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We are pleased to announce that the following projects were selected for funding in 2012-13 in a rigorous peer review process by a panel of out-of-state experts. All of these applied social and natural science projects address priority issues affecting Florida’s oceans and coasts and they are being done in collaboration with the private sector, local governments, or with resource management agencies.
Determining the Ecological and Epidemiological Consequences of Casitas in the Florida Spiny Lobster Fishery, Dr. Donald Behringer, University of Florida. This project will determine the effect of artificial structures (casitas) used for commercial fishing on the survival, condition and transmission of lethal virus among spiny lobsters. The research is being done in collaboration with lobster fishermen in the Florida Keys.
Spatial Ecological Modeling of the Gulf of Mexico Supporting an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, Dr. Cameron Ainsworth, University of South Florida and Dr. Michael Schirripa, NOAA Fisheries. This research project will develop and validate an ecosystem model for the Gulf of Mexico and conduct management strategy evaluations of existing Gulf fisheries policies. This is a collaborative research project with the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Piloting a Community-Based Social Marketing Program to Protect Marine Ecosystems from Boating Impacts, Dr. Denise DeLorme, University of Central Florida. This project will identify barriers and benefits of environmentally-responsible recreational boating and use the findings to develop, implement, and pilot test an innovative community-based social marketing program to better increase awareness of the importance of protecting marine systems from boating impacts, map the locations of ecologically sensitive zones, and increase responsible boating around those zones. This research is being done in collaboration with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.
A Spatial-Temporal Econometric Model to Estimate Costs and Benefits of Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Strategies, Dr. Zhong-Ren Peng, University of Florida. This project will develop an economic model to quantify the costs and benefits of different adaptation strategies to sea level rise, with Hillsborough County, Florida serving as the case study. This is a collaborative project with the Hillsborough County government.
Rural Coastal Adaption Planning for Sea Level Rise, Dr. Kathryn Frank, University of Florida. The aim of this project is to test a recently developed participatory planning model for integrated sea level rise adaptation in a rural pilot county (Levy County, FL) including its incorporated and unincorporated communities, and then develop a method to adapt the pilot model to other rural counties. This research is being done in partnership with the Levy County Planning Department and the Florida Department of Community Affairs.
An Integrated Climate Change Impact Assessment Tool for Flooding of the Lower St. Johns River, Dr. Dingbao Wang, University of Central Florida. This research will use an innovative modeling approach to assess climate change impacts on urban flooding in coastal areas of Florida. The research will produce a geospatial information tool that can be used by coastal resource managers for evaluating different adaptation strategies to climate change and floods. The research is being done in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District.
Development and Application of 21st Century Coastal Inundation Maps, Dr. Y. Peter Sheng, University of Florida. This research project will develop 21st century user-friendly coastal storm surge inundation maps to accurately quantify the coastal inundation hazard in Florida under present-day and future climate change / sea level rise scenarios. The research will be coordinated with a variety of stakeholders including FEMA, the Florida Department of Emergency Management and Broward County, FL.
