FLORIDA MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
www.floridamarine.org

FMRI conducts applied research on marine resource management issues for the state of Florida. A division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, FMRI specializes in red tide research, marine fisheries science and assessment, marine geographical information systems, habitat assessment and restoration, as well as manatee, right whale and marine turtle conservation.

Hailed as one of the world's foremost authorities on harmful algal blooms including red tide, Dr. Karen Steidinger heads up one of the few labs in the nation capable of detecting biotoxins and analyzing their effect on marine organisms.

FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY
www.marine.usf.edu/FIO/

Florida Institute of Oceanography conducts ocean and coastal research on behalf of state agencies and universities, operating two research vessels out of St. Petersburg and a marine laboratory in the Florida Keys.

FIO's influence extends well beyond the state borders. FIO administers a federally-funded coastal research and monitoring program involving 25 marine labs, parks and reserves in 17 countries, giving state university students and faculty extraordinary access to diverse marine habitats.

USF COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE
www.marine.usf.edu

One of the Southeast's top marine science programs, the college specializes in satellite oceanography, remote ocean sensing, marine microbiology and paleo-oceanography - studies that are providing a glimpse of what Tampa Bay may have looked like 5000 years ago.

Students and faculty have conducted research in the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Norwegian, Bering and Caribbean seas. USF Marine Microbiologist Dr. John Paul has received two National Science Foundation bio-complexity awards: to develop sensors that can quickly detect pathogens and other harmful microbes in the ocean, and to analyze how water-borne viruses respond to environmental changes.

TAMPA BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM
www.tbep.org

Created in 1990 following Tampa Bay's federal designation as an "estuary of national significance," the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is an intergovernmental partnership that coordinates bay restoration and protection. Working with local, state and federal partners, the program is implementing a comprehensive management blueprint for Tampa Bay, with goals and actions laid out in interlocal agreements.

Cooperative efforts have led to significant advances in seagrass recovery and scientific understanding of the link between air and water pollution.

USF CENTER FOR OCEAN TECHNOLOGY
cot.marine.usf.edu

First established to provide engineering support to scientists in the USF College of Marine Science, the Center for Ocean Technology is parlaying its technical expertise and technology into a dazzling array of cutting-edge micro-gadgets for the defense and medical industries.

Credited with building the world's first underwater mass spectrometer - a device capable of detecting a vast array of harmful pollutants down to parts per billion - a team of engineers is now working under contract with the Army to create a "lab on a chip" capable of assessing air and water quality in potentially hostile environments.

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CENTER FOR COASTAL & WETLAND STUDIES
coastal.er.usgs.gov

USGS studies provide increased understanding of the scientific processes behind coastal erosion, changes in wetlands and coral reefs, water circulation, and the movement of pollution in aqueous environments. An expansion underway will nearly double their Gulf Coast complex, adding a third 45,000-square-foot building to support a growing integrated sciences team.

The largest multi-disciplinary science project ever orchestrated by USGS, the Tampa Bay Pilot Study includes a team of more than 60 scientists working to create baseline maps that document land-use changes and wetland patterns, along with water, biological and chemical data. The project will serve as the template for integrated research projects in bays and estuaries across the Gulf of Mexico.