Media feature UMaine Estuary Builder tool to predict coastal water vulnerability to pollution
WFVX-TV (Fox 22/ABC 7 in Bangor) and the Bangor Daily News reported on a new mapping tool developed at the University of Maine that could help scientists predict how vulnerable different coastal estuary settings in Maine are to pollution. The Estuary Builder tool, developed by UMaine Ph.D. candidate Bea Van Dam, allows users to draw lines on a digital map that provide pollution-related information about that area’. “It provides a platform and a foundation, which could actually be grown over time. There are a lot of places that we have general knowledge about, but there are a lot of gaps to be closed in how land and sea connections work, and how they affect seafood business in Maine. Also, public health and coastal communities,” said Sean Smith, an associate professor for the UMaine School of Earth and Climate Sciences.