The Keys Marine Laboratory (http://keysmarinelab.org) is awarded a grant to upgrade and expand its existing seawater system to provide a state of the art research capability on-site. The Keys Marine Laboratory (KML), in the Florida Keys, is an educational and research laboratory serving researchers, faculty and students from around the world. This enhanced seawater system will provide KML users with year-round high quality, on-demand seawater to conduct laboratory experiments and hence allow on-site research not previously possible. The upgraded system provides the ability to recirculate and manipulate water quality, temperature, and pH into a variety of tanks, allowing for recirculation and effluent treatment, including filtration and UV sterilization. The proposal leverages prior improvements supported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Water from the treatment facility (built with FWC funds), will flow into a series of head tanks where temperature and pH adjustments take place. A set of heaters and chillers provide temperature control and similarly, injected carbon dioxide regulates pH to desired levels. The head tanks then deliver water, via pumps, to the experimental tanks. The experimental tank setup will allow for experiments requiring replicate ability at varying volumes and a variety of temperature and pH combinations. Larger tanks will be equipped with the capacity for water recirculation. Recirculation allows for further control and manipulation of water, increased filtration, and provides a safeguard against upstream failures or contaminations.
The new seawater system will provide a basis for research on tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems, including living marine resources, with global implications. In particular the ability to manipulate water quality to represent past, present, and future conditions will provide an improved scientific understanding and anticipation of the range of impacts to systems and living marine resources. In this way, forecasts can provide best case and worst case scenarios in addition to intermediate scenarios, which will guide resource management actions. For example, research on coral under future climate scenarios will provide new insights into coral productivity and vulnerability. It is estimated that coral reefs support a $4.4 billion industry in South Florida alone by providing a habitat for fishery resources for recreational and commercial fishing and through recreational snorkeling and diving activities. As such, they are not only of scientific curiosity, but are also of economic importance and a means of educational outreach to a broader audience.
