Unlike shallow corals reefs, which are restricted to warm clear waters, deep or cold-water corals are found in almost all the world’s oceans. In the Atlantic, the most abundant cold-water reef-building coral is Lophelia pertusa, a branching stony coral that can form structures over a hundred meters tall and several kilometers long. Some of the largest and most stunning of these ecosystems occur in the frigid waters off the coast of Norway, as far north as the Arctic Circle. So yes, there are indeed corals in the Arctic!

Under the advisement of Dr. Sophie McCoy and laboratory technician Penelope Ales, four high school students from various parts of Florida have been exploring the effects of climatic stressors such as fluctuating nutrient levels, low salinity, and water browning on the metabolic functions of Thalassia testudinum, also referred to as turtlegrass.

The FSU CML Polar Academy team has started their AntICE Initiative: reaching out to school children in the Tallahassee and Crawfordville areas to inform them about Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems in light of the upcoming NSF funded workshop at the FSU Coastal and Marine Lab in November.

Worldwide publicity surrounding the calving of an iceberg the size of Delaware in July 2017 from the Larsen C Ice Shelf on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula presents a unique and time-sensitive opportunity for research and education on polar ecosystems in a changing climate. The FSUCML will host a workshop that will draw from the large fund of intellectual capital in the US and international Antarctic research communities.

For the first time in 17 years of Florida-based research, scientists have discovered a mating ground for the Endangered smalltooth sawfish. During an expedition early April to the shallow-water back-country of Everglades National Park, a research team captured, tagged, and released three adult sawfish (one male and two females) in an area previously known almost exclusively as juvenile sawfish habitat. All three had distinctive lacerations, apparently sustained during mating, that match the pattern of teeth on the animals’ saw-like snouts.

The FSUCML blog is now live! Graduate students share their latest research, visitors to the FSUCML share their experiences, and much more. Follow along as we continue to add new blog entries.

Dr. Grubbs described the experience as "the biggest day of my research career!" His team captured a female sawfish who started giving birth. This is the first time a live sawfish birth has been documented in the wild.

We are pleased to announce the 2017 recipients of the FSUCML Grad Student Research Scholarships and the first recipient of the Coastal and Marine Conservation Research Assistantship Award (endowed by FSU Alumni Tommy Warren and Kathy Villacorta).

Dr. Bob Steneck (Univ. of Maine) has studied Eastern Caribbean coral reefs and how local management of natural areas has had a strong positive effect on them, facilitating their recovery and improving their resilience.

For 15 years Ken Leach has taken his Oceanography students from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA to the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Lab for a hands-on learning experience.