Members of the Leslie Lab are investigating how values and beliefs influence people’s responses to ocean renewable energy development and how those values and beliefs differ by place. To do this work, we are engaged in participatory social science research to identify and characterize the values and beliefs that influence social acceptance of ocean renewable […]
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For her senior independent research in Marine Biology, Brown University undergraduate researcher Karen Cortes (Class of 2014) synthesized the water quality data available for Narragansett Bay. Her work highlights the importance of water quality for many of nature’s benefits, including food provision, recreation and coastal protection. She summarizes her findings in a two page brief as well as […]
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Leslie Lab member Megan Palmer (Brown Class of 2014, Biology) penned a personal essay for Heather’s senior seminar, Engaged Environmental Scholarship and Communication, reflecting on her independent interdisciplinary research and capstone coursework in Biology and Environmental Science. Technically, there’s no camping on Block Island. But over the second weekend of the fall semester, my Coastal Ecology + […]
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The report, titled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, from Working Group II of the IPCC, details the impacts of climate change to date, the future risks from a changing climate, and the opportunities for effective action to reduce risks. A total of 309 coordinating lead authors, lead authors, and review editors, drawn from 70 countries, were […]
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Leslie Lab undergraduate researcher and Voss course participant Megan Palmer published an op ed earlier this year in The Providence Journal on the merits of offshore wind power. Read it here.
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On April 16th, the National Ocean Council released the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, which describes specific actions US Federal agencies will take to address key ocean challenges, give states and communities greater input in Federal decisions, streamline Federal operations, save taxpayer dollars, and promote economic growth.
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A short-sighted plan threatens New England’s coastal ecosystem. Thousands of square miles of protected waters could see the return of damaging fishing practices, putting the recovery of cod and other struggling marine life in peril. When fish populations crashed in the 1990s, these closed areas were created to protect juvenile fish, spawning areas, and seafloor […]
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View Heather’s recent video on the importance of federal research funding for marine science. Thanks to The Science Coalition for inviting this contribution and Brown University’s Office of Public Affairs and University Relations for helping to make this possible.
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A new movie from Greenfire Productions describes the changing landscape of ocean policy and stewardship in the US, with stories from the coast of Oregon to the Gulf of Mexico to Mass. Bay. Check in out at http://ocean-frontiers.org/.
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See http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/24/open-comments-ntl-ocean-policy-strategic-action-plans for more information. The 9 priority objectives of the NOP can be divided into two categories: “How we do business” and “ Special Emphasis”. The first includes Ecosystem-Based Management, Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding, Coordination and Support, and Ocean Coastal and Great Lakes Observations Mapping and Infrastructure. The […]
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