A study that started in 2018 to characterize phytoplankton and identify toxic blooms has revealed a surprising diversity in a water body designed to convey water quickly to the estuary.

Straightened in the 19th century, the Caloosahatchee River’s meandering character was eliminated, creating an efficient flowway to protect the Everglades Agricultural Area and areas around Lake Okeechobee from flooding.

To increase and improve data collection and monitoring from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico, the SCCF Marine Lab led an effort with the University of Florida (UF) and the University of South Florida (USF) in a project called CLEW.

“CLEW refers to Coupling Lake Estuary and Watershed models, which required more data on phytoplankton communities from the system to help us understand the drivers and causes of harmful algal blooms (HABs) that caused widespread ecological and economic damage in 2018,” said Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D.

A new, peer-reviewed, journal article published in the Journal of Environmental Management is one of a half dozen publications from this project. Phytoplankton taxonomic experts are Susan Badylak and Dr. Ed Phlips from UF.