Category: News

A smartphone and a designated spot on the beach are all residents need to help track coastal change in St. Augustine. That was the message Peter Adams, Ph.D., shared May 12 with the St. Augustine Gator Club at Amici Italian Restaurant in St. Augustine Beach. Adams, a professor in UF’s Department of Geological Sciences and […]

A University of Florida doctoral student is using underwater sound recordings to study how fish communities move through connected coastal habitats at St. Martin’s Marsh Aquatic Preserve on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Finella Campinino, a doctoral student in the lab of Laura Reynolds, an associate professor in UF’s Coastal Ecology Program, is leading the project at […]

Sharon Ryan has been involved with CCS since its earliest days, helping shape the center’s vision, strategy, team culture and approaches to stakeholder engagement. In this interview, she reflects on CCS’s evolution, the value of collaboration and the importance of connecting science with the people who can use it. Is there a place along Florida’s […]

By Megan Sam When Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida’s Gulf Coast in 2024, they dramatically reshaped the shoreline, creating two new openings in barrier islands just 29 miles apart. One storm reopened Midnight Pass, restoring a long-lost tidal connection between the Gulf of America and Little Sarasota Bay. The other carved Milton Pass through […]

By Megan Sam University of Florida (UF) researchers recently completed a countywide septic vulnerability assessment that adds new environmental data to Jacksonville’s existing prioritization framework for sewer expansion. The findings can help guide future planning and development decisions across Duval County. Researchers also used an optimization tool to identify where sewer infrastructure investments could have […]

By Sharon Ryan As Gulf Coast communities confront stronger storms, increased flood risk and chronic erosion, researchers at the University of Florida (UF) and University of Texas (UT) at Austin are testing a new idea: coastal defenses that not only block waves but also help rebuild the ecosystems that protect shorelines naturally.   A joint UF-UT […]

By Megan Sam Amid a stream of discouraging environmental headlines, there are also stories that point to what can be achieved when science, policy and communities work together. That was the message Nancy Knowlton, Ph.D., Sant chair emerita of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History delivered to a University of Florida (UF) audience on February 11. Speaking as part of the Whitney Lecture Series, co-hosted by the UF Center for Coastal Solutions, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and UF Biodiversity Institute, Knowlton focused on conservation “bright […]

By Megan Sam That’s the question driving Taryn Chaya, a Ph.D. student in the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. She is investigating whether mosquito impoundments — wetlands modified to control mosquito populations — can also be managed to capture nutrients and improve water quality in coastal systems. Her work focuses on the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), once […]

By Megan Sam Water managers can now explore how lake conditions and water release strategies could affect Lake Okeechobee’s water quantity and quality, using two new web-based tools designed to support more proactive decision-making.  Co-developed by researchers from seven institutions, the Lake Okeechobee Optimization of Nutrients Exports (LOONE) Forecast and Planning tools were showcased at the Optimizing Solutions for Resilient Coasts summit in December 2025. Project co-leaders David […]

By Megan Sam For the University of Florida Center for Coastal Solutions, 2025 was a year of steady progress and measurable impact.   At the Optimizing Solutions for Resilient Coasts summit in December, Interim Director Andrew Altieri, Ph.D., captured the spirit of the year: urgency paired with optimism. Hosted at the Austin Cary Forest Campus, the gathering served as what Altieri called a “marathon aid station” — a […]