Melissa Ward
Hi, I’m Melissa. I joined the Seascape Lab in 2022 to research the ability for seagrass meadows and other blue carbon habitats to sequester carbon mitigate climate change – a joint project between the University of Oxford and Project Seagrass.
Many national and sub-national programs exist across the globe that determine carbon offsets from forest restoration and use these offsets to reach climate goals. However, very few programs exist for carbon credits from blue carbon habitats, despite ambitious net-zero climate goals and a growing desire for their restoration. Through our research, we are laying the groundwork for an adoptable carbon code that applies to blue carbon habitats within the UK and beyond.
In addition to this work, I also study the impacts of ocean acidification on human coastal communities; in particular, communities associated with shellfish aquaculture. Within all of this research, I work closely with the local communities, governments, and management agencies to link the science with implementable solutions and policy changes. When I am not doing science, you might find me sailing, hiking, or playing beach volleyball in sunny San Diego.
[Read more at melissa-ward.weebly.com/]
Selected publications
Ward, M., Spalding, A. K., Levine, A. L., and Wolters, E. A. California shellfish farmers: Perceptions of changing ocean conditions and strategies for adaptive capacity. Ocean & Coastal Management (225) 106 -155, (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.
(see 2-page summary of this paper here)
Ricart, A. M., Ward, M., Hill, T. M., Sanford, E., Kroeker, K., Takeshita, Y., Merolla, S., Shukla, S., Ninokawa, A., Elsmore, K., and Gaylord, B. Commentary: Overstated Potential for Seagrass Meadows to Mitigate Coastal Ocean Acidification. Frontiers in Marine Science (9), 884857, (2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.884857
Ward, M., Kindinger, T. Hirsh, H. , Koweek, D., Hill, T. Jellison, B., Lummis, S., Rivest, E., Waldbusser, G., B. Gaylord, and Kroeker, K. Spatial and temporal patterns in seagrass metabolic fluxes. Biogeosciences (19) 689-699, (2022). https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-137.
Ward, M., Hill, T. M., Souza, C., Filipczyk, T., Ricart, A. M., Merolla, S., Capece, L. R., O’Donnell, B. C., Elsmore, K., Oechel, W. C., and Beheshti, K. M. Blue Carbon Stocks and Exchanges Along the Pacific West Coast. Biogeosciences (18) 4717-4732, (2021). https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-27.
Ricart, A. M., Ward, M., Hill, T. M., Sanford, E., Kroeker, K., Takeshita, Y., Merolla, S., Shukla, S., Ninokawa, A., Elsmore, K., and Gaylord, B. Coast-wide evidence of low pH amelioration by seagrass ecosystems. Global Change Biology (00) 1-12, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15594
Ricart, A. M., Gaylord, B., Hill, T.M, Sigwart, J. Shukla, P., Ward, M., Ninokawa, A. and Sanford, E. Seagrass driven changes in carbonate chemistry enhance oyster growth. Oecologia, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-04949-0
P. A. Bowler, Beheshti, K., Brutto, A., Drake, C., Koshniat, T., Ward, M., and K. Wong. Diocey in Riparian Environments and the Implications for Restoration. Ecological Restoration 36(4): 272 - 275, (2018). doi:10.3368/er.36.4.272