Category: News

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 […]

‘Tis the Field Season!  Field season is here! For many scientists here at the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), summer is prime time to do field research outdoors across Florida, North America and internationally. Some of my best memories as a scientist are of being out on Sapelo Island, up to my waist in mud, working […]

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., […]

Even in death, corals may play an important role in preserving life in the ocean. With support from a 2023 National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award, UF Assistant Professor Andrew Altieri, Ph.D., will launch a new project to investigate the role of dead corals in the resilience of tropical coastal ecosystems and engage high school students, teachers, undergraduate, and graduate students through […]

This month’s SeaSquad features an interview with our newest advisory board member, Kevin Taylor, who shares his family’s deep roots in The Sunshine State, his long-standing love for the University of Florida, why the CCS’ mission matters, and what the perfect day in Florida looks like to him.   Tell us about yourself and your connection […]

University of Florida engineering alumni gathered at a Gator Nation event in Jupiter to hear how the CCS is working to unlock Florida’s potential to quickly implement data-driven and cost-effective actions to improve water quality statewide through its decision support system. This integrated system identifies root causes of water quality issues and simulates solutions using […]

Congratulations to Sydney Williams, winner of an aquaculture fellowship from the Florida Sea Grant. With this support, Williams, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering sciences, will help advance regulation and policy reform for seagrass and clam restoration aquaculture. This will involve working with aquaculturists, legislators, state agencies and stakeholders to develop regulatory guidelines […]

Undergraduate student Alex van Pelt is inspired by biology at every scale, from cells to whole ecosystems, to find innovative solutions for a more circular economy. As a summer intern at the CCS, van Pelt works alongside researchers in the field and builds research skills as she gets set to close her chapter as an undergraduate student. […]

Sweet endings and new beginnings Dear Friends and Colleagues,   Commencement season is upon us, and the campus here at the University of Florida is abuzz with optimism. Graduating students are happily wrapping up their final days nestled within the Gator community and looking with anticipation to the next phase of their lives and careers. Our […]

UF marine ecologist Andrew Altieri, Ph.D., recently returned from Bergen, Norway where he joined the Global Ocean Oxygen Network (GO2NE) as one of its newest members. This small working group of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, whose members come from more than 15 countries, meets twice a year towards the goals of increasing research capacity, identifying […]

Researchers from Florida and South Carolina deployed robots 300 feet inside an underwater cave system in Orange Grove, Florida in April to collect data for mapping the system. Md Jahidul Islam, Ph.D., assistant professor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Florida and members of his lab collaborated with Ioannis Rekleitis, Ph.D., associate professor at […]

Researchers are leveraging a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence transformer model to better manage the water flow from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River, which will reduce the amount of released nutrients that produce harmful algal blooms (HABs). CCS Postdoctoral Associate Enrique Orozco López, Ph.D., collaborates with University of Florida Associate Professors David Kaplan, Ph.D., and Maitane […]

Congratulations to Britney Hay, winner of a 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award, a prestigious and highly competitive fellowship that helps support outstanding graduate research across the country. With this support, Hay, who’s a doctoral candidate in Environmental Engineering Sciences, will advance her research on mangrove ecology and coastal restoration, and hopes to […]

The Gator Nation Club in Sarasota got a sneak peek in March at a new AI-powered red tide detection system that uses UF’s supercomputing power to fuse satellite remote sensing and field data. The model is part of a drive by the University of Florida’s Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) to develop high resolution, AI-powered […]

In February, researchers from four institutions across Florida began work on a multidisciplinary project to better predict and manage harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee River estuaries. The goal of the $2.5 million project, funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is to develop an advanced […]

CCS Associate Research Scientist Ron Fick, Ph.D., is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast the water quality parameters of red tide blooms and chlorophyll-a concentration (i.e., the amount of algae growing in a body of water) in the Peace River Basin. Fick partners with CCS affiliates Zhe Jiang, Ph.D., and Guangming Zheng, Ph.D., a research […]

Amanda Chappel, a PhD student in environmental engineering sciences at the University of Florida, was part of a rapid response team mobilized in April 2021 to address the accidental discharge of approximately 215 million gallons of untreated, high-nutrient wastewater from a former phosphate mining facility into the Tampa Bay estuary. Researchers like Chappel are working […]

UF Ph.D. student Sara Swaminathan and ecologist Andrew Altieri joined a global consortium of experts in deoxygenation, which is the decline in oxygen levels in oceanic and coastal waters, at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia to collaborate on two synthesis papers that will harness global perspectives to advance knowledge […]

Shannon Myers was first drawn to the ocean as a child, a fascination that has continued throughout his formal education and immersion in marine ecology work.   “I feel called to explore and deepen our understanding of the ocean, especially the dynamics and drivers of global environmental change, toward a more sustainable future,” said Myers. […]

Undergraduate student Donovan Mitchell can trace the genesis of his goal to earn a doctorate degree in marine sciences to his visits as a child to the Georgia Aquarium.   “I saw what the ocean was really about, and their message about education, and I always admired that.”   As a fourth-year marine science student at the […]

More than 100 students and researchers working in marine science across North Florida gathered for a rich learning, networking and professional development experience at the 10th annual North Florida Marine Science Symposium, held at the UF Whitney Marine Lab in St. Augustine from March 2 to 3.    “This is a great opportunity for students to […]