Port Aransas, Texas, USA
The South Texas Gulf Coast network node, led by the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute, covers the exploration and monitoring of a diverse range of coastal marine habitats through scientists at UTMSI and the Mission Aransas NERR. Specifically, from offshore to the inner coast, the site provides access to offshore and nearshore oil and gas platforms and submerged rocky reefs, one of the longest stretches of undeveloped, exposed sandy beach habitat (including the Padre Island National Seashore), narrow passes through which vast amounts of water are exchanged, and a vast mosaic of lagoonal seagrass beds, oyster reefs, salt marshes, and mangroves in a shallow, hypersaline estuary. Scientists at UTMSI and the NERR study these habitats through various monitoring efforts, including long-term monitoring of water quality and biological parameters at five system-wide monitoring program (SWMP) stations in the Mission-Aransas NERR, a NOAA-funded multiyear monitoring program of oyster reefs throughout the region (DECORATE), ongoing monthly eDNA monitoring of the two major channels between the estuary and the Gulf, and long-standing monitoring of marsh vegetation and seagrass beds in the Nueces Delta and the Upper Laguna Madre. The techniques used to study these habitats range from acoustic telemetry and passive acoustic monitoring to automated water samplers, plankton sampling, bioboxes, eDNA, and vegetation surveys, and. The South Texas Gulf Coast node also spearheaded the MarineGEO BEACON Project and MSI’s faculty and the NERR staff are open to collaborating with MarineGEO partners to integrate new techniques and tackle global questions through participation in network projects.
MarineGEO Team
- Co-Principal Investigators: Simon Brandl & Jordan Casey
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