NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
APRIL 2017 
Understanding the impact of climate change on the Chesapeake

If you've noticed that when it rains these days, it really pours, you're right. The Chesapeake region receives about 4.5 inches more of rain per year than it did a century ago. This is what climate change looks like. Scientists Victoria Coles and Raleigh Hood of the Horn Point Laboratory have spent the past two years working to help the public visualize how much climate in the Chesapeake Bay region has changed during their lifetimes. They hope the project will help individuals understand how the climate is changing and how they have a responsibility to help the environment.

MORE

Women in science share stories of mentors who paved the way
For Women's History Month, eight UMCES scientists shared their stories about family, colleagues, and teachers who influenced them. Here are a few stories about lasting impressions of those who inspired these women in science.


UMCES commits to generating solar energy on Horn Point campus

Solar renewable energy will soon be generated on the grounds of the Horn Point Laboratory. UMCES has signed an agreement with Standard Solar Inc. to install solar field on approximately 10 acres of the Eastern Shore campus, one of  several programs aimed at reducing our environmental footprint.

Scientist Gonsior has first-hand encounter with "A Plastic Ocean"

When marine chemist Michael Gonsior leaned over the railing of a tall ship to peer into the Pacific Ocean, 1,000 miles off the coast of California, he saw more than deep blue sea. He saw tiny bits of plastic "literally everywhere." His research cruise is part of a new documentary called "A Plastic Ocean," which will be shown as part of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's Science for Citizens lecture series on April 11. The film  surveys the extent of plastic in the ocean and how society's increased reliance on plastic impacts the oceans and world. Find out more about his experiences HERE.
Climate change: 
An explanation of the evidence

According to a Pew Research Center poll, only 48 percent of Americans believe that global climate change is mostly due to human activity. However, almost all climate scientists agree that climate change is human-caused.  UMCES President Donald Boesch breaks down the scientific evidence in an Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun. 

Graduate Program: Tag along on a field trip to Poplar Island

A group of graduate students from UMCES Horn Point Laboratory Professor Judy O'Neil's biological oceanography class visited Poplar Island, a largely manmade stretch of land a few miles off Tilghman Island in Chesapeake Bay. Tag along to find out what they learned.  WATCH  
 

Science in the First Person: G etting started with a career in science

Meet Eric Davidson, professor and director of the Appalachian Laboratory. He is also the 2017-2018 president of the American Geophysical Union. Hear him talk about what got him interested in the geosciences and his career advice for budding scientists.

Thanks for playing!

Nicole Basenback won our contest to explore the new UMCES website! She'll be receiving a sweet bag of UMCES swag. So will runner-up Mike Burke, who says he is a big fan of UMCES...and Rachel Carson! There's still time to learn more about the science behind the environment. Check out our new website and let us know what you think! VISIT
SUPPORT SCIENCE
Your contribution makes it possible for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to foster a  more healthy and prosperous environment through unbiased scientific research and the education of the next generation of science leaders.  DONATE TODAY
 

AN INSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER