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Synthesis in Estuarine and Coastal Ecological Research: What Is It, Why Is It Important, and How Do We Teach It?

  • The H.T. Odum Synthesis Essay
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An Erratum to this article was published on 08 March 2012

Abstract

During the last two decades, there has been growing interest in the integration of existing ideas and data to produce new synthetic models and hypotheses leading to discovery and advancement in estuarine and coastal science. This essay offers an integrated definition of what is meant by synthesis research and discusses its importance for exploiting the rapid expansion of information availability and for addressing increasingly complex environmental problems. Approaches and methods that have been used in published synthetic coastal research are explored and a list of essential steps is developed to provide a foundation for conducting synthetic research. Five categories of methods used widely in coastal synthesis studies are identified: (1) comparative cross-system analysis, (2) analysis of time series data, (3) balance of cross-boundary fluxes, (4) system-specific simulation modeling, and (5) general systems simulation modeling. In addition, diverse examples are used to illustrate how these methods have been applied in previous studies. We discuss the urgent need for developing curricula for classroom and experiential teaching of synthesis in coastal science to undergraduate and graduate students, and we consider the societal importance of synthetic research to support coastal resource management and policy development. Finally, we briefly discuss the crucial challenges for future growth and development of synthetic approaches to estuarine and coastal research.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support of our colleagues and students for the ideas that we have gathered and developed in this essay. We are, of course, indebted to H.T. Odum for the inspiration and mentorship that brought us together in graduate school and launched us into this career-long collaboration of ideas and enthusiasm. Scott Nixon, Bob Christian, and Wayne Gardner provided valuable comments on an earlier version of this essay. We are particularly indebted to Jeremy Testa and Eva Bailey for their continued technical and intellectual support. Finally, we thank the agencies that have provided funding support for our synthesis science over many years, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Maryland Sea Grant Program, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research), the US Environmental Protection Agency (Chesapeake Bay Program), the US National Science Foundation, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

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  1. Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD, 21613, USA

    W. Michael Kemp

  2. Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD, 20688, USA

    Walter R. Boynton

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-012-9484-0.

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Kemp, W.M., Boynton, W.R. Synthesis in Estuarine and Coastal Ecological Research: What Is It, Why Is It Important, and How Do We Teach It?. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 1–22 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9464-9

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