UMass Boston

The CaPE Lab

What’s New

Check back here for a quick list of what we are up to!

For the most recent updates on what we are doing, check out our Facebook page!

March 22nd, 2023

Many new things coming out of the Cape Lab! We recently had two presenters at the 2023 IMS Research Symposium, Dr. Mark Borrelli and Kali Roberts! You can see more about their work here! Along with the presentations, we have two new publications: "Absolute Localization of Targets Using a Phase-Measuring Sidescan Sonar in Very Shallow Waters" and "Shallow Water Object Detection, Classification, and Localization via Phase-Measured, Bathymetry-Mode Backscatter".

June 16th, 2021

Chesapeake Technology International has graciously donated a full processing license for their industry leading, sonar data processing software, SonarWiz, for the summer of 2021 to Bryan McCormack, a graduate student in the Coastal Processes and Ecosystems Lab (CaPE Lab). Bryan will be using this software to look at ways in which the data from a Phase-Measuring Sidescan Sonar, the Edgetech 6205, can be used to enhance shallow water mapping of benthic habitats and better understand the properties and characteristics of the seafloor. Thanks to everyone at CTI!

October 17th, 2019

Agnes Mittermayr was asked to do a TEDx Provincetown talk back in September and the video has finally been released! Her talk on benthic invertabrates and food webs gives insight into how the smallest creatures can have the biggest impact on the world around us. Check out the video Keystone Species and Conserving our Delicate Food Webs!

September 26th, 2019

Nestor Ramos from the Boston Globe released a beautifully written special report on the impacts of climate change to Cape Cod. The report includes Graham Giese, co-founder of the Center for Coastal Studies, and our good friend Mark Adams from the Nation Park Service. The wonderful writing and beautiful images of the evolution of Cape Cod and be found here on the Boston Globe website.

September 25th, 2019

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced that the Center for Coastal Studies' Marine Debris Program will be receiving a grant to identify, recover, document, and dispose of derelict fishing gear. This will be done by working with fishermen and using side scan sonar to identify the derelict gear in the Cape Cod Bay Right Whale Critical Habitat. For more information, you can check out the announcement from NOAA!

September 16th, 2019

Director of the Cape Lab, Mark Borrelli, spoke with WCVB today about the dynamic Massachusetts coastline. His interview was broadcast on Facebook Live and can be seen here on the WCVB Facebook page. He talks about erosion, flooding, storms, and much more! 

September 14th, 2019

Two Cape Lab scientists are speaking at TEDx Provincetown! Agnes Mittermayr, marine biologist, talks about shrinking ocean food-webs, the impacts on the marine environment and the potential to address the situation, and Mark Borrelli, coastal geologist, discusses a unique Provincetown climate change strategy to address rising sea levels and more frequent storms — a strategy that is rolling out in other coastal communities.

May 16th, 2019

In a joint effort with Brian Howes at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the Cape Lab deployed an ADCP and pressure sensors off of Nauset Marsh in Eastham. This equipment will remain in place on the seafloor for a month recoding wave and tide data! 

ADCP_pre_deploy.jpg

The CaPE Lab

100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125