Why is the bottom water in some areas of eastern Casco Bay 10-20% fresher than the overlying, more normal ocean water? Does this indicate that aquifers in the bedrock are carrying fresh(er)water upwards into the ocean? Where exactly on the seafloor are these springs and why do some areas apparently have them and others do not? Are fractured bedrock aquifers creating these presumed underwater springs? What are the geological, geophysical, and hydrological characteristics of these aquifers? Does the discharge of fresh water into bottom water have an impact on the nutrient budget of the overlying water bodies?
Why do certain areas of Quahog Bay experience low levels of dissolved oxygen every summer, so much so that local lobster pounds must bubble air through their pens to keep their stocks alive? Is the circulation of Quahog Bay such that it is sluggish in its exchange of water with the more oxygen rich open ocean? If so, why is so sluggish? Are there sources of nutrients around Quahog Bay that might be elevating nutrient levels in Quahog Bay? Might submarine groundwater discharge be an important nutrient source?
How has the rise and subsequent fall of sealevel over coastal and inland Maine during Late Wiscpnsin deglaciation influenced the stratigraphic and seismic stratigraphic units that are now found beneath Brunswick and eastern Casco Bay? How has the topographic grain of this region and its modification by the development of the Brunswick Sand Plain influenced the seismic stratigraphic units we observe offshore? Did submarine mass movements and gravity flow processes modify the edges of the Brunswick Sand Plain during falling sealevel?