Since 2015, DEP and numerous partners from federal, state and local governments, universities, nongovernmental organizations and the South Florida community have been communicating regularly and working together on a multifaceted response effort.
Completed Project Reports
DateAuthor(s)
Title
November 2015Brian Walker and Katelyn KlugSoutheast Florida Large Coral AssessmentJune 2016Esther Peters and Nicole FogartyData collection to assess reef conditions before and during the 2014-2015 coral disease outbreak
June 2017
Brian WalkerCharacterize the condition of previously known and newly identified large dense Acropora cervicornis patches in southeast FloridaJune 2017Jeff Maynard, James Byrne, Kristi Kerrigan, Dieter Tracey,Karen Bohnsack, Francisco Pagan, Joanna Walczak, Gareth J. WilliamsCoral reef resilience to climate change in the Florida Reef TractJune 2017Kathleen Lunz, Jan Landsberg, Yasu Kiryu, and Vanessa BrinkhuisInvestigation of the coral disease outbreak affecting scleractinian coral species along the Florida Reef TractJune 2018Karen Neely and Cindy LewisIn-Situ Disease InterventionJune 2018Karen NeelyEx-Situ Disease Treatment TrialsJune 2018Brian Walker and Alysha BrunelleSoutheast Florida Large (>2 meter) Diseased Coral Colony Intervention Summary ReportJune 2018William Sharp and Kerry MaxwellInvestigating the Ongoing Coral Disease Outbreak in the Florida Keys: Collecting Corals to Diagnose the Etiological Agent(s) and Establishing Sentinel Sites to Monitor Transmission Rates and the Spatial Progression of the DiseaseJune 2018Keri O’Neil, Karen Neely, and Josh PattersonNursery Management and Treatment of Diseased Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) on the Florida Reef TractJune 2018Ian Enochs and Graham KolodziejUltraviolet Deactivation of Coral Disease LesionsJune 2018Karen NeelySurveying the Florida Keys Southern Coral Disease BoundaryJune 2018Brian WalkerSoutheast Florida Reef-Wide Post-Irma Coral Disease SurveyJune 2018Erinn Muller, Robert van Woesik, and Constance SartorSpatial Epidemiology Modeling of the Florida Coral Disease OutbreakJune 2018Blake Ushijima, Valerie PaulPostdoctoral research in coral pathogen isolationJune 2018Josh D. Voss, Ian CombsFate tracking, molecular investigation, and amputation assessment of tissue loss disease on corals in the northern Florida Reef TractJuly 2018Karen NeelyQuick Look Report: Dendrogyra cylindrus spawning researchDecember 2018Karen Neely, Emily HowerIn-Situ Disease Intervention (December 2018)June 2019William Sharp, Kerry Maxwell, and John HuntInvestigating the ongoing coral disease outbreak in the Florida Keys: Evaluating its small-scale epidemiology and mitigation techniquesJune 2019Valerie Paul, Blake Ushijima, and Greta AebyStudies of the Ecology and Microbiology of Florida’s Coral Tissue Loss DiseasesJune 2019Karen NeelyEx Situ Disease Treatment Trials June 2019Mike Favero, Katie Balut, and Mark LevineAmoxicillin Trihydrate Stability in Correlation with Coral Ointment Batch#18006-B and Simulated SeawaterJune 2019Brian Walker, Joana FigueiredoLarge Orbicella Assisted-Reproduction ReportJune 2019Brian Walker, Kelly PittsSE FL Reef-building-coral Response to Amoxicillin Intervention and Broader-scale Coral Disease InterventionJune 2019Joshua D. Voss, Erin Shilling, Ian CombsIntervention and fate tracking for corals affected by stony coral tissue loss disease in the northern Florida Reef TractJune 2019Karen Neely, Emily Hower, Kevin MacaulayFlorida Keys Coral Disease Strike Teams: FY 2018-2019 Final ReportAugust 2019Karen NeelyQuick Look Report: Dendrogyra cylindrus spawningMarch 2020Karen NeelyNovel Treatment Options for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: Final ReportJune 2020Mike Favero, Katie CurtisCreation and Release Profiles of Novel Biodegradable Ointments for Lesion Based and Whole Colony Treatment Methods to be Utilized in the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease June 2020Joana Figueiredo, Brian WalkerAssisted Sexual Reproduction of Corals and Grow-out of Coral Recruits: Spawning Year 2019 Final Report June 2020Thomas Dobbelaere, Erinn Muller, Lew Gramer, Dan Hostein, Luke McEachron, Emmanuel HanertUsing fine scale hydrodynamic modeling to characterize the transmission patterns of SCTLD within the water column of the Florida Reef TractJune 2020Thomas Dobbelaere, Erinn Muller, Lewis Gramer, Dan Holstein and Emmanuel Hanert Report on the potential origin of the SCTLD in the Florida Reef TractJune 2020William Sharp, Kerry Maxwell, Kylie Smith, & John Hunt Investigating the ongoing coral disease outbreak in the Florida Keys: continued SCTLD monitoring at middle and lower Florida Keys, experimental coral restoration of SCTLD- susceptible coral species, and assessing the prevalence of SCTLD on intermediate reef habitatJune 2020Karen NeelyFlorida Keys Coral Disease Strike Team: FY 19-20 Final ReportAugust 2020Valerie J. Paul, Blake Ushijima, Kelly Pitts Development of probiotics and alternative treatments for stony coral tissue loss disease – Task 2 and Task 3August 2020Julie MeyerDevelopment of probiotics and alternative treatments for stony coral tissue loss disease – Final reportAugust 2020Brian Walker, Hunter Noren, Alysha Brunelle, and Samantha BuckleySE Florida Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationAugust 2020Jennifer Salerno and Esther PetersMicroscopic and Microbial Insights into the SCTLD Outbreak Across Multiple Coral Species on Florida’s Coral ReefAugust 2020Michael G. Janech, Benjamin Neely, Frank Mari, and Cheryl WoodleyMetaproteomic Analysis of Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseAugust 2020Greta Aeby, Valerie Paul, Jan Landsberg, and Yasu KiryuStudies on environmental co-factors potentially influencing the disease dynamics of Florida’s coral tissue loss diseasesAugust 2020Joshua D. Voss, Erin Shilling, Ian Combs, Ashley Carreiro, Michael Studivan, and Jeff BealIntervention and fate tracking for corals affected by stony coral tissue loss disease in the northern section of Florida’s Coral ReefSeptember 2020Karen NeelyQuick Look Report: Coral spawning (Dichocoenia stokesii, Pseudodiploria clivosa, and Pseudodiploria strigosa)December 2020Nikki Traylor-KnowlesDevelopment Of A Biomarker System For SCTLD In Four Species Of Caribbean CoralsJanuary 2021David S. Gilliam, Joana Figueiredo, and Cassie M. VanWynenStony Coral Spawning Hubs in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area: Phase 1 Final ReportMay 2021Christina A. Kellogg and James S. EvansUsing size fractionation to determine whether the SCTLD pathogen is bacterial, viral, or otherJune 2021Caroline E. Dennison, Richard F. Karp, Bradley A. Weiler, Ashley Goncalves, Javier del Campo, Stephanie M. Rosales, Nikki Traylor-Knowles, and Andrew C. BakerThe role of algal symbionts (genus Breviolum) in the susceptibility of corals to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in South FloridaJune 2021David S. Gilliam, Joana Figueiredo, Cassie M. VanWynen, and Hope E. HefleyStony Coral Spawning Hubs in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area: Phase I and IIJune 2021Jennifer L. Salerno and Esther C. PetersContinuation of Microscopic and Microbial Insights into the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Outbreak Across Multiple Coral Species on Florida’s Coral ReefJune 2021Joshua D. Voss, Erin Shilling, Gabrielle Pantoni, Ryan Eckert, and Alexis SturmAdvancing Coral Intervention and Resilience in Southeast FloridaJune 2021Joana Figueiredo, David Gilliam, Abby Renegar, and Brian WalkerCoral Propagation: Land-based and Offshore Nursery Phase IIJune 2021Diego Lirman and Dalton Hesley 100 Yards of Hope Reef Restoration ProjectJune 2021Karen NeelyFlorida Keys Coral Disease Strike Team: FY 2020/2021 Final ReportJune 2021Andy Bruckner, Karen Bohnsack, Alexandra Fine, Christopher Kelble, Lucas McEachron, Emily Milton, Kelly Montenero, Frank Muller-Karger, Tylar Murray, and Dan OtiFlorida’s Coral Reef Water Quality Data Compilation, Analysis and Decision SupportJune 2021Thierry M. WorkFinal report on electron microscopy of Florida corals affected with stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)June 2021Valerie J. Paul, Kelly A. Pitts, Paige Mandelare-Ruiz, and Yesmarie De La FlorDevelopment of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2021Blake UshijimaDevelopment of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2021Julie MeyerDevelopment of probiotics and alternative treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2021Greta Aeby, Valerie Paul, Jan Landsberg, Yasu KiryuStudies on environmental co-factors potentially influencing the disease dynamics of Florida’s coral tissue loss diseasesJune 2021Joey MandaraCoral Restoration and Youth Environmental EducationJune 2021Brian K. Walker, Gareth J. Williams, Jeffrey A. MaynardSoutheast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area (Coral ECA) Reef-building Coral Disease Intervention, Statistical Modelling, and Preparation for Restoration Task 6 Final Report: Environmental drivers of stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2021Brian K. Walker, Nicholas R. Turner, Alysha Brunelle, Hunter Noren, Samantha Buckley2020-2021 Coral ECA Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationJune 2021Michael G. Janech, Benjamin Neely, Frank Mari, Elizabeth Duselis, Cheryl WoodleyMetaproteomic Analysis of Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseJune 2022
Brian K. Walker, Hunter Noren, Reagan Sharkey, Samantha Buckley
2021-2022 SE FL ECA Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationJune 2022Karen Neely, Rob Whitehead, Michelle DoblerThe Effect of Disease Lesions and Amoxicillin Treatment on the Physiology of SCTLD-affected Corals June 2022
Richard F. Karp, Caroline E. Dennison, Esther C. Peters, Andrew C. Baker
The role of algal symbionts in stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD): Comparison with cultured isolates from five different Symbiodiniaceae genera, and role of temperature in disease dynamics June 2022Valerie J. Paul, Jonathan Lefcheck, Kelly Pitts, Samantha Scheibler, Tessa Vekich Investigation of temperature as a driver of stony coral tissue loss disease dynamics June 2022Valerie J. Paul, Kelly A. Pitts, Paige Mandelare-Ruiz, Natalie Danek, Zachary Ferris, Thomas DeMarco Development of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2022Karen NeelyFlorida Keys Coral Disease Strike Team: FY 2021/2022 Final ReportJune 2022Karen Bohnsack, Andy Bruckner, Alexandra Fine, Lauren Gentry, Christopher Kelble, David Kochan, Lucas McEachron, Kelly Montenero, Frank Muller-Karger, Tylar Murray, Dan OtisFlorida’s Coral Reef Water Quality Data Compilation, Analysis, and Decision Support Year 2 June 2022Erin Papke, Dr. Blake Ushijima Using a surrogate model system to screen for pathogen(s) associated with SCTLDJune 2022Julie L. Meyer, Jessica Tittl, Sydney Reed Development of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss disease and investigation of temperature as a driver of stony coral tissue loss disease dynamics June 2022Karli Hollister, Rachel Johns, Evan Hovey, Amelia Lynch Melissa Heres, Jordan Holder, Clayton Pollock Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Reconnaissance, Intervention, and Monitoring in Dry Tortugas National Park June 2022Brian K. Walker, Gareth J. Williams, Greta S. Aeby, Jeffrey A. Maynard, David Whitall Environmental and human drivers of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) incidence within the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area Final Report June 2022Joshua D. Voss, Erin Shilling, Gabrielle Pantoni, Ryan Eckert, Haley Davis, Lexie Sturm, Ashley Carreiro, Sydney Bell 2022 Advancing Coral Reef Research and Resilience in Southeast Florida June 2022Rebecca Vega Thurber, Adrienne M.S. Correa, Samantha Coy, Alex Veglia, Eddie Fuques Meta-transcriptomics to determine if and how viruses are involved in SCTLD infection status and/or disease susceptibility June 2022Diego Lirman, Mark Ladd, Erinn Muller, Hannah Koch, Dave Gilliam, Joanna Figueiredo, Keri O’Neil, Andrew Shantz Methods to improve the success of SCTLD-susceptible coral species outplanted for restoration: From lab to nursery to reef June 2022Daniel M. Holstein, Thomas Dobbelaere, Lew Gramer, Emmanuel Hanert, Luke McEachron, Erinn Muller, Sara Williams Extending biophysical and epidemiological simulations of larval connectivity and SCTLD spread to inform mitigation and restoration June 2022Abigail Renegar Florida Disease Response Coral Rescue – NSU June 2022Joana Figueiredo Coral Propagation: Land-based and Offshore Nursery Phase III June 2022Stephanie Preising, Erin Papke, Michelle Heck, Valerie Paul, Blake Ushijima Identification and virulence testing of Symbiodiniaceae-associated viral particles from Florida corals June 2022Nikki Fogarty Louis-Pierre Rich Supporting aquarium-induced spawning and experiments to enhance coral propagation and restorationJune 2022Margaret Walter, Blake Ushijima Development of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss disease June 2023Blake Ushijima, Valerie Paul, Michelle HeckIdentification and virulence testing of symbiont-associated viral particles from Florida coralsJune 2023Lydia Baker, Stephanie Rosales, Nikki Traylor-KnowlesDevelopment of physical and sequence enrichment methods for the detection of species and strain-level variations in SCTLD-associated bacteria to characterize their functional potentialJune 2023Ana Palacio, Michael Studivan, Ian EnochsAssessing the effects of environmental cofactors on Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) transmission and progression ratesJune 2023Brian Walker, Greta Aeby, Andrew Baker, Samantha Buckley, Neha Garg, Aine Hawthorne, Julie Meyer, Karen Neely, Hunter Noren, Valerie Paul, Reagan Sharkey, Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Josh Voss, David Whitall, Gareth Williams, Cheryl Woodley, and Thierry Work.SCTLD Resistance Research Consortium Summary Report through May 2023June 2023Blake Ushijima, Valerie Paul, Julie MeyersDevelopment of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2023Josh Voss, Ashley Carreiro, Haley Davies, Gabrielle Pantoni, Erin Shilling, Ryan Eckert, and Sydney BellAdvancing coral reef research and resilience in Southeast FloridaJune 2023Brian Walker, Hunter Noren, Reagan Sharkey, Samantha Buckley, and Amanda Zummo2022-2023 SE FL ECA Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationJune 2023Karen NeelyFlorida Keys Coral Disease Intervention Strike TeamsJune 2023Richard Karp, Caroline Dennison, Kick Kron, Andrew BakerThe use of algal symbiont cultures (Family Symbiodiniaceae) as model systems to study stony coral tissue loss disease: Use of fractionated disease isolates to help with pathogen identificationJune 2023Olivia Williamson, Andrew Baker, Keri L. O’NeilInvestigating heritability and drivers of resistance to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) using endemic and rescue coralsJune 2023Joshua Patterson, Keri O’Neil, Mark Ladd, Dana Williams, Jason SpadaroImproving and expanding the portfolio of grazers available for coral co-culture and reef restorationJune 2023Abigail Renegar and Kyle PisanoFlorida Disease Response Coral Rescue and Propagation – NSUJune 2023Nicole Fogarty, Louis-Pierre Rich, Ashley Weeks, Meg Van HornExamining novel techniques in lab-based spawning to upscale coral restoration effortsJune 2023Patricia Bradley and Ben JessupCalibration of the Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) for Florida’s Coral ReefJune 2023Diego Lirman and Martine D’AlessandroThe Role of Outplant Density on Coral Survivorship, Growth, Predation Impacts, and Disease SpreadJune 2023Joanna Figureido, David Gilliam, Leneita Fix, Charles Gregory, Daniel Holstein, and Benjamin LimerCoral Propagation: Land-based and Offshore Nursery Phase IVJune 2024Abigail Renegar, Kyle Pisano, Amanda TraversFlorida Disease Response Coral Rescue and Propagation – NSUJune 2024Erin Papke, Valerie Paul, Jay Houk, Neha Garg, Alex Doty, Michelle Heck, Stephanie Preising, Julie Meyer, Kalie Januszkiewicz, Yasunari Kiryu, Lindsay Huebner, Esther Peters, Blake UshijimaA holistic time-series analysis of stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2024Nicole Fogarty, Krista Laforest, Ashley Weeks, Louis-Pierre RichCoral spawning and optimization of coral propagation techniques in land-based nurseriesJune 2024Michael Studivan, Erinn Muller, Stephanie Rosales, Sara Williams, Benjamin Young, Nicholas MacKnight, Stephanie SirotzkeMulti-‘omic analysis of stony coral tissue loss disease resistance in restoration genotypes of Orbicella faveolataJune 2024Victor Rodriguez-Ruano, Dana Williams, Alain Duran, Mark C LaddUnderstanding the effects of sediment on coral settlement and coral recruitsJune 2024Andrew C. Baker, Diego Lirman, and Fabrizio Lepiz ConejoFY24 Activities of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Restoration HubJune 2024Ana Palacio-Castro, Michael S. Studivan,Ian C. EnochsHigh-replication assessment of the effects of poor water quality on South Florida coral health and susceptibility to Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseJune 2024D. Lirman, M. D’Alessandro, A. Gleason, J. Spadaro, G. Klinges, M. Ladd, D. Gilliam, A. Bourque, K. O’NeilThe Role of Outplant Density on Coral Survivorship, Growth, Predation Impacts, and Disease SpreadJune 2024Andrew Baker, Olivia Williamson, Shayle Matsuda, Alicia Vollmer, Caroline Dennison, Katherine Hardy, Richard Karp , Keri O’Neil, Diego Lirman, Joe Unsworth, Cameron McMathDrivers of resistance to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), infrastructural improvements, and 2023 bleaching responseJune 2024Joshua Patterson, Jason SpadaroImproving and expanding the portfolio of grazers available for coral co-culture and reef restoration – Phase IIJune 2024Julie MeyerDevelopment of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2024Julie MeyerTargeted culturing of putative pathogens associated with stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2024Keisha Bahr, Ph.D., Abigail Cannon, Ph.D., Briana Matthews, B.Sc., Eleanor TenBrink, B.Sc., Casey Gallagher, B.Sc., Robert Bretzing, M.Sc.Defining suspended sediment tolerance and warming thresholds for Caribbean Endangered Species Act (ESA) and/or Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) susceptible coralsJune 2024Valerie J. Paul, Mackenzie Scheuermann, Kathryn TothDevelopment of alternative in situ treatments for stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2024William C. Sharp, Erinn M. Muller, Amanda Bourque, David S. Giliam, Dustin W. Kemp, Diego Lirman, Kristene T. Parsons, Colin P. Shea, and Joshua D. VossLarge-scale Outplanting Designed to Assess Coral Restoration Feasibility in Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseJune 2024Katelyn ArmstrongReef Monitoring and Restoration in Palm Beach CountyJune 2024Thomas Dobbelaere, Emmanuel Hanert, Gareth J. Williams, David Whitall, Greta S. Aeby, Jeffrey A. Maynard,and Brian K. WalkerHydrographic connections of inland water to diseased corals and water quality sites in SE FLJune 2024Brian K. Walker, Hunter Noren, Reagan Sharkey, Samantha Buckley, and Amanda Zummo2023-2024 SE FL ECA Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationJune 2024D. Abigail Renegar, Ph.D., Kyle Pisano, MSc., Amanda Travers, MPSc.Florida Disease Response Coral Rescue and PropagationJune 2024Arelys Chaparro, M.Sc., Karen Neely, Ph.D.Initial assessments of a potentially novel coral disease affecting key reef building corals on Florida’s Coral ReefJune 2024Karen Neely Ph.D.Florida Keys Coral Disease Intervention Strike TeamsJune 2024David S. Gilliam, Nicole K. Hayes, Robert Ruzicka, and Michael ColellaSoutheast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring ProjectJune 2024Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Ph.D., Amy C. Hirons, Ph.D., Jose V. Lopez, Ph.D., D. Abigail Renegar, Jason GershmanHeavy Metals Implications to Sediment Microbiome and Coral Response to Arsenic DosingJune 2024Dr. Joana Figueiredo, Dr. David GilliamCoral Propagation: Land-based and Offshore Nursery Phase VJune 2024Courtney M. Saldaña, Carl V. Miller, Zachary J. Moffitt, Ray M. Radick, Arielle Pollock, Janet E. Saunders, E. Murphy McDonald, Ronald T. Kothera, Lisa A. May, and Cheryl M. WoodleyInvestigating the Effects of Chronic Turbidity Exposure to Priority Florida Coral SpeciesJune 2024Alain Duran, Mark C. Ladd, Victor Rodriguez Ruano, Dana WilliamsUnderstanding spatiotemporal dynamics of sediments on Florida’s Coral Reef and their impact on coral settlement and recruitmentJune 2024Grace Klinges, Lauren Fuess, Alex Veglia, Ashley Rossin, Daniel HolsteinTracking Bacterial, Viral, and Gene Expression Shifts throughout SCTLD Development in the Dry TortugasJune 2024Lucas McEachron, Karen Bohnsack, Andy Bruckner, Alexandra Fine, Christopher Kelble, David Kochan, Kelly Montenero, Frank Muller-Karger, Tylar Murray, Dan Otis, Omar RamzyFlorida’s Coral Reef Water Quality Data Compilation, Analysis, and Decision Support Year 4June 2025D. Abigail Renegar, Ph.D., Kyle Pisano, MSc., Amanda Travers, MPSc.Florida Disease Response Coral Rescue and PropagationJune 2025Valerie J. Paul, Cassady L. Dougan, Jennifer M. SneedInvestigation of waterborne chemical cues for coral larval settlementJune 2025Dr. Joana Figueiredo, Dr. David Gilliam, Chelsea Petrik, Morgan HightshoeCoral Propagation: Land-based and Offshore Nursery Phase VIJune 2025Brian K. Walker, Greta S. Aeby, Andrew C. Baker, Neha Garg, Jeff Maynard, Julie L. Meyer, Karen Neely, Valerie J. Paul et al.SCTLD resistance research consortium (RRC) Orbicella faveolata bioinformatics and data analyses synthesis Final Summary ReportJune 2025Nicholas P. Jones and David S. GilliamGeographic Focus Area Determination for Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration & Recovery (FCR3) Initiative’s Restoration SitesJune 2025Andrew G. Bauman, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, Tory J. Chase, Nicholas P. Jones, D. Abigail RenegarPutting algal turf sediments in perspective along Florida’s Coral ReefJune 2025Brian K. Walker, Whitney Schwabb, Jason Spadaro, Joseph D. UnsworthIdentify and widen bottlenecks in the asexual restoration of endangered Orbicella boulder coralsJune 2025Chad Burt and Will McClintockCoral Reef Decision Support SystemJune 2025Alain Duran, Angel Avedo, William Barriera, Brandon Sosa, and Claire HiaasenScaling up mariculture of a native herbivore in support of “Mission: Iconic Reefs” coral reef restorationJune 2025Alain Duran, Victor Rodriguez-Ruano, Mark C LaddEffect of distinct sediments on Florida’s reef coralsJune 2025Lindsay J. Spiers, Kristene T. Parsons, Gabriel Foster, Julie Meyer, Neha Garg, Valerie J. Paul, William C. SharpHarnessing Coral Resilience through Nursery-to-Reef Restoration ProcessesJune 2025Nicholas P. Jones, Sydney Dutton, Erin Shilling, Lauren FuessAn integrative approach to identify and experimentally validate environmental variables which affect SCTLD outcomesJune 2025Nicole Fogarty, Ashley Weeks, Krista Laforest, Danielle Norton, Kerri DobsonOptimizing reproductive success of corals spawned in land based nurseriesJune 2025Erin Papke, Valerie Paul, Jay Houk, Neha Garg, Alex Doty, Michelle Heck, Stephanie Preising, Julie Meyer, Allison Cauvin, Yasunari Kiryu, Lindsay Huebner, Esther Peters, Blake UshijimaA holistic time-series analysis of stony coral tissue loss diseaseJune 2025D. Lirman, C. Lachnit, M. Ladd, S. Ippolito, J. PattersonAddressing Florida’s Reef Restoration BottlenecksJune 2025Diego Lirman and Dalton HesleyTraining the Next Generation of Reef Restoration PractitionersJune 2025Michael S. Studivan, Ashley Rossin, Sophia Ippolito, Mark Ladd, Dan M. Holstein, Andrew C. Baker, Ian C. EnochsRestoration potential of corals from urbanized and marginal habitats in FloridaJune 2025Victor Rodriguez-Ruano, Alain Duran, Mark C LaddAssessing the effects of sediment grain size on coral settlement and recruit survival across multiple Caribbean speciesJune 2025Caroline Dennison and Andrew BakerImmune priming using poly I:C as a prophylactic treatment against stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) and Investigating changes in algal symbiont load and community structure in response to in situ shadingJune 2025Joshua Patterson and Jason SpadaroImproving early life survival of priority grazersJune 2025Lauren E. Fuess, Grace Klinges, Alex Veglia, Ashley Rossin, Michael Studivan, Blake UshijimaAn Integrative ‘Omic Approach Leveraging Historical SCTLD Data to Identify Predictive Markers of SCTLD ResistanceJune 2025Keisha Bahr, Robert Bretzing, Morgan Coleman, Jack WillansSource-Specific Impacts of Suspended Sediments on Orbicella faveolata Health BenchmarksJune 2025Samara Zinman, Nicholas P. Jones, Jeneen Hadj-Hammou, Andrew G. BaumanIdentifying coral species traits associated with resilience across Florida’s Coral ReefJune 2025Karen L. Neely, Arelys A. Chaparro, Kathryn A. Toth, Yasu KiryuMitigating high-temperature bleaching impacts on high-value corals using low-cost shading approaches, and assessments of a potentially novel coral disease affecting key reef building corals (phase 2)June 2025Brian K. Walker, Hunter Noren, Reagan Sharkey, Samantha Buckley, Sasha Wheeler, Alexandra Wagner, Robert Spekis, and Tristan Buckell2024-2025 SE FL KJCAP Reef-building-coral Disease Intervention and Preparation for RestorationJune 2025Jose V. Lopez, Brian Walker, Nicholas Jones, Paisley SamuelInterdisciplinary Development of Diagnostic Bioindicators for Healthy and Degraded Reefs and Adjacent Built Habitats June 2025Lucas McEachron, David Kochan, Frank Muller-Karger, Jade Lee, Christina Mallica, Tylar Murray, Daniel Otis, Ana Carolina Peraltova, Tina UdoujFlorida’s Coral Reef Water Quality Data Compilation, Analysis, and Decision Support Year 5June 2025Amy C. Hirons, Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Jason GershmanAbiotic Influences Along Southeast Florida Coral Reef CommunitiesJune 2025Advancing Coral Reef Research and Resilience in Southeast Florida: Phase 5June 2025Brian K. Walker, Gareth J. Williams, Emmanuel Hanert, Thomas Dobbelaere, David Whitall, Jeffrey A. Maynard, and Greta S. AebyDefining water quality seascapes in the KJCAP, their relationship to hydrographic modeling connectivity, the 2023 coral bleaching, and SCTLD
Disease Response Coordination Meetings
July 11-13, 2018
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program held a workshop on July 11-13, 2018, in Key Largo to create a comprehensive response plan to address the coral disease outbreak. The workshop focused on developing collaborative partnerships between resource managers and scientists to identify potential pathogens, document the outbreak, understand contributing factors, and aggressively pursue interventions. We are quickly compiling the workshop outcomes to create a framework for adaptive decision-making about intervention actions, resource capacity and funding needs, regulatory issues and community engagement.
Nov. 6-8, 2017
DEP staff collaborated with staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to lead a three-day coral disease meeting to discuss the next phase of coral disease response efforts. Made possible by funds appropriated by the Florida Legislature and Governor Scott, the meeting was attended by approximately 40 participants, including leading coral disease scientists and animal health experts. To review the summaries and objectives from this meeting, please see below and click on the following links:
Intervention Methodologies Workshop: Nov. 6, 2017
Priority Sampling Plan Workshop: Nov. 7-8, 2017
July 24-25, 2017
DEP staff partnered with coral disease experts Greta Aeby from the University of Hawaii and Blake Ushijima from Oregon State University to host a two-day coral disease meeting. Approximately 125 participants representing a variety of agencies, organizations, universities and the South Florida community attended. The meeting included information on coral disease identification, ecology and investigation techniques. To review the meeting material and recordings, please follow the links below:
- Coral Disease: Drivers and Management
- Coral Ecology and Lesion Identification*
- Investigation of Disease Ecology in Florida*
- Coral Microbes: Friends or Foes
For 508-Compliant versions, please email [email protected].
Regional Coordination Calls
To improve communication about the status of the coral disease outbreak and coordination among reef managers, scientists and interested members of the community regarding these response efforts, DEP initiated coordination phone calls in summer 2015. Although initially focused on mainland southeast Florida where the disease outbreak originated, these coordination calls were re-established during summer 2016 to include the entire Florida Reef Tract and are currently ongoing. Follow the links below to review a meeting summary from any of these calls:
Regional Southeast Florida Calls:
- Aug. 28, 2015
- Sept. 29, 2015
- Nov. 10, 2015
Florida Reef Tract-Wide Calls:
- Meeting #1: July 7, 2016
- Meeting #2: Aug. 19, 2016
- Meeting #3: Sept. 29, 2016
- Meeting #4: Oct. 28, 2016
- Meeting #5: Jan. 18, 2017
- Meeting #6: March 1, 2017
- Meeting #7: April 21, 2017
- Meeting #8: June 9, 2017
- Meeting #9: July 27, 2017
- Meeting #10: Jan. 11, 2018
- Meeting #11: April 26, 2018
- Meeting #12: Sept. 6, 2018
- Meeting #13: Dec. 6, 2018
- Meeting #14: March 21, 2019
