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October 2024

New Seal Discovery

The seals living in the freshwater of Alaska’s Lake Iliamna could be a unique endemic subspecies of harbor seal. This discovery was revealed in a recent study led by FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Understanding the behavior and ecology of this small, isolated population is critical, as interest in mineral exploration and development grows for the region surrounding Lake Iliamna.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center's estimated path for Hurricane Milton. Date accessed: Oct. 9, 2024 from www.irlon.org.

Hurricane Milton: Weather Readings from the IRLON Network

Hurricane Milton was a powerful storm that rapidly intensified over the Gulf of Mexico, becoming one of the most intense hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic basin. It made landfall on Oct. 9 near Siesta Key, Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds, causing severe storm surges, heavy rainfall and tornadoes throughout the state. The Indian River Lagoon Observatory Network of Environmental Sensors (IRLON) measured the impacts real-time during this extreme weather event, offering key insights into the lagoon's response and recovery.

Visit the latest "IRL Observations" post to learn the impacts to the Treasure Coast measured by IRLON.

'Queen of the Seas'

Megan Davis, Ph.D., research professor at FAU Harbor Branch and director of the Queen Conch Lab, is the scientific advisor for the Curacao Queen Conch Hatchery. The hatchery, housed at the Curacao Sea Aquarium, was initiated to help restore the island’s depleted queen conch population. The group recently released a documentary about its project and mission, which features Davis.

Watch.

Fin of the Month: Polka Dot (PDOT)

Meet “PDOT”, also known as Polka Dot, who was first identified by the FAU Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment team (MMSPA) in December 2020. Polka Dot was named for the ‘dot’ near the bottom of its dorsal fin. It is actually a pin hole from when PDOT was once tagged. The image on the right was submitted by a registered Dolphin Spotter whose land-based photo was successfully matched to the MMSPA team photo-identification catalog (NOAA NMFS LOC No. 23069-01). The Dolphin Spotter has seen PDOT multiple times by his home, including on Valentine’s Day in 2023 and 2024.

Can you spot the similarities in these photos? The team uses the unique markings on their dorsal fins to identify individual dolphins, much like how we use our fingerprints! These sightings help the MMSPA team better understand home ranges and habitat use of bottlenose dolphins throughout the Indian River Lagoon. Registered Spotters can view all 458 sightings on the WatchSpotter mobile app.

Becoming a Dolphin Spotter citizen scientist with FAU Harbor Branch is easy. Capture photos of dolphins while you're standing on the shore, then visit our website to get started.

The photo on the left was taken by the FAU HBOI MMSPA program (NOAA NMFS LOC No. 23069-01). All citizen scientist land-based photos have been submitted through the FAU Harbor Branch Dolphin Spotter project in accordance with the program’s guidelines and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If you see dolphins while out on the water, please remember to stay 50 yards away. If you see a marine mammal in distress, please call the FWC hotline (888) 404-3922.

Science in Seconds - Become a Dolphin Spotter Citizen Scientist

Watch

Outreach and Education

Junior Scientists Update

This year's Junior Scientist Fellows have been hard at work conducting research at the Indian River Land Trust's Coastal Oaks Preserve! As part of the Salt Marsh Restoration Site Plant Survey Project, one team is documenting the coverage of various plant species within a Brazilian pepper-dominated area, ahead of a peppertree removal initiative scheduled for May 2025. As an invasive species in Florida, the Brazilian peppertree forms a dense canopy that shades out native plants and produces allelopathic chemicals in the soil, preventing other plants from growing and displacing rare and endangered plants. The baseline data collected by these high school students plays key role in both understanding and conserving local natural areas for generations to come.

The Junior Scientist Fellowship Program is a partnership with Indian River Land Trust and the School District of Indian River County.

Aquaculture 2025 Student Travel Award

Applications are now being accepted for student travel awards to attend Aquaculture 2025 in New Orleans. Students whose aquaculture research has been accepted to be presented during the 6th annual U.S. Marine Finfish Aquaculture Session during the conference are invited to apply for an award. Applicants must be students, but are not required to attend Florida Atlantic.

Apply.

Scholarship Deadlines

WLW-ECOS Semester by the Sea Scholarship deadline for Spring 2025 is Nov. 15.
WLW-ECOS Student Success Scholarship deadline for Fall 2024 is Oct. 31. Spring 2025 deadline will be announced in late 2024.

Learn more.

Marine and Oceanographic Academy Update

Students at the Marine and Oceanographic Academy spent the beginning of the fall semester diving into hands-on scientific investigation. One lab experiment involved imploding empty soda cans and placing inflated balloons under a vacuum to understand the intricacies of pressure. During a marine animal physiology lab, they calculated the lung capacity of marine mammals. They also conducted field research, exploring the Indian River Lagoon via kayaks and estimating the size of a local mangrove periwinkle snail population using mark and recapture methods.

The Marine and Oceanographic Academy is a partnership with St. Lucie Public Schools.

Book Today

Featured Event

Indian River Lagoon Festival

Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Veterans Memorial Park, Fort Pierce

Learn More

In the Community

Florida Atlantic Harbor Branch's outreach team travels to events throughout Florida with hands-on marine science educational exhibits and activities. In addition, FAU Harbor Branch scientists share their expertise through public lectures and workshops.