Scholar Highlight is a recurring phase of Florida Sea Grant’s Sea Students E-newsletter, the place a earlier or present pupil solutions questions on their analysis expertise.
Nathan Hewitt was a 2023 challenge growth intern underneath Michael Savarese, PhD, Division of Marine and Earth Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast College (FGCU). This previous spring, Nathan concluded his internship and graduated with a bachelor’s in environmental science and marine science. Presently, he interns for NASA’s Pop-Up Challenge at FGCU and works as a pupil lab assistant on the college’s Water College.
Q: What sparked your curiosity in marine science and making use of to be an intern with the Florida Sea Grant?
As humorous as it’s, Shark Week and a bunch of exhibits on Animal Planet and Nationwide Geographic sparked my early curiosity, in addition to simply going to the zoo loads. As a child, I discovered a ardour for fishing, which later impressed me to guard our waters. As soon as I discovered about overfishing, I needed to assist populations keep secure, assist steadiness the marine setting, and preserve the fisheries for the longer term.
Then I bought concerned with Florida Sea Grant after Hurricane Ian got here by way of and hit proper outdoors FGCU. I used to be even within the hurricane. After taking Dr. Savarse’s ArcGIS class, he offered a analysis alternative to have a look at the impacts of Hurricane Ian and make the most of each geomorphology and ArcGIS. I used to be very happy to begin engaged on the challenge.
Nathan accumulating knowledge on elevation and coordinates with a chunk of kit often known as the Carlson BRx7.
Q: Are you able to describe somewhat bit about what your analysis was about?
We had been flying drones outfitted with a large sensor to get elevation knowledge from the seashores of Southwest Florida, trying particularly at how the geomorphology shifted.
We had been taking a look at shoreline adjustments, areas of abrasion and deposition, and most notably, the presence of scour channels. Scour channels happen when the outgoing storm surge erodes sediments. As storm waters recede, these channels can kind. We had been taking a look at these channels’ frequency in several areas of seashores, in addition to what brought about these options to return about, whether or not they had been close to a vegetated strolling path or a ramp or simply utterly random.
Q: What would you say are the sensible implications or impacts of this analysis?
With local weather change as an entire, it is going to be necessary to know these implications for future administration selections. As researchers, we are able to’t advise coverage adjustments, however we are able to provide the knowledge to assist information folks, like contemplating whether or not sure forms of vegetated paths may result in erosion. In Fort Myers Seashore, we noticed a number of the homes being eroded away as channels fashioned within the paths of least resistance, the place there are areas of sediment with not a lot of an anchor, like mangroves or vegetation. Typically small homes with much less onerous foundations are extra weak to erosion and scour channel formation.
The knowledge and knowledge collected may help folks take into account such questions:
How do you finest construct these buildings sooner or later for extra intense storms, that are projected with local weather change, rising sea ranges, and even probably larger stalls? How do you go into the longer term with this information and classes at hand to higher adapt?
Q: Did you discover something attention-grabbing or stunning all through this analysis?
One in every of these stunning issues was the frequency of those storm surges in sure areas, however not in different areas. Sanibel and Fort Myers Seashore had been two barrier islands that had a excessive frequency of scour channels. Sanibel particularly, had lots of these channels on strolling paths with no vegetation and seashore entry for folks.
These barrier islands ended up serving as a scour channel, crossing into the dune fields and virtually destroying these dunes worse than the harm folks do within the first place, simply strolling to and from.
We additionally noticed the next abundance and deeper channels on the centralized location of Fort Myers Seashore. We did analysis from Cayo Costa and Higher Captiva all the way in which down by way of Marco Island up by way of Lee and Collier counties. These are a number of the solely locations that had extra ebb surge channels, at the least at the next frequency than we noticed wherever else.
Q: Did you’ve gotten a favourite half about being a analysis intern or a favourite expertise?
It was completely the sector. Going outdoors to seashores is rarely a foul factor. But additionally, it feels good to do significant analysis, that individuals are taking a look at us to advise on future selections.
I loved having conversations with folks, together with locals and folks at nationwide conferences, who’re appreciative of the work that we’ve been doing and grateful that we’ve a couple of concepts on higher adapt to the longer term.
Q: Should you needed to sum up your time as an intern in three phrases, what would they be?
Sophisticated, significant, and unforgettable.
Q: How would you say your work with the Florida Sea Grant has impacted your present analysis at FGCU’s Water College?
It’s given me higher confidence general with my analysis talents, however simply supplied the entire alternative. Florida Sea Grant has been an outstanding supporter of this analysis challenge, it actually got here to life. I don’t know the way we might have been in a position to do that with out the assistance of Florida Sea Grant. Their assist has been instrumental and it’s been simply purely superior to work by way of all of the totally different strategies and kinks, whereas getting some good knowledge and good merchandise that may be delivered to a big selection of audiences.
Q: What recommendation would you give to different college students seeking to examine or pursue marine science analysis?
Go for it, and you might be by no means too younger to begin taking a look at internships. Analysis experiences, apply to as a lot as you possibly can. Make nice connections to the workers at any college that you just’re attending, work onerous and preserve engaged on. The sky’s the restrict, and you are able to do something you say you need to.
Nathan plans to proceed his training by pursuing a grasp’s in environmental science from FGCU sooner or later.
