Indian River Lagoon Research

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

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.
Professor, Department Head
Geoffrey Swain, Ph.D.
Professor
Hal Heck, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Program Chair
Robert Weaver, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Science Team

Charles Bostater, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Emily Ralston
Research Assistant Professor
Gary Zarillo, Ph.D.
Professor
George Maul, Ph.D.
Professor
Jon Shenker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
John Trefry, Ph.D.
Professor
John Windsor, Ph.D.
Professor, Program Chair
Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ken Lindeman, Ph.D.
Professor
Kevin Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor
Pallav Ray, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Richard Aronson, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Head
Richard Turner, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Steve Lazarus, Ph.D.
Professor
Thomas Belanger, Ph.D.
Professor
Spencer Fire, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Austin Fox, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Education and Outreach Team

Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Samantha Fowler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Thomas Marcinkowski, Ph.D.
Professor and Program Chair

Video Spotlights

How you can make a difference

 

Oyster Icon
Leaf Icon
IRLRI icon
People Icon

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 ProgramPresented by: Courtney Barker and Zach Eichholz

Reports

Effectiveness of Muck Removal on Sediment and Water Quality 2016-2017

Fish MonitoringSurveys and Seagrass Transplanting Experiment 2016-2017

Impacts of Environmental Muck Dredging 2014-2015

Inputs of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Major Tributaries to the Indian River Lag

Seagrass Monitoring 2016-2017

Wind and Microclimate Analysis for Improved Site Characterization in Support of

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