Florida University Uses SeaKeeper 1000 System in Relation to Coral Reef Ecosystem Study

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FLORIDA UNIVERSITY USES SEAKEEPER 1000™ SYSTEM IN RELATION TO CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM STUDY

Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center is using a SeaKeeper 1000™ in a study to measure the exchange of water and nutrients (pollutants) through Port Everglades, using the Port Everglades Ship Channel Observatory, and to relate this exchange to its direct impact on the Southeast Coral Reef Ecosystem.

The Southeast Coral Reef Ecosystem is the point of interaction between the waters of the southern Everglades and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The motivation for NSU’s project, led by Dr. Alex Soloviev, stems from the idea that the “exchange of water and its constituents between Port Everglades and adjacent coastal waters is key to understanding the interconnectedness of South Florida’s unique ecosystems.” Their hypothesis is that Port Everglades is a “significant point of exchange of water and nutrients for the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) region.” The SEFCRI is a strategy for joint action among government and non-governmental partners to identify - and implement - measures needed to reduce key threats to coral reef resources in southeast Florida.

As Port Everglades is potentially a significant source of pollutants to the coastal ocean in Southeast Florida, the goal of this one year pilot study is to provide a data set of 1) the volume of water moving and 2) the nutrient deposits taking place. Valuable information is gathered using data from the SeaKeeper 1000, in addition to other methods. Funding for the SeaKeepers system was provided by the efforts of SeaKeepers Professionals This project represents a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is funding the project, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, the International SeaKeepers Society, and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to begin to investigate the possible pollutant loading characteristics of Port Everglades.

For more information on this collaborative project, and to see SeaKeepers’ data real-time, please visit WWW.NOVA.EDU/OCEAN/PESCO

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