UF Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands

05/28/2026

🌿 Wetland science season is officially underway!

The Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands at the University of Florida has launched field operations for the 2026 National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA), part of a nationwide, EPA-funded effort to evaluate the ecological condition of wetlands across the United States.

This summer our field crew will travel across Florida sampling over 50 wetlands in forests, floodplains, marshes, and coastal systems to help build one of the most comprehensive wetland monitoring datasets in the country. The work supports long-term wetland science, restoration, management, and protection efforts at state and national scales.

This year’s crew is learning the ropes from lab OG Alexis Jackson and includes new members Gavriel Cambridge, Abby Worth, and Isabella Saldarriaga, along with legendary field botanist “Barefoot Tony” Davanzo leading plant ID.

This is the kind of hands-on science that the Center for Wetlands has been proud to help lead for decades. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates from the field, and remember: Get your feet wet!



UF Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment- ESSIE

UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

04/30/2026

Congratulations to Renee Price, Ph.D., a from the UF Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment- ESSIE!

Her research focuses on hydrologic variability, monitoring strategies and ecological recovery in geographically isolated wetlands across Central Florida. By linking hydrology, vegetation and monitoring, her work advances how we set restoration targets, assess performance and manage wetland ecosystems over the long term.

During her doctoral journey, Renee has been nothing short of remarkable — working full-time while earning her Ph.D. and delivering thoughtful, high-quality analyses every step of the way. Post-graduation, she will continue her work as a Senior Scientist V at RES. We are so proud to celebrate her achievements and excited to see what comes next! 🐊🎓

04/13/2026

For our final of the semester, Jorge Lorenzo-Trueba, Ph.D., associate professor at UF Geology, will explore how coastal landscapes evolve through shifting boundaries like shorelines, marsh edges and vegetation fronts. Using reduced-complexity models, his work focuses on the key processes that drive long-term change, helping connect geomorphic processes with ecological responses.

The talk will highlight two examples:
1. Mangrove islands across the Caribbean, where rainfall, evaporation and soil salinity shape where mangroves can grow. By combining satellite data, field observations and a model of how salt moves through the system, researchers can explain patterns of die-back and predict future changes
2. Barrier-marsh-lagoon systems like Long Beach Island, where sediment fluxes, overwash and human impacts influence landscape evolution

This moving-boundary approach offers a clearer way to understand what controls wetland persistence and barrier-marsh-lagoon dynamics, and how coastal systems may respond to future change.

Catch the livestream on April 15th at 11:45 AM or watch the recorded talk: https://youtube.com/live/AZqpXFwT0vI?feature=share

04/06/2026

Seagrasses are essential for storing carbon, protecting shorelines and providing habitat for wildlife, but increasing pressures from eutrophication, shifting temperature regimes and disturbance events are driving widespread declines and fragmentation. As a result, these systems might struggle to support the complex food webs they historically sustained, which include megafauna like stingrays.

In our next on April 8th at 11:45 AM, Enie Hensel, Ph.D., senior postdoctoral research associate at the UF IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station and UF IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, will examine the dual role of stingrays as both predators and ecosystem engineers, shaping seagrass habitats through their foraging behavior. She will also explore how human impacts, such as boat propeller scarring, may alter the ecological role of rays. This talk offers valuable insights into how natural and anthropogenic physical disturbances influence seagrass structure, function and resilience.

Catch the livestream or watch the recorded talk: https://youtube.com/live/aC6VBC-6qWY?feature=share

04/01/2026

We enjoyed learning about the breadth of innovative research taking place across UF at the UF Water Institute Student Showcase! It was a great opportunity to share knowledge, featuring a data management workshop led by Nicolas Fernandez, Ph.D., Kimberlee Wong and Martin Seul, a seminar by Amanda Subalusky, Ph.D., on how animals connect freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, and engaging student presentations showcasing their work.

UF Biology CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc.)

03/31/2026

At first glance, Comal Springs looks like an oasis for turtles: clear water, stable temperatures, submersed aquatic vegetation and plenty of prey. Yet a decade of monitoring reveals a more concerning trend: despite once-robust adult populations, turtle recruitment across multiple species has sharply declined in recent years.

In tomorrow's , Zachary Siders, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS, will share how extensive human modifications, such as shoreline armoring, habitat fragmentation and recreational development, have reduced accessible nesting habitat and disrupted turtle recruitment. Because adult populations persist long after recruitment failure, these changes have resulted in what he describes as a population of the “living dead.”

🔗 Tune in live or watch the recorded talk: https://youtube.com/live/K0Oj_1on2DM?feature=share

03/23/2026

How can we prioritize conserving and connecting lands across Florida?

This Wednesday at 11:45 AM, Asena Goren, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate at UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, will highlight the Florida Ecological Greenways Network — a database that identifies and prioritizes a connected system of public and private lands — and the Florida Wildlife Corridor, an 18-million-acre system of connected landscapes spanning the state. Her talk will explore how these efforts help identify critical water assets that overlap with conservation priorities, and how permanent conservation of remaining opportunity areas can enhance protection of critical water resources while strengthening flood mitigation, water storage and water quality.

Catch the livestream or watch the recorded talk: https://youtube.com/live/BoY_SkR196Q?feature=share

03/22/2026

Happy ! 💧

Today, we’re sharing two recently completed projects aimed at managing harmful algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee. These projects produced new online tools that help water managers explore how different lake conditions and water release strategies can impact water quality and quantity, supporting more proactive decision-making.

These projects were co-led by CFW Director David Kaplan, Ph.D., and Mauricio Arias, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of South Florida.

👉 Read more: https://ccs.eng.ufl.edu/new-decision-support-tools-bring-foresight-to-lake-okeechobee-management/

03/10/2026

David Kaplan, Ph.D., director of the Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, spoke with WCJB TV20 News about research aimed at reducing groundwater use and protecting water quality while maintaining farm profitability. 💧

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, researchers at the University of Florida partnered with farmers and environmental organizations to develop computer models that evaluate how different land and water management practices affect aquifer recharge, nitrate pollution and producer returns in the Floridan Aquifer region.

The results highlight potential win-win scenarios: improved management practices can significantly reduce environmental impacts while in some cases improving farm profitability. The study also identified trade-offs between aquifer health and grower incomes, suggesting economic incentives may be needed to encourage adoption of specific management practices. These findings suggest that with the right tools, practices and incentives, agriculture and forestry in Florida can help protect groundwater and sustain farmers’ livelihoods.

Learn more: https://www.wcjb.com/2026/03/04/research-tech-offer-water-saving-solutions-local-farmers/

UF Water Institute

Funds are available for NCFL growers to obtain the conservation technology

03/09/2026

Cities are complex systems where infrastructure, natural processes and human activity all interact, from neighborhood streets to regional landscapes. With new advances in data, computing and modeling, researchers can now study these connections in powerful new ways.

This Wednesday at 11:45 a.m., speaker Changjie Chen, Ph.D., assistant scientist at the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, will introduce digital twins as a computational framework for connecting diverse data, models and system architectures to better understand cities and support decision-making about urban futures. Chen will highlight the Florida Digital Twin project, a living laboratory for new methods and technologies. He will cover topics such as integrating data sources across scales, applications for coastal vulnerability and adaptation planning, and AI-powered 3D city modeling.

Catch the livestream or watch the recorded talk: https://youtube.com/live/FOtlUBx-rlo?feature=share