Research by Lauren Ross and Sean Smith on shellfish toxin movement featured on UMaine News

A new project focused on how biotoxins released by toxic algal blooms travel through estuarine and coastal waters, led by Lauren Ross and Sean Smith, has received funding from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This project builds on previous research done by the Watershed Process and Estuary Sustainability (WPES) research group that Lauren and Sean collaboratively lead to predict bacterial pollution problems affecting shellfishing communities along Maine’s coast.

The project received a $250,000 grant from the USGS Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) National Competitive Grants Program (104g), one of only six such awards made across the country (including two for research led by UMaine faculty). The Mitchell Center is home to the Maine Water Resources Research Institute, which receives base funding through the state-level WRRI program (104b).

Lauren is assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Sean is associate professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and the Mitchell Center. They will work with Sean Birkel of the Climate Change Institute and scientists from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, USGS and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Read the full UMaine News story here.