The Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US regions are experiencing some of the highest rates of sea level rise in the world. Particularly affected are the low-lying, shallow sloped, and subsiding coastal lands of the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore. Sea level rise increases the penetration of saltwater into surface and groundwaters by reducing the elevation difference between land and sea. This phenomenon, known as saltwater intrusion (SWI), is exacerbated by drought and groundwater extraction. In agricultural systems, SWI reduces crop productivity and mobilizes nutrients. Thus, as sea levels rise, land management interacts with saltwater, crops, and plant communities to affect farm productivity and profitability, as well as nutrient loading in adjacent water bodies. This seminar will show how dramatic an influence SWI is having on some of our Nation’s oldest farms and on the iconic Chesapeake Bay.

Dr. Kate Tully: Dr. Kate Tully joined the faculty in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in the fall of 2014. She earned a bachelor's degree in English, Spanish, and Biology from Kenyon College and a master's and doctorate in Ecology from the University of Virginia. She conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University's Earth Institute, where she studied the environmental impacts of the African Green Revolution. Her research assesses the sustainability of food production systems by examining how they affect the interactions between plants, soils, carbon, nutrient, and water cycles.

No registration required. For questions, email lib-rc@umd.edu.