HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

PARADISE LOST, PARADIGM FOUND: THE DECLINE OF FLORIDA KEYS REEFS

The Florida Keys' coral reefs, which form the third largest barrier reef in the world and are of vital economic and ecological importance to the region, have experienced a catastrophic decline in health in recent years with 90% of coral cover lost since the 1980s in some areas. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, for the next event in the Harbor Branch Ocean Science Lecture Series, Brian Lapointe will discuss his 20+ years of research in the Florida Keys documenting this decline, potential causes, and ideas about how the situation could be improved. Lapointe, a marine ecologist, has focused his research in the region on the impacts of nutrient pollution from such sources as septic systems in the Keys and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff from the Everglades. His talk will focus on water quality and reef data from two decades of studies at the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, south of Big Pine Key. This is the longest nutrient database for a coral reef anywhere in the world and as such offers unique insights into the problems facing not only Florida reefs, but reefs around the globe. Lapointe will explain why he believes his research shows that nutrient pollution has fueled the overgrowth of reefs by harmful seaweed, among other problems, and that this pollution must be curbed or eliminated to save what remains of the Florida Keys reefs.

Speaker Background

Dr. Brian Lapointe was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and, at age 9, moved to West Palm Beach where he graduated from Palm Beach High School. His early experiences diving on South Florida's coral reefs inspired him to pursue a career in marine science, which led him to Boston University for B.A. degree in Biology. He worked as a Research Assistant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution between 1973 and 1977, when he first came to Harbor Branch to help design and construct the institution's original aquaculture project. He then earned his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. from the University of South Florida, both while working for Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, Georgia. He became a Harbor Branch employee in 1983 and directs the Marine Nutrient Dynamics program in the Division of Marine Science.

Lapointe's early work in the 1980's was based out of his laboratory on Big Pine Key and focused on the ecology of pelagic Sargassum, the floating brown seaweed for which the Sargasso Sea was named. He was chief scientist on numerous research expeditions in the western North Atlantic and Caribbean region, which provided opportunities and challenges for research in coral reef ecology. An emphasis of Lapointe's work has been the role of nutrient pollution in degrading tropical and subtropical coral reef and seagrass ecosystems around the Caribbean. He is a Fellow of The Explorers Club and considers himself fortunate to be able to help solve practical environmental problems and protect coral reefs and their biodiversity for generations to come.

Details

Lapointe's talk, "Paradise Lost, Paradigm Found: Long Term Monitoring of Water Quality and Coral Reef Communities in the Florida Keys," will be held in the auditorium of the Johnson Education Center on the Harbor Branch Campus, 5600 US 1 North, Ft. Pierce, Fla. at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8. All talks in the Ocean Science Lecture Series are free to the public and followed by a free reception. A cash bar is available before and after the 7:00 p.m. talk. Please direct press inquiries to Mark Schrope at 772-216-0390 or schrope@hboi.edu. General questions about the series should be directed to the Marine Education Office at 772-465-2400 ext. 506 or education@hboi.edu.

2006 HARBOR BRANCH OCEAN SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES SCHEDULE

February 1 - Ned Smith - The Forbidden Zone and the Treasure Coast: Contrasting Florida's Gulf and Atlantic Coasts

February 8 - Brian Lapointe - Paradise Lost, Paradigm Found: Long Term Monitoring of Water Quality and Coral Reef Communities in the Florida Keys

February 15 - Clay Cook - Coral Bleaching and Global Warming: The Verdict Is In

February 22 - Amy Wright - Natural Products Investigators: Finding and Understanding A Killer

March 1 - Greg Bossart - The Indian River Lagoon Health Assessment Program from 2003-2005: So What's Ailing Flipper?

March 8 - John Scarpa - The Sensible Sea Squirt

March 15 - Tammy Frank - Vision in the Deep Sea: A Crab's Eye View

March 22 - Tracey Sutton - Deep-sea Denizens of the Mid Atlantic Ridge

March 29 - Peter McCarthy - An Ocean of Microbes: Microbial Influences on Planetary and Human Health

HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution was founded in Ft. Pierce, Fla., in 1971 to support the exploration and conservation of the world's oceans. The institution has held to this mission and grown into one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions with a 500-acre campus, over 200 personnel, and a fleet of sophisticated research ships and submersibles.