Coastal bays, which are typically shallow, located in the photic zone, and have little freshwater input, respond differently to nutrient enrichment than deeper estuaries. Because of the diversity of benthic and pelagic autotrophs they support, coastal bays are capable of modulating the effects of nutrient enrichment, derived from both allochthonous and autochthonous sources. We describe a study performed in Hog Island Bay, Virginia, located along an eutrophication gradient on the Delmarva Peninsula, to determine sources, sinks, and fates of nitrogen (N).

The distribution of Adélie penguins along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is spatially heterogeneous. Large Adélie colonies occur spatially in regions characterized by deep seafloor canyons. Often associated with these regions is persistent upwelling of warm, nutrient-rich UCDW, which is hypothesized to provide a predictable food resource close to the colonies such that they can be accessed by the penguins given their limited foraging range.

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is experiencing one of the most rapid climate change signals on Earth and recent reports have documented a change in the phytoplankton biomass in the WAP over the last three decades. These reports utilized monthly averaged decadal satellite climatologies. To complement that satellite based effort, we use the 18-year LTER time series collected at Palmer Station to study seasonal and inter-annual variability in the phytoplankton biomass and community composition.

Macroalgae and phytoplankton support highly productive coastal marine ecosystems. Research based on stable isotope analyses has supported the idea that macroalgal detritus, especially that of giant kelp Macrocystis, is a major source of dietary carbon to benthic suspension feeders.

A field experiment has been initiated in August 2008 to determine if the vegetation of a coastal marsh is in synchrony with hydrologic conditions that have developed with rising sea-level. The hypothesis being tested is that plant community structure will persist in existing zones of vegetation in the face of sea-level rise unless disturbance provides opportunities for species change under more frequent tidal inundation.

Seagrass meadows are declining worldwide as a result of nutrient over-enrichment, warming water temperatures, and anthropogenic disturbances. In many areas, restoration projects are attempting to the reverse the trend with varying success. In the Virginia coastal lagoons, seagrasses (Zostera marina) were lost in the 1930’s due to a large hurricane impacting meadows already weakened by the wasting disease. A large-scale restoration effort has been underway since the early 2000’s and has resulted in >1000 acres of seagrass coverage.

The PAL study area encompasses a 200 x 500 km region extending from the nearshore coastal zone heavily influenced by seasonal sea ice cover to the open Southern Ocean, and from a northern area where sea ice cover is now limited to only the colder winters, to the south where perennial sea ice cover persists into summer months. In this region, primary production is dominated by unicellular phytoplankton and limited by light availability to the October-April period. The region is characterized by spring phytoplankton blooms that have declined by up to 90% in the northern region since 1978.

Dispersal ability can affect the dynamics and composition of intertidal communities. Sandy beach ecosystems, where several key taxa have limited dispersal, are increasingly impacted by growing coastal development, and human use, while facing additional habitat loss and fragmentation from sea level rise. Implications of low dispersal rates for populations of key beach taxa, such as talitrid amphipods, include susceptibility to local extinctions and potentially lengthy recolonization times relative to lifespans/generation times.

Ocean acidification has severe implications for marine ecosystems. Tropical coral reef communities are particularly vulnerable as they are dominated by marine calcifiers such as corals and crustose coralline algae (CCA). CCA are a fundamental component of reef communities in that they cement reef fragments together, provide critical settlement cues for coral larvae, build reef caps (algal ridges), and are a source of primary production. Despite the key role of CCA in tropical communities, little is known about species- specific physiological responses to ocean acidification.

Barrier islands may represent an underestimated sink for atmospheric carbon because they combine potential for high above-ground primary productivity (ANPP) with young, infertile soils capable of sequestering significant amounts of carbon. Ecosystem ANPP on many barrier islands of the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) has been further enhanced by the rapid expansion of woody shrubs. Compared to adjacent grasslands, shrubs in coastal systems combine high leaf area index with high photosynthetic rates.