Field Trip to SERC
Event time and place: September 21, 2024, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Edgewater, MD
SERC conducts important research on the coastal environment and the Chesapeake Bay. One example of the research being done by SERC is their experiments on the effects of varying levels of greenhouse gasses on the marsh grasses, one of the oldest of its kind. This research can help predict the effects of climate change around the world. They are also doing research on how soil quality affects invasive versus native earthworms. This research will give important information about the real effects of the invasive earthworms.
At SERC I saw many different habitats and learned of how human activity has impacted them. I saw how many different animals can live in and around clusters of oysters. Human activity has dramatically decreased the amount of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. This means that there is less total habitat space for the organisms that rely on it and that the bay is less filtered by the oysters. I also saw multiple otter latrines. These are places where otters will come to socialize with each other. Human activity can affect these places by giving otters less area around the water where they can even have these locations.
SERC reaches out to the community by inviting K-12 classes to visit and learn about the biosphere. SERC also hosts informational lectures and invites adults to volunteer. In addition to all of this, SERC is always open to the public to visit in general. I think these means of outreach are good at teaching the community and keeping people interested in what they are doing there.