Students from the Florida Institute of Technology recently spent four days at the Keys Marine Laboratory (KML), gaining hands-on experience in coastal engineering while conducting fieldwork in the Florida Keys.
Dr. Cindy Lewis, director of Keys Marine Laboratory, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the lab.
Dr. Stephen Wood, a professor at Florida Tech, brought 22 upper-level undergraduate students and graduate assistants to the facility for an immersive field course focused on ocean engineering.
“This is the first time Dr. Wood has brought a group to KML,” Lewis said.
Students spent their days aboard research vessels snorkeling, scientific diving, and learning to operate advanced marine technology used to study the seafloor. The equipment included autonomous underwater vehicles, side-scan sonar systems, magnetometers, and other specialized instruments used to characterize the ocean bottom for projects such as docks, seawalls, and mooring fields.
Lewis said the experience also exposed students to the real-world challenges of conducting scientific work in a harsh marine environment.
“They did a lot of problem-solving for the week, but they had a good time,” she said.
Florida Tech is a member of the Keys Marine Laboratory consortium, a partnership of 34 universities, colleges, and research institutions that utilize the Layton-based facility for marine education and research. Lewis noted that while Florida Tech is a private university, it remains an active consortium member and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in coastal engineering.
While education remains a major focus, Lewis said researchers are also closely monitoring environmental conditions as unusually warm ocean temperatures continue to threaten coral reefs throughout the Florida Keys.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has elevated the region to Coral Bleaching Alert Level 2, indicating prolonged thermal stress with reef-wide bleaching expected.
“Our reefs are warming up,” Lewis said. “We’ve heard reports of anywhere from 88 to 90 degrees out on the reef in 20, 30, and 40 feet of water. Those temperatures are very stressful for the corals.”
Lewis said bleaching has already been reported in recent weeks, and some of the most heat-sensitive coral species could begin experiencing mortality if high temperatures persist.
In preparation, Keys Marine Laboratory and its restoration partners have implemented strategies developed after the severe 2023 bleaching event. Those efforts include relocating coral nursery trees into deeper, cooler water and bringing especially vulnerable coral colonies into temperature-controlled land-based seawater systems at KML.
“We know it’s going to happen, and what are we going to do?” Lewis said of this year’s bleaching season. “We learned a lot after our 2023 bleaching event.”
Lewis said funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has allowed Keys Marine Laboratory to provide those temperature-controlled systems free of charge to coral restoration partners during emergency bleaching events.
Beyond its current work, Lewis said the laboratory is also planning for the future.
Keys Marine Laboratory has operated for 35 years, with some of its buildings now approaching 75 years old. Plans are being developed to replace aging facilities, elevate structures to improve storm resilience, and expand the laboratory’s ability to support marine education, research, and coral restoration.
“We need to elevate the facility so we can continue to serve the education, research, and restoration community—not just for Florida, but all over the country and even the world,” Lewis said.
She said the laboratory is seeking a combination of community support, private donations, and state and federal funding to move those improvements forward.
For more information, click here: https://www.fio.usf.edu/keys-marine-lab/