Dr. Bruce P. Hayden Professor, PI of Record University of Virginia Department of Environmental Science Clark Hall Charlottesville, VA 22903 (434) 924-0545 (434) 924-7761 bph@virginia.edu
Domain 2 - Mid Atlantic Coordinates: 37.1, -76.1; 38.0, -75.2; Area: 1,076,977 acres (includes some adjoining water)
There are numerous characteristics of the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) that make it a suitable site for the Mid-Atlantic Domain. First, it has characteristics typical of the coastal plain that constitutes roughly half of the area of the Mid-Atlantic Domain. Second, it includes coastal marshes and barrier islands that are among the last undeveloped coastal lands. With the exception of Cedar Island, all islands are protected from development by The Nature Conservancy and state and federal ownership. The islands have been without permanent human residents since at least 1936 (and in many cases, much longer), and constitute the longest continuous stretch of undisturbed coastline along the U. S. Atlantic Coast. The Mid-Atlantic Domain has a long history of European colonization, going back to the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, so that on the mainland coastal plain and the Piedmont Plateau there are few areas that have not been subject to agricultural use. Only on the coastal marshes and barrier islands and in topographically extreme areas of the mountains does one find extensive areas that have not experienced substantial human impacts from agriculture. Finally, the relatively small coastal watersheds along the mainland portion of the peninsula lend themselves to studies of whole watersheds and linkages between watersheds and adjacent coastal bays.
There are several characteristics of the site that lend themselves to addressing NEON science challenges, particularly climate change and land-use change. This already low-lying area has among the highest rates of local sea-level rise (~3.5 mm/yr) on the East coast, making it an excellent sentinel site for assessing the effects of rising sea level. Similarly, it is an area vulnerable to large coastal storms, such as hurricanes and N’oreasters whose frequency and intensity are expected to be altered by global warming. The salt marshes, which occupy a very restricted topographic range between the high and low tide lines are of particular value, and as has was shown by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, can play a critical role in mediating the effects of storm surges. In terms of mainland land use, the new development of retirement communities suggests that the agricultural mainland (largely stable for the past 300 years) is likely to undergo major transitions in the next 30 years.
There is also significant research infrastructure already in place. The Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER) project provides a legacy of data for the VCR. There are two biological field stations within the VCR: the Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center (ABCRC) of the University of Virginia serves as the home for the VCR/LTER and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Eastern Shore Laboratory has additional housing laboratory and logistical capabilities. The ABCRC has just opened new, modern facilities that are not yet fully committed to existing projects.