Events

Migratory wading birds, including declining waterbird species in North America, depend on extensive wetland habitats, facing threats from habitat loss, urbanization, and climate change. This dissertation investigates the annual cycle movements and habitat selection of GPS-tagged Little Blue Herons from Florida's Gulf Coast, revealing their reliance on freshwater habitats for nesting and specific foraging preferences influenced by urbanization.

Southern Flounder populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic are declining despite stricter fishing regulations. This study examined key life history aspects such as migration timing, spawning, and growth patterns, finding that migration timing is influenced by water temperature drops, with peak migration occurring from late November to early December.

Estuaries exhibit high variability in salinity and carbonate chemistry due to diverse sources and processes. This study of the Mission-Aransas Estuary in the Gulf of Mexico found that extreme weather events, like the 2021 freeze, increase CO2 outgassing due to enhanced remineralization of organic carbon from mangrove dieback. The research highlights how such events impact estuarine carbonate chemistry, contributing to their role as significant CO2 sources.