Director's Note

The power of positive stories

(Photo credit: Brianne Lehan)

Stories about nature, especially hopeful ones, are rare in the news. Yet there is power in spreading positive messages and sharing what works. In last month’s edition of Coastal Edges, we shared a story about a groundbreaking study published in Nature that revealed how the return of sea otters to California’s Elkhorn Slough, an estuary near Monterey in Central California, has slowed erosion of the salt marsh by a whopping 69%.    

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New project to bolster St. Augustine marsh against sea level rise and erosion

(Photo credit: Orlando Cordero)

In February, the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) and WSP Environment & Infrastructure Inc. launched a coastal wetland restoration project in St. Augustine using thin-layer placement (TLP) to bolster wetlands’ ability to keep pace with sea level rise and erosion. This approach, which is relatively new to the southeastern United States, involves the application of dredged sediment onto wetlands to increase their size and elevation, which can boost their ability to protect shorelines from storm surge, keep up with sea level rise, store carbon and provide habitat for wildlife. 

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In the Field

Researchers reveal astronomic link to water quality challenges

(Photo credit: Jeff Spence)

The sun and moon can play a role in water quality challenges, new research shows. Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Ph.D., CCS affiliate faculty and professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, is studying how interactions among winds, tides and river discharges affect the Peace River’s water quality. His team has found that solar and lunar cycles, spanning from one month to several decades, influence these interactions, and ultimately the movement of water, the salt in the water and the nutrients.  

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Tech Dive

Tool saves counties time and money in setting land conservation priorities

(Photo credit: Karl Callwood)

If population growth and land use in Florida continues at its current rate, more than a third of the state’s land could be developed by 2070, potentially doubling the demand for fresh water. A new data analytics tool developed through a partnership by researchers at the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) and the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning (CLCP) can save Florida counties time and money by helping them make strategic decisions about land conservation projects that deliver the greatest environmental benefits including improved water quality.  

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SeaSquad

CCS' new board chair: We look forward to CCS being the go-to center for actionable solutions

(Photo credit: Samantha Jones)

Retired engineering executive Bob Bailey is stepping into the role of chair of the CCS advisory board to help guide the center into its next chapter as a research and technology innovator. Bob, who joined the board in 2021, has played a key role in identifying funding opportunities for the center to advance coastal research and deliver actionable solutions for building coastal resilience in Florida coastal areas.

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Events

Student's beach preservation research recognized at statewide conference

(Photo credit: Jackie Larson)

Teagan Frazier, an undergraduate student in the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, captured third place in a poster competition for her research on how to enhance the growth of dune grasses for greater coastal protection from extreme weather events at the National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, which took place February 7 to 9 in St. Augustine, Florida.   

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More research news

Foredune-forming grass and plant diversity show contrasting responses along the southeastern United States coast after hurricane disturbances

Divergent responses of the coral holobiont to deoxygenation and prior environmental stress



Initial observations of the impacts of infauna on portable free fall penetrometer measurements in sandy parts of Mobile Bay