Investigating the Interconnectedness of Climate Change, Nuisance Mosquitos, and Resilience of Coastal Salt Marsh Systems - NERRS/NSC(NERRS Science Collaborative)

Through data-collection, mapping, and modeling efforts, this project has increased clarity about marsh habitat change to inform mosquito control and coastal restoration efforts in New Jersey. Future modeling and marsh‐upland edge mapping suggest that the marsh‐upland is and will be a hotspot for change, and field sampling confirmed that these “new” habitats can serve as breeding areas for mosquitoes. The project team developed environmental DNA (eDNA) assays for the most common salt marsh mosquitoes in the Middle Atlantic United States. Working closely with mosquito control agency personnel, major advancements were made in mosquito surveillance through the deployment of drone-based sampling of breeding pools paired with the eDNA analyses. The team also developed outreach materials to inform the public about health risks posed by mosquitoes, including how climate change might exacerbate those risks, and a module for middle/high school educators.

As climate change and sea level rise alter salt marsh habitats, a less understood impact with implications for human health is how changes in marsh habitat affect the production and location of nuisance mosquito populations. Understanding how coastal ecosystems are being impacted by climate change, and how nuisance mosquito populations are changing, is critical to ensuring mosquito control agencies and coastal managers make the most informed decisions going forward. Through data-collection, mapping, and modeling efforts, this collaborative research project has increased clarity about marsh habitat change to inform mosquito control and coastal restoration efforts in New Jersey.

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Richard Lathrop

Rutgers University

lathrop@crssa.rutgers.edu

(848) 932-1580

==Partners

Rutgers University

Jacques Cousteau NERR, NJ

Atlantic County Office of Mosquito Control

Burlington County Office of Mosquito Control

Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division

Ocean County Mosquito Extermination Commission

Barnegat By Partnership

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

The distributor does not assume liability.

None

Cite this dataset when used as a source: NOAA retains the right to analyze, synthesize and publish summaries of the NERRS/NSC data. The NERRS/NSC retains the right to be fully credited for having collected and process the data. Following academic courtesy standards, the NERR site where the data were collected should be contacted and fully acknowledged in any subsequent publications in which any part of the data are used. The data enclosed within this package/transmission are only as accurate as the quality assurance and quality control procedures that are described in the associated metadata reporting statement allow. The user bears all responsibility for its subsequent use/misuse in any further analyses or comparisons. The Federal government does not assume liability to the Recipient or third persons, nor will the Federal government reimburse or indemnify the Recipient for its liability due to any losses resulting in any way from the use of this data. Requested citation format: NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative(NSC).

N/A

This information is detailed within the project links.

This information is detailed within the project links.