Sea Grant research examines every aspect of 

 economically important estuaries. 



The scientists described a systems 

 approach to estuarine studies. They 

 presented the theory of estuarine classifica- 

 tion based on dominant energy flows, 

 including biological, geological, chemical 

 and physical classification factors — energy 

 being a common denominator. The human 

 factor in this environmental system 

 approach was not discounted. 



"Howard Odum was doing 

 groundbreaking estuarine research. He was 

 very innovative," says Copeland, a former 

 North Carolina Sea Grant director who 

 considers Odum his mentor. Odum was 

 among the first to take a systems approach 

 to estuarine study. He also was one of the 

 first to investigate the effects of sewage in 

 different estuarine environments. 



"He's still doing innovative things," 

 Copeland says of the 77-year-old who is 

 director of the Center for Environmental 

 Policy at the University of Florida. Odum 

 teaches environmental engineering and 

 continues to study systems ecology and to 

 evaluate environmental policy. 



It was Odum who received the first 

 North Carolina Sea Grant research grant in 

 1968 for a two-year, multidisciplinary study 

 of North Carolina's complex estuarine 

 system. 



Odum's early Sea Grant project also 

 provided a model for a multidisciplinary, 

 intercollegiate research approach that has 

 become Sea Grant's hallmark. 



Since then, the scope and impact of 

 North Carolina Sea Grant's estuarine 

 research has been as broad and diverse as 



the environmental treasure itself. North 

 Carolina's 2.3 million-acre estuarine system 

 is the third-largest in the nation — behind 

 Alaska and Louisiana. 



The bays, sounds, tidal salt marshes 

 and wetlands that comprise the Pamlico, 

 Albemarle and Cape Fear estuarine systems 

 play important roles in interdependent 

 coastal processes. And, over the years, Sea 

 Grant researchers have examined nearly 

 every aspect of these economically important 

 and environmentally sensitive fish nurseries. 



Scientists know that 90 percent of all 

 commercial and recreational fish species 

 spend some time of their lives in estuaries. 

 Some species spend all their lives in 

 estuarine waters. Others arrive as juveniles 

 to be nurtured to adulthood in these 

 nurseries before returning to the open sea. 



Each of these species need the nutrients 

 unique to the brackish waters to grow and 

 survive. The saltwater marsh grasses are 

 home to many types of plants and animals. 

 Nutrients left behind from decomposing 

 grasses, benthic algae and phytoplankton 

 become the basis for the food chain that 

 nourishes almost all marine life. 



^^s the problems with preservation and 

 development of estuaries become acute with 

 expanding populations, there is increasing need 

 for a classification system that has meaning for 

 planning and management. 



While the 1969 National Water Quality 

 Act provided the framework for maintaining 

 environmental quality, the U.S. Coastal 

 Zone Management Act of 1972 charged 

 states to adopt coastal protection laws. 



Like the federal mandates, North 

 Carolina's 1974 Coastal Area Management 

 Act (CAM A) is grounded in good science. 

 A cadre of Sea Grant researchers served on 

 a blue-ribbon panel to provide scientific 

 background. 



Sea Grant researcher Thomas J. 

 Schoenbaum incorporated foundational 

 research in drafting the coastal management 

 legislation. Schoenbaum, then professor of 

 law at the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill Law School, placed special 

 emphasis on protecting the "natural values 

 of the estuarine zone." Calling it one of the 



most highly productive areas on earth, he 

 underscored its value as a habitat for fish 

 and wildlife. 



In 1977, Schoenbaum developed and 

 taught the first coastal and ocean law policy 

 course at the law school. It was based on a 

 two-volume text he and his students published 

 with Sea Grant support. He now teaches law at 

 the University of Georgia School of Law, 

 where he specializes in environmental law 

 and international trade law. 



CAMA remains the guiding tool for 

 managing the state's coastal and marine 

 resources. 



He estuaries of the United States have 

 always been a major resource in development of 

 America's economy, culture and way of life. .. 

 Now, in the twentieth century, the spread of 

 urban civilization is including the estuaries, 

 alternating cities with wilderness areas in new 

 designs for the planet Earth. 



Today, Sea Grant research still is a vital 

 link in coastal management decisions. 

 Researchers from across the University of 

 North Carolina system and Duke University 

 contribute to a growing body of knowledge. 



Sea Grant researchers may respond to a 

 particular need — from helping shape 

 developing fishery management plans to 

 guiding the state's emerging river basin 

 management plans. Sea Grant research also 

 serves as an example of how scientists can 

 help provide businesses with information 

 needed to manage estuarine resources. 



Waterbirds are an important part of the 

 coastal food chain. 



28 HIGH SEASON 2001 



