🌊 Ahead of #HurricaneSeason2025, USF’s Ocean Circulation Lab deployed real-time ocean monitoring buoys on the West Florida Shelf. 🌪️COMPS provides ocean and atmospheric data—critical for forecasting storm intensification. Follow along on the CMS website for real-time data!

New water quality sensor just went live in Tampa Bay! The sensor is part of the Tampa Bay Observing Network (TBON)—a network of sites around Tampa Bay that monitor temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and algae and provide real-time data.

Telemundo 49 joined us on a research cruise to film the science behind deploying buoys to track ocean currents. This Spanish-language documentary shows how the College of Marine Science helps monitor oceanic conditions critical for hurricane forecasting.

“We have a lot of river plumes in the gulf and elsewhere,” Dr. Chuanmin Hu (@tianhuxu) told the Catalyst. “But it is not observed that often that a river plume could fuel a #hurricane to intensify so fast. So, that was a surprise." #USF.

RT @USF_GNSI: Can deep sea mining power the energy transition?.🔗 🌊 @USFCMS 's Dr. Mark Luther discusses cobalt-ric….

🌊 It’s World Ocean Month! .All month long, we’re celebrating the incredible researchers at the USF College of Marine Science who are expanding our understanding of the ocean through cutting-edge science, such as PhD student Olivia Blondheim.

Florida High Tech Corridor intern and USF undergraduate student, Jeromy Parmar is assisting a Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies project at the College of Marine Science that uses doll hairs and neural networks to improve seagrass bed monitoring.

A consortium featuring the Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave and #USF College of #MarineScience won a $14 million @NOAA grant in December 2024 to support and scale startups that pioneer #environmental #resiliency tools through technological advancements.

“In order for this to happen, you need to have the #hurricane at the right time, at the right location, and that is pretty rare,” Dr. Chuanmin Hu (@tianhuxu) said. “But this time, it’s like a perfect storm.” #USF

“Usually a #hurricane does intensify over the Gulf in August, but not that fast,” Dr. Chuanmin Hu (@tianhuxu) told @wmnf. #USF

“It’s not as integrated as it probably needs to be,” said Dr. Tom Frazer, Dean & Professor of #USF CMS. “We recognize all the component parts, & it’s hard to put all of those together. That’s the contemporary challenge . & we’re all trying to get there.”

“In 2023, it’s a very rapid intensification from category one to category 4 in one day, and that’s what we found. Without such a river plume, on the other hand, the #hurricane would not intensify this fast,” Dr. Chuanmin Hu (@tianhuxu) said. #USF

The USF College of Marine Science was proud to sponsor the 2025 Symposium on Tropical Cyclone Risk in a Changing Climate, where several faculty members presented hurricane research from storm surge to intensification.

🌊A recent study led by researchers at USF’s College of Marine Science shows that water discharged from rivers can play a role in fueling hurricanes, such as Hurricane Idalia, and may help improve future forecasting efforts.

“The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,” Dr. Brian Barnes said. #USF

A study co-authored by USF College of Marine Science and University of Hawaii Mānoa researchers shows that industrial iron from Asia is fueling spring phytoplankton blooms in the North Pacific Transition Zone—an area critical for Pacific fisheries.

🌊 It’s World Ocean Month! 🌊 . Follow along for the entire month as we highlight the researchers at the USF College of Marine Science who improve our understanding of the ocean through cutting-edge and world-renowned research.

Join us in celebrating three exceptional members of the USF College of Marine Science: Joe Donnelly, Boris Galperin, and Teresa Greely. With decades of service, each has contributed significantly to advancing research, empowering scientists, and supporting community.

🌊 Ocean physics affects more than you think—from red tides to storm surge. In "Climate to a Fish Sandwich: Why We Study the Ocean’s Circulation", USF's Robert Weisberg explains why ocean circulation matters—for all of us. Dive into the science.

Congratulations to Natalia López Figueroa on her successful defense! 🎓👏 We’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved at CMS. Read her commencement profile: