Reefs

Invasive Species

Estuaries

Clean Marina

South Florida

Reefs
What are Coral Reefs — and Why are They in Peril?
NOAA Magazine, Dec. 3, 2001
As "rain forests of the sea," coral reefs provide humans with living resources and services worth many billions each year, a staggering amount for an ecosystem covering less than one percent of the Earth's surface.

Updates on the Southeast Florida Coral Initiative
Florida is the only state in the continental United States to have extensive shallow coral reef formations near its coasts. Learn what Florida is doing to improve the coordination of technical and financial support for the conservation and management of its coral reefs.

UF Researcher: Atlantic Corals Unique, Cannot Be Replaced If Lost
University of Florida News and Public Affairs, Feb. 25, 2004
Overturning decades of previous scientific thought, DNA analysis reveals that about one third of the corals in the Western Atlantic form a unique group only remotely related to Pacific corals, which makes the threats of pollution and global warming trends even more serious.

UF Research: Coral Reefs' Decline Actually Began Centuries Ago
University of Florida News and Public Affairs, Aug. 14, 2003
Global warming and pollution are among the modern-day threats commonly blamed for decline of coral reefs, but new research shows the downfall of those resplendent and diverse signatures of tropical oceans actually may have begun centuries ago.

The Socioeconomic Study of Reef Resources in SE Florida and the Florida Keys
December, 2001
This study determined, in a comprehensive manner, the net economic value of southeast Florida's natural and artificial reef resources to the local economies and the reef users.

Invasive Species
Zebra Mussels Eradicated in U.S. Quarry
Environmental News Network, May 12, 2006
An infestation of zebra mussels in a Virginia quarry has been eradicated, marking what biologists and environmental experts believe is the first successful extermination of the notoriously invasive species in open waters

Invasive mussel gains foothold on Florida’s east coast
University of Florida News and Public Affairs, April 21, 2005
Boaters and bathers along northeast Florida beaches are noticing a new and unwelcome addition — the invasive green mussel that already plagues the state’s Gulf coast where it’s killing native shellfish and covering manmade objects.

UCF Researchers Awarded $40K Grant to Study Effects of Brazilian Pepper Invasive on Mangroves
University of Central Florida CAS News April 2004
Researchers hope project results will help create a successional model that predicts future invasion patterns of Brazilian pepper on Florida mangroves and coastal ecosystems.

Green Mussel Invasion In Southwest Florida May Be Controlled By Commercial Harvesting
UF/IFAS News, January 18, 2002
Commercial harvesting may be the best way to control an invasion of green mussels that continues to spread rapidly along the state’s southwest coast from Tampa Bay to Charlotte harbor, said Patrick Baker, assistant professor with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Estuaries
Deep Trouble
Naples Daily News, September-October 2003
15-part series that explores various facets of the Gulf of Mexico's water quality and sustainability.

Coastal Waters: A Pattern of Distress
By Cynthia Barnett
Florida Trend Magazine, June 2003
The coastal waters off Florida’s economically vital beaches are declining in most categories. Scientists say a dramatic shift in strategies is needed to keep up with the problems.

Water Woes: Florida Tries Drinking from the Sea
Coastal Services Magazine, May-June 2003
What has kept communities from desalting seawater is the high cost and potential for environmental damage. A desalination plant has just gone online in Tampa Bay, but it will take years to determine if the plant's promises are true.


Clean Marina
Florida Raises Flag at 100th Clean Marina
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, June 7, 2005
DEP, together with the Clean Boating Partnership, have reached a milestone in water quality improvement and protection, recognizing Quail Valley River Club of Vero Beach as Florida's 100th Clean Marina.

Florida's Expanding Clean Marina Program Protects Water Quality
UF/IFAS News, July 19, 2004
Boaters and marinas are speaking up in favor of Florida's Clean Marina Program. Clean Marinas have taken steps to reduce water pollution from fuel, oil, waste and other products as part of their certification for the program and to comply with state environmental regulations.

The seal of approval: Clean Marina flag rewards marinas that promote clean water.
Impact Magazine, UF/IFAS, Summer, 2001
The Clean Marina program has changed how marina operators and the state's environmental agency work to prevent pollution.

UF experts assist statewide clean marina program
University of Florida News and Public Affairs, June 28, 2001
Florida boaters with an environmental conscience now can look for marinas with the equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, thanks to a new state program.

South Florida