Category: Feature

Florida has over 2.7 million septic systems and it’s estimated that cleaning them up will cost billions.  A new tool developed by CCS scientists is saving counties in Florida time and money to convert septic systems to sewer networks, while reducing environmental impacts that result when septic systems fail. The Septic to Sewer Optimization Tool […]

“I will always cherish the moments of playing saxophone together, researching coral reefs in Hawaii, talking in our thick northern accents, chatting for hours on end in the lab and enjoying meals together. Paul truly radiates light and brings immense value to everyone he encounters.” -Nicholas Kroeger, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Gader’s former student “Paul was […]

Their lifelong love of the ocean inspired Lindy and Scott Hearne to take action in partnership with CCS to help conserve it for future generations of Floridians. For Lindy and Scott Hearne, the perfect day in Florida starts with a walk on the beach in the morning and ends with a sunset cruise around Siesta […]

Farewell to our friend Paul Dear friends and colleagues, It is with great emotion that I begin this month’s newsletter with a remembrance of our dear friend and talented colleague, Dr. Paul Gader, who passed away in early June. Paul was a world-leading computer scientist who loved nature and, perhaps influenced by his upbringing in […]

University of Florida PhD student Nick Chin is using artificial intelligence to identify and quantify the dynamics of one of southwest Florida’s most pressing environmental issues: red tide.   Chin, from the Kaplan lab, presented this research at the American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) in Tampa in early June, which will support the groundwork to identify […]

As hurricane season kicks off, scientists continue to keep an eye on how coastal dunes change in response to landfalling hurricanes and storms that pass offshore. A team led by Peter Adams, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and lead for the CCS Geospatial Group, is measuring how these processes change the […]

Todd Van Natta loves going to work, wherever that happens to be on any given day. As director of field research for the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), Todd oversees field work for multiple complex projects in different locations throughout Florida and the Southeast region.   “I’m the luckiest person in the world, I really […]

A yearlong study tracking the movement of wastewater discharged in an emergency from the retired Piney Point phosphate processing plant in 2021 shows that the pollution spread much farther than expected.  “This research highlights the importance of protecting coastal water quality and ensuring that infrastructure failures do not negatively impact Tampa Bay water quality,” said […]

Coastal dunes are one of the first lines of protection for communities and infrastructure on the coast in the face of extreme storm events, sea level rise and other effects of climate change. By adding nutrients to the soil, diversifying plant species and planting density, CCS researchers found that dunes can revegetate and grow to […]

The CCS technical team took part in the four-day University of Florida Open Hackathon, hosted in collaboration with OpenACC Organization, in May to write code for a new coastal and ocean model that can run simulations of coastal and oceanic processes much faster and more accurately than currently possible. During the codefest, Ron Fick, Ph.D., […]