The Institute of Water and Environment (InWE) is a preeminent program within the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. InWE houses the Sea Level Solutions Center (SLSC), Southeast Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the Center for Coastal Oceans Research (CCOR).
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Seven Institute Researchers Honored at CASE Awards Ceremony 2018
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Nominated by their fellow colleagues, our dedicated faculty members were recognized at the annual CASE Awards ceremony. The winners were acknowledged for their exceptional work in research, teaching, service and engagement.
Find out more about the awards, here.
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Institute of Water and Environment Recipients:
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Teaching Award: Assefa Melesse, Research Award: Elizabeth Anderson, Research Award: Kevin Boswell
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Research Award: Sparkle Malone, Service Award: Jim Fourqurean, Service Award: Joel Trexler
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Engagement Award: Jennifer Rehage
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Citizen scientists band together to measure urban flooding in Miami
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More than 100 FIU students and faculty, government officials and concerned citizens gathered on October 27 for FIU’s 3rdannual Sea Level Solutions Day to document climate change impacts in South Florida. Dr. Tiffany Troxler, Director of Science for the Sea Level Solutions Center within the Institute of Water and Environment, has led the annual citizen science project, in collaboration with several partners during the highest high tides, known as the “King Tides,” to document flooding. This year citizen scientists met at the Miami Rowing Club in Key Biscayne, where students, professors, Miami-Dade citizens, and county officials worked alongside FIU researchers to learn about sea level rise.
Starting at 8:30 am, Troxler along with City of Miami's Chief Resiliency Officer, Jane Gilbert spoke on how this event is an opportunity for citizens to get hands-on experience in measuring and collecting water, as well as learning about the responses and adaptation challenges of sea level rise while educating and training the next generation.
Read the full CASE News article, here.
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Everglades needs more freshwater to combat peat soil collapse
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More saltwater in the Everglades could make climate change worse, a new FIU study found.
Some parts of the Everglades can release up to three times the amount of carbon dioxide when salinity levels are high and water levels are low, according to FIU scientists. Peat soil in the Florida Everglades can trap harmful carbon dioxide when water levels are high. But intruding saltwater could cause peat soil to break down and release large amounts of carbon.
“We were surprised to see a large amount of carbon loss when only a modest amount of saltwater intruded the dry marsh. We didn’t see the same result when the same modest amount of saltwater intruded the wet marsh,” said Ben Wilson, author of the study, who conducted the research as a biology Ph.D. student at FIU.
Read the full FIU News article, here.
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NOVEMBER PUBLICATIONS AND FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS
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PUBLICATIONS
- Danielle E. Ogurcak and René M. Price. (2018). Groundwater geochemistry fluctuations along a fresh-saltwater gradient on the carbonate islands of the lower Florida Keys. Chemical Geology. See full publication.
- Shahin Vassigh, Debra Davis, Amir H. Behzadan, Ali Mostafavi, Khandakar Rashid, Hadi Alhaffar, Albert Elias and Giovanna Gallardo. (2018). Teaching Building Sciences in Immersive Environments: A Prototype Design, Implementation, and Assessment. International Journal of Construction Education and Research. See full publication.
FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS
- Dr. Matthew Shirley has received a new grant from the Chicago Zoological Society to study the ecological and ethnological basis for pangolin management in and around the Tanoe Swamp Forest in Cote d'Ivoire.
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Report calls for more science to negate CO2 emissions
Technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the air must play a major role in mitigating climate change, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
According to the report, some technologies can be deployed today, but more is needed. Tiffany Troxler, director of science for FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center, is one of 17 scientists from across the country who served on the National Academies committee that developed the report. She led the subcommittee on blue carbon, which is the conservation of marine ecosystems to aid in carbon sequestration.
“All options should be considered to achieve negative emissions to avert the most significant projected impacts of climate change and enable the greatest numbers of options to adapt to and manage climate change impacts,” Troxler said.
Read the full FIU News article, here.
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Tax to slow down greenhouse gas emissions gains support
As part of an op-ed series, FIU News shares the expertise and diverse perspectives of members of the university community. In this piece, Mahadev Bhat, researcher in FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center, offers his perspective on the need for collaboration to combat sea level rise. This piece first appeared in The Invading Sea, a collaboration of South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and WLRN Public Media. The opinions expressed in the piece are is his own.
A carbon tax and emission restrictions could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. While the concept has struggled to gain traction in the United States, attitudes are changing.
Yale economist William Nordhaus, co-winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in economics, proposed taxing industries on their carbon emissions in the 1970s. Today, more than 30 countries have passed carbon-pricing laws, according to The New York Times.
Could the U.S. join their ranks? A survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication revealed 67 percent of Americans support making fossil fuel companies pay a carbon tax. More policy makers and energy company representatives also support a carbon tax to slow down greenhouse gas emissions.
Read the full FIU News article, here.
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Miami's King Tide makes little splash this time, thanks in part to better flooding
"The highest tides this year were predicted to be around a foot above sea level, according to NOAA calculations at the Virginia Key station, and they were recorded at 1.5 feet. Last year, NOAA predicted tides around .8 feet above sea level and measured the highest tide at 2.3 feet.
So why was this year’s tide so much lighter?
For one, last year’s high tides were coupled with rain, which had no place to drain in the already soggy ground.
Michael Sukop, a professor with Florida International University’s Department of Earth and Environment, also noted the Florida current, the stream that carries Atlantic Ocean water north past the east coast of Florida, was moving much more slowly this time last year. A slower current has less of a gravitational pull on the water within it, allowing more to slosh onto shore..."
Read the full Miami Herald article, here.
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FCE LTER joins the LTER All Scientists' meeting
Every three years, the NSF LTER Network gathers at the All Scientists’ Meeting as an opportunity to share insights, learn about research and education activities, and develop new collaborations. This year, FIU scientist from the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program within the Southeast Environmental Research Center joined the meeting for four days of science, outreach, and sharing progress and ideas at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. With this years theme, Next Generation Synthesis: Successes and Strategies, participants were encouraged to discuss and analyze their research data to create a general understanding and develop innovative solutions to pressing ecological problems.
Read the full CASE News article, here.
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Monitoring buoy deployed to test water quality near Haulover inlet
Scientists have deployed a research buoy near FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus to monitor conditions in light of the recent red tide outbreak in Miami-Dade County.
The buoy is armed with sensors that gauge overall water quality and could serve as an early alert if conditions deteriorate, said Bradley Schonhoff, program manager for FIU’s Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment in the Institute of Water and Environment. The center is a National Science Foundation Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology.
The buoy measures temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, depth, chlorophyll and other conditions in five-minute increments. The data collected is updated online every 15 minutes and available to the public.
“The buoy can give us a measurement every five minutes so that real time data gives you a much broader context of trends,” Schonhoff said.
Read the full FIU News article, here.
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How do episodic disturbances affect Everglades Everglades water quality?
Floridians are no strangers to disturbances like hurricanes and heavy rainfall— in fact, we consider ourselves seasoned professionals in the matter. What we lack, however, is an understanding of how these episodic disturbances, and others like them, affect our invaluable Everglades ecosystem. Fortunately, FIU’s Florida Coastal Everglades LTER (FCE LTER) scientists are on it.
A recent synthesis paper written as a collaboration including several FCE LTER scientists and led by FCE Project Collaborator Dr. Stephen Davis, offers a deeper understanding of how episodic disturbances such as hurricanes, fire, and marsh dry-down affect the water quality of Everglades National Park (ENP).
Read the full CASE News article, here.
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Hurricane Michael may have disrupted
Florida's Red Tide
"For the last year, Florida has been plagued with red tide, a hazardous algae bloom that kills sea life and turns typically crystal-blue water brown and smelly.
But after Hurricane Michael tore through the Gulf Coast, large portions of the state may be getting a break from the algae, which had caused droves of fish, birds, dolphin and more to wash up dead on Florida's shores...
"It's like the ocean water in the hurricane is going thorough one big blender and gets spread over a larger area," Frankovich said.
Frankovich said the hurricane also creates turbidity in the water, which means the amount of light that penetrates the water decreases, and some of the colder lower-level ocean water is also brought to the surface. Both factors make it harder for red tide to survive..."
Read the full NBC News article, here.
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Live every week like it's Shark Week
Global Fin Print’s Dr. Demian Chapman, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and researcher in the Center for Coastal Oceans Research, shared his thoughts on how the United States and the Bahamas are setting new world standards for shark conservation.
Chapman states that shark populations benefit the coastal communities that live beside them. Research shows that there is evidence that if sharks weren’t there some animals they eat would increase in number or change their behavior, with those effects rippling throughout the food chain. Sharks also help the environment by just going number two. By excreting feces, they enrich coral reefs and possibly other habitats with vital nutrients.
Along with the U.S., the Bahamas have been protecting their dive sites by prohibiting the types of fishing gear used by commercial fishermen to catch sharks in large quantities. In 2011, the government formalized full protection for all sharks, and today the Bahamas remain a top destination for tourists interested is seeing healthy shark populations.
Read the full CASE News article, here.
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EVENTS
Sand: Amphitheater, Theater, & Arena
Where: Collins Park, Miami Florida
When: September 28th - November 11, 2018
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OPPORTUNITIES
The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) is searching for an Education Specialist. This role will assist with activities associated with, but not limited to, the development and delivery of educational and interpretive programs at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Environmental Learning Center (ELC) in Naples, Florida.
Deadline is November 5, 2018. Search job ID 516109 at careers.fiu.edu.
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Mixtape Mondays @ FIU Frost Museum
Where: FIU Frost Art Museum
When: November 5, 2018
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The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) is searching for a System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) Technician who will be an essential part of the water quality and field research programs. The SWMP Technician will be responsible for assisting with water quality, groundwater level, and meteorological monitoring within the RBNERR boundaries. Activities will be closely coordinated with the RBNERR, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other partners, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Reserve, Florida Department of Environment Protection (DEP), and NOAA.
Deadline is November 9, 2018. Click here for more information.
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The Role of NGOs and the Public Sector in Implementing Wetland Restoration Projects: Trends, Lessons Learned, and Best Practices
Where: Stetson Law's Gulfport, Florida Campus
When: November 8, 2018
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The Center for Coastal Oceans Research (CCOR) is searching for an Education and Outreach Coordinator to develop and implement educational and outreach programs for the Center. The successful candidate will continue and improve on FIU's efforts to provide exciting, marine science-oriented educational programs for k-12 students in Monroe County and elsewhere, classes for non-degree-seeking students, and outreach programs to the Keys community.
Deadline is November 13, 2018. Search job ID 516115 at careers.fiu.edu.
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PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Help us develop proposed projects to protect Miami-Dade from storm surge
Where: Miami Rowing Club
When: November 8, 2018 (1PM - 5PM)
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The Center for Coastal Oceans Research (CCOR) is searching for an Administrative Assistant to assist the Director with the day to day operations for Center, including but not limited to: budgeting, commitment control, purchasing, travel authorizations and payroll matters. S/he will also assist the Director in the planning, development and implementation of proposals and manage web and social media pages for CCOR.
Deadline is November 13, 2018. Search job ID 516118 at careers.fiu.edu.
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Audobon Amassador Program 2018
Where: Tropical Audubon Society Headquarters - Miami
When: Saturdays, until November 17, 2018
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The FIU Sea Level Solutions Center is a searching for a PostDoc in Coastal Ecosystem Ecology and Landscape Change to conduct research in the Florida Everglades, beginning immediately. The candidate will: 1) support field and outdoor laboratory experiments to test effects of salinity and inundation on coastal peat marshes, 2) apply integrative field and experimental data to apply a mechanistic soil carbon dynamics model to represent responses to changes in salinity and hydrology and 3) collaborate with agency and academic scientists to apply an existing probabilistic model for coastal vegetation change at the landscape scale.
Deadline is November 14, 2018. Click here for more information.
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Foundations and Frontiers in Mangrove Ecology
Where: Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
When: November 14 - November 16, 2018
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The McNair Scholars Program is a Federal TRiO program designed to prepare students from low income, first-generation, and traditionally under-represented groups for doctoral studies. McNair Scholars participate in courses, seminars, and workshops on topics related to graduate school preparation, complete a paid research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and have the opportunity to present their research at local, regional, or national conferences.
Deadline is November 30, 2018. Click here for more information.
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The Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University is searching for an Assistant Professor with expertise in sustainable urban systems committed to transdisciplinary research on the systematic ecological sustainability of urbanization and urban governance, with particular emphasis on the theme of environmental urbanism.
Deadline is December 10, 2018. Click here for more information.
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The NSF-funded CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment (CAChE) has a number of graduate student fellowships available in multiple departments, including Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Environment, and Public Health. In addition, we have one graduate fellowship available to work with the STEM Transformation Institute on the Education and Training components of the Center.
Deadline is ongoing. Click here for more information.
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