Faculty Profile: Assistant Professor of Ocean Studies Karen Merritt

KAREN MERRITT, PH.D. joined the Ocean Studies Department in Fall 2023, after 15 years working in environmental engineering consulting. At the Academy, she teaches the geology courses in Ocean Studies, including Physical Geology and Geological Oceanography, as well as Introduction to Ocean Science for deck, engine, and business students.

What attracted her to the Academy was the Coastal and Marine Environmental Science (CMES) program. Describing the CMES program, Merritt said, “This is a gem of a program here at MMA. The combination of our location, MMA’s waterfront resources, the availability of field sites in all different kinds of coastal habitats and the strong community connections that OS faculty have built into this major is really unique.”

In March 2026, Merritt presented a work-in-progress at the Maine Sustainability and Water Conference in Augusta, Maine. Since joining the Academy, her research has been focusing on developing field methods for use in community-based salt marsh restoration.

Professor Merritt presenting the results of a CMES salt marsh restoration research project at the Maine Sustainability and Water Conference, held annually in March in Augusta, ME.

For marshes to be healthy, she says, there needs to be a balance between how frequently and extensively a marsh floods and how long that tidal floodwater remains standing or pooling on the marsh platform. The technique she is developing provides an index for monitoring how long is ‘too long’ for supporting the health of the grasses that hold a marsh together.

In terms of supporting biological communities and helping to protect land use and structures built shoreward of a marsh, marshes provide a huge number of benefits, Merritt says. Giving communities tools for monitoring their local coastal ecosystems is a great way to encourage engagement with and protection of those ecosystems.

Her co-author in Augusta is current CMES/SVO senior, Jake Allison, who used Merritt’s method in his senior research. Merritt explains: “All Ocean Studies seniors conduct an independent research project. This Spring, two seniors (Jake Allison in CMES and Landen Parks in Marine Biology) were selected to share their research results at the Augusta Conference.

Additionally, Jake Allison and fellow CMES major Hannah Mellor presented on summer 2025 internship work they conducted with CMES faculty Kerry Whittaker, Ph.D. and Sarah O’Malley in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust. That work has focused on an ongoing habitat monitoring and restoration project to restore tidal flow and sea-run fish passage in a local estuary. Faculty in Ocean Studies plan to continue bringing students to Augusta in future years to build this professional networking opportunity for our majors.

“For CMES,” Merrit indicated, “projects and opportunities like these are what attract the students we’re looking for: loving to work outside, passionate about the environment and sustainability, and wanting to learn skills in monitoring, preservation, restoration and management of coastal resources and ecosystems.”

Current department plans to grow CMES include exploring accreditation for the major under ABET (which already accredits MMA programs in Engineering) and deepening engagement with high school STEM faculty across Maine and wider New England to boost awareness of what this unique major offers. “It’s such a treat to be getting to spend this part of my career at MMA,” Merritt said. “There is so much we can do to help students with a desire to work in the coastal and marine environment find their way forward into a range of interesting, valuable and meaningful jobs.”

Email this post

Your Email(Required)

Friend's email(Required)

Email Subject Line(Required)

Text(Required)

I think you may find this article interesting - "Faculty Profile: Assistant Professor of Ocean Studies Karen Merritt"

CAPTCHA

Instagram

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.