Goal of project is to describe where and how nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, enter and leave the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and how nutrients are used and reused in the NERR.
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the Marine Science Institute will receive a $595,626 cooperative agreement for the project “Development of Pilot Nutrient Criteria for an estuary in the Western Gulf of Mexico.”
This project will be completed over the course of three years under the leadership of Dr. Edward J. Buskey, professor and research coordinator for the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The goal of this project is to describe where and how nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, enter and leave the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) as well as how nutrients are used and reused in the NERR.
This project will specifically address the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s priority of nutrient reduction in Gulf waters. Excess nutrient reduction can help reduce “Dead Zones” in the Gulf as well as increase natural habitat.
Dr. Buskey’s team will be working to provide a more complete understanding of what constitutes a healthy amount of nutrients in a coastal ecosystem, with the ultimate goal of developing protective nutrient criteria for places like the Mission-Aransas ecosystem.
“The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, in partnership with the Mission-Aransas NERR is delighted to receive funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the nutrient dynamics in the bays and wetlands of South Texas,” said Buskey. “This research will contribute critical information to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s efforts to develop nutrient criteria and to design regional monitoring programs that will protect and enhance our coastal environments nationwide.”
Bryon Griffith, director of the Gulf of Mexico Program and federal co-lead for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, said, “The commitment of this year’s projects to meet the collaborative goals of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a high watermark for EPA and the Gulf states. The work our partners are completing this year will achieve measurable successes in protecting the health and environment for our families, friends and neighbors in the Gulf.”
This cooperative agreement is part of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Regional Partnership Projects and supports the Governors’ Action Plan.
For more information about the Gulf of Mexico Program, contact: Dr. Troy Pierce at pierce.troy@epa.go, (228) 688-3658, or visit http://www.epa.gov/gmpo.
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