Leslie to lecture on coastal resilience in Bath
Marine scientists Heather Leslie and Susie Arnold will talk about coastal resilience at the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust spring lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31 at Patten Free Library in Bath.
Leslie, director of the University of Maine Darling Marine Center and the Libra Associate Professor in the School of Marine Sciences, conducts research around the world on the ecology, policy and management of coastal marine ecosystems.
Drawing on work she has done in Maine and Mexico, Leslie will talk about the emerging science of resilience and describe how it’s changing people’s understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine ecosystems.
Climate change, habitat loss, overexploitation and changing social and economic systems are among the many drivers with the potential to enhance or erode resilience of coastal ecosystems and human communities that are part of them.
Arnold, who earned a master’s degree in marine policy and a Ph.D. in marine biology at UMaine, works at the Island Institute in Rockland. She explores the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on marine resources and fisheries-dependent communities.
Arnold will share results of an experiment involving growing aquacultured sugar kelp to remediate acidification and improve growing conditions for nearby shellfish.