Dr. Jane M Caffrey

Excerpt from Introduction: The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) has set acceptable Enterococcus levels in the environment for determination of human health at 70 MPN/100 mL which is known as the Beach action value or BAV (Florida Department of Health in Bay). Values which exceed this amount result in warnings to the public on the quality of conditions within the waterways and advisory to avoid water contact (Florida Department of Health in Bay). Monitoring at Navarre Park on Highway 98 by Florida Department of Health has shown poor water quality based on high levels of Enterococcus from multiple samples which has resulted in advisories (FDOH website). Poor and moderate conditions have been most prominent in summer months with better conditions during the colder winter months (Florida Department of Health). Thus, identifying possible contamination sources to Santa Rosa Sound in this region is critical. To identify potential sources, we collected samples at multiple locations in creeks entering the Sound near Navarre as well as a stormwater outfall and Santa Rosa Sound water at Navarre Park between January and March 2024.

Seagrass beds provide key ecosystem services in the protected, shallow coastal zone. They are usually characterized by a diverse faunal community and support commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish species (Orth and Heck 2023). These species find refuge, food or nursery areas in these beds which are particularly important for endangered species such as manatees and sea turtles. Carbon fixation by seagrasses, macroalgae or microalgae including epiphytes, benthic microalgae or phytoplankton is a carbon source for higher trophic levels and may be stored in sediments, the “blue carbon” which represents a sink for carbon dioxide (Orth and Heck 2023). Nutrient cycling in seagrass includes recycling, burial of organic material in sediments and the processes of nitrification, denitrification and nitrogen fixation.

Lagoonal systems in the Gulf of Mexico contain extensive seagrass beds. In the Pensacola Bay system, the first estimates of the extent of seagrass beds began in 1974 with Escambia Bay Recovery Report (EPA 1975). Since then, other aerial photographic surveys (Schwenning et al. 2007, Harvey et al. 2015, Byron et al. 2018) and monitoring of seagrass beds in Gulf Islands National Seashore have occurred (Heck and Byron 2014, Byron et al. 2018).

UWF along with Sea Grant Extension agents began this Seagrass monitoring program in 2017. Sea Grant and the Bream Fishermen Association help to identify and train volunteers on how to monitor seagrasses. Two goals of this program are to increase community awareness of the importance of seagrass and SAV habitats and to develop long-term monitoring of seagrasses in the Pensacola Bay system.

We used the same adaptation of the UF “Eyes on Seagrass” protocols as last year in Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound where volunteers go out monthly along a transect (Caffrey et al. 2024). Volunteers collecting in the urban bayous (Bayou Texar) or Pensacola Bay followed protocols described in Caffrey et al. (2023). This report describes results from 2024.

Introduction: The Citizen Science Seagrass monitoring program began in 2017 to engage local citizens and train them in seagrass monitoring as part of an effort to develop a long-term monitoring program of seagrasses in the Pensacola Bay system. Periodic estimates of the extent seagrass beds began in 1974 with Escambia Bay Recovery Report (EPA 1975) and have continued with other aerial photographic surveys (Schwenning et al. 2007, Harvey et al. 2015, Byron et al. 2018). Monitoring of seagrass beds in Gulf Islands National Seashore began 1993 and has continued periodically (Heck and Byron 2014, Byron et al. 2018). The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program has expanded on the existing programs in 2023 using aerial, satellite and Tier 2 boat surveys (Darnell et al. 2023)
Many shallow, clear lagoonal systems in the Gulf of Mexico contain extensive seagrass beds. Commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish species find refuge, food or nursery areas in these beds as do a diverse faunal community including endangered species such as manatees and sea turtles. Biogeochemical cycling such as the fixation of carbon and nutrient transformations provides carbon to higher trophic levels and storage in sediments, the “blue carbon” which is a sink for carbon dioxide. Nutrient removal occurs by direct uptake by plants and burial into sediments. Seagrass can also enhance microbial nutrient removal by the processes of nitrification and denitrification or enhance nutrient inputs by nitrogen fixation.
This year protocols similar to UF “Eyes on Seagrass” were implemented for Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound (https://www.flseagrant.org/citizenscience/eyes-on-seagrass/). Citizens collecting in the urban bayous or Pensacola Bay followed our previous protocols used between 2017 and 2022 (Caffrey et al. 2023). This report describes results from 2023.

Excerpt - The project provided key baseline information about the shallow continental shelf environment in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. This area is poorly studied compared to other continental shelves such as the South Atlantic Bight. Colonization of benthic invertebrates increased secondary production. This in turn supports higher trophic levels, particularly the commercially important reef fishes such as snapper, triggerfish and sheepshead. Results from this work represent one of the few studies of primary production, biogeochemical cycling, and the implications to fisheries production in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. With the increasing deployment of artificial reefs in Florida, this provides key information for management of these habitats.

Based on the preliminary study results at Bruce Beach, the City of Pensacola requested UWF sample stormwater drains discharging in downtown Pensacola in the Bruce Beach vicinity to identify the potential source of contamination at Bruce Beach. Sampling occurred at 29 unique locations over 13 sampling dates between August 31, 2021, and February 3, 2022. Only flowing water was collected for analysis of Enterococcus. Sites with consistently low values were not resampled.

Seagrass beds are important habitats in many shallow coastal environments. They provide refuge, foraging and nursery areas for a diverse faunal community including many commercially important and endangered species. Historically and in the present, the largest and most extensive seagrass beds occur in Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon. The report describes results from 2022 and synthesizes the 6 years of the Citizen Science Seagrass Monitoring program by citizen scientists and UWF students. In addition, it provides an in-depth summary of water quality conditions in Santa Rosa Sound.

To determine baseline abundances of potentially dangerous species of bacteria, UWF CEDB researchers surveyed 44 locations in 7 major basins for the abundances of Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus). We collected samples from 44 stations on 7 dates between 02/03/20 and 03/02/20. The average surface water temperature of all stations was 15.4 o C; and temperatures ranged from 12.3 – 22.2 o C. Surface water salinities ranged from 0.9 to 18.2 PSU. Surface water (n=44), sediment (n=43) and biofilm (n=14) samples were processed to assess abundances of Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus, employing a chromogenic agar assay. In surface waters, V. vulnificus was detected in 37 out of 44 samples, with maximum levels of 3,556 cells/mL. V. parahaemolyticus was only detected in 15 surface water samples, with a maximum concentration of 8,919 cells/mL. Sediments contained V. vulnificus in all but one sediment sample. V. vulnificus sediment concentrations ranged from 121 to 607,222 cells/mL. In contrast, V. parahaemolyticus were only detected in 33 of the 43 sediment samples, where concentrations ranged from 28 to 77,333 cells/mL. Biofilms, collected from oyster or barnacle shells or from invertebrate worms found in sediment samples, contained on average 7,735 and 1,490 cells/mL, of V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus, respectively. In comparing biofilm abundances on different types of shells, there was not a statistical difference between oysters (n=5) and barnacles (n=7) for V. vulnificus (p=0.675) or V. parahaemolyticus (p=0.628). A partial analysis of these species' distribution with respect to water quality data was performed. Of note in our preliminary analyses is the statistically significant correlation between V. vulnificus abundances in sediments and the salinity observed in the water column at depth. Due to the University's response to COVID-19, sample laboratory processing, including total suspended solids (TSS), chlorophyll a, dissolved and total nutrient concentrations, was halted prematurely. Approximately 2/3 to ¾ of the laboratory-based water quality analyses are complete as of this date. However, all laboratory-based winter data and analyses of winter and summer data will be provided in the final report submitted on Nov 1, 2020.