FAU Harbor Branch News

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AUGUST 2022

Decline in Water Quality

Brian Lapointe, Ph.D., above, Rachel Brewton, both from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and collaborators, found underlying evidence from their multi-year microbial source tracking study point to septic systems as a contributing source for the decline in water quality. Read more.

Green Sea Turtle Discoveries

Annie Page-Karjian, DVM, Ph.D., and collaborators, conducted a study of 297 green sea turtle hatchlings health status collected from 32 nests in Juno Beach, Fla. Results show that hatchlings laid in July, which was warmer than June, had shorter incubation periods, higher body mass and more.

Behind-the-Scenes at FAU Harbor Branch

Video features behind-the-scenes tour of FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute for World Wide Corals, a coral aquaculture and saltwater aquarium company.

To view their visit, click here.

Deep Sea Treatment

Adolfo Artigas, a 2022 summer intern at the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, is conducting research to search for potential cancer treatments from new sources found in the ocean.

Share Your Research

With this photograph, Hunter Hines, Ph.D., formerly a graduate student at the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, placed second in the 2019 annual Art of Science photography contest, hosted by FAU’s Division of Research.

Read the story behind his winning photograph.

To submit to the 2022 Art of Science, click here.

In the News

Turning to the Experts

The Treasure Coast Newspapers recently talked to James Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, about toxic blue-green algae and pollution cleaning efforts.

Saving Oceans

The Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County recently featured the student accomplishments of the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's 'Keep the Sea Free of Debris' program, created to help educate the community and clean local water ways.

Community Engagement

Winners of the Ocean Science Art Contest Announced

Four artists were recently named winners of the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Ocean Science Art Contest.

Harnessing the Power of Marine Sponges

By Trisha Gokhale, 7th grade, Lake Mary

Category - K-8 Winner

Coral

By Alex Tyson, 12th grade, Port St. Lucie

Category - High School

Tubed System

Pjark Sander, 11th grade, Vero Beach

Category - People's Choice Award

In Awe

Linda Spencer, Vero Beach

Category - Adult

Dolphin of the Month: Meet Oreo

Oreo is an adult Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) sighted approximately 20 miles offshore of the Sebastian Inlet. Atlantic spotted dolphins are smaller than the bottlenose dolphins found in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL).

The FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Stranding and Population Assessment team conducts monthly photo-identification surveys of cetaceans in the IRL and Atlantic Ocean.

If you see a marine mammal in distress, call 888-404-3922.

Our Photo ID work is permitted under NOAA NMFS LOC #23069 and our stranding response is conducted under a Stranding Agreement with NMFS and FAU Harbor Branch under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Be a Dolphin Spotter

There have been more than 35 sightings since the launch of the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's Dolphin Spotter program in February. Currently, there are more than 90 new registered dolphin spotters.

If you see a dolphin from any shore in Florida, you can join the Dolphin-Spotter project and become a certified citizen scientist. Learn more.