Lois Colaprete joins the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) as Vice President for Advancement, effective July 1. She brings 26 years of fund-raising experience in the non-profit development field with a specialization in board development, fundraising infrastructure, and systems and planning strategies.

The 2021 Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card issued today by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) gives the overall Chesapeake watershed a grade of C+ for 2021. The Chesapeake Bay health score improved slightly from 45 to 50, a grade of C. Building on social indicators that were added in 2021, new economic indicators were used to evaluate the health of local economies in the region. These include Median Household Income, Jobs Growth, Income Inequality, and Housing Affordability.

Researchers have found that data collected by weather radar networks could be used to reduce collisions and minimize habitat-related impacts of wind turbines on nocturnally migrating birds.

New evidence indicates that the world is now experiencing a dual trajectory in nitrogen availability with many areas experiencing a hockey-stick shaped decline in the availability of nitrogen. In a new review paper in the journal Science, researchers have described the causes for these declines and the consequences on how ecosystems function.

Baltimore-based US Wind, Inc. announced $11 million in funding over eight years to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science for three research projects aimed at understanding the potential effects of offshore wind development on marine mammals, fish, and birds.

Urban waterfronts, including harbors and ports like Baltimore, are a defining feature of coastal cities and serve as gateways to the ocean and the rest of the world. These important areas are particularly vulnerable to the introduction of invasive species, chemical contamination, and conflicts related to intensified coastal development, leading to increased risk to people and coastal resources.

That first-of-its-kind Maryland coastal adaptation report card offers a snapshot of the readiness Maryland’s coastal counties for climate threats.

This two-year project will study the fate and transport of microplastics, providing a baseline of understanding of what kind of plastics exist in the waterway and how they move through coastal systems

Researchers at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor have published the first full reference genome sequence for the blue crab. This means that for the first time we have a complete picture of all of the DNA that makes up Maryland’s favorite crustacean.

For the first time, scientists have assembled a quantitative assessment for agriculture sustainability for countries around the world based not only on environmental impacts, but economic and social impacts, as well.