Ocean Acidification

Dr. Emily Hall

Dr. Emily Hall

Senior Scientist and Program Manager

Dr. Emily Hall joined the staff at Mote Marine Laboratory in the Chemical Ecology Program in 2005 where she was most involved with research and monitoring of nutrient patterns in relation to harmful algal blooms in the west-central coast of Florida, and investigating sources of nutrients in aquatic systems. Dr. Hall now currently manages the Chemical and Physical Ecology Program and the Ocean Acidification Program, two major research programs at Mote Marine Laboratory. As part of the Ocean Acidification Program, Dr. Hall developed ocean acidification and climate change experimental systems (in the Florida Keys – CAOS and in Sarasota - OASys) to study the effects of global and local variables on coral reef ecosystems as well as on other marine organisms. Ocean acidification (OA) and climate change are occurring due to the increased rate of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere and the ocean. Understanding the effects of these global problems on marine organisms is a top priority. The implication and evidence are that increases of pCO2 along with increased temperatures (and combined with other environmental variables) will affect multiple critical biological components of marine ecosystems. Dr. Hall is also focusing her research on unique coastal and marine habitats that may be able to withstand or alleviate the effects of global changes on organisms like corals, such as within seagrass beds or offshore deep holes. Within the Chemical and Physical Ecology Program at Mote, Dr. Hall addresses both research and applied science questions on the impacts and interactions of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica) and physical parameters (salinity, light) in riverine, estuarine and coastal environments.

Education

B.S. in Environmental Science, Mercer University, 1999

B.A. in Spanish, Mercer University, 1999

M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 2001

Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 2004

Publications

2023 Hall, E.R., Dixon, L.K., Kirkpatrick, G.J., A. Nissanka, B.A. Pederson. Phytoplankton communities of the west coast of Florida – multiyear and seasonal responses to nutrient enrichment. Harmful Algae, 130: 102547.

2023 Devillier, V.M., Hall, E.R., Anderson, D.M., Lewis, K.A. Exposure of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) to modified clay treatment of Karenia brevis as a bloom control strategy. Harmful Algae, 128: 102492.

2023 Wessel, M.R., Beck, M.W., Sherwood, E.T., Peebles, E.B., Hall, E. Establishing a community of practice for tidal creek research using conceptual models and open science. Florida Scientist, 86(2): 362-369.

2023 Culter, J.K., Hall, E.R., Byrd, G., Cole, C. Diving techniques for exploration of submarine karst features of the west Florida continental shelf. Diving for Science 2023: Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 40th Symposium. Verde, E.A. & Scott-Ireton, D.A., eds. pp. 5-17.

2023 Klepac C.N., Eaton K.R., Petrik C.G., Arick L.N., Hall E.R., Muller E.M. Symbiont composition and coral genotype determines massive coral species performance under end-of-century climate scenarios. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1026426. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.10264262022

2022 Mallon, J., Cyronak, T., Hall, E.R., Banaszak, A.T., Exton, D.A., Bass, A.M. Light-driven dynamics between calcification and production in functionally diverse coral reef calcifiers. Limnology and Oceanography 9999:1-16. doi: 10.1002/lno.12002

2022 Osborne, E., X. Hu, E.R. Hall, K. Yates, J. Vreeland-Dawson, K. Shamberger, L. Barbero, J.M. Hernandez-Ayon, F.A. Gomez, T. Hicks, Y.Y. Xu. Ocean acidification in the Gulf of Mexico: Drivers, impacts, and unknowns. Progress in Oceanography, p.102882

2022 Glibert, P.M., W.J. Cai, E.R. Hall, M. Li, K.L. Main, K.A. Rose, J.M. Testa, N.K. Vidyarathna. Stressing over the Complexities of Multiple Stressors in Marine and Estuarine Systems. Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research, 2022.

2022 Burnham, K.A., Nowicki, R.J., Hall, E.R., Pi, J. and Page, H.N. Effects of ocean acidification on the performance and interaction of fleshy macroalgae and a grazing sea urchin. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 547, p.151662.

2021. Muller EM, Dungan AM, Million WC, Eaton KR, Petrik C, Bartels E, Hall ER, Kenkel CD.  Heritable variation and lack of tradeoffs suggest adaptive capacity in Acropora cervicornis despite negative synergism under climate change scenarios. Proc. R. Soc. B 288: 20210923. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0923

2021 Page, HN, C Hewett, H Tompkins, and ER Hall. Ocean acidification and direct interactions affect coral, macroalga, and sponge growth in the Florida Keys. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 9, 739.https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9070739.

2021 Patin, NV, ZA Dietrich, A Stancil, M Quinan, JS Beckler, ER Hall, J Culter, CG Smith, M Teillefert, and FJ Sewart. Gulf of Mexico blue hole harbors high levels of novel microbial lineages. The ISME Journal, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-00917-x.

2020 Hall, E.R., L. Wickes, L.E. Burnett, G.I. Scott, D. Hernandez, K.K. Yates, L. Barbero, J.J. Reimer, M. Baalousha, J. Mintz, W.-J. Cai, J.K. Craig, M.R. DeVoe, W.S. Fisher, T.K. Hathaway, E.B. Jewett, Z. Johnson, P. Keener, R.S. Mordecai, S. Noakes, C. Phillips, P.A. Sandifer, A. Schnetzer, J. Styron. Acidification in the U.S. Southeast: causes, potential consequences and the role of the Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7:548. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00548

2018 Hall, E.R., E.M. Muller, T. Goulet, J. Bellworthy, K.B. Ritchie, and M. Fine. 2018. Eutrophication may compromise the resilience of the Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata to global change. Marine Pollution Bulletin 131:701-711.

2017 Muller, E.M., N.M. Leporacci, K.J. Macartney, A.G. Shea, R.E. Crane, E.R. Hall, and K.B. Ritchie. Low pH reduces the virulence of black band disease on Orbicella faveolata. PLoS ONE, 12(6): e0178869.

2016 Banc-Prandi G., K. Imhof, E. Hall, and K. Ritchie. Interspecific coral bacterial competition under ocean acidification scenarios. Proceedings from the 13th International Coral Reef Symposium, Honolulu: 58-70.

2015. Perault, J.R., Muller, E.M, Hall, E.R., Rotjan, R.D. Presence of the northern star coral (Astrangia oculata) as an epibiont on the carapace of a nesting loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) in the western Gulf of Mexico, USA. Reef Encounters 31(1):46.

2015 Hall, E.R., B. DeGroot, and M. Fine. Lesion recovery of two scleractinian corals under low pH conditions: implications for restoration efforts. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 100:321-326.

2014 L.K. Dixon, G.J. Kirkpatrick, E.R. Hall, and A. Nissanka. Nutrients on the west Florida shelf: patterns and relationships with Karenia spp. occurrence. Harmful Algae, in press. 

2014 Heil, C., L.K. Dixon, J. Lenes, M. Garrett, E. Hall, L. Killberg-Thorsen, D. Bronk, K. Meyer, B. Walsh, J. O Neil, L. Procise, M. Mulholland, G. Hitchcock, G. Kirkpatrick, R. Weisberg, and J.J. Walsh. Nutrients, management and Karenia blooms: sources, sinks and cycling of nutrients to Karenia brevis blooms in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Harmful Algae, in press. 

2012 Hall, E.R., D. Vaughan, and M.P. Crosby. Development of ocean acidification flow thru experimental raceway units (OAFTERU). Proceedings from the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, Cairns, Australia. 

2012 Hall, E.R., K. Nierenberg, A.J. Boyes, C.A. Heil, L.J. Flewelling, and B. Kirkpatrick. The art of red tide science. Harmful Algae 17:1-5. 

2006 Hall, E.R., Booth, M.M., Delfino, J.J. Sedimentary organic matter in the Alafia and Little Manatee Rivers in West-Central Florida. Florida Scientist 60:224-235.

Coral reefs provide more than $2.7 trillion in services to economies worldwide—but we're losing these important ecosystems quickly. Mote scientists are spearheading coral reef restoration using cutting-edge science.