Water Quality and Real Estate Values

The Dvarskas Lab has been working in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy on a research project evaluating the connection between water quality and real estate values. Given the challenges that nitrogen contamination from septic systems in Suffolk County pose to coastal embayments, the current focus is on the role of water clarity in housing decisions.

Water Quality and Recreational Use

We have been working on several local and international projects evaluating how recreational use of coastal resources changes with changing water quality parameters. Research activities have been conducted/are ongoing in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Greenwich, and Croatia.

Sustainable Tourism Development

The Dvarskas Lab has been evaluating the connections between tourism development and the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of communities. This research pursues theoretical approaches to link economic and ecologic models within the context of tourism development. We are in the process of compiling a database of information relating tourism numbers to various water quality measures.

Ecosystem Accounting and Ecosystem Services Assessment

Through collaboration with a working group including EPA, FEMA, the Nature Conservancy, and New York Department of State,  we have been working on an ecosystem services assessment for Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. This work involves mapping of ecosystem assets and linking of the service flows from those assets to human beneficiaries. We are exploring the application of various classification systems and biophysical models to achieve the research aims. Our objective is that this research effort can provide guidance for applying the draft Experimental Ecosystem Accounting system (http://unstats.un.org/UNSD/envaccounting/eea_project/default.asp) of the United Nations to a broader set of areas across the United States.

Economic Vulnerability of Coastal Communities to Climate Change

Our lab has been engaged in work with the State of New York in assessing the economic vulnerability of communities in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties to coastal storms. This has included evaluation of the location of economic assets, the diversity of the economic sector, and the potential exposure of economic assets to climate change risks.