A resilience framework for chronic exposures: water quality and ecosystem services in coastal social-ecological systems

Using science communication research to practice iterative engagement in collaborative nutrient management

Thoughtful science communication is essential for the success of collaborative, transdisciplinary environmental research. We present an innovative evaluation of a four-year pilot project that took a highly engaged and collaborative approach to managing excess nutrients in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, USA. The evaluation approach included mid- and end-of-project interviews with researchers and project partners and a reflection from the lead science communication researcher. We found that an effective science communication evaluation needs to be (1) adaptive, (2) multistage, (3) holistic and objective-based, and (4) democratic and reflexive. Results demonstrate that formative and end-of-project science communication evaluation of research projects lead to improved engagement that better meets all collaborators' needs.

A Bridge between Coastal Resilience and Tourism-Recreation: Multifunctional Benefit of Boardwalk Design for Sustainable Development in the Western Black Sea Region, Turkey

The researchers utilized a participatory approach based on expert opinion, which was used to assess the environmental, social, economic, and visual value and accessibility benefits of the Güzelcehisar Beach Boardwalk (GBB) application in the province of Bartın in Turkey’s Western Black Sea Region. The questionnaire was administered face-to-face and online to 120 professionals from various subject area fields. According to field specialists, the benefits of the GBB are as follows: social benefit, visual value and accessibility, economic benefit, and environmental benefit. The GBB was evaluated as an example of infrastructure within the scope of effective solutions for tourism and recreation activities and resilience within sustainable development of rural coastal landscapes using a participatory approach, so the results will guide Integrated Coastal Zone Management planning for the area.

Advancing Translational Research in Environmental Science: The Role and Impact of Social Sciences

Increasing recognition of the complexity of environmental problems and the need to understand social processes and human values is leading environmental management agencies in many nations, including the USA, to integrate more research from the social sciences through the inclusion of social scientists on interdisciplinary teams. For this study we conducted focus groups at three research laboratories within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development to better understand how inclusion of social sciences influenced the research process and outcomes, and the barriers to and facilitators of integration. The focus groups identified effects on the research process including improved problem framing, the introduction of new methodologies, and greater stakeholder and public inclusion, while research outcomes included the inclusion or refinement of social and environmental perspectives and systems thinking, increased translatability of research, and new partnerships. Barriers identified included lack of familiarity with social sciences which affected perceptions of social sciences and organizational capacity to absorb and apply social science expertise. Facilitators included receptivity of team members, intentional communication strategies, and project structures and organizational commitment that support interdisciplinary work. Finding a key barrier to be lack of clarity about the different roles social sciences play in translational research, we present a conceptual model defining the roles and contributions of social scientists that clarifies the distinction between "integration" of social sciences in research and "application" of skills and knowledge from the social sciences which play distinct but equally important roles in translational research approaches and solutions-driven research. These insights on the ways social sciences contribute to translational research efforts advance integration of social and natural sciences in environmental science research, particularly in applied contexts.

When, where, and how to intervene? Trade-offs between time and costs in coastal nutrient management

Policies and regulations designed to address nutrient pollution in coastal waters are often complicated by delays in environmental and social systems. Social and political inertia may delay implementation of cleanup projects, and even after the best nutrient pollution management practices are developed and implemented, long groundwater travel times may delay the impact of inland or upstream interventions. These delays and the varying costs of nutrient removal alternatives used to meet water quality goals combine to create a complex dynamic decision problem with trade-offs about when, where, and how to intervene. We use multi-objective optimization to quantify the trade-offs between costs and minimizing the time to meet in-bay nutrient reduction goals represented as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). We calculate the impact of using in-bay (in-situ) nutrient removal through shellfish aquaculture relative to waiting for traditional source control to be implemented. We apply these methods to the Three Bays Watershed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In gross benefit terms, not accounting for any social costs, this equates to an average value of 37¢ (2035 TMDL target date) and 11¢ (2060 TMDL target date) per animal harvested over the plan implementation period. Our results encourage the consideration of alternative and in-situ approaches to tackle coastal pollution while traditional source control is implemented and its effects realized over time.

Messaging on Slow Impacts: Applying Lessons Learned from Climate Change Communication to Catalyze and Improve Marine Nutrient Communication

Building publics' understanding about human-environmental causes and impacts of nutrient pollution is difficult due to the diverse sources and, at times, extended timescales of increasing inputs, consequences to ecosystems, and recovery after remediation. Communicating environmental problems with "slow impacts" has long been a challenge for scientists, public health officials, and science communicators, as the time delay for subsequent consequences to become evident dilutes the sense of urgency to act. Fortunately, scientific research and practice in the field of climate change communication has begun to identify best practices to address these challenges. Climate change demonstrates a delay between environmental stressor and impact, and recommended practices for climate change communication illustrate how to explain and motivate action around this complex environmental problem. Climate change communication research provides scientific understanding of how people evaluate risk and scientific information about climate change. We used a qualitative coding approach to review the science communication and climate change communication literature to identify approaches that could be used for nutrients and how they could be applied. Recognizing the differences between climate change and impacts of nutrient pollution, we also explore how environmental problems with delayed impacts demand nuanced strategies for effective communication and public engagement. Applying generalizable approaches to successfully communicate the slow impacts related to nutrient pollution across geographic contexts will help build publics' understanding and urgency to act on comprehensive management of nutrient pollution, thereby increasing protection of coastal and marine environments.

Resilience of aquatic systems: Review and management implications

Our understanding of how ecosystems function has changed from an equilibria-based view to one that recognizes the dynamic, fluctuating, nonlinear nature of aquatic systems. This current understanding requires that we manage systems for resilience. In this review, we examine how resilience has been defined, measured and applied in aquatic systems, and more broadly, in the socioecological systems in which they are embedded. Our review reveals the importance of managing stressors adversely impacting aquatic system resilience, as well as understanding the environmental and climatic cycles and changes impacting aquatic resources. Aquatic resilience may be enhanced by maintaining and enhancing habitat connectivity as well as functional redundancy and physical and biological diversity. Resilience in aquatic socioecological system may be enhanced by understanding and fostering linkages between the social and ecological subsystems, promoting equity among stakeholders, and understanding how the system is impacted by factors within and outside the area of immediate interest. Management for resilience requires implementation of adaptive and preferably collaborative management. Implementation of adaptive management for resilience will require an effective monitoring framework to detect key changes in the coupled socioecological system. Research is needed to (1) develop sensitive indicators and monitoring designs, (2) disentangle complex multi-scalar interactions and feedbacks, and (3) generalize lessons learned across aquatic ecosystems and apply them in new contexts.

Institutional insights on integrating social and environmental science for solutions-driven research

Solving complex environmental problems requires interdisciplinary research involving the social and environmental sciences. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working toward solutions-driven research and interdisciplinary integration within its Office of Research and Development. This article details the history of this process and discusses lessons learned from other federal agencies seeking to integrate social and biophysical research: finding the right combination of top down and bottom up approaches; balancing objectives of advancing science and/or supporting programmatic operations; using social science methods to inform the process; and engaging multiple stakeholders. Attention to the social context of scientific practice, including research processes and research use, fosters success. Three strategies for integrating social sciences to support solutions-driven environmental research are: weaving social science throughout the research process, strengthening social networks, and fostering interdisciplinary hubs. Integration into planning and carrying out research has greater transformative potential than integration into product development and distribution. This article provides insights into institutional considerations for advancing interdisciplinarity and the social context of scientific practice in government agencies. It illustrates the multiple decision contexts and inclusion of social science at the science-policy interface.