Sea Grant Takes Center Stage in Oceanography Special Issue Including Two Featured New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Projects

Sea Grant-funded research and work with coastal and Great Lakes communities across the nation are being highlighted in a special issue of “Oceanography,” the official journal of The Oceanography Society. This special issue, published in April 2024, Volume 37 entitled Sea Grant: Science Serving America’s Coastlines and People features 36 articles contributed by Sea Grant authors across 29 programs and the National Sea Grant Office.

The articles cover a diverse range of topics including projects that advance aquaculture, marine debris research, green infrastructure, science communication and community partnerships, highlighting the wide scope of contributions Sea Grant makes to the environmental and marine sciences. The special issue included coverage from BEach SAFEly, a collaborative social media project between New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and New York Sea Grant that focused on safety on the beaches during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, another article features how Sea Grant programs enhance or sustain investments in regional collaborative networks and planning efforts that leverage multiple partners, expertise, and funding sources to rapidly translate science innovations for broad application by coastal communities. As an example, the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) is a network established to foster sustainable and resilient coastal communities and ecosystems. Organized initially in 2016, the Collaborative has been facilitated by New Jersey Sea Grant since 2019 and has grown to include over 75 member organizations. The NJCRC brings together interested parties and serves as a community of practice for the state while also providing connections for technical assistance. Efforts like these multiply the capacity of Sea Grant programs. The article also highlights a NJSGC partnership with the Department of Defense that focuses on resilience of Naval Weapons Station Earle.

Read more about the two NJSGC projects that were featured below:

• Rising Together in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
  By Keri Kaczor, Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado, Katy Hintzen, Lauren Ching, Michael Lieberman, Sandra Chang, Eileen Nakano, Angela Sy, David Horio, Kaeo Tam, Vivek R. Nerurkar, Ashley Smyth, Angela Collins, Kathleen Fallon, Paul Focazio, and Samantha Kreisler
• Sea Grant Programs Build Resilience to Coastal Climate Hazards
  By Ian Miller, Mary Collins, Michelle Covi, Parker Gassett, Holly Abeels, Karina Alvarez, Juliana Barrett, Savanna Barry, Mona Behl, Renee Collini, Laura Engeman, Phyllis Grifman, Laura Kerr, Kate McClure, Christopher Petrone, Laurie Richmond, Pamela Rubinoff, and Danielle Swallow

“Sea Grant’s success and impact will continue to rely on the power of collaboration,” said Jonathan Pennock, director of the NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. “This special issue showcases and celebrates the breadth of Sea Grant’s work. The articles in this special issue highlight projects from across the Sea Grant network and include contributions from 175 authors and over 50 external partners.”