Join Beverly Johnson, Bates College professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, for a presentation on the Climate Benefits of Healthy Salt Marshes. She will lead a walk at Middle River Park at 3pm, followed by a talk at UMM at 6pm. For the walk, meet at Middle River Park Machias at 3pm. The talk will be held in the University of Maine at Machias Science Building, room 102, at 6pm.

Healthy salt marshes provide a host of benefits to coastal communities including (1) protection of coastlines against storm surge and erosion, (2) nutrients for nearshore ecosystems, (3) filtration of toxins from the water column, (4) culturally and ecologically important habitat for fish, birds and other species, and (5) high rates of carbon sequestration. Yet, many salt marshes have been impacted by human activity and infrastructure and are degraded to some degree. In some cases, these degraded marshes are releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, rather than removing them, which compounds the problems associated with climate change. Salt marsh restoration provides a host of benefits including, in some cases, enhanced carbon sequestration. This presentation examines the impact of human activities and climate change on Maine salt marshes and explores the climate benefits associated with restoration.

Bev Johnson’s current primary research as a professor at Bates focuses on understanding carbon cycling in Maine salt marsh ecosystems as a means to mitigate climate change. She and colleagues have funding from Maine Sea Grant to measure methane emissions, carbon sequestration and carbon stocks in tidally restricted salt marshes, and from the Maine Community Foundation to co-host a series of SMARTeams workshops to expand capacity for small-scale salt marsh restoration. Bev is a member of the scientific working group of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a member of the Coastal and Marine Working Group of the Maine Climate Council, and a founding member of the Maine Blue Carbon Network. In her free time she likes to ski, walk, and study salt marshes.