Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna appropriated $953,390 to support four projects monitoring environmental conditions in Tampa Bay and the West Florida Shelf.

Today, Luna presented the check to Eckerd College President James J. Annarelli, Ph.D.

Faculty and students will collect data on water quality and marine ecosystems that could help scientists and resource managers track changing conditions and guide conservation efforts.

“Florida’s way of life depends on healthy waters,” Luna said in a prepared statement. “This funding gives Eckerd scientists and students the tools to better understand Tampa Bay and preserve it for generations to come.”

The appropriation will support four existing areas of research at Eckerd rather than launch a single new study.

One focuses on microplastics, tiny plastic particles that have become an emerging concern in marine environments. Eckerd launched its Microplastics in Tampa Bay research project in 2017 and has since collected water and sediment samples throughout the estuary.

Another initiative focuses on harmful algal blooms, including red tide. Eckerd researchers have studied how the blooms affect marine environments and are working to better understand conditions associated with their development and decline.

The federal funding will also support monitoring for invasive marine invertebrates. Eckerd researchers use methods including environmental DNA, or eDNA, which can identify organisms through genetic material they leave behind in the water.

The fourth initiative involves stone crabs, one of Florida’s commercially important fisheries. Eckerd researchers have studied how environmental stresses such as changing temperatures, salinity, low oxygen and red tide can affect the crustaceans.

Annarelli said: “From microplastic pollution and red tide blooms to invasive invertebrate species and stone crab fisheries, the four monitoring initiatives to be supported by this Community Project Funding will make a lasting impact on ecosystem health and economic vitality in our region,” Annarelli said in a prepared statement.

The funding also expands research opportunities for Eckerd’s undergraduate students.

The college has long emphasized hands-on marine science education, aided by its waterfront location on Boca Ciega Bay. Students conduct field and laboratory research alongside faculty and have access to Tampa Bay and Gulf waters for sampling.

Eckerd reports that its students have earned 115 NOAA Hollings Scholarships, along with Goldwater, Fulbright and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

The new funding will allow students to contribute to longer-term environmental datasets while gaining field research experience.

Those datasets can help researchers distinguish short-term environmental events from longer-term changes occurring in Tampa Bay and the Gulf.

The federal investment is also tied to the economic importance of the region’s waters. Tourism, recreational and commercial fishing, shipping and other industries all depend on the health of Tampa Bay and the surrounding Gulf.

The one-year project will build on years of monitoring by Eckerd researchers while providing additional data on the environmental pressures affecting those waters.