Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020
Location: Zoom
Dr. Tom Frankovich is a marine ecologist who investigates relationships between water quality and algal communities and how these communities change through time. The water quality subjects he studies includes nutrient availability, salinity distribution, and the underwater light environment. The algal communities he studies are quite diverse and encompass a broad range of size and habitats from microscopic phytoplankton to macroscopic seaweeds and seagrasses and include unique environments such as the skin of manatees, sea turtles and whales.
Most of Dr. Frankovich’s research is conducted in the estuaries of South Florida but he also collaborates with international scientists to study algal communities across the globe. Current research projects include phytoplankton and water quality monitoring in the St. Lucie Estuary, seagrass and macroalgal dynamics in Everglades National Park, and the taxonomy of epizoic diatoms on marine vertebrates.
