William & Mary ScholarWorks

Welcome! William & Mary ScholarWorks preserves and provides access to the research and creative output of William & Mary's faculty, staff, and students.

UPDATE 18th JUNE 2025: Our repository has migrated from Digital Commons to Open Repository DSpace as of this summer. Additional updates and improvements will continue through the Fall semester. Thank you for your patience during this transition.

Recent Submissions

Open Access
2016 Sea Level Rise App Data Archive: All Data
(2016-11-29) Loftis, Jon
The Sea Level Rise mobile application is a free app on iOS and Android platforms that seeks to map tidal inundation and flooding attributed to storm surge. This archived GIS shape file dataset was from the beta release of the App on iOS, and it features GPS inundation extent data points collected worldwide including known inundation trouble spots via an early beta version of the free Sea Level Rise mobile app during Hurricane Hermine and Hurricane Matthew, as the two most significant flooding events of 2016 in Hampton Roads, VA. Timestamped GPS-reported high water marks were collected by volunteers to effectively trace the high water line by pressing the 'Save Data' button in the free Sea Level Rise mobile app in regular intervals along the water's edge. These data were used as the basis to eventually found Catch the King, the world’s largest environmental survey. Catch the King was founded as a collaborative effort to give members of the public an opportunity to engage personally in climate change adaptation. While the development of the Sea Level Rise app was led by Wetlands Watch and local tech company, Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive), the idea for creating a statewide program stems from the creative minds of Wetlands Watch’s former Executive Director, Skip Stiles, retired Virginian-Pilot reporter, Dave Mayfield, and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) assistant professor, Dr. Derek Loftis. Throughout the year, trained tidal flood mappers use the free Sea Level Rise mobile application (iOS / Android) developed by Wetlands Watch and Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive) to walk the high water lines in public spaces near them to digitally trace GPS contours of the maximum extent of tidal flood waters. These data are shared publicly after the end of the mapping event and used as a public annual tidal calibration for the forecast predictions generated from VIMS' Tidewatch Map. Annually, a live tidal calibration of the forecasts driven from the Center for Coastal Resources Management's SCHISM hydrodynamic model (developed by Dr. Joseph Zhang) is conducted by the trained participatory scientists engaged with Catch the King, and analyzed by Dr. Loftis at VIMS.
Open Access
2015 Sea Level Rise App Data Archive: All Data
(2015-11-13) Loftis, Jon
The Sea Level Rise mobile application is a free app on iOS and Android platforms that seeks to map tidal inundation and flooding attributed to storm surge. This archived GIS shape file dataset was from the beta release of the App on iOS, and it features 3,515 GPS inundation extent data points collected in Norfolk, VA, via an early beta version of the free Sea Level Rise mobile app during 6 daily flooding events occurring every high tide from September 23-28, during the most significant flooding event of 2015 in Hampton Roads, VA. The event was caused by a nor’easter merging with Hurricane Joaquin. Timestamped GPS-reported high water marks were collected by volunteers to effectively trace the high water line by pressing the 'Save Data' button in the free Sea Level Rise mobile app in regular intervals along the water's edge. These data were used as the basis to eventually found Catch the King, the world’s largest environmental survey. Catch the King was founded as a collaborative effort to give members of the public an opportunity to engage personally in climate change adaptation. While the development of the Sea Level Rise app was led by Wetlands Watch and local tech company, Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive), the idea for creating a statewide program stems from the creative minds of Wetlands Watch’s former Executive Director, Skip Stiles, retired Virginian-Pilot reporter, Dave Mayfield, and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) assistant professor, Dr. Derek Loftis. Throughout the year, trained tidal flood mappers use the free Sea Level Rise mobile application (iOS / Android) developed by Wetlands Watch and Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive) to walk the high water lines in public spaces near them to digitally trace GPS contours of the maximum extent of tidal flood waters. These data are shared publicly after the end of the mapping event and used as a public annual tidal calibration for the forecast predictions generated from VIMS' Tidewatch Map. Annually, a live tidal calibration of the forecasts driven from the Center for Coastal Resources Management's SCHISM hydrodynamic model (developed by Dr. Joseph Zhang) is conducted by the trained participatory scientists engaged with Catch the King, and analyzed by Dr. Loftis at VIMS.
Open Access
2014 Sea Level Rise App Data Archive: All Data
(2014-11-19) Loftis, Jon
The Sea Level Rise mobile application is a free app on iOS and Android platforms that seeks to map tidal inundation and flooding attributed to storm surge. This archived GIS shape file dataset was from the alpha release of the App on iOS, and it features 309 GPS inundation extent data points collected in Hampton Roads, VA, via an early alpha version of the free Sea Level Rise mobile app during 3 flooding events: 1. Hurricane Arthur on July 5, 2014, 2. King tide on Sept 10, 2014, and 3. King tide on October 9, 2014. Timestamped GPS-reported high water marks were collected by volunteers to effectively trace the high water line by pressing the 'Save Data' button in the free Sea Level Rise mobile app in regular intervals along the water's edge. These data were used as the basis to eventually found Catch the King, the world’s largest environmental survey. Catch the King was founded as a collaborative effort to give members of the public an opportunity to engage personally in climate change adaptation. While the development of the Sea Level Rise app was led by Wetlands Watch and local tech company, Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive), the idea for creating a statewide program stems from the creative minds of Wetlands Watch’s former Executive Director, Skip Stiles, retired Virginian-Pilot reporter, Dave Mayfield, and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) assistant professor, Dr. Derek Loftis. Throughout the year, trained tidal flood mappers use the free Sea Level Rise mobile application (iOS / Android) developed by Wetlands Watch and Open Health Innovations (formerly Concursive) to walk the high water lines in public spaces near them to digitally trace GPS contours of the maximum extent of tidal flood waters. These data are shared publicly after the end of the mapping event and used as a public annual tidal calibration for the forecast predictions generated from VIMS' Tidewatch Map. Annually, a live tidal calibration of the forecasts driven from the Center for Coastal Resources Management's SCHISM hydrodynamic model (developed by Dr. Joseph Zhang) is conducted by the trained participatory scientists engaged with Catch the King, and analyzed by Dr. Loftis at VIMS.
Open Access
Surfacing the microscopic: outreach strategies for communicating harmful algal blooms to the public
(2025-12-05) Albert, Bayleigh; Millette, Nicole; Crawford, Brookie; VIMS
Scientific research is shared primarily through peer-reviewed journals, yet these publications are largely inaccessible to the public due to paywalls, technical language, and limited outreach beyond academic communities. As environmental changes accelerate, the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding underscores the need for researchers to effectively communicate their work with broader audiences. This paper presents a six-part science communication framework designed to guide scientists in building communication products that translate research into accessible, audience-appropriate formats. This guide will take readers through the framework step-by-step: establishing goals, identifying a target audience, selecting a communication method, applying tactical approaches, crafting key messages, and implementing evaluation strategies. The framework is then demonstrated through example products, illustrating how each component supports effective design and implementation.
Open Access
Echoes of the Past: The Interwoven History and Culture of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia and the American Eel
(2025-12-05) Hatch, Jack; Latour, Robert; Hatch, D. Brad; VIMS
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) has played a vital ecological, economic, and cultural role along the East Coast of North America for millennia. Once comprising an estimated one quarter of the Chesapeake Bay’s fish biomass, the species has declined to approximately one percent of its historical abundance, largely due to habitat loss, shifting ocean currents, pollution, and overfishing. This capstone project examines the intertwined natural history of the American eel and the cultural history of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, whose members have relied on the eel both as a food source and as a centerpiece of cultural identity. Drawing from ecological literature, fisheries data, and tribal oral histories, this work documents the lifecycle and population trends of the American eel, the rise and fall of the Potomac River eel fishery, and the evolution of the Patawomeck split oak eel pot tradition. The transition from split oak pots to wire pots, the emergence of new markets, and the collapse of commercial demand are contextualized within broader population declines. Despite these challenges, recent habitat restoration, including dam removals and fish passage improvements, has fostered signs of recovery. Today, the split oak eel pot endures as a symbol of cultural resilience and continuity within the Patawomeck community.