Category: News

New frontiers: AI for climate and nature On April 10-11, I was honored to attend and speak at a spring convening on AI for Climate and Nature hosted in New York by the Bezos Earth Fund and Columbia University where we took a deep dive into how AI can help achieve climate and nature conservation […]

Scientists at the University of Florida are tracking the level of septic tank pollutants that reach the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) estuary. These efforts will support resource managers in estimating the amount of coliforms entering the estuary and prioritizing septic to sewer conversion efforts.   “There is no comprehensive study that estimates coliform loads from residential […]

From the mines of Ghana to the beaches of Florida, Stephen Adusei journeyed a long way to follow his dream of becoming a geotechnical engineer. Driven by a strong interest in soil and rock mechanics and geospatial data analysis, Adusei’s passion led to a career in research with frequent field work and use of some […]

In March, three undergraduate students got their first taste of what it’s like to do field research during a daylong field trip to St. Augustine research sites, organized by Ph.D. students Britney Hay and Adam Hymel from the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS). Students Katie Austin, Molly Golding and Abigail Moore dipped their toes into the role of CCS interns for a day, learning the basics of field […]

A new study examining whether the timing of Lake Okeechobee releases could be adjusted to improve the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary’s (CRE) water quality found that while releases from Lake Okeechobee had an impact on water quality, nutrient concentrations in the CRE were more strongly related to flows from the surrounding C-43 basin.   “This suggests that strategies […]

In February 2024, the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) and WSP Environment & Infrastructure Inc. launched a coastal wetland restoration project in St. Augustine using thin-layer placement (TLP) to bolster wetlands’ ability to keep pace with sea level rise and erosion. This approach, which is relatively new to the southeastern United States, involves the application of dredged sediment onto wetlands to increase their size and elevation, which can boost their ability to protect shorelines from storm surge, […]

The power of positive stories Stories about nature, especially hopeful ones, are rare in the news. Yet there is power in spreading positive messages and sharing what works. In last month’s edition of Coastal Edges, we shared a story about a groundbreaking study published in Nature that revealed how the return of sea otters to California’s Elkhorn Slough, an […]

Alex Sheremet, Ph.D., professor in the University of Florida Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, is modeling ship waves in the state’s inland marshes to understand to what extent ship traffic contributes to the degradation of coastal ecosystems.    “I was interested in this because the wakes that are produced by boats are different from wind waves. […]

Retired engineering executive Bob Bailey is stepping into the role of chair of the CCS advisory board to help guide the center into its next chapter as a research and technology innovator. Bob, who joined the board in 2021, has played a key role in identifying funding opportunities for the center to advance coastal research […]

The sun and moon can play a role in water quality challenges, new research shows. Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Ph.D., CCS affiliate faculty and professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, is studying how interactions among winds, tides and river discharges affect the Peace River’s water quality. His team has found that solar and lunar […]