PM Network - October 2016

between beds of seagrass and diminished acid levels. Oysters growing inside seagrass beds thrived and survived better than those growing outside of seagrass beds, potentially because the grass reduced the carbon dioxide levels in the water below ambient conditions, which may in turn have lowered the acidity levels. Dr. Waldbusser, an associate professor of ocean ecology and biogeochemistry, is part of a project team working to demonstrate how shell beds of bivalves, mussels, clams and oysters in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA might stem the rising tide of ocean acidity.

All Hands on Deck

As project teams urgently pursue innovative strategies, they have to consider how stakeholders (including investors, governments, community groups and other researchers) will react. Dr. Waldbusser’s project has gained traction with policy-makers as well as shellfish growers for being less impactful compared to more aggressive initiatives.

For example, as part of a 2012 ocean fertilization
project off the western coast of Canada, scientists
affiliated with Haida Salmon Restoration Corp.
and Ocean Pastures threw 100 metric tons of iron
sulfate into the ocean to boost plankton growth
so local salmon populations could rebound. The
project may have delivered better-than-expected
benefits, but it also enraged environmentalists, civil
society groups and lawyers who said it was a rogue
geoengineering scheme in “blatant violation” of
international moratoriums.

Dr. Gates’ team is focusing on accelerating
natural processes and assisting evolution. She
says her approaches are low-risk and minimally
interventional, and do not include genetic modi-
fication to develop a more resilient coral. “It is
such an incendiary issue and it would create too
many obstacles,” she says. “What we are doing is
attempting to maximize positive returns for the
reef while minimizing risks.”
As project leaders like Dr. Gates work to identify
innovative scientific solutions to stem the effects of
climate change, strong stakeholder management is
crucial for ensuring that what comes out of a lab
will be supported in the real world.

“Scientists have a nascent desire to act, and we can’t hesitate,” she says. “I couldn’t be successful without good project management. It is how we keep all of our balls in the air.” —Sarah Fister Gale