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FIELD EXPERIENCE: MARINE BOTANY

 

This course will focus on the ecology and vegetation of Caribbean ecosystems on the Yucatan Peninsula (Quintana Roo), including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove communities. Our studies will also include how anthropogenic impacts from increased tourism have affected coastal watersheds and the functioning of these unique ecosystems. Topics will be covered from an interdisciplinary perspective; our measurements of water quality, plant community structure, species composition, and sediment parameters will be used by local NGOs to develop management and conservation policies for these unique systems. The Riviera Maya is under immense pressure from tourism and our studies have provided invaluable data on the effects of nutrient inputs from groundwater pollution that originates from wastewater seepage into the porous limestone that underlies the Riviera Maya.

FIELD EXPERIENCE: MARINE BOTANY Image

Area(s) of Study

  • Biology
  • Marine Science
  • Natural Sciences
  • Undergraduate Studies
  • Environmental Science

Program information above is subject to change