Water
(Oleksandr Sushko/Unsplash)
Georgetown University
How making kelp commonplace in our diets and adapting harvested biomass into various materials will help both humans and the planet.
Volunteers plant mangrove saplings to help restore the canopy at Benedict Key. (Sarah Anderson/MEDILL)
Northwestern University
Volunteers helping in recovery at Benedict Key aim to build up an oyster reef to shield the fledgling mangroves from destructive waves, Sarah Anderson reports.
SCCF marine laboratory director Eric Milbrandt (left) and research assistant Sierra Greene (right) collect water samples to help identify the drivers of harmful algal blooms in southwest Florida. (Sarah Anderson/MEDILL)
Northwestern University
Excessive algae growth wreaked havoc on southwest Florida’s ecosystems, Sarah Anderson reports. A team of scientists is analyzing water samples to figure out what’s driving the blooms –– and how to mitigate them.
Michael Doall holds a bag of oysters in Shinnecock Bay, Long Island in the fall of 2021. He was part of an oyster reef monitoring project that also involved setting up a predator exclusion experiment to evaluate the effects of predation on hard clam restoration efforts. (Courtesy of Michael Doall)
Georgetown University
Through regenerative aquaculture, Michael Doall is using the ecosystem services of oysters and kelp to clean up our oceans and our plates.
A researcher points out coral polyps growing at ONDA’s on-shore nursery facility in Florida. (Image courtesy of ONDA Design)
Northwestern University
ONDA Design is working to counteract coral disease and bleaching by developing technology for coral restoration and rehabilitation, Catherine Odom reports.
Planet Forward Correspondent | George Washington University
The manatee population on Florida’s East coast has suffered from an “unusual mortality event” since December 2020. Wildlife officials and conservation groups have responded to the crisis with emergency policy innovations and lawsuits respectively.
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
This video is a picture book come to life, with original designs and watercolor paintings made to present the topic of coastal degradation in an eye-catching and engaging way.
This is an early prototype of the camera. Research divers will be able to use GPS to create accurate maps that can be compared point-by-point over time. (Illustration courtesy of Richard Vevers/The Ocean Agency)
University of Rhode Island
Inspired by 360-degree cameras utilized by Google Street view, the Ocean Agency developed the Hammerhead Camera, a similar camera designed to be used in an underwater environment, according to Richard Vevers, Ocean Agency founder and CEO.
Fisherman Mark Brooks fishes off the Sunshine Skyway North Pier. Mark is just one example of how fishing fosters community and sustainability. (Carter Weinhofer/Eckerd College)
Planet Forward Sr. Correspondent | Eckerd College
With an increasing demand for waterfront properties and the growing impact of climate change, fishing communities are in danger; but, the societal and economic roles filled by fishing are irreplaceable.
This roundabout is a type of green stormwater infrastructure, that collects stormwater for plants and people (Halley Hughes/University of Arizona).
Planet Forward Sr. Correspondent | University of Arizona
As Arizona looks to options to redress a life-threatening change in water availability, Tucson may prove to be an oasis and an example to other cities.