The research team is attempting to represent living biomass and associated ecosystems via quantitative descriptions of the physical and geological variables perceived to shape their habitat space.
Dr. Jon Grant , Dalhousie University
Coastal resources are essential for their ability to provide ecosystem services valued by society including food, shoreline protection, flood control, recreation, and water purification (Costanza et al. 1997). This research project seeks to utilize mathematical and statistical techniques to predict the distribution of essential marine habitat and aid in its conservation. The research team is attempting to represent living biomass and associated ecosystems via quantitative descriptions of the physical and geological variables perceived to shape their habitat space. The solution to this problem lies in application of a diversity of mathematical approaches applied to a range of complex data structures to address outstanding problems in conservation biology. However, the research team will first detail the ecological and environmetric context for the problem, so that the targeted goal of this work is made unequivocal.