The goal is to quantify how much oysters were capable of filtering in the past compared with today, providing a long-term perspective to inform what oyster restoration decisions are feasible.

The Guana River Estuary in northeast Florida is impaired due to excess nutrients, which can fuel eutrophic algal blooms. Oysters naturally filter estuaries, but modern data is limited. This project aims to reconstruct a longer history of oysters using the preserved shells within living reefs.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠:
-Piloting novel methods to inform oyster restoration decisions (applicable to anywhere oyster reefs exist)
-Results to support a larger NSF-style proposal
-Helping me finish my PhD!
-The more shells I can radiocarbon date, the better my past estimates will be

To learn more and support my work, visit: experiment.com/projects/rec....

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 $𝟏𝟔𝐤:
*Piloting novel methods to inform what oyster restoration decisions are feasible (applicable to anywhere oyster reefs exist)
*Results to support a larger NSF-style proposal
***Helping me finish my PhD***

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: Samples are already collected and ready to analyze. The radiocarbon analyses have been tested, with preliminary results showing that oysters are accessible since the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve was established in 1985.

𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥: to quantify how much Guana River, FL oysters were capable of filtering in the past compared with today, providing a long-term perspective to inform feasible restoration options.

I’m studying #conservation #paleobiology (applying a paleontologist’s skillset towards modern conservation issues), #scicomm, and conservation #storytelling. #fundingsolutions #funding #fundingopportunities #fundraise #PhD #STEM #fisheries #fisheriesmanagement #research #gtmreserve #restoration