Science Programs

Science Programs include watershed-wide initatives to assess, understand, manage, protect, and restore the Delaware Estuary. For info on our on-the-ground activities, please see Science Projects.
Regional Restoration Initiative (RRI) for the Delaware Estuary

The end goal of RRI is to ensure that the right and most effective restoration gets done according to scientific and community priorities.

Setting restoration priorities and deciding where to focus efforts is no easy task. This comprehensive multi-jurisdictional effort is intended to: a) identify and characterize ecologically significant and/or critical species and habitats; b) outline federal and state decision-making processes that govern protection and restoration; c) identify partnering/collaborating opportunities; and d) provide prioritized projects and criteria suggestions that stakeholders can use to select restoration projects and focus efforts.

RRI Fact sheet

RRI Poster Presentation

Regional Restoration Workgroup

Climate Ready Estuaries: A Climate Adaptation Strategy

The Delaware Estuary was chosen as one of EPA's pilots in its Climate Ready Estuaries Initiative. This project will evaluate the most valuable and vulnerable resources as a means to provide guidance on monitoring and management priorities. Three case studies (drinking water, tidal wetlands and shellfish) were selected because of their importance in the vitality of both people and the environment, and because of their probable threat from increased salinity and sea level rise.

Climate Workgroup

Climate Fact Sheet

EPA Press Release


State of the Estuary 2008

The State of the Estuary is a periodic publication designed to check the "pulse and vitals" of the estuary, by focusing in on a couple dozen indicators, ranging from water quality, signature species, habitats and hot issues like climate.

Multi-year collaborations between scientists, research centers, universities, state and federal agencies all came together to create this in-depth look at the status and trends as well as the actions & need items. This snapshot of the estuary health shows how far we have come due to policies and vigilant restoration efforts, but it also outlines how far we need to go.

Download SOE 2008