How Inland Waters Shape Coral Reef Health in Southeast Florida

July 16 2025

Dr. Brian Walker 

How Inland Waters Shape Coral Reef Health in Southeast Florida

Led by Dr. Brian Walker, a collaborative research team conducted an investigation into how inland water sources in Southeast Florida influence the health of Florida’s Coral Reef. Drawing on water quality monitoring data collected from 2018 to 2024, the project sheds light on the environmental drivers behind coral bleaching and disease, offering critical insights for reef conservation and management.

Major Outcomes

This study identified hydrographic connections between inland water sources in southeast Florida (including major inlets like Government Cut, Baker’s Haulover, Port Everglades, and Hillsboro) and coral reefs and investigated the environmental drivers and nutrients associated with bleaching and disease between 2018 and 2024. 

Significant outcomes included: 

1. Analyte concentrations on the reef are increasing

2. Reefs northward of their adjacent inlet are most exposed to the water from that inlet 

3. Government Cut is a major transition between water quality seascapes

4. Increased exposure to terrestrial waters increases SCTLD lesions

5. Turbidity from high winds may help reduce bleaching

6. Mitigative actions in the Biscayne Bay system would have the most beneficial effect to water quality on the reefs

7. Nutrient differences in Biscayne may be affected by oceanside seagrass beds

8. The rate of increase in orthophosphates has slowed since the 2021 Miami-Dade County fertilizer restrictions