The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a living laboratory for CBNERR-MD staff, visiting scientists and graduate students. Since the inception of the nationwide NERR system, a main goal of the program has been to ensure a stable environment for research through long-term protection of reserve system resources. The reserves serve as platforms for long-term research and monitoring, as well as reference sites for comparative studies.

The cornerstone of the CBNERR-MD is research. Information is collected and made available allowing stakeholders to better understand the processes of estuarine ecosystems and the effects associated with human activity. This understanding is essential for the best management of these extremely productive, but threatened, ecosystems.

The CBNERR-MD participates in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s System-wide Monitoring Program and Graduate Research Fellowship Program. In addition to these national programs our reserve hosts a variety of research projects. The diverse topics include submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and wetland plant species restoration, habitat mapping and change, biological monitoring, and the impacts of invasive species.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System also has a partnership with the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Environmental Technology (CICEET). Many academic researchers conducting research in the reserve system are supported by CICEET. Current CICEET sponsored projects range from restoring SAV habitat to developing technologies to monitor nutrients. In addition, researchers from universities and other institutions are engaged in research projects within the reserve system on topics such as nutrient loading and the assessment of wetland bird populations.

Follow this link to learn more about both Current and Past Research Projects at the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.