Join us as we closeout or week-long festival for a morning at Gandy beach dedicated to community service and science!
9:30a: Keep Pinellas Beautiful starts the morning with a beach clean-up along the south side of the beach (about 1/4 mi east of The Getaway).
10:30a: taste of science Tampa Bay picnic style talks start where the clean-up began.
Remember to bring: chairs or blanket to sit, your own food and drink to enjoy the picnic! KPB will provide gloves and materials for the clean up.
Hillary Stockdon
Shifting Sands: Understanding the hazards that come with living where the ocean meets the land - Many of the things we love about Florida - the beautiful beaches and clear waters – also make it a hazardous place to live. During hurricanes, waves and surge dramatically reshape our coastlines. Sea level rise threatens low-lying towns with nuisance flooding. However, there is strong science that explains how coasts respond to these external forces. With this understanding of the natural system, we can predict areas of future vulnerability and provide useful guidance to decision-makers.
About Hilary: Dr. Hilary Stockdon is the Science Advisor for Coastal Change Hazards at the U.S. Geological Survey. She grew up exploring the woods of Virginia.
Patrick Schwing (@PatrickTSchwing)
Oil Spills in the Gulf of Mexico and potential implications for the Tampa Bay Area - We have learned a great deal about oil exposure and response of Gulf of Mexico ecosystems following the Deepwater Horizon (2010) & Ixtoc (1979-80) oil spills. We have also gained invaluable information about natural Gulf ecosystem operation and connectivity. Patrick’s talk will provide an overview of several scientific efforts underway to aid responders and managers in the case of future oil spills, the current setting for deepwater drilling in the Gulf and implications for the Tampa Bay area.
About Patrick: As a research associate at the USF, College of Marine Science, Patrick studies human impacts on marine seafloor systems.
Cary Lopez & Sugandha Shankar
Pyrodinium bahamense: coming this summer to a water body near you…Tampa Bay? - Phytoplankton are important and critical to life, but a small percentage of species can be harmful. Most Floridians know the harmful red tide alga well, but this talk will focus on a toxic, bioluminescent species called Pyrodinium bahamense, and why blooms of this species are a recurring summer feature in Tampa Bay.
About Cary Lopez: Cary is a phytoplankton ecologist by training, and her research focuses on a toxic alga that blooms in Tampa Bay most summers.
About Sugandha Shankar: Sugandha is a phytoplankton ecologist and her current projects focus on harmful algal bloom ecology and physiology. She is interested in understanding environmental factors that favor bloom maintenance and toxin production.