RESEARCH DEPARTMENT NEWS
(8/2023) Director of Research and Conservation, Dr. Loraé Simpson, spoke with City & State Florida about what sargassum can teach us about mangroves and their tolerance to high nutrient levels. You can read the article at the link here.
(8/2023) Our Research Teams work on seagrass and Living Docks was featured on WPTV’s “Shining-A-Light”. You can watch both videos at the link provided here.
(6/2023) Our research team spent time with the Captains for Clean Water crew to talk about their research and the state of seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon. Check out the Coastal Days YouTube video that Captains produced after a day on the water with us.
(4/2023) Our research team has partnered with the NASA Ecological Program to plant seagrass in the Banana River Lagoon. Read more about the project here as written from the NASA program lens and from Florida Today.
(3/2023) Dr. Simpson, had the opportunity to talk with host Nick D’Allessandro of the Wait Five Minutes podcast about seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon and the work that researchers are doing to help protect and restore this important habitat. You can listen here.
(3/2023) The Living Docks program was highlighted in the Main Street Focus, the official monthly newspaper of Main Street Fort Pierce. Article on page 7.
(2/2023) Dr. Simpson presented at the Coastal Lecture Series. She presented on the department’s seagrass restoration research in the Indian River Lagoon. Watch now.
(2/2023) Our Super Clam project, done in collaboration with the UF Whitney Lab, was highlighted in the February issue of Stuart Magazine. Check it out here (page 23).
(2/2023) The Research Department presented current research at the IRL symposium. They gave talks on seagrasses, clams, and oysters. The IRL Symposium recordings can be found here.
(1/2023) Drs. Zack Jud and Loraé Simpson were hosted by Penny Pompei’s on her radio talk show ‘Talk of the Palm Beaches’. The discussed the Indian River Lagoon and the coastal center. Check it out here!
(12/2022) A new paper on the northern migration of mangroves was published: Feller, I.C., U. Berger, S.K. Chapman, E.M. Dangremond, N.G. Dix, J.A. Langley, C.E. Lovelock, T.Z. Osborne, A.C. Shor, L.T. Simpson (2022) Nitrogen Addition Increased Freeze Resistance in Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) Shrubs in a Temperate-Tropical Ecotone. Ecosystems; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-022-00796-z.
(11/2022) We collaborated with FWC on a summary report of the status of coastal habitat in the Indian River lagoon: Brockmeyer, R., Radabaugh, K., Mitchell, J., Simpson, L.T., Sweat, H., Donnelly, M. (2022). Chapter 12: Indian River Lagoon, in Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report for the State of Florida No. 2. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. You can find the publication here.
(7/5/22) Can mangroves save the world? This week, host Nicholas D’Alessandro continues his discussion with Dr. Loraé Simpson about mangroves along Florida’s coasts and we learn about the value of mangroves against hurricanes, and the amazing ways we can track their growth through the generations! Click here to listen to part two of this podcast. Part one can be found below.
(6/29/22) We were honored to take part in the South Florida PBS series Changing Seas to help shine a light on the plight of our manatees and the seagrass beds they, and other marine species, rely on for food and habitat. You can watch the full episode, which includes an interview with Dr. Loraé Simpson, here.
(6/28/22) Dr. Lorae Simpson sat down with Nicholas D’Alessandro, host of the Wait Five Minutes podcast to talk all about mangroves, the different types that can be found in our subtropical ecosystem and the interesting role they play in our environment. Click here to listen now.
(4/16/22) Our oyster reef deployment was featured in a TCPalm gallery.
(3/28/22) Our Living Docks and Oyster Gardening Program was featured in TC Palm. The article describes the program benefits and how to get involved.
(11/2021) The Research Department recently had the opportunity to be a part of the documentary, Missing Meadows. This short documentary examines the catastrophic seagrass die-off we’ve seen in the Indian River Lagoon, and our FOSTER program, which restores seagrass populations impacted by freshwater discharges and algal blooms in our estuary.
(11/21) The Research department presented their current research at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference. They presented on seagrass, oyster and mangrove work.
(11/15/21) Dr. Simpson, had the opportunity to sit down with host Nick D’Allessandro of the Wait Five Minutes podcast. In their conversation, they discuss the continuing seagrass die-off in the Indian River Lagoon, the effect it’s had on local manatee populations, and the overall health of our waterways. Listen here.
(10/10/21) Dr. Simpson and colleagues published a paper linking nutrient over-enrichment to the decline of mangrove cover. While this work was done in Belize, it has serious implications for this important ecosystem here in southern Florida, and globally.
(8/2/2021) The FLOOR program was highlighted on WPTV, Channel 5 news.
(1/1/2021) The FLOOR program was highlighted in Palm Beach Illustrated.
(11/30/2020) Dr. Simpson's Mangroves vs. Saltmarsh work was highlighted by Smithsonian!
(10/7/2020) Our oyster monitoring project was featured in a photo essay in TCPalm.
(9/21/2020) A new paper by Lorae' Simpson and her co-authors, Julia Cherry, Rachel Smith, and Candy Feller, was published online today in Ecosystems. The paper describes the effects of mangrove encroachment into salt marsh on organic matter decomposition in a saltmarsh-mangrove ecotone in Florida. Check it out here.
(8/19/2020) Dr. Glenn Coldren gave a webinar on FOS oyster reef restoration and the benefits oysters provide our local waterways. Check it out here.
