Lowell Lecture
Invasive Species and Carbon Cycling in the Coastal Dunes of Cape Cod
Date & Time
March 30, 2017 at 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf Boston, MA 02110
Driving Directions
Speaker(s)
Robert Vincent, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sea Grant College Program and Rose M. Martin, Ph.D., Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Postdoctoral Researcher at EPA Atlantic Ecology Divison
Presenting Organization
Topics
Contact
Maggie See (Aquariumlectures@neaq.org, 617-973-6596)
MIT Sea Grant College Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been working with the National Park Service to study carbon cycling in coastal dune habitats, as well as the effects of historic peat deposits on the establishment and persistence of invasive plants (Phragmites australis). With the increased risk of erosion from coastal storms exposing the once buried peat deposits, and the challenge of controlling an aggressive invasive species, this dynamic system faces an uncertain future. The research findings from this study will inform future conservation efforts in the region as well as allow us to gain a deeper understanding of carbon cycling in coastal dunes.