University Of Georgia And Yale University Receive YSI "Minding The Planet" Grants

The YSI Foundation, the philanthropic arm of YSI Incorporated, has announced its annual "Minding the Planet" grant recipients. This year the University of Georgia Research Foundation was selected to receive $25,000 while Yale University was awarded $15,000.

Dr. Charles Hopkinson, Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia Research Foundation, will use the $25,000 grant to determine the effects of land use and climate change on estuarine metabolism. Dr. Hopkinson and his team will develop a new method for calculating metabolism in meso- and macrotidal estuarine waters from routinely monitored dissolved oxygen levels. The new method will allow interpretation of DO data that is routinely monitored across several coastal programs, including the National Estuarine Research Reserves.

Dr. Hopkinson surmises that dissolved oxygen may be a sensitive long-term indicator of marsh and estuarine health. DO levels in nearby tidal creeks of estuaries strongly reflect the degradation of organic matter such as excess nutrients from runoff exported from the intertidal marshes. With the potential for increased flooding and marsh degradation as a result of accelerated sea level rise and climate change, this study promises to contribute to the understanding of the exchange of material between land and water will directly influence aquatic respiration and ecosystem production.

"This is excellent news. We really look forward to working on this project over the coming year. Thanks to YSI for selecting our proposal — we think we can help the community substantially with the proposed work!" said Dr. Hopkinson.

Dr. Gaboury Benoit, Professor of Environmental Sciences at Yale University, will use the $15,000 grant to study the before and after impacts of a local estuary restoration. Dr. Benoit and his team will monitor improvements in environmental quality that will occur as the result of restoration of a salt marsh ecosystem. The marsh previously was blocked by flood gates, thus limiting the influx of salt water flushing and biodiversity.

Dr. Benoit is particularly interested in monitoring the system's hydrology and water quality — especially water level and salinity — in real-time to capture variations occuring during dirunal cycles. These key drivers will have a substantial effect on vegetation, fish, and bird communities, which his team will also monitor in parallel research. Dr. Benoit hypothesizes that the marsh should respond quickly enough to make an experiment possible in the two year lifetime of the grant. The restoration is a unique opportunity to assess ecological responses in a large scale Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) experiment. The study promises to contribute to the critically important subject of urban coastal zone restoration processes.

The grant was awarded on November 6 at the 2011 Coastal and Estuarine Research Foundation's conference held in Daytona, Florida. YSI Sales Director Rick Fielder presented the awards to Hopkinson as well as collaborator Nat Weston, Villanova University Dept of Geography and the Environment, and Benoit.

The recipients of the 2011 Minding the Planet grants from the YSI Foundation were determined by an outside Selection Committee of environmental professionals.

* With the merger of YSI Inc. into the new Xylem company, YSI's future philanthropic funding will operate as part of the WaterMark program sponsored by Xylem.