Ecological Health of Charlotte Harbor

Initially a 5-year program of study honoring the memory of William R. Mote, this effort involves most research programs of the Laboratory, a number of adjunct scientists and collaborators from government agencies and universities, and student interns. The program's core funding is provided by Mote Scientific Foundation, with extra-mural funding from numerous sources. The primary scientific aim of the program is to understand the ecological health of the Harbor, with special emphasis placed on the roles of freshwater inflow, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms and intermediate disturbances of natural origin. Although many study elements are zoological, including special studies of larger fauna and apex predators, other studies are being made of water quality, estuarine optics and acoustics, phytoplankton and seagrasses, and benthic invertebrates. Contaminants are under study in sediments and tissues, with a special interest in the effects of contaminants on elasmobranch reproduction. Genetic, molecular and immune function studies are being conducted for selected species. Technological approaches include several acoustic applications, remote harmful algal blooms sensing and trophic modeling in GIS environments. A field station and dedicated research fleet are available for investigators.