News & Events

Dead Zones Continue to Spread

A Science article co-authored by VIMS Professor Robert Diaz shows that the number of "dead zones"—areas of seafloor with too little oxygen for most marine life—has increased by a third between 1995 and 2007. The authors write that dead zones are now "the key stressor on marine ecosystems" and "rank with over-fishing, habitat loss, and harmful algal blooms as global environmental problems."

Seagrass restoration effort with volunteers

The seagrass program at VIMS is collaborating with The Nature Conservancy to use volunteers, especially recreational divers and snorkelers, to help collect eelgrass seeds this spring in the seaside bays of Virginia's Eastern Shore. The seed-collection effort, tentatively scheduled to take place between May 31 and June 16, is the largest to date, with a goal of harvesting up to 20 million seeds.

SunTrust Gift supports VIMS graduate students

The SunTrust Mid-Atlantic Foundation has made a 5-year, $100,000 grant to the VIMS Foundation to establish an endowed fellowship for graduate students enrolled in the School of Marine Science at VIMS.