NSF Award
1418890
Mote Marine Laboratory, an independent non-profit institution celebrating nearly 60 years of innovation in diverse areas of marine research and science education, has been awarded an NSF grant to enhance the ocean acidification research infrastructure at Mote's Tropical Research Lab (TRL) in the Florida Keys. <br/>Ocean acidification - the lowering of ocean pH when carbon dioxide dissolves into the sea - is a water chemistry change that is often called the "osteoporosis of the sea" because it weakens and even dissolves calcium carbonate structures such as coral skeletons and mollusk shells, and it may affect a wide swath of other marine animals and ecosystems. Therefore, ocean acidification, caused by increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, is perhaps the greatest risk to coral reefs in the 21st century.<br/>Ocean acidification impacts on coral reefs is of great concern in Florida, which hosts the third largest coral reef on the planet and the only bank barrier reef system in the continental U.S. More than 65 percent of Florida's coral reef tract lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Coral reefs are believed to support as much as 40 percent of all the marine life on the planet. Yet, over recent decades, we've witnessed losses of more than 90 percent of our indigenous coral coverage with some species losing more than 97 percent of their populations. This is especially troubling since healthy coral reefs serve as an important economic engine in Florida by: attracting 16 million visitors annually; supporting more than 71,000 local jobs; bringing $6.3 billion to Florida's economy; and protecting the state's coastline from tropical storm and hurricane impacts. Mote is serving in an increasingly important role in the study of ocean acidification not just by Mote researchers and established scientists from across the U.S. and around the world, but also by students and the next generation of ocean researchers. Over the past 10 years, 50 scientists have conducted NSF-funded research at Mote TRL. Educational groups utilize Mote TRL approximately 75 days a year with approximately 1,020 student-use days per year. Work done through Mote TRL over the last five years has resulted in the publication of more than 83 research articles and presentations at numerous national and international meetings. This NSF grant award will allow Mote TRL to grow into a truly national and international center for ocean acidification research and education related to coral reef ecosystems. <br/>Mote's TRL campus is located in the lower Florida Keys and is the southernmost marine laboratory in the continental U.S. This field station provides direct access to a variety of marine systems including Florida Bay, sea grass, hard-bottom and mangrove habitats. Most important, it is situated with direct access to Florida's reef tract and provides an important base of operations for many research and restoration projects focused on coral reefs.<br/><br/>With this NSF grant, Mote is committed to maintaining operations of this dedicated ocean acidification laboratory as a national and international center for ocean acidification research related to coral reef ecosystems. Scientific evidence generated at this facility will help provide increasingly accurate data for modeling forecasts of potential climate-driven trends in ocean acidification and its effect on coral growth and health, and in turn, more effectively guide policy decisions on how financial resources should be directed to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems for long- term conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable use of a major economic engine for Florida and the U.S. For more information about the labs please visit (http://www.mote.org and http://isurus.mote.org/Keys/).
