University of New England

UNE receives $500,000 state marine research grant to study impact of Saco River discharge

The University of New England recently received a $500,000 state grant to fund a five-year project to study how Saco River discharge affects the current along southern Maine’s coast, the formation of toxic plankton blooms, beach erosion and fish and shellfish populations.

The Saco River as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean with UNE's University Campus to the right.

The grant, announced by Governor John Baldacci, comes from the Maine Marine Research Fund, part of the $20 million economic development bond approved by voters last fall. The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) distributed the fund’s $4 million in marine infrastructure and equipment grants to research institutions across the state. This is the first time Maine’s marine research institutions sought state support as a coalition.

Gov. John Baldacci

At a press conference held at UNE, Governor Baldacci reminded the gathering that "Maine has strong historical, cultural and economic ties to the ocean based on centuries of tradition surrounding the sea. With investments such as the one celebrated here today, we will continue these rich traditions and build upon them for the future of the industry and our state's economy."

"To ensure Maine remains a leader in this industry, we need to invest in marine research and development," the governor added. "Building a strong and vibrant innovation-driven economy in Maine will generate business growth, better jobs, higher wages and a better standard of living for us all."

The governor detailed how Maine's R & D investments are transforming Maine's economy. "We are building on the innovation, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of Maine people to generate new knowledge, build new companies, transform existing industries and create new jobs. Currently R & D activity directly supports 11,000 jobs. More than 500 companies have been assisted, mostly through the Maine Technology Institute, creating more than 600 jobs in the past three years, paying an average wage of $49,000."

By creating opportunities for biomedical and marine research, the governor said, UNE is helping to provide opportunities for "our young people to stay in Maine and realize their dreams."

Betsy Biemann, president of the Maine Technology Institute, told the gathering that "the project will drive economic development in many ways: by attracting more federal grants, generating critical information for commercial and recreational fishermen, informing decisions about toxic blooms and erosion prevention, and training UNE students in modern marine research techniques to strengthen our workforce."

UNE, a founding member of the Maine Marine Research Coalition (MMRC), is the only marine research institution in York County to receive this competitive grant money.

The Saco River
The Saco River is the fourth largest river in Maine. In the spring, when rain and snow melt causes numerous “run-off events,” the discharge plume from the river extends over many square miles into the coastal ocean. Although rivers are known to drive coastal circulation, the impact of individual Maine river plumes on fresh water and ocean environments has not yet been studied in depth.
 
The Research
The heart of the project is a coastal observing system that will consist of one buoy and one shore-based station, each equipped with multiple sensors. Sensors on the buoy will continuously monitor water temperature, salinity (at multiple depths), chlorophyll, current velocity profiles, wave characteristics, and wind speed and direction. All data will be telemetered back to shore and will be available to the research community and the general public on a near real-time basis via a web interface provided by the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS). The shore-based station will feature a sub-set of the sensors deployed on the buoy, and data from these instruments will also be available via GoMOOS.
 
The research project’s director, Philip Yund, Ph.D., marine researcher and director of UNE’s Marine Science Education and Research Center, said, “We’re very excited about this project because it will focus the attention of marine scientists on Saco Bay, and help build collaborations between UNE faculty and other institutions.”

Marine Science Center
UNE’s Marine Science Education and Research Center is strategically located on the University’s Biddeford campus, where the Saco River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Center combines marine education, marine animal rehabilitation and marine research in one unique facility. Current marine research conducted at the Marine Science Center includes tracking of striped bass movement patterns, studies of water quality in the Saco River, experimental studies of sea urchin spawning and use of remote sensing techniques for tracking marine mammals. Collaborating with UNE on the Saco River discharge project are the University of Maine and GoMOOS. 
 
Economic Benefits
The UNE research project is expected to create economic benefits for the state and significantly enhance marine research in southern Maine, from increasing the flow of federal matching funds to creating useful information for commercial and recreational fishermen to better understanding a number of scientific processes (beach erosion, toxic phytoplankton blooms and larval shellfish transport).
 
“The Maine Marine Research Fund supports facilities and equipment needed to conduct high-quality, nationally competitive, scientifically rigorous programs that will have a high potential to attract increased funding and support the development of sustainable jobs in Maine,” noted Edward Legg, a principal organizer of the MMRC and vice president for university relations at the University of New England.
 
He added that “many of problems Maine faces, as well as the source of many of its opportunities, derive from the interconnected triangle of environmental health, human health and economic health. Our future economy and general prosperity are based on these three critical, complementary elements, and this project will help monitor factors important to their successful development and stewardship.”
 
Maine’s public or private nonprofit organizations, state governmental and quasi-governmental agencies and academic institutions were eligible to compete for fund grants. Criteria included scientific merit, the impact of the proposed facilities and equipment to the research capacity of the applicant and the state, and the resulting economic benefits.

(Press release issued July 27, 2006)