SCCF Leading the Way

Water quality has always been a research focus at the Marine Lab. Lake Okeechobee and watershed discharges and the timing of those events threaten the diverse marine habitats around the barrier islands.

Discharges from Lake Okeechobee result in rapid changes in salinity and prolonged low salinities that determine the health of local waterways. Impacts are compounded because of our connection to the Everglades and the design of a highly managed system for water supply purposes.

Seagrass and oyster reefs provide innumerable benefits to humans, fish, and wildlife—and they need clean, clear water to thrive. Our research focuses on the processes that cause declines in seagrass, which include long-term changes in transparency, salinity, and increases in algae blooms. This requires routine measurement of seagrass density and our multi-site water quality observing network, the River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON).

Throughout the last 12 years, we have received grant funds from the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System to support RECON. The data are widely shared with scientists, managers, and the public.

In 2018, we partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge to construct a new Marine Laboratory, which we operate through an agreement that requires an exchange of water quality and seagrass research.

As Sanibel and Captiva residents, officials, and business owners improved their understanding of our connection to the Everglades through Lake Okeechobee, attention has been drawn to the impact of water quality on our quality of life, including boating, home values, and the economy. This attention expanded the lab’s research on the massive 2018 harmful algae blooms (HABs). No one wants this crisis repeated so the Marine Lab has been working with the University of Florida’s Center for Coastal Solutions and the University of South Florida to determine the triggers for HABs.

The Marine Lab is leading field sampling and added two RECON sensors in the freshwater canal between Lake Okeechobee and the estuary. This effort is funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through March 2024 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through September 2024.

For the next five years, the Marine Lab will continue to conduct research in the refuge and throughout the region on seagrass, oyster restoration, hard clams, and water quality thanks to new grants starting later in 2023. Rest assured, SCCF will continue to expand and leverage its expertise and voice on water quality in Southwest Florida and beyond.