Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Toxic blooms in motion: researchers map algae patterns in Lake Okeechobee, Florida
Lake Okeechobee, Florida's largest freshwater lake, plays a vital role in the state's ecosystem and water management. Spanning 730 square miles with an average depth of just 9 feet, it serves as a crucial water source for agriculture and flood control. Connected to the Everglades through canals, it's also a popular destination for fishing, boating […]
Engineers repurpose algal biomass into materials that remove phosphate from water
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) continue to spread across the globe, urgent research is needed to address this growing threat. Studies in Italy, China, and the Atlantic basin have shown that many water bodies have high nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios, making phosphorus a key factor that drives these blooms. This highlights the critical need for more effective […]
Toxic algae blooms: Study assesses potential health hazards to humans
Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean. This estuary has recently experienced numerous phytoplankton bloom events due to increased seasonal temperatures and environmental impacts. Algal blooms produce a myriad of small organic molecules, many of which can be toxic to […]
It’s sewage, not fertilizer fueling nitrogen surge in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon
Study compares water quality pre vs. post fertilizer bans over five years.
Climate warming, water management impacts on West Florida’s continental shelf
The continental shelf is the submerged extension of a continent and as such it is at the crossroad of terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric influences. This confluence is the lead driver of the high biological productivity that often characterizes the continental shelf regions. Their productivity is not only critical to the ecosystems that it sustains but […]
Septic system waste pervasive throughout Florida’s Indian River lagoon
For more than a decade, fertilizer leaching and associated stormwater runoff were thought to be the major drivers of harmful algal blooms in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Despite the numerous residential fertilizer ordinances passed since 2011, water quality, harmful algal blooms, and seagrass loss, which has resulted in mass deaths of the threatened Florida manatee, […]
How toxic is the water’s surface on Florida’s indian river lagoon?
Over the last 30 years, urbanization has increased along the Indian River Lagoon, which stretches about 250 kilometers on Florida’s east coast. As a result, water quality has deteriorated and there is widespread loss of seagrasses and persistent harmful algal blooms, which threaten ecological, human and marine animal health, such as manatees. In this valuable […]
Flushing a public toilet? Don’t linger, since aerosolized droplets do
Flushing a toilet can generate large quantities of microbe-containing aerosols depending on the design, water pressure or flushing power of the toilet. A variety of pathogens are usually found in stagnant water as well as in urine, feces and vomit. When dispersed widely through aerosolization, these pathogens can cause Ebola, norovirus that results in violent […]
Study reveals how 98 per cent of plastics at sea go missing each year
Trillions of plastic fragments are afloat at sea, which cause large “garbage patches” to form in rotating ocean currents called subtropical gyres. As a result, impacts on ocean life are increasing and affecting organisms from large mammals to bacteria at the base of the ocean food web. Despite this immense accumulation of plastics at sea, […]