Center for Coastal Resources Management

Research: Nearshore Habitats and Coastal Stressors

CCRM has been researching the effects of coastal stressors on nearshore habitats and biological communities for several years. These critical nearshore ecosystems serve as nursery and feeding grounds for many nekton and invertebrate species and given their proximity to upland activities, these communities may be particularly sensitive to changes in land use and developmental pressures.  Coastal Stressors include:

• Conversion of land to commercial or residential uses,

• Shoreline hardening and associated loss of intertidal habitat,

• Problems associated with development, such as stormwater runoff, vegetation removal, low dissolved oxygen and harmful algal blooms,

• Degradation of ecosystems from excess nutrients, sediments and contaminants; and

• Dredging or filling of important habitat.

Projects

	Ecosystem approaches to aquatic health assessment:  linking subtidal habitat quality, shoreline condition and estuarine fish communities
	Estuarine & Great Lakes (EaGLe) Coastal Initiative - Atlantic Slope Consortium (ASC)
	Ghost Crabpots and Marine Debris
	Shallow water fish communities and coastal development stressors in the Lynnhaven River