Category: Coasts & Marine

Wading into National Estuaries Week: Research and Extension

by Mike Loizzo
September 21, 2025

Estuaries are vital for clean water, fisheries, coastal protection, and recreation. They are essential to ecosystems and communities. National Estuaries Week (Sept. 20–27, 2025) invites people to celebrate the places where rivers meet the ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Apalachicola, Ashley Smyth, Estuary, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Laura Reynolds, Love Kumar, Mark Clark, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences

New manual provides instructions for building environmentally friendly, man-made reefs

by Megan Winslow
June 23, 2025

Living shorelines are gaining popularity in Florida as residents seek sustainable solutions capable of calming waves and restoring habitats. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, UF/IFAS, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Biodegradable, Environment, Environmentally Friendly, FDEP, Florida Department Of Environmental Protection, Florida Sea Grant, Guide, Homemade, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, JR-CSA, Jute-reinforced Calcium Sulfoaluminate, Living Shoreline, Manual, Mark Clark, Megan Winslow, Panels, Partnership For Plastic-free Restoration Of Oyster Shorelines, Prisms, PROS, Reef, Savanna Barry, Sea Grant, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Tutorial, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Video, Volunteer, Water, Wildlife, Workshop

UF Graduate Student Start-up Focuses on Creating Chemicals from Ocean Microbes

by Mike Loizzo
August 11, 2024

In Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo describes the sea as “everything,” the “vast reservoir of Nature.” A pair of UF Ph.D. students are diving into these vast depths. They are harnessing the power of marine microbes ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Cordelia Biosciences, Jessica Tittl Nielsen, Julie Meyer, Monica Schul, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences

UF study reveals environmental impact of artificial sweeteners

by Megan Winslow
July 8, 2024

The human body’s inability to break down sucralose, an artificial sweetener found in many zero-calorie food and drink products, is well established by scientific research. The compound is so stable that it escapes wastewater treatment processing ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Food Safety, Health & Nutrition, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Algae, Amelia Westmoreland, Aquatic Biology, Aquatic Environment, Artificial Sweetener, Bacteria, Biology, Cyanobacteria, Diatom, Ecosystem, Envionrmental, Environment, Environmental Impact, Environmental Impacts, Food Chain, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Marine, Megan Winslow, Microbial Communities, Microbial Respiration, Nutrient, Photosynthesis, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Sucralose, Tracey Schafer, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Wastewater, Water And Ecosystem Sciences Department, Whitney Laboratory For Marine Bioscience, Zero-calorie

Fecal pollution in the Pensacola Bay watershed threatens human health, local economies

by Mike Loizzo
October 2, 2023

Fecal pollution can pose major health problems for those who live and play along the Gulf of Mexico. It also can be disastrous for local economies that depend on tourism. This issue is of increasing concern around Pensacola Bay, Florida, where ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water
Tags: E. Coli, Fecal Pollution, Matt Deitch, Pensacola Bay, Ronell Bridgemohan, Soil And Water Sciences, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences

An efficient, sustainable fertilizer for seagrass

by Mike Loizzo
May 19, 2022

New research from the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences may improve seagrass restoration efforts. The loss of seagrass is devastating coastal ecosystems. Impacts include declining water quality and marine life dying off ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Coastal Ecosystems, Conor MacDonnell, Fertilizer, Patrick Inglett, Seagrass, Soil And Water Sciences, Struvite, Todd Osborne

Introducing the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

by Mike Loizzo
May 16, 2022

The UF/IFAS Soil and Water Sciences Department is now the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES). Why did we add “ecosystems” to the name? We feel it better reflects the breadth of research, teaching, and extension ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Forests, UF/IFAS, Water
Tags: Matt Whiles, Soil And Water Sciences, Soil And Water Sciences Department

UF/IFAS scientists help preserve Nature Coast, one sample at a time

by Samantha Murray
June 28, 2021

This summer and fall, UF/IFAS scientists will collect data on water quality and seagrass in the recently created Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve, which includes waters off Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. These data will be available ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Sea Grant, Laura Reynolds, Nature Coast Biological Station, News, Savanna Barry, Soil And Water Sciences

World Oceans Day 2021: Life and Livelihoods

by Mike Loizzo
June 7, 2021

We could not survive without oceans. They cover a majority of our planet. Oceans provide oxygen – a lot of it – so that all living things can breathe. Oceans are home to about one million species of living things, from large whales to small ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Ashley Smyth, Laura Reynolds, Mark Clark, Soil And Water Sciences, Soil And Water Sciences Department, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, World Oceans Day

National Science Foundation funding helps graduate student research mangroves in urban areas

by Mike Loizzo
May 5, 2021

Gabriela “Bella” Reyes, a doctoral student in the UF/IFAS Soil and Water Sciences Department, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. The prestigious award will support her while she studies ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Ashley Smyth, Gabriela Reyes, Laura Reynolds, Mangroves, National Science Foundation, Soil And Water Sciences, Soil And Water Sciences Department, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences

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