UF-CSS, SCCF announce strategic collaboration
Recognizing the importance of water quality as a component of South Florida’s current and future economy and quality of life, the University of Florida’s new Center for Coastal Solutions and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation have entered into a collaboration to address coastal water quality hazards in order to strengthen the resiliency and sustainability of Southwest Florida’s coastal area.
Formalized in 2002, SCCF’s Marine Laboratory conducts long- and short-term research in the waters and watersheds of the Charlotte Harbor, Caloosahatchee and Gulf of Mexico, officials reported. It is an active member in the National Association of Marine Laboratories and Organization of Biological Field Stations. The lab is also a data provider to the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System.
The lab’s research uses an instrument array composed of eight near real-time sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee Estuary and Pine Island Sound. Known as RECON, which stands for River Estuary Coastal Observing Network, its set of sensors captures data that allows scientists and water managers to better study water quality issues and identify solutions. RECON’s data-collection capabilities, paired with UF’s data analytics capacity, are a perfect fit for the partnership.
“Nowhere else in the state is such high-resolution, high-quality, real-time data on coastal water quality available,” Christine Angelini, associate professor in UF’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment and director of the Center for Coastal Solutions (UF-CCS), said.
Leading a new multi-sector flagship initiative, the UF-CCS has formed a Comprehensive Coastal Observing Network (CompCON) in coordination with the SCCF to monitor, model and immediately deliver data products for informing decisions related to addressing coastal hazards.
“Collaborating with UF-CSS is a great opportunity for us to increase the awareness and value of RECON and the water quality research our marine lab is doing” SCCF Chief Executive Officer Ryan Orgera said. “Our entire region’s coastal ecosystems will benefit from our pilot participation in CompCON by advancing ways in which science can inform critical policy, which will serve our tourism-based economy and boost the quality of life for our residents and visitors.”
This summer, SCCF’s RECON will serve as the backbone for the UF-CCS pilot project that will put the Southwest Florida regional estuary in the forefront of research into advanced monitoring of the health of coastal waters, lands and air.
“Our team looked into estuaries across Florida to serve as test beds to pilot our Comprehensive Coastal Observing Network and very soon honed into the Caloosahatchee River-Charlotte Harbor Estuary system because of the unique technical capabilities offered by RECON, as well as the expertise available through a community of partners working tirelessly to improve water quality and ecosystem health in the region,” Angelini said.
During the pilot phase, CompCON will be focused on water quality challenges in the Charlotte Harbor that are impacting the economy and coastal environment of Southwest Florida.
“Ultimately, CompCON seeks to envision, build and continually advance the coastal monitoring and modeling systems of the future, technologies that will deliver information to decision makers, stakeholders and the public with the spatial resolution, speed and level of certainty required to achieve proactive solutions to addressing water quality and other hazards along the coast,” she said.