A. Center/Institute/Program

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center/Smithsonian Institution

P.O. Box 28

Edgewater, MD 21037

Phone: 443-482-2200

Fax: 443-482-2380

E-mail: jordanth@si.edu

Director/Chairperson: Mr. Ross B. Simons

Representative to AERC: Dr. Thomas E. Jordan

Alternate: Dr. Charles L. Gallegos

B. Major objectives of the Center/Institute/Program

1. Advancing basic environmental science to address major environmental challenges in the coastal zone.

2. Long-term ecological studies of a coastal-plain landscape and large estuary, especially Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

3. Comparative studies of other ecosystems and landscapes.

4. Public education and professional training.

C. Major ecosystem research emphases

1. Transport and transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus through linked land and water ecosystems.

2. Effects of global changes in atmospheric composition, including impacts of increasing carbon dioxide and ultra-violet radiation.

3. Impacts of environmental stressors and introduced species on coastal ecosystems.

D. Staff

Permanent scientific staff: PhD: 16, MS: 8

Scientific support staff: Postdocs: 12, Technicians: 50

Other support staff: Clerical: 7, Administrative: 9, Editorial: 1

Graduate students: PhD: 16, MS: 8

Undergraduate interns: 50, Facilities support staff: 8

E. Approximate annual funding (recent year)

Core funding: $3,485,000/yr, Source: Smithsonian Institution

Grants: $3,057,500/yr, Major sources: NSF, DOE, State of Maryland, DOD, NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard

F. Areas and facilities for ecosystem research studies

Rhode River Estuary/Watershed; 40 km east of Washington, D.C., 1,000 ha.

G. Research staff directly involved in ecosystem research (names and specialty areas)

Brietburg, Denise – estuarine animal ecology, effects of stress on estuarine ecosystems

Coats, Wayne – estuarine microbial ecology

Drake, Bert – plant physiology and effects of elevated carbon dioxide

Feller, Ilka – plant-animal interactions, mangrove ecosystems

Gallegos, Charles – phytoplankton dynamics

Hines, Anson – ecology of estuarine macro-fauna

Jordan, Thomas – nitrogen and phosphorus cycles

Lovelock, Catherine – plant physiological ecology, mycorrhizae

Marra, Peter – avian ecology

Megonigal, J. Patrick – biogeochemistry

Neale, Patrick – photobiology of phytoplankton, solar radiation

Osman, Richard – marine and estuarine benthic ecology

Parker, Geoffrey – forest ecology, remote sensing

Ruiz, Gregory – estuarine parasitology, introduced species

Weller, Donald – quantitative ecology, modeling GIS

Whigham, Dennis – plant ecology and wetland function

H. Long-term data sets (code name, number of years of data, computer accessibility)

1. Meteorology, 30 years, on computer.

2. Precipitation chemistry, 30 years, on computer.

3. Permanent plots of vascular plants, 30 years, on computer.

4. Watershed discharge volume and composition, 30 years, on computer.

5. Estuarine water quality, 35 years, on computer.

6. Estuarine animal populations, 25 years, on computer.

7. Ultraviolet and solar radiation, 30 years, on computer.

8. Land use composition, 75 years, on GIS, computer.

9. Phytoplankton populations, 15 years, on computer.

10. Ballast water delivery patterns of commercial shipping in U.S. ports, 6 years, on computer.

11. Introduced species of Chesapeake Bay, 400 years, on computer.