a holistic view of the ecosystem in near real-time. They will be able to predict the impact of big storms on the water quality and health of the Chincoteague Bay and tell managers which management practices, such as restoring SAV, best protect the bay from future storm damage.
