Halmos Researcher Part of Team Studying Blue-Green Algae in Florida

For months, Florida residents have followed stories about blue-green algae (scientifically known as cyanobacteria) blooms that are severely impacting local communities. Starting in July 2019, Halmos College faculty member Jose Lopez, Ph.D. will co-lead a project to study this ongoing issue by applying his genomics expertise.

Funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Dr. Lopez will co-lead the project along with Barry Rosen, staff scientist for the USGS Southeastern Region. Halmos biological sciences faculty Robert Smith, Ph.D. will also contribute modeling skills. Halmos master’s student Eric Fortman will assist with the project. Other project researchers are from Florida Gulf Coast University and the USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center.

Halmos College Oceanographic Campus will be the home base for this project. “The time has come for us to research what factors contribute to these blue-green algae blooms, what we can do to mitigate them when they happen and, more importantly, what can we do proactively to stop them from happening or lessen their impact,” said Dr. Lopez.

Dr. Lopez said the research could run up to three years with a focus on how water quality, nutrients and harmful algae blooms interact in Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River, looking at the factors that come into play when these blooms occur.

“There are many species of cyanobacteria, so we need to characterize the diversity and better understand which ones contribute to the blooms and what their normal function is in the ecosystem when there is no harmful algae bloom. This project will have a strong molecular basis [reading DNA and RNA sequences]” said Dr. Lopez.