Potomac EnvironmentalResearch and Education Center

Belmont Bay

Prince William County, Virginia

An Environmental Research and Education Center

for the Potomac River Basin

Department of Environmental Science and Policy

George Mason University

Our Mission

To utilize the tools of scientific research, restoration, education, and policy analysis to help society understand and sustain natural processes in ecosystems, watersheds, and landscapes.

Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center

Specific Research Foci

• Restoration of Potomac River & Chesapeake Bay

• Sustainability of Natural Ecosystems in Suburban Areas

• Impact of Global Climate Change on Management of Aquatic Ecosystems

Restoration of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay

• New Bay Agreement• Important research

questions remain:– The effect of nutrients on

Bay organisms– Greater understanding of

tidal freshwater & oligohaline ecosystems

– The role of wetlands in protecting the Bay

– The recovery of Bay communities when stresses are removed

Suburban Sustainability

• Northern Virginia is one of the most rapidly growing regions of the Country– How does this rapid growth

impact our ecosystems?

– What are the growth and development strategies that can lessen that impact and allow us to retain a greater variety of organisms?

Global Climate Change and Management of Natural Ecosystems

• Impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems

• Linkages between climate change, hydrology, and aquatic ecology

• Using managed landscapes and wetlands to store carbon & carbon credits

Belmont: A Great Opportunity for Environmental Science and Policy

• At the mouth of the tidal Occoquan River

• 30 minute drive from the Fairfax campus

• Convenient to eastern PW, so. Fairfax, Spring- field, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, & points south

Immediate Vicinity

• Adjacent to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge & Virginia Science Museum site

• Near Mason Neck, PW Forest National Park and other natural areas

• Convenient to I-95, Rt. 1, Rt. 123, Fairfax Campus

• Adjacent to VRE commuter rail station

• In mixed use development including retail, convention center, housing

Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge

• 580 acres of tidal marshes and upland meadows

• A wide variety of plants and animals

• Access for class field trips, observational research

Facilities Anticipated at Belmont• 8 research labs

(with viewing walls)

• 4 teaching lab• 14 support rooms• 3 Lecture Rooms

(30-50 seat)• 1 Large Assembly

Room (80 seat)• 10 Offices

Facilities Anticipated at Belmont

• Library/Resources Center

• GIS/Graphics Facility

• Conference Room

• Classrooms for general university courses

Education Programs• Serve as a focus of activity

for Environmental programs at GMU– Graduate programs in

Environmental Science and Public Policy

– Certificates in Environmental Management

– Courses in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Geography, Human Ecology

– General Education course in Environmental Science

K-12 and Community Programs

• Work with local schools to implement watershed and bay ecology educational programs incorporated into basic science curriculum

• Conduct ecology camps

• Serve as a resource for local government and citizens

Status of PEREC

• Website is up:– http://perec.cos.gmu.edu

• Inaugural Seminar Series Underway

• Planning proceeding for temporary and permanent space at Belmont Bay

• Research and educational activities initiated

Current Funded ResearchPotomac Environmental Research and Education Center

• Gunston Cove Ecosystem Study– Now in its 25th year, over $2 million in external

funding, mostly from Fairfax County– Long-term study of the tidal Potomac River just north

of Belmont• Geospatial Analysis of Fairfax County Natural

Areas • Compendium of Watershed Assessment Methods

– http://assessmentmethods.nbii.gov/• Tidal Potomac Teacher Training Workshop

Recovery of a Tidal Freshwater Embayment from Eutrophication:A Long-Term Study

R. Christian JonesDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy

Potomac Environmental Research and Education CenterGeorge Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia, USA

Since 1983/84, water quality, plankton, fish and benthos have been monitor-ed on a generally semimonthly basis at a number of sites in the Gunston Cove area.

Monitoring Site Key:

● water quality and plankton

▲fish trawl

■ fish seine

Summary of Phytoplankton, Light, Submersed Macrophyte Response

• Improvements in water clarity related to P-limitation and decline of phytoplankton were correlated with an increase in submersed macrophyte coverage in Gunston Cove

• Since 1 m colonization depth was achieved (2004), macrophyte coverage has increased strongly

Inner Cove SAV Coverage vs. Secchi and Chlorophyll

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Temperature Rising in Gunston Cove?

• An interesting pattern of increasing summer water temperatures has emerged in our data

• Could this signal a persistent trend of increasing water temperature and what effect might this have on the ecosystem?

Station 7: June - Sept

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Department of Environmental Science and Policy

• Other climate change activities– Coral reef dynamics– Changes in autumn leaf color timing– Impact of climate change on indigenous

peoples of Siberia– Survey research on attitudes regarding climate

change– International Marine Conservation Congress at

Mason – May 20-24, 2009

Robert JonasPat GillevetEsther PetersGeoff CookKaren SantoraMasoumeh SikaroodiStaci Lewis

W support of Flower Garden BanksNational Marine Sanctuary

http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/

May 2006 March 2007

March 2007East BankFlower Garden BanksBuoy #2 (E201)

March 2006East BankFlower Garden BanksBuoy #2 (E201)

May 2006East BankFlower Garden BanksBuoy #2 (E201)

Predicting Changes in Autumn Leaf Color in N. Va. Mtn. Plant Communities and Relation to Insect Communities

Rebecca Forkner, PI

• Measure leaf flush time, leaf color changes, leaf drop time, phenolic content of leaves, and insect abundance and leaf damage

• Simulate herbivory, shading, and UV damage effects in the lab

• Use results to predict effects of global climate change on autumn leaf color timing and intensity

Assessing Knowledge, Resilience & Adaptation and Policy Needs in Viliui Sakha Villages Experiencing Unprecedented Climate Change

Susan Crate, PI

Document community observations/ perceptions of, /adaptation to GCC

Document elder observations/ perceptions of, /adaptation to GCC

Evaluate existence and effectiveness of current local, regional and state GCC interventions

Inform with circumpolar (ITC, ICC, Snowchange) and global projects (Many strong voices, Sharing knowledge…)

-Model(s) of household- & community-level GCC knowledge and adaptation;-Integrative GCC education dossier of western & IP knowledge;- Policy rec’s to inform existing GCC policy initiatives and bolster local adaptation.

BUILDING RESILIENCE

APPROPRIATING KNOWLEDGE

SURVEYING CAPACITY

Integrate community and elder knowledge to address contemporary GCC needs

Fill knowledge gaps using appropriate regional, national & GCC data

GMU Students’ attitudes to global warming & sustainability

Ashley Sitar-Gonzales

Undergraduate

Supervisor: ECM Parsons

Is Global Warming caused by Humans?

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94% 93%80%

95% 95% 97% 95%86%

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Should GMU use renewable energy?

86%

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Yes No Did Not Answer

International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) 2009

• Mason will host this international meeting bringing together the world’s experts on marine conservation to address these pressing issues

• Plenary talks, contributed papers, symposia, and workshops

• Global Climate change is one of 4 major themes• http://conbio.org/IMCC

Potential Collaborations