St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Publications
Improving estimates of coral reef construction and erosion with in-situ measurements
The decline in living coral since the 1970s has conspicuously slowed reef construction on a global scale, but the related process of reef erosion is less visible and not often quantified. Here we present new data on the constructional and deconstructional side of the carbonate-budget equation in the Florida Keys, U.S.A. We documented Orbicella spp...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Toth, Lauren T.; Hudson, J. Harold; Goodwin, William B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Bartlett, Lucy (Contractor); Whitcher, Elizabeth M. Quantifying risk of whale–vessel collisions across space, time, and management policies
Transportation industries can negatively impact wildlife populations, including through increased risk of mortality. To mitigate this risk successfully, managers and conservationists must estimate risk across space, time, and alternative management policies. Evaluating this risk at fine spatial and temporal scales can be challenging, especially in...
Crum, Nathan J.; Gowan, Timothy A.; Krzystan, Andrea; Martin, Julien MICROBIAL ASSOCIATIONS OF FOUR SPECIES OF ALGAL SYMBIONT-BEARING5 FORAMINIFERS FROM THE FLORIDA REEF TRACT, USA
While microbiome research is a rapidly expanding field of study, relatively little is known of the microbiomes associ- ated with Foraminifera. This preliminary study investigated microbes associated with four species of Foraminifera, repre- senting two taxonomic orders, which host three kinds of al- gal endosymbionts. A major objective was to...
Martin, Makenna M.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Hallock, Pamela
Tampa Bay Ocean and Coastal Acidification Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan
Coastal acidification caused by eutrophication, freshwater inflow, and upwelling is already affecting many estuaries worldwide and can be exacerbated by ocean acidification that is caused by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Effective management, mitigation, and (or) adaptation to the effects of coastal and ocean acidification require...
Yates, Kimberly K.; Moore, Christopher S.; Goldstein, Nathan H.; Sherwood, Edward T. Stability of temperate coral Astrangia poculata microbiome is reflected across different sequencing methodologies
The microbiome of the temperate coral Astrangia poculata was first described in 2017 using next-generation Illumina sequencing to examine the coral’s bacterial and archaeal associates across seasons and among hosts of differing symbiotic status. To assess the impact of methodology on the detectable diversity of the coral’s microbiome, we...
Goldsmith, Dawn B.; Pratte, Zoe A.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Snader, Sara E.; Sharp, Koty H.
Florida Coastal Mapping Program—Overview and 2018 workshop report
The Florida Coastal Mapping Program is a nascent but highly relevant program that has the potential to greatly enhance the “Blue Economy” of Florida by coordinating and facilitating sea-floor mapping efforts and aligning partner and stakeholder activities for increased efficiency and cost reduction. Sustained acquisition of modern coastal mapping...
Hapke, Cheryl J.; Kramer, Philip A. ; Fetherston-Resch, Elizabeth H.; Baumstark, Rene D.; Druyor, Ryan; Fredericks, Xan; Fitos, Ekaterina Considerations for Globigerinoides ruber (white and pink) paleoceanography: Comprehensive insights from a long‐running sediment trap
We present a detailed analysis of the seasonal distribution, size, morphological variability and geochemistry of co‐occurring pink and white chromotypes of Globigerinoides ruberfrom a high‐resolution (1–2 weeks) and long‐running sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We find no difference in the seasonal flux of the two...
Richey, Julie N.; Thirumalai, Kaustubh; Khider, Deborah; Reynolds, Caitlin E.; Partin, Judson W.; Quinn, Terrence M. Climate change, coral loss, and the curious case of the parrotfish paradigm: Why don't marine protected areas improve reef resilience?
Scientists have advocated for local interventions, such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fishery restrictions, as ways to mitigate local stressors to limit the effects of climate change on reef-building corals. However, in a literature review, we find little empirical support for the notion of managed resilience. We outline some...
Bruno, John F.; Cote, Isabelle M.; Toth, Lauren T. The 4.2 ka event, ENSO, and coral reef development
Variability of sea-surface temperature related to shifts in the mode of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been implicated as a possible forcing mechanism for the global-scale changes in tropical and subtropical precipitation known as the 4.2 ka event. We review records of coral reef development and paleoceanography from the tropical...
Toth, Lauren T.; Aronson, Richard B. Reconstructing precipitation in the tropical South Pacific from dinosterol 2H/1H ratios in lake sediment
The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest precipitation feature supplying freshwater to 11 million people. Despite its significance, little is known about the location and intensity of SPCZ precipitation prior to instrumental records, hindering attempts to predict precipitation changes in a warming world. Here...
Maloney, Ashley E.; Nelson, Daniel B.; Richey, Julie N.; Prebble, Matthew; Sear, David A.; Hassall, Jonathan D.; Langdon, Peter G.; Croudace, Ian W.; Zawadzki, Atun; Sachs, Julian P. A Bayesian approach to predict sub-annual beach change and recovery
The upper beach, between the astronomical high tide and the dune-toe, supports habitat and recreation along many beaches, making predictions of upper beach change valuable to coastal managers and the public. We developed and tested a Bayesian network (BN) to predict the cross-shore position of an upper beach elevation contour (ZlD) following 1...
Wilson, Kathleen; Lentz, Erika E.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Safak, Ilgar; Brenner, Owen T. How do upwelling and El Niño impact coral reef growth? A guided, inquiry-based lesson
This lesson uses real-world data to guide students toward understanding how climate and ocean variables impact coral reef growth. To begin this activity, students hypothesize how changes in environmental conditions could affect coral reef growth. They then compare metrics for reef growth (linear growth and percent coral cover) between two reefs in...
Gravinese, Philip M.; Toth, Lauren T.; Randall, Carly J.; Aronson, Richard B.