A banner year for Marine Science at USF St. Petersburg

Carrie O’Brion

With its waterfront location and as home to the USF College of Marine Science, the USF St. Petersburg campus has long been envisioned as a hub for the study of oceanography and coastal resilience.

The campus is situated in the city’s Innovation District, which is home to the largest collection of marine science, oceanographic and environmental research agencies and organizations in the Southeast, including the regional headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Science Center; and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Insitute, among others.

The need for a center devoted to the study - and training the next generation - in ocean science and coastal resiliency is clear. While Florida has always been vulnerable to powerful hurricanes, the threat from climate change continues to grow. In 2023, Hurricane Idalia struck land more than 200 miles away but led to some of the worst flooding and beach erosion in Pinellas County’s recent history.

At the same time, there is widespread recognition that the area’s coastline is vital to its economic well-being. The 2023 Economic Valuation of Tampa Bay showed that one in every 10 jobs and billions of dollars in economic output is generated from a healthy coastal and estuary environment in Tampa Bay.

The USF St. Petersburg campus continued to build on its reputation as a hub for the study of marine science over the past year. From receiving state funding to create a new state-of-the-art research and teaching facility to adding a technologically advanced new ship to the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s fleet, USF St. Petersburg is increasingly becoming a hotbed for those interested in the world’s oceans and their impact on the environment.

“There’s incredible energy and momentum in the field of ocean science here in St. Petersburg,” said Christian Hardigree, regional chancellor of USF St. Petersburg. “Our goal is to become the global destination for faculty, staff and students who are driven to find solutions to the challenges posed by sea level rise, a growing population and sustainably managing our coastal resources.”

Envisioning A New Center Of Excellence

Perhaps the most significant development was the allocation of $24.3 million by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis for the first phase of planning and construction of the Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences (EOS) Research and Teaching Facility.

The state-of-the-art building will house research and instructional space for both graduate and undergraduate students. It will serve as a focal point for the envisioned center of excellence that will address the need to prepare for, and respond to, natural hazards such as sea level rise, high-tide flooding and extreme rainfall events.

“The new center of excellence will lead to a wealth of new jobs in a variety of industries,” said USF President Rhea Law. “It will also enhance St. Petersburg as a world-class center of marine and environmental science, education and community engagement.”

In addition, the building will house the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation. Based at the USF College of Marine Science, the Flood Hub is Florida’s center for flood data and supports statewide efforts to protect people, businesses, natural resources and coastal infrastructure.

Following the government’s allocation, Law created a committee to lead the project. It is headed by Prasant Mohapatra, USF’s provost, and Carole Post, vice president of facilities and public safety. Other members include Hardigree; Thomas Frazer, dean of the College of Marine Science; and former House Speaker Chris Sprowls, who championed the project in the legislature.

The committee met several times throughout the year and established a timeline for the future development of the center of excellence. They expect to start soliciting bids from architectural design and construction firms at the start of 2024.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $80 million. USF is asking the Florida Legislature for $35 million during the 2024 session, for a total of $60 million in state funding. The remainder will come from private investment and philanthropy.

Welcoming The Western Flyer

On a steamy morning in early July, a group of university leaders, military and government officials, and community partners gathered for a waterfront celebration to welcome the newest vessel to the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s fleet.

The ship, a 117-foot twin-hulled vessel called the Western Flyer, was granted to the University of South Florida by the Monterey Bay Research Institute. It is the largest and most technologically advanced vessel in the FIO fleet. FIO is hosted by USF and supports all institutions in the State University System.

Capable of longer missions due to its bigger size and expanded number of berths or sleeping quarters, the Western Flyer will allow more interdisciplinary expeditions, including at-sea development opportunities for research, engineering, maritime trades and other STEM careers.

“Our rapidly changing oceans require diverse perspectives, innovative technologies and approaches, and science-based decision-making,” FIO Director Monty Graham said. “We are excited to create the programming we need so that the Western Flyer, with all of its high-tech functionality, becomes not only a dynamic platform for the research itself but one through which we can advance the ocean science workforce.”

It’s not until I was able to go out to sea and watch data acquisition happening in real time that the principles I learned in the classroom came to life and the pieces started to click. -Catalina Rubiano

Among the vessel’s most distinctive features is a moon pool, an opening in the hull that allows scientists to deploy equipment directly into the water. The Western Flyer will also have a sophisticated remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which will be used to livestream video, data and shipboard activities using remote science technologies, with the goal of allowing people on land and on board the vessel to cooperatively conduct research in real time.

The FIO team plans to use the vessel for workforce development, creating a new model for ocean science education that leverages the power of sustained mentoring and cohort-based programming, networking opportunities and remote science technologies.

A yearlong program, called Peerside, launched over the summer with a select group of postsecondary students who explored careers in ocean science, developed beneficial industry connections and conducted ship-to-shore research. Funding for this new at-sea ocean STEM program is supported by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and Schmidt Family Foundation.

Catalina Rubiano, a recent graduate of the master’s program at the College of Marine Science and a Peerside mentor, said the program is valuable to aspiring marine scientists because it gives them role models and provides opportunities to conduct at-sea research, which is expensive and rare.

“It’s not until I was able to go out to sea and watch data acquisition happening in real time that the principles I learned in the classroom came to life and the pieces started to click,” Rubiano said. “By experiencing the challenges involved with oceanographic research firsthand, you ultimately gain a more complete understanding of the data that you’re collecting.”

Tom Frazer, dean of the USF College of Marine Science, said the arrival of the Western Flyer was timed perfectly to continue momentum of the university’s strategic emphasis on ocean science.

“FIO’s new capabilities enhance our ability to further develop a center of excellence that builds upon our college’s history of success and celebrates a cross-disciplinary approach to addressing the challenges of coastal resiliency and sustainability while advancing economic vitality in St. Petersburg and Florida more broadly,” Frazer said.

Responding To A Coral Emergency

While USF and FIO continued building infrastructure to elevate marine science, its scientists were working together to respond to a massive coral bleaching emergency.

When an unprecedented ocean heat wave sent temperatures soaring in South Florida over the summer, scientists from USF and FIO’s Keys Marine Laboratory (KML) sprang into action to save corals, which are more likely to become stressed and experience die-offs when water temperatures climb too high.

KML would end up housing more than 5,000 coral specimens that were harvested from offshore nurseries and parent colonies by partner organizations. With 60 tanks ranging from 40 to 1,000 gallons, the lab contains one of the largest temperature-controlled seawater systems in the Florida Keys.

In November, water temperatures finally cooled to normal levels to allow for the safe relocation of corals housed in the on-land seawater systems at KML. The health of these coral specimens was assessed and cleared for return by coral health veterinarians.

“Increased ocean temperatures pose a serious threat to coral reefs not only in Florida, but around the world,” Frazer said. “The work being done at the Keys Marine Laboratory will help to ensure that we have a viable population of corals to sustain longer-term restoration efforts.”

The work being done at the Keys Marine Laboratory will help to ensure that we have a viable population of corals to sustain longer-term restoration efforts. -Tom Frazer

Coral reefs are vital ecosystems that serve as critical habitat for numerous marine life, from fish and crabs to turtles and sharks. They also act as a first line of defense from storms, buffering coasts from wave action that can result in erosion and exacerbate flooding.

Partner scientists and environmentalists praised the rescue effort for protecting thousands of corals, including several endangered and rare species, during one of the worst bleaching events in history.

“Thanks to KML’s infrastructure, generosity and dynamic responsiveness, we were able to rescue highly stressed corals, pulling 10 percent of our coral stock onto land and out of immediate danger,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, reef restoration program manager for the Coral Restoration Foundation. “This ensured that even in a worst-case scenario, we will have corals to restart our restoration efforts. Saving our reefs is a community effort, and this was never more apparent than this summer when our network pulled together during one of the most extreme environmental challenges many of us have ever faced.”