RESEARCH PRIORITIES
Water Quality and Sediments
Identify trends in sanitary sewer overflows and other unanticipated releases that occur throughout the watershed. Evaluate the effects of policies to prevent and mitigate sanitary sewer overflows.
Evaluate the effectiveness of local ordinances and social marketing campaigns to reduce fertilizer use and associated nitrogen loadings within the watershed. Evaluate novel tracers to further differentiate sources of nitrogen in the watershed.
Determine the assimilative capacity for nutrients in the Tampa Bay estuary.
Evaluate the impacts of septic systems in the Tampa Bay watershed. Identify any nutrient load reduction benefits of septic-sewer conversions and/or new on-site disposal system technologies.
Determine the sources, pathways, and projected trends of nutrient loading from reuse water of varied quality and their effects on the bay's ecology. Reevaluate at least every 5 years to account for wastewater regulatory and management changes.
Facilitate the development of Nitrogen Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) for nutrient-impaired waterbodies within the watershed.
Quantify real-time pollutant loading from surface and groundwater flow. Determine optimal locations to deploy continuous water quality and flow monitors in the watershed, considering new sensor technologies.
Determine the sources and pathways of emerging contaminants of concern that could negatively affect living resources.
Assess the effectiveness of agricultural and urban farming Best Management Practices (BMPs) in reducing nutrient loadings throughout the Tampa Bay watershed.
Develop and improve coupled watershed, hydrodynamic, water quality, and ecological models that can evaluate management alternatives to improve the bay's ecology.
Bay Habitats
Identify biotic, abiotic, and compounding stressors contributing to seagrass loss. Evaluate seasonal and annual seagrass and macroalgal diversity and density trends in persistent and ephemeral beds. Define significance thresholds for changes in seagrass coverage by bay segment and seagrass management area.
Evaluate and monitor living shoreline techniques that potentially improve habitat and ecosystem value of altered Tampa Bay shorelines.
Continue to assess water quality, sediment quality and habitat of tidal tributaries in Tampa Bay. Identify critical thresholds or protective guidelines to support the development of numeric nutrient criteria or additional protective standards.
Identify and assess the effectiveness of new technologies to track coastal habitat quantity and quality.
Assess the effectiveness, functionality, and cumulative effects of mitigation and restoration projects within the watershed.
Determine existing and predicted impacts of watershed development on estuarine habitat function and quality.
Quantify the social and ecological benefits of critical coastal habitats across Tampa Bay.
Fish and Wildlife
Determine trajectories and underlying mechanisms for the spread of existing high priority and emergent invasive species. Evaluate potential effects of invasive species on environmental or economic resources and develop best management practices to reduce spread and/or address impacts.
Determine the relative importance of estuarine spawning and nursery habitats to commercially- and recreationally important fish populations. Assess fisheries connectivity within the seascape from estuarine to coastal and offshore habitats of the Gulf of Mexico
Evaluate the effects of freshwater inflow on estuarine function, habitat quality, and biological resources.
Identify, develop, and evaluate new key fish and wildlife indicators that improve understanding and communication of Tampa Bay's ecological health.
Identify monitoring needs, barriers to, and environmental conditions supportive of sustainable, annual bay scallop populations in Tampa Bay.
Evaluate the potential for mariculture and aquaculture to provide economic and environmental co-benefits for bay restoration.
Climate Change
Identify potential changes in ecosystem primary production in response to climate change drivers. Research trophic links with other species, including drift algae, zooplankton, fish, and wildlife.
Identify the environmental drivers affecting the geographic ranges, migration patterns, and behaviors of fish and wildlife in association with climate change.
Incorporate and evaluate habitat restoration tactics that enhance the ability of fish and wildlife to tolerate climate change stressors.
Develop scenarios of human responses to climate change in the watershed and identify important social and ecological interactions and feedback loops.
Evaluate genetic strains of habitat-forming species that are resilient to climate change stressors that can be used as restoration stock.
Identify the effects of compound flooding on water quality.
Public Access, Education, and Involvement
Evaluate community awareness, understanding, and perceptions of the state of the bay and the services it provides.
Determine barriers to bay users' engagement with conservation messaging and adoption of pro-environmental behaviors.
Characterize the diversity of bay users, their behaviors, and the dynamics of the broader social-ecological network in Tampa Bay.

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Action Plans

Clean Water and Sediments

Water Quality Stormwater Atmospheric Deposition Wastewater Contaminants of Concern Pathogens

Thriving Habitats & Wildlife

Bay Habitats Freshwater Inflow Fish and Wildlife Invasive Species Dredge Management Spill Prevention

Informed, Engaged & Responsible Community

Public Access Public Education Climate Change Local Implementation

Endnotes

Acronyms List of All Actions Who We Are

Strategies

Strategic Plan Research Priorities Monitoring and Indicators Plan Implementing & Financing Plan Communications Plan Climate Action Plan

Contact Us

Tampa Bay Estuary Program
263 13th Ave. S., Suite 350
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727)-893-2765 info@tbep.org

About TBEP

The mission of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is to build partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay through implementation of a scientifically sound, community-based management plan.