Simulating the shallows: Development and application of models for the Chesapeake's fringing sub-littoral zone.
Session Date: June 1st 2010
Session Time: 11:41
Session Lead: Mark Brush
Session Co-Lead(s): Lora Harris
Session Abstract: Shallow, photic zones of estuaries are a dominant feature of mid-Atlantic estuaries including Chesapeake Bay, and provide a variety of ecosystem services including nutrient retention, buffering of storm energy, and habitat for important fish and shellfish. These sub-littoral zones are often subjected to high rates of nutrient loading due to their proximity to land, and are particularly vulnerable to these inputs owing to their shallow depths, relatively small volumes, and illuminated bottom. The shallow benthos can support SAV and a mixture of autotrophs, or may be dominated by an increased number of nuisance primary producers such as macroalgae and epiphytes once nutrient loading thresholds are reached and the system degrades into an alternative, undesirable state. Despite this sensitivity, the role of these systems as potential nutrient filters has been demonstrated for coastal lagoons and is likely under-valued in Chesapeake Bay. Model development for the shallows has lagged behind that for the deeper portions of estuarine systems as has data collection to support model development and calibration, yet models are essential for assessing the vulnerability of shallow systems to a variety of natural and anthropogenic stressors. This session seeks to survey existing models and methods for simulating sub-littoral water quality, biogeochemistry, and primary producer dynamics (phytoplankton, benthic microalgae, macroalgae, and seagrasses/epiphytes), the role of the sub-littoral zone in the greater Chesapeake ecosystem, the response of shallow systems to human impacts such as nutrient loading and climate change, and the potential for these models in informing local to basin-wide management. Researchers and managers are invited to present on model development and application related to sub-littoral zones around the Chesapeake Bay as well as in the seaside Delmarva lagoons. Our goal is to assess the current state of shallow water modeling in the Chesapeake, data requirements for these models, the role of these models in management, and the next steps for further sub-littoral model development and related data acquisition.
Presentations:
| Time | Title |
| 1:30 | The Shallow-Water Component of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Model Package - Carl Cerco - US Army ERDC View presentation |
| 1:50 | Coupling effects of benthic community and phytoplankton on dissolved oxygen in the Thalia Creek: A data analysis and model diagnostic study - Jian Shen - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary |
| 2:10 | Modeling Loss and Recovery of Zostera marina Beds in the Chesapeake Bay Following Repeated Disturbance Events: The Role of Seedlings and Seed-Bank Viability - Jessie Jarvis - Army Corps of Engineers |
| 2:30 | Towards an Ecosystem Model of the Delmarva Lagoons: Formulating the Benthic Primary Producers and Results of Initial Calibration - Mark Brush - Virginia Institute of Marine Science View presentation |
| 2:50 | Improving Models of Nitrogen Loading and Water Quality Impacts to Coastal Lagoons - Lora Harris - UMCES-CBL |
Post-Session Review: The goal of the session was to demonstrate the range of activities in shallow water modeling in the Chesapeake region, with the goal of identifying active and needed areas of research. The session had four presentations, one by Carl Cerco on the shallow water component of the Chesapeake Bay Program model, one by Jian Shen on a range of simple to complex modeling approaches to Thalia Creek, a system in the lower Chesapeake, one by Jessie Jarvis on development of an eelgrass seed and seedling submodel to include the role of sexual reproduction in SAV models, and one by Mark Brush on application of simplified watershed and estuarine models to the lagoons of the Delmarva Peninsula. These talks presented a nice range of modeling goals from research to management, a broad range of approaches from simple to complex, and a broad range of topics from watershed loading to water quality and benthic microalgae to eelgrass. While the small size of the session may indicate low activity in shallow water modeling in the bay, an active discussion following the talks stressed the need for increased attention to the shallows despite the difficulty in modeling these dynamic systems.
