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# Blue Carbon, Green Infrastructure, and Nature-Human Health Connections

Coastal ecosystems are some of the most threatened in the world. Rising temperatures and ocean acidification due to climate change, are concurrently impacting coastal ecosystems. Emerging research is determining that coastal ecosystems provide incredibly valuable climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits, as well as many important societal benefits. This presentation will cover some of this emerging research into the value of coastal wetlands as carbon sinks ("coastal wetland blue carbon"), the value of coastal ecosystems in providing wave attenuation and erosion risk reduction to help provide increased coastal resilience to flooding, as well as some of the recent research about the connections between nature and biodiversity exposure on human health.  All of these cutting-edge research topics can inform policy and decision-making in coastal areas with the goal of improving environmental and human health.

Dr. Ariana Sutton-Grier is an ecosystem ecologist with expertise in wetlandecology and restoration, biodiversity, biogeochemistry,climate change, and ecosystem services. Dr. Sutton-Grieris a research faculty member at the University ofMaryland in the Earth System Science InterdisciplinaryCenter and is also the Ecosystem Science Adviser for theNational Ocean Service at NOAA.  She holds HonorsBachelor degrees from Oregon State University inEnvironmental Science and International Studies and adoctoral degree from Duke University in Ecology.  Herresearch interests include the relationships betweennature/biodiversity and human health, coastal bluecarbon, and natural and nature-based coastal resiliencestrategies.  A former Smithsonian Fellow and a AAASScience and Technology Policy Fellow, Dr. Sutton-Grieralso was recently selected as an Early Career Fellow bythe Ecological Society of America and one of her paperswon the ESA 2016 “Innovations in Sustainability Science” award. She gets especially excited aboutseeking and discovering innovative opportunities to combine science and policy to solve environmentalproblems and promote ecosystem conservation. Dr. Sutton-Grier has authored over 30 publications inmany environmental and policy journals and her research has been featured in several news stories, aswell as a children’s science TV show. For more information and links to Dr. Sutton-Grier’s research,teaching, and education and outreach activities, go to: http://suttongrier.org/

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**Last updated:**   10/28/21**Author:** NOAAHow to cite this article

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