IRLO Director:

Project Team:
IRLON Manager Kristen Davis:
IRLON Field Coordinator: Chris Hoey;
Water Quality Analyst: Haley McQueen;
Data Analyst: Bryan Botson;
Water Quality Technicians: Scott Hurley, Ron Cloutier;
Biological Scientists: David Heuberger and Patrick Monaghan;
Lab Assistant: Emily Rutkowski

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a unique, highly diverse, shallow-water estuary of national significance, stretching along 156 miles, or 40 percent of Florida’s east coast. The IRL’s economic value to Florida is estimated to be nearly $8 billion per year. Urbanization, excessive freshwater releases, degradation of water quality, contaminant loading, loss of habitat (e.g., seagrasses, mangroves), harmful algal blooms, decline of fisheries, and emerging diseases in marine mammals and other biota are increasingly important issues in the IRL, as they are throughout the world’s estuaries and coastal waters.

The Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO), based at Â鶹ŮÀÉ Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce, Florida, is investigating the IRL’s plants, animals, and environment, and how natural and human-induced stressors impact them.Ìý The goal of IRLO is to acquire and disseminate data and knowledge on the IRL critical to its ecological function and its sustainable management.

A primary goal of IRLO is to work collaboratively with the agencies and neighboring science organizations working in the Indian River Lagoon. While collaboration has always been an integral part of research, the need for collaboration is rapidly accelerating as the magnitude and complexity of environmental issues grow. Addressing these challenges requires partnerships among both disciplines (e.g., biological, chemical, physical sciences) and organizations (e.g., academic, government, and private industry).

The centerpiece of IRLO’s fostering of collaboration and dissemination of scientific information on the Lagoon is the annualÌý Indian River Lagoon Symposium Ìýinitiated in 2012 with lagoon-wide participation of scientists and resource managers. Another important IRLO initiative to increase collaboration among lagoon scientists and managers was a regional workshop,Ìý Connecting Users to IRL Data.

The Indian River Lagoon Symposium facilitates sharing of current research and networking among scientists, resources managers, and students interested in the Lagoon.

The February 2016 IRL Council meeting was held at Harbor Branch as part of IRLS 2016’s Public Forum.

IRLO staff is actively engaged inÌý (IRLNEP). The lRLNEP is part of a national network established under the Federal Clean Water Act and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the waters, habitats and living resources of 28 estuaries of national significance in the country designated as estuaries. Each NEP focuses within a study area that includes the estuary and surrounding watershed. The IRLNEP is managed by IRL Council, which includes representatives of four counties bordering the lagoon (Brevard, Volusia, St. Lucie, and Martin counties), the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management districts, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The EPA provides guidance to the Council.

Harbor Branch has conducted research on the IRL since 1973, beginning with the Indian River Coastal Zone Study (1973-1976). Dr. Dennis Hanisak began conducting IRL research in 1984, as part of his Marine Botany Program, which focused on macroalgae. In the 1990’s, his research expanded to include seagrasses, and he conducted a detailed study of the relationship of water quality, light, and seagrass over a large extent of the lagoon. These data have been used by water managers in models of the IRL.

In 2004, Hanisak led a Harbor Branch effort to participate in the nascent Florida Oceans Initiative. This program, the Indian River Lagoon Research Initiative (IRLRI), was funded by a state legislative request through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) for three years. IRLRI laid the foundation for expanded research in the IRL by Harbor Branch scientists, including the development of the Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO).

IRLO research focus is on the integration on the relationships of water quality, macroalgae, and seagrass, and their broader impacts of the IRL. As the major primary producers in this system, these ecologically important plants provide critical habitat and food for many organisms, are important in nutrient cycling, and have major impacts on other biotic resources, including fisheries. Seeking a better understanding of the environment these organisms live in has led to a greater research emphasis on understanding spatial and temporal variability of the highly dynamic IRL. This quest has led to the use of advanced technology to enhance our ability to collect and utilize critical environmental data.