Ocean Science Lecture Series - Jordon Beckler, Ph.D.

Описание: "Into the Blue: Exploring Ocean Submarine Springs Offshore of West Florida"
Jordon Beckler, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor

About the Lecture:

Florida's natural springs permeate the landscape thanks to the limestone bedrock, and these springs offer tremendous ecosystem and recreational value. Similar karst features— albeit far less known- are also abundant in offshore ocean waters, with hundreds of submarine springs and sinkholes serving as fertile fishing grounds and technical diving hotspots.

Beckler and his research team conducted the first formal scientific exploration of two systems, Amberjack Hole and Green Banana Spring, and characterized the geochemical cycling of the elements of life (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, and iron). The team conducted technical dives over 400 feet deep to collect samples while also deploying oceanographic equipment, analogous to lunar landers, to collect measurements over time.

This lecture will provide an overview of their efforts to study these holes to date. Results showed the blue holes are extreme environments that represent ocean hotspots both with respect to space and time. For example, Green Banana Spring appears to discharge aquifer water to the ocean 40 miles offshore, but only at night, with a frequency you could use to set a clock!

Beckler will describe potential ocean ecosystem implications of these and other findings; such as how these nutrient-rich discharges are centrally located in areas where Florida Red Tide blooms are thought to often start.