COASTAL ECOLOGY INSTITUTE

ECOLOGICAL MODELING RESEARCH PROGRAM

Coastal field studies are often labor-intensive and expensive, and there is a need to expand, generalize and predict future scenarios for larger ecosystems and longer time scales. CEI scientists specialize in simulation modeling of coastal processes using state-of-the-art models. These modeling efforts require synthesis of biological, physical and geochemical data to capture essential features of coastal ecosystems.

Current CEI research modeling efforts focus on understanding coastal oceanography, including the extensive hypoxic zone ("dead" zone) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, dynamics of estuarine plankton populations, coastal habitat change and land loss.