Coastal water research leads to discoveries on sea-level rise

The direct effects of sea-level rise are not always clear, as the gradual nature of the changes are not easy for most of us to see.

Environmental geology major Jasmine Morejon and a team of researchers at Florida Gulf Coast University have found a way to bring more clarity by studying the past to determine patterns of change.

“Identifying the relationships between groundwater salinity and vegetation helps to reconstruct the past and predict freshwater availability for humans and vegetation which is critical for coastal management,” Morejon said.

New research findings indicate an increasing rate and impact of saltwater intrusion, or the mixture of saltwater and freshwater, happening along Cayo Costa, a barrier island in Southwest Florida. “We take measurements over time to determine the changes in pH, salinity, temperature and conductivity of the freshwater and we look at satellite imagery and compare shifts in the coastline.”

The team is focused on the unique landscape of Cayo Costa because it is among one of the few barrier islands in Florida that is largely undeveloped. Much of its landscape has been protected and operated as a state park and contains nine miles of sandy shoreline and a collection of pine forests, oak-palm hammocks and mangrove estuaries.