EPA Biologist Phil Colarusso

A Talk by Phil Colarusso of the Environmental Protection Association. Water temperatures have been increasing in the Gulf of Maine faster than anywhere on the planet. Seagrass meadows are one of the best and most frequently utilized indicators of coastal water quality. These meadows serve a number of important ecological functions, so understanding how they will respond to climate change is critical for natural resource managers. This talk will explore that topic and will include entertaining vignettes gathered over 30 years of diving in the Gulf of Maine.

Phil Colarusso has been working as a marine biologist and diver for EPA for 30+ years. He has worked on a wide variety of coastal and ocean issues, including impact assessment of power plant operations on fish populations, dredging to benthic habitats and of excess nitrogen on seagrass. From 2012 to 2016, he was one of six US representatives on the Commission of Environmental Cooperation’s Blue Carbon Steering Committee. His area of expertise is seagrass ecology/physiology. His current research focuses on carbon sequestration by seagrasses, seagrass restoration and the impact of invasive species on seagrasses. He got a MS in Environmental Science from University of Massachusetts in Boston and a PhD from Northeastern University in Marine Biology.