Category: News

What if decision-making included experiencing the future firsthand? Community leaders can now forecast hazards like hurricanes, model future scenarios, and test strategies to ensure a healthy, resilient and economically vibrant future for Jacksonville’s residents using the JaxTwin, a digital replica of the city. This novel tool, developed by a trans-disciplinary team of UF researchers and […]

Gas bubbles 2,500 times smaller than a grain of salt that are being used to improve water quality. The escalating battle between seagrass and pathogens, with each side constantly evolving new strategies of attack or defense. Proteins in the salivary glands of squid that can paralyze crabs. These were a few of the exciting topics […]

The survival of eelgrass, once the dominant seagrass species in Chesapeake Bay—the nation’s largest estuary—is now severely threatened, primarily due to rising temperatures and heatwaves. Traditional seagrass restoration efforts in the bay have struggled to sustain healthy seagrass meadows. However, innovative research led by experts such as Enie Hensel, Ph.D. is yielding promising results, offering […]

Congratulations to CCS affiliate faculty members Marc Hensel and Elise Morrison, who were awarded Gulf Research Program (GRP) Early-Career Research Fellowships by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. This prestigious fellowship provides rising scientific leaders with the resources to build partnerships and pursue innovative research that strengthens coastal communities and ecosystems. With funding […]

Hurricanes can bring more than just strong winds and heavy rain — they can also trigger a range of water quality problems. From untreated wastewater spilling out of treatment plants to microplastics being released from damaged infrastructure, the impacts on our waterways can be severe. Storm surge runoff can also carry harmful nutrients, fueling dangerous […]

UF Center for Coastal Solutions’ alumna Julie Walker has always embraced a challenge, even if it means facing down an alligator to check on her field experiments. During her doctoral studies, she once spotted what appeared to be an alligator’s head floating near her work site in the marsh. After waiting for 30 minutes, she […]

Graduate students from the School of Architecture and JaxLab at University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning (UF DCP), in collaboration with stakeholders from the city of Jacksonville and St. Johns Riverkeeper, are working together on an ambitious project to reshape the city’s future with a focus on resilience and sustainability. As part […]

As Hurricanes Helene and Milton bore down on Florida’s coast, a highly coordinated team of researchers, engineers and experts sprang into action, racing against the clock to collect crucial storm data. The Nearshore Extreme Events Reconnaissance (NEER) Association, the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) network, CCS field staff, and NHERI RAPID facility staff—along with specialists […]

Unlocking resilience: Innovation to adapt, thrive and survive Dear friends and colleagues,   The catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Helene, spanning from southwest Florida to North Carolina over the last week raises critical questions: can we rebuild communities devastated by this event and if so, when, where and how should we proceed? This dilemma prompts us […]

Growing up in Taiwan, where typhoons and coastal storms were a regular occurrence, Chu-En Hsu developed a deep fascination with the ocean and the forces shaping his surroundings. This interest eventually led him far from home to the University of Florida, where he earned his doctorate degree in coastal and oceanographic engineering. As a graduate […]

Alexis Jackson didn’t discover environmental engineering as a career option until right before graduate school, when she was on track to become a wetland ecologist. Now a Ph.D. student in the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, she volunteers to connect young students with science fields they might not otherwise encounter. In August, […]

On September 10, leaders in environmental journalism, history, architecture and engineering gathered at Pugh Hall to launch the UF Gulf Scholars Program, a new initiative of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida. The program aims to foster stewardship, resiliency and innovation in the Gulf of Mexico by providing students […]

When sea turtles return to the coast after spending their early years in the ocean, they encounter a new threat: the risk of developing tumors. These cauliflower-like tumors are a symptom of fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating cancer that affects all sea turtle species in Florida and worldwide. Costanza Manes, a graduate student in the University […]

More than a quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level, making dunes a crucial defense for coastal communities against the impacts of climate change. As sea levels rise, the safety of Dutch communities depends on understanding and enhancing the strength and resilience of dunes. To help with this, graduate students Paul Berghuis and Floris van Rees […]

The preservation of our coastlines, vital to both local ecosystems and human communities, demands a unified effort across many fields of expertise and organizations. For researchers, finding the right partners to support and collaborate on these efforts can make or break the success of critical scientific endeavors. For the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), the […]

Watching oysters “power clean” a tank of muddy water in 30 minutes. Exploring materials used to make oyster gardens that help clean water and boost oyster reef restoration efforts. Building miniature living shorelines to test how they protect coastal areas from storms. These were some of the hands-on activities led by CCS scientists and volunteers to celebrate our blue planet and explore how […]

Nearly 900 million people live in low-lying coastal zones around the world and bear the brunt of impacts from more frequent and severe hurricanes, flooding and rising sea levels. Early warning systems play a critical role in saving lives and preventing loss and damage to property from coastal hazards such as hurricanes, flooding and rising sea levels.  Zhe Jiang, Ph.D., CCS affiliate and associate professor in the University of Florida’s Computer and Information […]

Growing up along Florida’s coast, Jack Parker experienced several hurricanes that affected his family’s life. Two of these storms, Dennis in 2005 and Michael in 2018, caused a great amount of damage to his home, and led to several days without power followed by weeks of cleaning up. These experiences made Parker want to contribute to […]

In May, the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) launched its newest research vessel, the “R/V Rogow,” on its maiden voyage to haul more than 20 yards of sediment as part of a marsh restoration project in St. Augustine, Florida. The boat, named in honor of Bruce and Winnie Rogow, was made possible through their […]

As the world experiences more frequent and intense weather and climate events, robust models that predict how people behave before, during and after these extreme events are important for developing effective emergency response strategies. Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) is being incorporated into these models yet we don’t understand how most AI models make decisions, because […]

Mud shapes life on Earth and regulates the planet’s climate by storing and cycling carbon. In a study published in Nature Geoscience, scientists from the University of Florida and eight other institutions found that human actions are altering the journey of mud, which has implications for understanding past changes in climate and what future scenarios might […]

The power of positive interactions in nature and networks A year ago, our center volunteered to host the first Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN) 2024 Partner Symposium here in the Sunshine State. Last week, we welcomed 170 participants to St. Augustine from around the country for two-days of productive exchanges around nature-based solutions (NBS), a field that is […]

St. Augustine, Florida provided a picturesque backdrop for the inaugural Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN) 2024 Partner Symposium from May 22 to 24, which brought together 170 members from 28 network partners from across the country to forge deeper connections while learning about one another’s work to implement nature-based solutions or “actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore […]

Patrick Saldaña has turned his passion for all things ocean — from diving in sunlight dappled kelp forests to spearfishing off the coast of California — into a career studying the history and future of marine ecosystems around the world. Saldaña, who graduated in May with a doctorate degree in environmental engineering sciences from the […]