Florida’s Indian River Lagoon has been an ecosystem in decline going back to 2011, when harmful algal blooms led to a severe decline in seagrass, the foundational component of shallow coastal ecosystems.
The loss of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon System undermined fisheries, tourism and wildlife, ultimately leading to the starvation of more than 1,200 manatees from 2020-25, peaking in 2021-22.
In the fall of 2022, hurricanes Ian and Nicole struck Florida’s east coast within six weeks of one another, bringing intense rainfall, storm surges and coastal erosion. In the immediate aftermath, seagrass declined even further.
But a few months later, in the spring of 2023, seagrass began to return. Satellite imagery revealed rapid and widespread regrowth.
Assistant Professor of Geography Hannah Herrero and her co-researcher, Stephanie Insalaco-Wyner of Southwestern University, are geographers who study environmental change. Their research documents this unexpected recovery and examines what it may reveal about ecosystem resilience in heavily degraded coastal systems. Read more at The Conversation.
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