Chesapeake Bay

The goal of this project is to leverage the scientific and public policy resources at William and Mary to address the future of the Chesapeake Bay as a complex ecosystem and vital contributor of the economic health of the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.  William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has unique strengths in research and advisory services, and a tradition of interdisciplinary analysis of marine systems, required for a comprehensive assessment of the scientific issues. William and Mary's public policy, business, law, education, computational science, visualization, operations research and environmental programs, complement VIMS strengths in marine science and provide other perspectives needed for complex policy assessments. In addition, VIMS has already made significant progress, in cooperation with numerous industry partners, in developing the observation platform, sensor, information processing and modeling capabilities needed to monitor, interpret, and model waters within the Bay.

VIMS and supporting centers and programs on the main William and Mary campus plan to initiate activities to monitor conditions in the Chesapeake Bay, develop models to track and project changes, assess policy alternatives, and support the fishing industry and related activities around the Bay.  The VIMS-Industry Partnership Committee will look for ways to engage industry and government partners in this process.  This effort will coordinate contributions from several on-going programs into a more comprehensive assessment of the Bay and potential federal, state, and local initiatives.  In particular, the plan will seek to accelerate the development and deployment of observation platforms and cutting edge sensors and the integration of all available information into effective real-time models relevant to policy makers.

Click HERE to view a powerpoint overview of the Chesapeake Bay Project.

William and Mary's goals for the project in 2008-2009 include the following (Annual Report Update):

• Expand connections between the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and industry through the VIMS-Industry Partnership Committee to promote collaborative research that can help improve knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay basin and its resources.
• Continue implementation of a two-year fixed-price contract of approximately $1.44 million from the Commonwealth Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to VIMS.  VIMS is providing spatially and temporally intensive monitoring of attainment of EPA criteria for designated uses in Virginia tributaries.  Seek continued funding in the next biennium budget.
• Continue development of anti-body based sensors to improve identification of contaminants.
• Continue to explore the safety and commercial viability of non-native oyster species.
• Contribute to the development of a regional bioscience cluster in collaboration with the Hampton Roads Research Partnership through a U.S. Department of Commerce EDA grant.
• Identify collaborative opportunities to develop bio-fuel from algae harvested from the Chesapeake Bay.