Deep Thoughts Blog: Exploring blue holes
Introduction In September 2020, scientists undertook one of their deepest and most challenging missions yet into the Gulf of Mexico’s blue holes—underwater caves, springs and sinkholes being explored for their unique...
Dr. Sumit Chakraborty
Sumit joined the Mote Phytoplankton Ecology group in February 2018. Sumit is interested in fine scale phytoplankton dynamics and the role of phytoplankton in the ocean carbon cycle and quantitative understanding of the perturbations...
Dr. Emily Hall
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...
Long-term maintenance of a heterologous symbiont association in Acropora palmata on natural reefs
The sensitivity of reef-building coral to elevated temperature is a function of their symbiosis with dinoflagellate algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae. Changes in the composition of the endosymbiont community in response to thermal...
Stressing over the Complexities of Multiple Stressors in Marine and Estuarine Systems
Aquatic ecosystems are increasingly threatened by multiple human-induced stressors associated with climate and anthropogenic changes, including warming, nutrient pollution, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and changes in CO2 and pH....
Active acoustic surveys reveal coastal fish community resistance to an environmental perturbation in South Florida
Coastal fish communities are under increasing levels of stress associated with climate variation and anthropogenic activities. However, the high degree of behavioral plasticity of many species within these communities allow them to...
Genome-wide study in staghorn coral identifies markers of disease resistance
Present in every population of plants and animals are distinct individuals who are resistant to disease. An important question is what genetic insights can be obtained from studying these individuals. In the case of coral, many of...
Monitoring population-level foraging distribution of a marine migratory species from land: strengths and weaknesses of the isotopic approach...
Assessing the linkage between breeding and non-breeding areas has important implications for understanding the fundamental biology of and conserving animal species. This is a challenging task for marine species, and in sea turtles...
Field Trips (Florida Keys)
Florida Keys Field Trips Experienced Mote Educators lead your field trip program giving your students access to Mote’s world-class marine research and helping them explore a variety of science topics. Mote field...
Day Camps (Florida Keys)
Biologist in Training Summer Day Camps In this series of exciting and educational day camps, young minds will dive into the fascinating world of coral reefs! Each camp is designed to...
Classroom Kits (Florida Keys)
What is a Coral Kit? Mote's Coral Kits are a free, educational experience from Mote's Summerland Key lab to your classroom. There are 4 interactive lessons to choose from to teach students about coral reef biology and ecology,...
Dr. Sara Williams
Dr. Williams first worked at Mote back in 2012 as a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates intern, but officially joined the Mote team as a Postdoctoral Researcher in October 2020. She completed her Ph.D....
Dr. Erinn Muller
Dr. Muller's research focuses on identifying corals that are resilient to major threats such as climate change and coral disease to help inform Mote’s coral restoration activities. Additionally, her...
Marine Microbiology
The Marine Microbiology Program studies microscopic living things (called microorganisms or microbes), their roles in the marine environment and their ability to produce natural products that can benefit marine animal and human health.
Coral Health & Disease
Several stressors including climate change and infectious diseases have caused significant losses in living coral, particularly in Florida, leading to ecosystems on the brink of functional extinction. ...
Coral Reef Restoration
Mote Marine Laboratory scientists have restored more than 216,000 corals to Florida’s Coral Reef—an exciting milestone. Starting in 2020,...
Environmental Laboratory For Forensics
The ELF lab explores a range of organismal and environmental health issues. Over the past 18 years, the ELF lab has been funded over $6.5 million to carry out oil spill and industrial contaminant pollution research, nationally and...
Ecotoxicology
The mission of the Ecotoxicology Research Program is to investigate the source, fate and effects of toxic substances in the environment, including natural biotoxins (harmful...
Ocean Acidification
Worldwide, oceans absorb about one-third of all the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can lead to a reduction in pH and dramatic shifts in seawater carbonate chemistry. Studies have shown that ocean water is more acidic...
Mote’s Coral Research Exhibit
About This Campus To educate and involve visitors in the protection and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, Mote Marine Laboratory has teamed up with NOAA and their partners to create Mote’s...
The future of coral reef restoration depends on science and collaboration
Florida’s Coral Reef experienced record-breaking heat waves during the summer of 2023 caused by unusually high seawater temperatures that started early in the season, resulting in mass coral bleaching in certain areas. Florida’s...
Mote Launches Transformative Coral Reef Restoration Project with a Nearly $7 Million NOAA grant
Mote Marine Laboratory is pleased to announce it was awarded nearly $7 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a four-year, multi-faceted project focused on implementing a holistically transformative...
Innovative incubator to jumpstart efforts to control harmful algal blooms
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is partnering with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) in a new $7.5 million grant from NOAA to lead an innovative U.S. Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies...
New research microgrant helps sustain fisheries in the Gulf with bycatch map
Fishing, a $200-billion industry in the United States, provides millions of jobs and sustenance. Newest Mote Research Technician in the Center for Fisheries Electronic Monitoring at Mote (CFEMM), Katie Harrington, is working to ensure...
Mote scientists present coral discoveries in Germany
Cutting-edge coral reef research took the spotlight this week as six Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and their Mote-affiliated peers presented their latest discoveries during the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in...
Mote coral restoration featured in nationally syndicated show
Mote's coral reef restoration and research efforts will be featured on the nationally syndicated show, Wildlife Nation, featuring host Jeff Corwin and presented by Defenders of Wildlife. The episode, "Crocs and Corals", features stories...
Mote & international partners establish first ‘Rules of Thumb’ for marine connectivity conservation
As ocean habitats around the world face threats such as climate change, overfishing, pollution, and more, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can provide sanctuary to threatened populations and vital ecosystem services. However, even given...
Mote’s coral restoration efforts featured in National Geographic magazine
Mote’s coral restoration efforts featured in National Geographic...
Fighting red tide impacts with science – 2020 Annual Report
This story is a highlight from our 2020 Annual Report. TURNING THE (RED) TIDE WITH A GAME-CHANGING INITIATIVE As Gulf of Mexico communities...