The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board recently approved the third in a series of projects to investigate the causes of algal blooms in the Indian River Lagoon and evaluate management options.
The District committed $137,000 to partner with Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU-HBOI) to examine the relationship between drift macroalgae and extreme conditions in the lagoon.
“This work will enhance our understanding of how drift macroalgae respond to extreme salinity, temperature and lighting conditions — information needed to predict future blooms or disrupt bloom cycles,” said William Tredik, director of the District’s Indian River Lagoon Protection Initiative.
Evidence indicates that a drift macroalgae die-off in 2010 may have increased the availability of nutrients that helped fuel the 2011 algal “superbloom” in the lagoon. The superbloom led to the loss of 47,000 acres of seagrass, a reduction of about 60 percent of the lagoon’s total seagrass coverage.
This project is the third in a series of projects that are part of the algal bloom investigation in which the District is investing $3.7 million to protect the lagoon. The District and outside experts are increasing knowledge of the lagoon system through monitoring, data collection, field and lab analysis and model development.
Visit floridaswater.com/itsyourlagoon for additional information about the District’s Indian River Lagoon Protection Initiative, a multi-year program to protect and restore the water quality and ecological habitat of the lagoon.
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