Indian River Lagoon Research

A Mucked Up Lagoon

Lagoon Muck

Right in Florida Tech’s backyard is the Indian River Lagoon, home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals that are suffering from a half-century of neglect and pollution. As more people have made the Space Coast their home and increased development and pressure on the lagoon, marine life has been decimated by a deadly chain reaction started from fertilizer run-off and waste water. The lagoon is now home to a massive build-up of muck, a thick mixture of nitrogen and phosphorus that resembles black tar. In some parts of the lagoon, the muck has reached epic proportions, up to 10 feet high, suffocating seagrass beds, a vital part of the lagoon’s eco-system. Muck is contributing to large scale algae blooms which consume massive amounts of oxygen, choking out marine life. Now, the lagoon is afflicted with massive die-offs fish, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins. Through concerted research efforts, Florida Tech faculty and students are developing solutions to the Indian River Lagoon’s dire situation.

“The distribution of muck has continued to increase in the lagoon and the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from muck sediments may have played an important role in fueling these algae blooms.”

 

— John Trefry, Florida Tech Professor of Ocean Engineering

A Brief History of the Lagoon

News

Sustainability Professor Shows How to Have a Lagoon-Friendly Lawn

Sustainability Professor Shows How to Have a Lagoon-Friendly Lawn

Professor Ken Lindeman is a huge proponent of native landscaping. So much so that he shares how he transformed his own lawn with Florida native plants. The goal is to not only to reduce water usage and run-off but also to skip using fertilizer all together. Fertilizer and freshwater run-off are some of the main [...]
Communication Majors Create Moving Documentary About Indian River Lagoon

Communication Majors Create Moving Documentary About Indian River Lagoon

by Lindsay Isaac The most biologically diverse estuary in North America is dying—and Florida Tech students are trying to save it. That became the premise of the 13-minute capstone documentary produced by seniors in Florida Tech’s communication program this semester, Dr. Johnson’s Lab.  I was the director of Dr. Johnson’s Lab, which traces the story [...]
Student Researcher Helping to Make Lawns Lagoon Friendly

Student Researcher Helping to Make Lawns Lagoon Friendly

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) has been suffering from high nutrient inflows that include stormwater run-off, fertilizer and lawn clippings. These nutrients degrade the lagoon’s water quality which leads to the build-up of muck, algal blooms and consequently major fish die-offs. To combat these issues, the sustainability minor research project of ocean engineering student, Andrew [...]
Graduate Students are Building a Solution for the Indian River Lagoon

Graduate Students are Building a Solution for the Indian River Lagoon

If you ask a team of ocean engineering students if they want to design and build a dredge to help the ailing Indian River Lagoon, it’s unlikely you would get a no from Florida Tech students. This is true for graduate students Leigh Provost, Hannah Grisanti and Ryan Christiansen. Ocean engineering professor Dr. Robert Weaver [...]
Help Heal the Indian River Lagoon at TechCon2017: September 29, 2017

Help Heal the Indian River Lagoon at TechCon2017: September 29, 2017

Through the years, construction, pollution, over-harvesting, muck, algae blooms and a host of other factors, have conspired to taint the natural majesty of the Indian River Lagoon. But a committed group of scientists, engineers, coastal resource managers and educators has made combating these assailants their mission as members of the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute (IRLRI) [...]
A Murky Challenge Beneath the Surface

A Murky Challenge Beneath the Surface

Florida Tech Scientists and Engineers Seek Answers for Muck in the Indian River Lagoon John Trefry gives the signal, and the pontoon boat is slowly guided into Turkey Creek from a dock not far from U.S. 1 in Palm Bay, Florida. Amid sterilized plastic bottles, depth readers and other equipment, Trefry, a professor of chemical [...]
Living Shoreline Project Installed on the Indian River Lagoon

Living Shoreline Project Installed on the Indian River Lagoon

  Florida Tech’s Ocean Engineering department designed oyster reefs to prevent shore erosion. The Indian River Lagoon, which spans 156 miles on Florida’s east coast from Ponce de León Inlet in Volusia County to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County, is often regarded as one of the world’s most ecologically diverse estuaries. But the lagoon is [...]
IRLRI Host Oyster Mat Workshops for the Community

IRLRI Host Oyster Mat Workshops for the Community

Mission: Lure filter feeders to back to the shores of the Indian River Lagoon Florida Tech’s Indian River Lagoon Research Institute (IRLRI) hosted several oyster mat workshops for the community this spring. The goal of the Living Docks program, led by associate professor Robert Weaver and research assistant professorKelli Hunsucker in the Department of Ocean Engineering [...]

Meet our Experts

Expert Group

A group of more than 20 faculty members with decades of scientific research experience related to the Indian River Lagoon have come together to form the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute (IRLRI). Collectively, Florida Tech scientists and engineers are developing solutions to the major issues plaguing the health of the lagoon, including muck and nutrients, lagoon flow, nutrient reduction, sediment loading, ecosystem recovery, policy and management, and engineering technologies. Part of the mission of the IRLRI also includes outreach and education to help the community and lagoon stakeholders understand the importance of IRL problems and their role in creating solutions. The IRLRI collaborates with numerous institutions and agencies along the lagoon with the common goal of improving the lagoon’s eco-system.

Engineering Team

Ashtok Pandit, Ph.D.
Geoffrey Swain, Ph.D.
Hal Heck, Ph.D.
Robert Weaver, Ph.D.

Science Team

Charles Bostater, Ph.D.
Emily Ralston
Gary Zarillo, Ph.D.
George Maul, Ph.D.
Jon Shenker, Ph.D.
John Trefry, Ph.D.
John Windsor, Ph.D.
Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.
Ken Lindeman, Ph.D.
Kevin Johnson, Ph.D.
Pallav Ray, Ph.D.
Richard Aronson, Ph.D.
Richard Turner, Ph.D.
Steve Lazarus, Ph.D.
Thomas Belanger, Ph.D.
Spencer Fire, Ph.D.
Austin Fox, Ph.D.

Education and Outreach Team

Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.
Samantha Fowler, Ph.D.
Thomas Marcinkowski, Ph.D.

Video Spotlights

How you can make a difference

 

Oyster Icon

To help bring oyster beds back to the shores, the IRLRI’s Living Docks program invites local residents to turn docks and seawalls along the shores of the lagoon into homes for oysters. Participants hang mesh bags filled with used oyster shells from the sides of a dock or seawall and submerged into the water. The presence of the shells attract oyster larvae, which then propagate and grow. A single dock with 37 pilings—with an average of 32 oysters per piling—can filter about 21 million gallons of water per year.

Leaf Icon

There are many ways to help improve the health of the Indian River Lagoon, from adopting eco-conscience landscaping practices like reducing fertilizer usage, preventing grass clippings from going down storm drains and growing Florida-friendly native plants to simple things like picking up trash and after your pet. Little actions can go a long way.

IRLRI icon

Attend TechCon2018. Join us during our annual Technical Conference on Coastal Water Quality hosted by the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute. The conference is focused on adapting and applying science to guide management decisions and develop solutions aimed at improving coastal water quality.

Learn more. https://give.fit.edu/irlri-techcon

People Icon

Ready to help restore the Indian River Lagoon? Check out our Oyster Restoration guide and learn how you and a colony of oysters can make the lagoon a more hospitable environment for marine life.

indian river lagoon oyster restoration guide

Lagoon Forums

A series of informational forums focused on the Indian River Lagoon health, with the goal of connecting scientists, engineers, citizens, and municipalities in a joint effort to find solutions.

 Florida Sustainability Slide

Sustainability in Local Governments of East Florida: Expanding Opportunities
Ken Lindeman, Professor, sustainability Program Chair Department of Education & Interdisciplinary Studies
Why Sustainability Slide

WHY SUSTAINABILITY? Implementing a Local Sustainability Program
Presented by: Courtney Barker and Zach Eichholz

 

Contact

For questions regarding IRLRI related activities, 
call 321-674-8936

For questions regarding the IRLRI or research-based projects,
please contact one of the IRLRI Directors:

Robert Weaver, PhD: rjweaver@fit.edu 
Kevin Johnson, PhD: johnson@fit.edu 
Jon Shenker, PhD: shenker@fit.edu 

For questions regarding outreach events or communitybased projects,
please contact one of the IRLRI Outreach Coordinators:

Kelli Hunsucker,PhD: khunsucker@fit.edu