Research is the driving force behind MKEI’s mission to cultivate partnerships to create sustainable environmental change bettering our globe.
At MKEI, we gather and analyze data to develop solutions to environmental challenges; to address balance between humans and the environment; and to enhance management and use of environmental resources.
Current projects focus on Northwest Florida’s coastal dune lakes. These are unique water bodies located near the coastline, which open intermittently to the Gulf of Mexico. MKEI is examining the biology (flora and fauna), chemical, and physical components to construct a comprehensive assessment of these valuable ecosystems.
Obtaining descriptive baseline data about the phytoplankton communities present in the coastal dune lakes to better understand their dynamics in dune lake ecology.
Assessing aquatic macrophyte (plant) communities in the coastal dune lakes and how salinity affects those communities.
Providing a baseline understanding of the variety of species inhabiting the coastal dune lakes, and their respective locations.
Analyzing the biodiversity of oyster reef sites, to assess how productive the reefs have become since installation.
Our comprehensive study on the composition of our area’s multiple coastal dune lakes is available now to read through Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.
MKEI and colleagues looked at the underwater (submersed) plant communities in the 14 different waterbodies (coastal dune lakes) located along the Gulf of Mexico in Walton and Bay Florida counties. We found levels of salinity in the water changed the amount and types of submersed plants found in the lakes. See the link to read the full paper published in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science!
Influence of salinity on SAV distribution in a series of intermittently connected coastal lakes
March Fish of the Month: Bay Anchovy Anchoa mitchelli Dr. Geoffrey Smith NWFSC Biology Instructor Spring has arrived in Florida and for many fish species, the corresponding increase in temperature leads to greater overall activity, which requires more food to be consumed. But what do all those hungry fish eat? The answer for a…
We are excited to announce Dr. Geoffrey Smith, Northwest Florida State College biology instructor, has been awarded a Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuary Program (PPBEP) community grant. MKEI is honored to be able to assist Dr. Smith as he studies peripheral oyster populations in Santa Rosa Sound and urban bayous of Pensacola Bay. Oysters are…
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