The project "UNDERSTANDING DYNAMICS OF ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTS" is central to a revised marine science curriculum and an ESTUARINE SAMPLING PROGRAM (ESP) in Narragansett Bay near Brown University. Sampling equipment obtained through this grant consists of moorings of Sea Bird CTDs, dissolved oxygen sensors, and in situ fluorometers. Arrays of the ESP moorings allow the students to obtain continuous high resolution records of the properties needed to understand the physical and biotic processes that influence population distributions. Automated moorings combined with supplementary sampling from small boats enable students to collect the data needed to adequately constrain circulation patterns, identify the scales of natural variability in biotic and physical processes, and develop a true understanding of how complex estuarine systems work.
