Brian E. Lapointe, Ph.D.
CURRICULUM VITAE
LAPOINTE, BRIAN EDWARD
Research Professor
Marine Ecosystem Health Program
Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
5600 US 1 North
Ft. Pierce, FL. 34946
Office: (772) 242-2276
email:blapoin1@fau.edu
BORN: April 27, 1951, Greenfield, MA
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Biology, University of South Florida, 1982
Title of Dissertation: “Interactions between light intensity, temperature and nitrogen on growth rate,
physiological processes and chemical composition of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyta,
Gigartinales)”
M.S., Environmental Sciences, University of Florida, 1979
Title of Thesis: “The effects of light and nutrients on the growth and biochemical composition of the
sea lettuce Ulva fasciata (Delile)”
B.A., Biology, Boston University, 1973
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Algal physiology and biochemistry, coral reef ecology, seagrass ecology, harmful algal blooms, water
quality, eutrophication, remote sensing
AWARDS:
Sigma Xi, Outstanding Research Award
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., Red Wright Fellowship, 1986, 1990
Smithsonian Institution, Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Programs, Research Fellowship, 1984,
1986, 1987, 1988
Who's Who in Scuba Diving and Underwater Research
The Explorers Club, Fellow
Visiting Scholar, University of Queensland, Australia
Who’s Who in America, Science and Engineering, Millenium Edition
Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, Environmental Science Award for 2000
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
American Water Resource Association
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean
Oceanography Society
Phycological Society of America
Estuarine Research Federation
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society
Explorers Club
RESEARCH PROJECTS:
1983: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division. Baseline Studies
of Herbivory and Eutrophication of Dominant Reef Communities of Looe Key National Marine
Sanctuary. ($10,000)
1985: National Science Foundation, Biological Oceanography. Productivity and Nutrition of Pelagic
Sargassum. ($138,044)
1985: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division. Characterization
of Chemical and Hydrographic Processes in the Water Column of Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary.
($75,000)
1987: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Zone Management. Effects of
On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems on Nutrient Relations of Groundwaters and Nearshore Surface Waters
of the Florida Keys. ($40,000)
1989: National Science Foundation, Biological Oceanography. Episodic Nutrient Supply to Pelagic
Sargassum in Neritic versus Oceanic Waters. ($122,123)
1989: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Watershed Nutrient Inputs and Coastal
Eutrophication in the Florida Keys. ($300,000)
1989: Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. Trophic Structuring of Marine Plant
Communities in the Florida Keys. ($48,000)
1991: Monroe County, FL. Impacts of Stormwater Discharges on Eutrophication Processes in the Florida
Keys. ($75,000)
1991: Monroe County, FL. A Solar Aquatic Integrated Pond System for Nutrient Removal from Septic
Tank Effluent. ($75,000)
1992: The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Water Quality Issues: Florida Bay and the Florida Reef Tract.
($37,000)
1994: Florida Sea Grant. Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: Eutrophication on Coral Reefs of Southeast
Florida. ($179,000)
1995: Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District. Jupiter Creek and Tequesta Peninsular Septic
Tank/Water Quality Investigations. ($100,000)
1995: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Ocean Program. Nutrient Dynamics
and Limitation of Florida Bay Macroalgae. ($4,000)
1996: United States Environmental Protection Agency. High Frequency Monitoring of Wastewater
Nutrient Discharges and Their Ecological Effects in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
($50,000)
1996: Australian Research Council. Macroalgae as Bioindicators of Eutrophication in the Great Barrier
Reef Lagoon, Australia. ($30,000)
1997: Perry Foundation, Inc. Bottom-up Control of Coral Reef Community Structure at Norman's Pond
Cay, Exumas, Bahamas. ($3,000)
1997: NHK Broadcasting, Tokyo, Japan. The Pelagic Sargassum community: A universe within.
($98,000)
1998: The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Comparative water quality assessment of Looe Key National
Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park. ($55,000)
1999: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Optical classification and communities of marine
biota of the Florida Keys: Feasibility study of remote techniques for long-term monitoring. ($227,171)
1999: National Geographic Society. Changes in western Atlantic coral reef communities: 1974-1999.
($27,535)
2000: Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Sources and consequences of land-based nitrogen pollution to
Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park. ($59,000)
2001: Buccoo Reef Trust. Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring on Tobago’s fringing coral
reefs. ($80,000)
2001: Florida Institute of Oceanography. Discrimination of nitrogen sources to harmful algal blooms on
coral reefs off southeast Florida. ($75,000)
2003: US Environmental Protection Agency (STAR grant, ECOHAB Program). Physiology and ecology
of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off southeast Florida. ($279,098)
2004: Lee County, FL. Ecology of red tides and drift seaweed blooms. Phase I. ($38,000)
2004: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology and Oceanography of harmful macroalgal blooms on
coral reefs of southeast Florida. ($500,000)
2004: City of Stuart, FL. St. Lucie Estuary septic tank/water quality study. ($45,000)
2004: Martin County, FL. St. Lucie Estuary septic tank/water quality study. ($45,000)
2005: Lee County, FL. Ecology of red tides and red drift seaweed blooms. Phase II. ($48,000)
2005: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off
Southeast Florida. ($500,000)
2006: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off
Southeast Florida. ($645,000)
2007: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($352,400)
2008: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($343,360)
2009: Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in Sarasota Bay.
($20,000)
2009: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($268,211)
2009: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Nutrient Linkages Between South Florida Rivers
and Coastal Habitats: Integrating water quality sampling with remote sensing to enhance management.
($399,000)
2010: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($297,124)
2010: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Foundation. Environmental impacts of the Deep Water
Horizon oil spill on the Pelagic Sargassum Community: transport into the western North Atlantic Ocean.
($20,000)
2010: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Mapping and forecasting of pelagic Sargassum
drift habitat in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Bight for decision support. ($25,113)
2011: Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program. Nitrogen isotope analysis of Sarasota Bay macroalgae.
($20,000)
2011: US Navy. Determining Sources and History of eutrophication on nearshore reefs at Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ($68,585)
2011: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon. ($200,000)
2011: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Long-term nutrient monitoring of coral reef and
seagrass communities in the Florida Keys. ($50,000)
2012: Florida Atlantic University, Division of Research Seed Grant, Effects of land-use on nitrogen and
phosphorus inputs to the Indian River Lagoon. ($19,224)
2012: Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus to Florida’s
Indian River Lagoon. ($24,840)
2013: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Nutrient enrichment and eutrophication in Florida’s
Indian River Lagoon. ($200,419)
2014: U.S. Navy. Determining sources and history of eutrophication on nearshore reefs at Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: Phase II. ($116,753)
2014: St. Johns River Water Management District. Indian River Lagoon – Algal Blooms Investigation:
Analysis of submersed aquatic vegetation tissue nutrient content and the response of drift macroalgae to
extreme levels of salinity, temperature, and light. ($419,001)
2014: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). The Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO):
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function of an Estuary in Transition. ($260,000)
2015: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Water quality impacts of the St. Lucie River
plume on the northern end of the Florida Reef Tract. ($59,556)
2015: Martin County, FL: Martin County septic tank study. ($124,500)
2015: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in
Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. ($210,000)
2015: Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida water education campaign. ($90,000)
INVITED AND CONTRIBUTED ORAL PRESENTATIONS:
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Evidence of nitrogen-fueled blooms of pelagic Sargassum in the
Gulf of Mexico, Panama City, Panama, November, 2015.
Martin County Board of County Commissioners, Martin County septic study: preliminary results, Stuart,
FL, November, 2015.
Martin County Economic Council, Sources of nutrients driving eutrophication in the Indian River
Lagoon, Stuart, October, 2015.
Florida Chamber of Commerce, Keynote Speaker, Sound Science: Florida’s Water Future, Orlando,
September, 2015.
American Planning Association, Contributions of septic tanks to eutrophication of Florida’s aquatic
ecosystems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, September, 2015.
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean, Shifting baselines: three decades of nitrogen
enrichment on two Caribbean coral reefs, Curacao, May, 2015.
Southeast Estuarine Research Society, Integrating continuous ammonium measurements with real-time
LOBO monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon, Jacksonville, March, 2015.
Ocean Science Lecture Series, Sources and history of eutrophication at Naval station Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2015.
Southeast Estuarine Research Society, The effects of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems on
the relief canals of Indian River County, the St. Sebastian River, and the central Indian River Lagoon,
Carolina Beach, November, 2014.
Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Eutrophication, climate change, and macroalgal blooms in south Florida
and the Caribbean region, Portland, OR, May, 2014.
Ocean Science Lecture Series, The Indian River Lagoon as a bioreactor: new perspectives on sewage
pollution, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2014.
Tidal Creeks Summit, Impacts of septic tanks on water quality of Jupiter Creek, an urbanized tidal creek
in southeast Florida, Wilmington, N.C., December, 2013.
United States House of Representatives Hearing, Water Quality Impacts on the St. Lucie Estuary and
Indian River Lagoon, Washington D.C., October, 2013.
Florida Senate Select Committee, Water Quality Impacts on the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River
Lagoon, Stuart, FL, August, 2013.
Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Workshop, Effects of nutrient pollution on coral reefs in South
Florida and the Caribbean region, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Jamaica, June 2013.
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean, Translating scientific knowledge into effective
management practices: Lessons from South Florida, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, June 2013.
South Florida Science Museum, Nutrient pollution of coral reefs in South Florida and the Caribbean
region, West Palm Beach, FL, June, 2013.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Nitrogen vs. phosphorus limitation of algal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon, FL: spatial and temporal trends, Charleston, South Carolina, April, 2013.
Indian River Lagoon Symposium, Nitrogen versus phosphorus limitation in the Indian River Lagoon:
spatial and temporal trends, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2013.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Secrets of the Sargasso Sea, Key Largo, January, 2013.
Shell Museum, Harmful algal blooms in coastal waters of southwest Florida: a tale of two rivers, Sanibel
Island, January, 2013.
Florida Keys Community College, Top-down vs. bottom-up controls of benthic algal blooms on South
Florida’s coral reefs, Key West, September, 2012.
Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation Conference, N:P ratios and taxonomic shifts among macroalgal
blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters, Daytona Beach, FL, November, 2011.
LOICZ Open Science Conference, Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in southwest Florida’s
coastal waters: relations to riverine discharges and N:P ratios, Yantai, China, September, 2011.
Sea Camp, Secrets of the Sargasso Sea, Big Pine Key, FL, August, 2011.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Benthic macroalgae as substrata for Gambierdiscus: bottomup
and top-down controls, Crete-Greece, November, 2010.
Sea Camp, Reefs, wreckers and shipwreckers of the Florida Keys, Big Pine Key, FL, August, 2010.
Global Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB), Benthic macroalgae as substrata for
Gambierdiscus: bottom-up and top-down controls, Honolulu, Hawaii, June, 2010.
International Seaweed Symposium, Harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters. Ensenada,
Mexico, March, 2010.
Greater Naples Leadership, Corals at the crossroads, Naples, FL, February, 2010.
NASA Gulf of Mexico Workshop, Nutrient linkages between South Florida rivers and coastal habitats:
integrating water quality sampling with remote sensing to enhance management, New Orleans, Louisiana,
December, 2009.
Sea Camp, Corals at the crossroads, Big Pine Key, FL, June, 2009.
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Effects of land-based nutrient pollution on coral reefs: Lessons
from the Florida Keys, Gosier, Guadaloupe, November, 2008.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Post hurricane discharges and harmful algal blooms off
southwest Florida, USA: Red tides vs. macroalgal blooms, Hong Kong, November, 2008.
Estuarine Research Federation, Recent hurricanes and their impacts on harmful algal blooms in South
Florida, Providence, RI, November, 2007.
Island Roots Heritage Festival, Conservation of our reefs: From pirates to present, Courthouse, Green
Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas, May 4, 2007.
Southwest Florida Watershed Council, Harmful algal blooms in coastal waters of southwest Florida:
Linkages with land-based nutrient inputs. Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau, Ft. Myers, FL,
April 19, 2007.
Garden Club of America, Danger in the Gulf of Mexico – pollution threatens the harmony of our coastal
waters, Florescence, Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX, April 1, 2007.
International Seaweed Symposium, Caulerpa brachypus f parvifolia invades deep reef communities off
southeast Florida. Kobe, Japan, March 27, 2007.
Sanibel City Council, Emerging red drift algal blooms on Sanibel Island: Linkages with land-based
nutrient inputs, Sanibel Island, March 6, 2007.
Environmental Studies Council, Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters,
Stuart, FL, February 5, 2007.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI), Nutrient standards for protection of South Florida’s
coral reef ecosystems. Nova University, Dania, FL, November 30, 2006.
Trustees Garden Club, Water quality degradation and harmful algal blooms in south Florida’s coastal
waters. Coastal Science Center, Savannah, GA, November 17, 2006.
Meet the Scientists, Water quality and harmful algal bloom research in south Florida’s coastal waters: A
personal odyssey. Jupiter High School, Jupiter, FL, October 11, 2006.
Soufrierre Marine Management Association, Development of a water quality protection program for St.
Lucia’s fringing coral reefs. Souffriere, St. Lucia, October 7, 2006.
Venice Institute of Art and Science, CORILA. Nutrient ecology of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters
of South Florida. Venice, Italy, July 11, 2006.
University of Parma, Environmental Sciences Department. Linkages between land-based nutrient inputs
and macroalgal blooms on coral reefs of the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. Parma, Italy, July 4, 2006.
Florida Association for Water Quality Control, Ecology of macroalgal blooms in coastal waters off South
Florida: Hurricanes and new discoveries. Naples, FL, June 6, 2006.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Latitudinal shifts in nutrient-limitation of harmful algal blooms in
coral reefs off southeast Florida, Nova University, Dania, FL, May, 2006.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Spring Meeting. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne terminate
invasive blooms of Caulerpa brachypus forma parvifolia (Harvey) Cribb on coral reefs off northern Palm
Beach County, FL., Ponte Vedra Beach, March 31, 2006.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Winter Meeting. Nutrient availability, macroalgal
HABs, and coral reef development in southeast Florida: Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.
Honolulu, Hawaii, February 21, 2006.
27th Southeastern Phycological Colloquy, Nutrient availability, macroalgal HABs, and coral reef
development in southeast Florida: Changes in latitude, changes in attitude. Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institution, October, 2005.
Third Symposium on Harmful Algae in the United States, Remote imaging system for monitoring
macroalgal HABs in deep reef communities off southeast Florida. Pacific Grove, CA, October 3, 2005.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Summer Meeting, Anthropogenic nutrient
enrichment, macroalgal blooms, and coastal ecosystem services on coral reefs in the wider Caribbean
region. Santiago, Spain, June 21, 2005.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Nutrient pollution and macroalgal blooms in the Negril Marine
Park, Jamaica: Using stable nitrogen isotopes to identify sources of anthropogenic pollution. Swept Away
Resort, Negril, May, 2005.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, Natural reefs and artificial reefs. Key West, FL, April 6, 2005.
Palm Beach Sailing Club, Invasional meltdown on Palm Beach County’s coral reefs. West Palm Beach,
FL, March 15, 2005.
Sierra Club (Calusa Chapter), Red drift seaweed blooms in Lee County, FL: Evidence of increased
nitrogen enrichment? Three Oaks Conference Center, Bonita Springs, FL, March 14, 2005.
Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB), Linkages between land-based
nutrient discharges and harmful macroalgal blooms: Comparative studies on coral reefs of southeast
Florida and Jamaica. Baltimore, MD, March 8, 2005.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Invasive and harmful blooms of the green alga Caulerpa in
southeast Florida and the Bahamas linked to anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment Cape Town, South
Africa. Cape Town, South Africa, November 16, 2004.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Land-Based Sources of Pollution TAC Meeting, Effects of landbased
sources of pollution on coral reef/hard bottom communities of Southeast Florida: An integrated
monitoring approach. Nova Oceanographic Center, Dania, FL, November 8, 2004.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Fall Meeting, Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment of seagrass
and coral reef communities in the Lower Florida Keys: Discrimination of local versus regional nitrogen
sources. Wilmington, NC, October 15, 2004.
13th Aquatic Invasive Species Conference. Invasive blooms of the green alga Caulerpa in southeastern
Florida and the Bahamas supported by anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment. Ennis, Ireland, September 21,
2004.
Garden Club of America, Zone IX Flower Show. Water quality issues in Zone IX and beyond! Nashville,
TN, May 18, 2004.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Spring Meeting. Nutrient ecology of harmful and invasive
macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off southeast Florida. April 16, 2004.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, Environmental tensions: Natural versus sunken treasures. Key West, FL,
April 6, 2004.
Pine Jog Environmental Center, Annual Board Meeting. Green tides invade Palm Beach County’s coral
reefs. March 12, 2004.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Water Quality Workshop. Tracing land-based sewage pollution
into coral reef communities of the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica, West Indies. Negril, Jamaica. March 2,
2004.
Sierra Club, Calusa Chapter. Impacts of land-based nutrient pollution on eutrophication of seagrass and
coral reef communities in south Florida. Bonita Springs, FL, February 27, 2004.
Marine Resources Council, Indian River Lagoon Water Quality Workshop. Invasive and harmful algal
bloom research on coral reefs off southeast Florida. Stuart, FL, February 21, 2004.
Sierra Club, Broward County Chapter. Invasion of the Green Tides. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 3, 2004.
Second Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the United States. Physiology and ecology of
macroalgal blooms (green tides) on coral reefs off northern Palm Beach County, FL. (USA). Woods Hole,
MA, December 12, 2003.
Estuarine Research Federation. Invasive macroalgal blooms in coastal southeastern Florida supported by
anthropogenic nitrogen. Seattle, WA, September, 2003.
Friends of the Loxahatchee, Invasion of the Green Tides. Jupiter, FL, July 13, 2003.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Special Lecture. Invasion of the Green Tides. Ft. Pierce, FL,
June, 2003.
National Audubon Society, Everglades Chapter. Offshore update: From seaweed to sharks. West Palm
Beach, FL, June, 2003.
Royal Caribbean International, Splendour of the Seas. Secrets of the Sargasso Sea: A mystery revealed!;
Around the world under the sea: Our planet’s threatened coral reefs; Marine Protected Areas in the
Caribbean: How well are they doing? November, 2002.
24th Southeastern Phycological Colloquy, Nutrient ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs
off southeast Florida. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL, November, 2002.
National Academy of Sciences, Ocean Studies Board. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle:
Impacts on coral reef ecosystems, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL, March, 2002.
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring on fringing
reefs of Tobago: Chemical and ecological evidence of sewage-driven eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef
Complex. Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, November, 2001.
Estuarine Research Federation, Special Session on Harmful Algal Blooms. Simultaneous effects of
nutrient enrichment and grazing on macroalgal blooms in coral reef communities at Norman’s Pond Cay,
Exumas Cays, Bahamas: A natural enrichment experiment. St. Petersburg, FL, November, 2001.
Institute of Marine Affairs, Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring in Tobago: Discrimination
of nitrogen sources fueling eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef Complex. Trinidad, West Indies,
September, 2001.
Florida State University, Oceanography Department. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle:
Impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Tallahassee, FL, December, 2000.
Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium, Land-based nutrient inputs and their ecological consequences
on coral reefs in the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. Bali, October, 2000.
Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium, Decadal-scale nutrient enrichment correlates with changes in
the optical properties and biotic structure of coral reef communities on bank reefs of the Lower Florida
Keys, USA. Bali, October, 2000.
International Botanical Congress, Linkages between land-based nitrogen inputs and macroalgal blooms
on coral reefs in Jamaica and South Florida. St. Louis, MO, August, 1999.
Moss Landing Marine Lab, Nutrient regulation of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in Jamaica and South
Florida. Monterey, CA, April 23, 1999.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Water Quality Workshop. Results of a comprehensive coral
reef/water quality monitoring program in the Negril Marine Park: 1998. Negril, Jamaica, February 14,
1999.
Center for Marine Conservation, Nutrient Workshop. Impacts of nutrient enrichment on coral reef
communities of the Florida Keys. Rayburn Building, Washington, D.C., September, 1998.
Australasian Chemical Engineering Conference (CHEMECA), The demise of coral reef communities in
Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, USA: The nexus of hypersalinity, eutrophication, and political science.
Plenary Talk, Port Douglas, Australia, September, 1998.
Wider Caribbean Conference of Nautical Tourism, The decline of Caribbean coral reefs: Impacts from
sewage and land-based runoff. Cozumel, Mexico, April, 1998.
South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council Meeting, The importance of fish schools to nutrient supply
and productivity of pelagic Sargassum. Beaufort, NC, October, 1997.
American Assembly on Conservation of the Indian River Lagoon, Water quality impacts associated with
discharges of septic tank effluent. Cocoa Beach, FL, April, 1997.
International Ocean Pollution Symposium, Relations between external nutrient loading and biotic phase
shifts in Florida Bay and the Florida Reef Tract. Ft. Pierce, FL, April, 1997.
Florida Bay Conference, Modeling relations between external nutrient loads and biotic phase shifts in
Florida Bay. Key Largo, FL, December, 1996.
Florida Marine Fisheries Commission, Codium blooms on coral reefs in southeast Florida. Cocoa Beach,
FL, August, 1996.
Eighth International Coral Reef Symposium, Macroalgal blooms on fringing coral reefs at Discovery Bay,
Jamaica: Overfishing or eutrophication? Panama, June, 1996.
Estuarine Research Federation, Evidence of long-term, large-scale eutrophication in Florida Bay and the
Florida Reef Tract. Corpus Christi, TX, November, 1995.
National Science Foundation, National Workshop on Harmful Algal Blooms. Nutrient-driven algal
blooms in South Florida's coastal waters. Snow Mountain Ranch, CO, August, 1994.
Estuarine Research Federation, Stormwater nutrient discharges and their ecological effects in the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Hilton Head, SC, November, 1993.
Seventh International Coral Reef Symposium, Modification of benthic community structure by natural
eutrophication: The Belize Barrier Reef, Guam, June, 1992.
International Congress of Ecology, Nutrient couplings between tropical watersheds and coastal waters:
The role of groundwater. Yokohama, Japan, August, 1990.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mesoscale variability in nutrient-limited productivity
of pelagic Sargassum. New Orleans, LA, February, 1990.
Everglades Coalition, Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage disposal systems, groundwaters, and
nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. West Palm Beach, FL, January, 1990.
Estuarine Research Federation, Factors regulating primary production of macroalgae in coastal
environments. Baltimore, MD, October, 1989.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mini-symposium on Couplings between watersheds
and coastal waters: Role of groundwater. Effects of on-site sewage disposal systems on nutrient relations
of groundwaters and nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. San Francisco, CA, December, 1988.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Keys Coral Reef Workshop. Baseline
characterization of herbivory and eutrophication on dominant reef assemblages of Looe Key National
Marine Sanctuary. Key Largo, FL, July, 1988.
Everglades Coalition, Eutrophication in nearshore marine waters of the Florida Keys: Point-sources, nonpoint
sources, and remedial actions, Key Largo, FL, May, 1988.
Western Society of Naturalists, Adaptation of pelagic Sargassum to an ocean desert: Boundary current
circulation provides elevated nutrient availability. Hilo, HI, December, 1986.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mini-symposium on Nutrient dynamics on coral
reefs. Upwelling as a source of new nutrients to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. San Francisco,
CA, December, 1986.
Institute of Gas Technology, Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Wastes. Productivity and nutrition
of marine biomass systems in Florida. Lake Buena Vista, FL, January, 1985.
EXPERIENCE:
2013: Testified in U. S. House of Representatives hearing on nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms
in the Indian River Lagoon and South Florida, Washington, D.C.
2013: Testified in Special Florida Senate Hearing on nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon, Stuart, FL.
2012: Expert witness for Earth Justice involving development of nutrient standards for Biscayne Bay,
Florida Bay, southwest Florida, and the Florida Keys, Tallahassee, FL.
2011- present: Co-founder, Board Member, and Executive Director of Science and Technology, Coastal
Ocean Association of Science and Technology, a 501C3 non-profit organization, Marineland, FL.
2007- present: Research Professor, Marine Ecosystem Health Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Pierce, FL.
2006 - 2008: Expert witness for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in administrative hearings (Board of Land
and Natural Resources) involving impacts of stormwater nutrient pollution on the ecology of limu
(seaweeds) in Oahu’s coastal waters, Honolulu, HI.
2006–present: Member, Board of Advisors, Arthur Marshall Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL.
2006 – 2007: Senior Scientist, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Division of Marine Science, Ft.
Pierce, FL.
2005–present: Editorial Board, Harmful Algae.
2004–2006: Member-at-Large, Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Board of Directors.
2004–2006: Member, Board of Advisors, Caulerpa Task Force, California.
2004–2006: Member, United States Caulerpa Working Group, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San
Francisco, CA.
2004–2006: Adjunct Professor, Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
2004–present: Member, Technical Advisory Committee on land-based sources of pollution, Southeast
Florida Coral Reef Initiative.
2003–2007: Adjunct Professor, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.
2001- present: President, Reef Research & Design, developed water quality monitoring programs in the
Florida Keys, Bahamas and Caribbean region, Vero Beach, FL.
2000–2003: Buccoo Reef Trust, Consultant and Board of Advisors, Tobago, West Indies.
1999–present: Consultant to Jacoby Development, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
1999–2005: Adjunct Professor, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL.
1999–present: Adjunct Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay
Harbor, ME.
1998–1999: President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Reef Relief, Key West, FL.
1997: Scientific advisor, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Australia.
1996: Visiting Scholar, University of Queensland, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia.
1996: Expert witness for the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District (ENCON), Legal
challenge by the city of Tequesta regarding research and monitoring of septic tank contamination of
the Loxahatchee River, Tequesta, FL.
1996–2002: Scientific advisor to the Green Turtle Cay Foundation, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas.
1994–1997: Expert witness for 1,000 Friends of Florida in administrative hearings regarding the
environmental impact of septic tanks in Monroe County (Comprehensive Growth Management Plan
and the 18-Mile Stretch); Legal challenge of research on impacts of sewage pollution on seagrass
and coral reef ecosystems in the Florida Keys, Marathon, FL.
1994–1995: Consultant to Little Palm Island, Florida Keys, Big Pine Key, FL.
1993–2000: Member, Technical Advisory Committee, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Water
Quality Protection Program, Marathon, FL.
1992–2005: Scientific advisor to the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Negril, Jamaica.
1990–1992: Consultant to the Mustique Company, Mustique Island, Grenadines, West Indies.
1990–2010: Scientific advisor to Reef Relief, a non-governmental grass-roots organization dedicated to
the protection of coral reefs, Key West, FL.
1990–1994: Expert witness for the Department of Community Affairs, State of Florida, concerning
impacts of land-based pollution on seagrass and coral reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys, Key
Largo, FL.
1988–1991: Consultant, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland, Solomons, MD.
1988–1990: Director of Marine Conservation, Florida Keys Land & Sea Trust, Marathon, FL.
1988: Consultant, Preparation of the coastal conservation and management elements of the city of
Boynton Beach Comprehensive Land Use Plan (9J-5), Boynton Beach, FL.
1987: Instructor, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Jamaica; Tropical marine algae: Their biology and
exploitation, Discovery Bay, Jamaica.
1986–1996: Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Sciences, Virginia Key, FL.
1986–1988: Visiting Scientist, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Ferry Reach, Bermuda.
1986–1993: Consultant to Monroe County Planning Department: effects of septic tanks and injection
wells on quality of groundwaters and surface waters of the Florida Keys, Marathon, FL.
1986–1994: President, International Marine Research, Inc.: Consulting on local, regional and
international projects involving nutrient pollution and health of tropical seagrass and coral reef
ecosystems.
1985–present: Participant, Smithsonian Institution's Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program, Carrie
Bow Cay, Belize.
1985-2006: Associate Scientist, Division of Marine Science, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution,
Ft. Pierce, FL.
1983–1985: Assistant Scientist, Aquaculture Division, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft.
Pierce, FL.
1982–1983: Post Doctoral Research Scientist, University of Florida, Aquaculture of Gracilaria and
Sargassum as a source of biomass for energy conversion, Big Pine Key, FL.
1980–1981: Research Assistant, University of South Florida, Major and trace metal analysis of South
Florida lake water, Tampa, FL.
1977–1982: Participant in the Cooperative Spanish-American Rias Study (SARS) in the Rias Bajas, N W.
Spain, Productivity of macroalgae associated with mussel-raft aquaculture, Savannah, GA.
1977–1979: Research Assistant III, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, physiological ecology of
Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyta) grown in outdoor culture, Savannah, GA.
1973–1977: Research Assistant II and III, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Aquaculture of marine
macroalgae for hydrocolloids, waste treatment, and biomass for energy conversion, Woods Hole,
MA.
1973–1977: Consultant, Boston Edison Company, Irish moss survey at Pilgrim I, Plymouth, MA.
PUBLICATIONS:
Hu, C., B. Murch, B. Barnes, M. Wang, J. P. Maréchal, J. Franks, B. Lapointe, D. Goodwin, J. Schell, and
A. Siuda. (2006) Sargassum Watch. Eos, 97, doi: 10.1029/2016EOO58355, published on 02
September 2016.
Calle, L, Gawlik, DE, Xie, Zhixiao, Green, L., Lapointe, B. and Strong, A. (2016). Effects of tidal
periodicities and diurnal foraging constraints on the density of foraging wading birds. The Auk:
Ornithological Advances, 133, (3): 378- 396 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-234.1
Whitehouse, L. N. A., and B. E. Lapointe. 2015. Comparative ecophysiology of bloom-forming
macroalgae in the Indian River Lagoon. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 471:208-216.
Green, L., D. Gawlik, B. Lapointe, and L. Calle. 2015. Relative effects of physical and small-scale
nutrient factors on the distribution of tropical seagrasses in the Great White Heron National
Wildlife Refuge, Lower Florida Keys, Aquatic Botany 124:45-53.
Green, L., B. E. Lapointe, and D. Gawlik. 2015. Winter nutrient pulse and seagrass epiphyte bloom:
Evidence of anthropogenic enrichment or natural fluctuations in the lower Florida Keys?
Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-015-9940-8.
Lapointe, B. E., Herren, L. W., Debortoli, D. D., and Vogel, M. A. (2015). Evidence of
sewage driven eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.
Harmful Algae, 43, 82-102.
Lapointe, B. E., West, L. E., Sutton, T. T. and C. Hu. 2014. Ryther revisited: nutrient excretions by fishes
enhance productivity of pelagic Sargassum in the western North Atlantic Ocean. J. Exp. Mar.
Bio. Ecol. 458:46-56.
Bell, P. R. F., Elmetri, I., and B. E. Lapointe. 2013. Evidence of large-scale chronic eutrophication in the
Great Barrier Reef: quantification of chlorophyll a thresholds for sustaining coral reef
communities. Ambio DOI 10.1007/s13280-013-0443-1.
Barnes, B. B., Holekamp, K. L., Blonski, S., Spiering, B. A., Palandro, D., and B. Lapointe. 2013. Use of
Landsat data to track historical water quality changes in Florida Keys marine environments.
Remote Sensing of Environment 140: 485-496.
Mayakun, J., Ha, J., Lapointe, B.E, Prathep, A. 2013. The effects of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on
morphology, reproduction, and chemical content of Turbinaria conoides (Phaeophyceae).
Phycological Research. Article first published online June 10, 2013. DOI: 10.1111/pre.12023
Zhao, J., C. Hu, B. Lapointe, N. Melo, E. M. Johns, and R. H. Smith. 2013. Satellite observed black water
events off southwest Florida: Implications for coral health in the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary. Remote Sensing
(Basel, Switzerland) 5(1): 415-431. DOI: 10.3390/rs5010415.
Mayakun, J. Ha, J, Lapointe, B.E., Prathep, A. 2012. Gametangial characteristics in the sexual
reproduction of Halimeda macroloba Decaisne (Chlorophyta: Halimedaceae). Songklanakarin
Journal of Science and Technology, 34 (2): 211-216. (March- April, 2012)
Mayakun, J., Jeong Ha Kim, Lapointe, B.E., Prathep, A. 2012. The effects of herbivore exclusion and
nutrient enrichment on growth and reproduction of Halimeda macroloba. ScienceAsia, 38: 227-
234. DOI: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2012.38.227
Zhao, J., B. Barnes, N. Melo, D. English, B. Lapointe, F. Muller-Karger, B Schaeffer, and C. Hu. 2012.
Assessment of satellite-derived diffuse attenuation coefficients and euphotic depth in South
Florida coastal waters. Remote Sensing of Environment 131:38-50.
Lapointe, B. E., L. W. Herren and B. J. Bedford. 2012. Effects of hurricanes, land-use, and water
management on nutrient and microbial pollution: St. Lucie Estuary, southeast Florida. J. Coastal
Research 28(6):1345-1361.
Lapointe, B. E., K. Thacker, C. Hanson and L. Getten. 2011. Sewage pollution in Negril, Jamaica: effects
on nutrition and ecology of coral reef macroalgae. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology
29(4): 775-789.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2011. Stormwater nutrient inputs favor growth of non-native
macroalgae (Rhodophyta) on O’ahu, Hawaii Islands. Harmful Algae 10:310-318.
Sherwood, O. A., B. E. Lapointe, M. J. Risk , R. Jamieson. 2010. Nitrogen isotopic records of terrestrial
pollution encoded in Floridian and Bahamian gorgonian corals. Environ. Sci. and Technol. 44
(3):874-880.
Lapointe, B .E., R. Langton, B. J. Bedford, A. C. Potts, O. Day, and C. Hu. 2010. Land-based nutrient
enrichment of the Buccoo Reef Complex and fringing coral reefs of Tobago, West Indies. Mar.
Poll. Bull. 60(3): 334-343.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2010. Ecology and nutrition of invasive Caulerpa brachypus blooms
on coral reefs off southeast Florida. Harmful Algae 9:1-12.
Lapointe, B. E., R. E. Baumberger, B. J. Bedford, and S. W. Hurley. 2009. Effects of land-based nutrient
pollution on coral reefs: Lessons from the Florida Keys. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean
Fisheries Institute, Gosier, Guadaloupe, November, 2008.
Risk, M., B. E. Lapointe, 0. A. Sherwood, and B. J. Bedford. 2008. The use of δ15N in assessing sewage
stress on coral reefs. Mar. Poll. Bull. 58:793-802.
Yentsch, C. S., B. E. Lapointe, N. Pouleton, and D. A. Phinney. 2008. Anatomy of a red tide bloom off
the southwest coast of Florida. Harmful Algae 7:817-826.
Littler, M M., D. S. Littler, B. L. Brooks, and B. E. Lapointe. 2007. Unusual linear arrays of the coral reef
macrophyte Halimeda incrassata in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 26(4):817-818.
Bell, P.R.F., B.E. Lapointe and I. Elmetri. 2007. Re-evaluation of ENCORE: Support for the
eutrophication threshold model for coral reefs. Ambio 36: 416- 424.
Lapointe, B. E., B. Bedford, and R. Baumberger. 2007. Looe Key, FL: Nutrients and climate change pose
threat to coral reefs. In: Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation’s estuaries: A decade of change.
S Bricker et al. (eds.), NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 26 National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD.
Lapointe, B. E., Bedford, B. J., Littler, M. M., and D. S. Littler. 2007. Shifts in coral overgrowth by
sponges and algae. Coral Reefs 26:515.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2007. Drift rhodophyte blooms emerge in Lee County, Florida, USA:
Evidence of escalating coastal eutrophication. Harmful Algae 6:421-437.
Lapointe, B. E., B. J. Bedford, and R. Baumberger. 2006. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne remove blooms
of the invasive green alga Caulerpa brachypus forma parvifolia (Harvey) Cribb from coral reefs off
northern Palm Beach County, FL, USA. Estuaries 29(6A):966-971.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, B. L. Brooks, and B. E. Lapointe. 2006. Nutrient manipulation methods for
coral reef studies: A critical review and experimental field data. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 336:242-
253.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, B. E. Lapointe, P. J. Barile. 2006. Toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
associated with groundwater conduits in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 25:186.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. M. Littler, D. S. Littler, B. J. Bedford, and C. Gasque. 2005. Macroalgal
blooms on southeast Florida coral reefs: I. Nutrient stoichiometry of the invasive green alga
Codium isthmocladum in the wider Caribbean indicates nutrient enrichment. Harmful Algae
4:1092-1105.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 2005. Macroalgal blooms on southeast
Florida coral reefs: II. Cross-shelf discrimination of nitrogen sources indicates widespread
assimilation of sewage nitrogen. Harmful Algae 4:1106-1122.
Barile, P. J. and B. E. Lapointe. 2005. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition from a remote source enriches
macroalgae in a coral reef ecosystem at Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas. Mar. Poll. Bull.
50:1262-1272.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. J. Wynne, and C. S. Yentsch. 2005. Reciprocal Caulerpa invasion:
Mediterranean native Caulerpa ollivieri in the Bahamas supported by human nitrogen enrichment.
Aquatic Invaders, 16(2):1-5.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and P. J. Barile. 2004. Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment of seagrass and
coral reef communities in the Lower Florida Keys: Discrimination of local versus regional nitrogen
sources. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 308(1): 23-58.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, and C. S. Yentsch. 2004. The physiology and ecology of macroalgal blooms
(Green tides) on coral reefs off northern Palm Beach County, Florida (USA) Harmful Algae 3:185-
268.
Barile, P. J., B. E. Lapointe, and T. R. Capo. 2004. Dietary nitrogen availability in macroalgae affects
growth of the sea hare Aplysia californica (Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea) J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
303(1):65-78.
Yentsch, C. S., C. M. Yentsch, D. A. Phinney, B. E. Lapointe, and S. F. W. Yentsch. 2004. The odyssey
of new production. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 300:15-30.
Lapointe, B. E. and P. J. Barile. 2004. Seagrass die-off in Florida Bay: An alternative interpretation.
Estuaries 27(1): 157-178.
Lapointe, B. E. 2004. Phosphorus-rich waters at Glover’s Reef, Belize? Mar. Poll. Bull. 48:193-195.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, C. S. Yentsch, M. M. Littler, D. S. Littler, and B. Kakuk. 2004. The relative
importance of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on macroalgal communities near Norman’s Pond
Cay, Exumas Cays, Bahamas: A natural enrichment experiment. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 298:275-
301.
Yentsch, C. S., C. M. Yentsch, J. J. Cullen, B. E. Lapointe, D. A. Phinney, and S. F. Woodman. 2002.
Sunlight and water transparency: Cornerstones in coral research. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
268(2):171-183.
Lapointe, B. E. and K. Thacker. 2002. Community-based water quality and coral reef monitoring in the
Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. In: The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys:
An Ecosystem Sourcebook. edited by J. and K. Porter, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and P. J. Barile. 2002. Biotic phase-shifts in Florida Bay and fore reef
communities in the Florida Keys: Linkages with historical freshwater flows and nitrogen loading
from Everglades runoff. In: The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys: An
Ecosystem Sourcebook, edited by J. and K. Porter, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., R. Langton, O. Day, A. C. Potts. 2001. Integrated water quality and coral reef
monitoring on fringing reefs of Tobago: Chemical and ecological evidence of sewage-driven
eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef Complex. Proceedings of the 54th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries
Institute 54:457-472.
Lapointe, B. E. 2000. Nutrient over-enrichment of south Florida’s coral reefs: How science and
management failed to protect a national treasure. Proceedings of the Coastal Zone Canada 2000
Conference Coastal Stewardship: Lessons learned and the paths ahead. Saint John, New Brunswick.
Howarth, R., D. Anderson, J. Cloern, C. Elfring, C. Hopkinson, B. Lapointe, T. Malone, N. Marcus, K.
McGlathery, A. Sharpley, and D. Walker. 2000. Nutrient pollution of coastal rivers, bays, and seas.
Issues in Ecology 7:1-15.
Capo, T. R., J. C. Jaramillo, A. E. Boyd, B. E. Lapointe, and J. E. Serafy. 1999. Sustained high yields of
Gracilaria (Rhodophyta) grown in intensive large-scale culture. J. Applied Phycology 11:143-147.
Lapointe, B. E. 1999. Simultaneous top-down and bottom-up forces control macroalgal blooms on coral
reefs. Limnol. Oceanogr. 44(6):1586-1592.
Barile, P. and B. E. Lapointe. 1999. Nutrient enrichment and seagrass decline in the Indian River
Lagoon: A typical nutrient problem in a special subtropical estuary. Florida Naturalist, July.
Lapointe, B. E. and W. R. Matzie. 1998. The demise of coral reef communities in Florida Bay and the
Florida Keys, USA: The nexus of hypersalinity, eutrophication, political science, and marine
science. Proceedings of the 8th Australasian Chemical Engineering Society Meeting. Port Douglas,
Australia.
Lapointe, B. E. 1997. Nutrient thresholds for bottom-up control of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in
Jamaica and southeast Florida. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42:1119-1131.
Lapointe, B. E., Littler M. M. and D. S. Littler. 1997. Macroalgal overgrowth of fringing coral reefs at
Discovery Bay, Jamaica: Bottom-up versus top-down control. Proceedings of the 8th. Inter. Coral
Reef Symposium. Panama 1:927-932.
Lapointe, B. E. and W. R. Matzie. 1996. Effects of stormwater nutrient discharges on eutrophication
processes in nearshore waters of the Florida Keys. Estuaries 19:422-435.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, I. G. MacIntyre, B. L. Brooks, P. R. Taylor, and B. E. Lapointe. 1995. The
Tobacco Range Fracture Zone: A unique system of slumped mangrove peat. Atoll Res. Bull.
August, Nos. 426-431.
Lapointe, B. E. 1995. A comparison of nutrient-limited productivity in Sargassum natans from neritic
versus oceanic waters of the Western North Atlantic Ocean. Limnol. Oceanogr. 40:625-633.
Lapointe, B. E., D. A. Tomasko and W. R. Matzie. 1994. Eutrophication and trophic state classification
of seagrass communities in the Florida Keys. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54:696-717.
Delgado, O. and B. E. Lapointe. 1994. Nutrient-limited productivity of calcareous versus fleshy
macroalgae in a eutrophic, carbonate-rich tropical marine environment. Coral Reefs 13:151-159.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and M. W. Clark. 1993. Phosphorus inputs and eutrophication on the
Florida Reef Tract. In: Global Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards, and History, University of Miami.
Lapointe, B. E., 1993. Nutrient thresholds for macroalgal overgrowth and eutrophication of coral reef
ecosystems. In: Protecting Jamaica's Coral Reef Ecosystems: Water Quality Issues, Island Press.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 1992. Modification of benthic community structure by
natural eutrophication: The Belize Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the 7th International Coral Reef
Symposium, Guam 1:323-334.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler and D. S. Littler. 1992. Nutrient availability to marine macroalgae in
siliciclastic versus carbonate-rich coastal waters. Estuaries 15:75-82.
Lapointe, B. E. and M. Clark. 1992. Nutrient inputs from the watershed and coastal eutrophication in the
Florida Keys. Estuaries 15:465-476.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1992. Modification of benthic community structure by
cultural eutrophication: The southwest coast of Martinique. Proceedings of the 7th International
Coral Reef Symposium, Guam 1:335-343.
Tomasko, D. and B. E. Lapointe. 1991. Productivity and biomass of Thalassia testudinum as related to
water column nutrients and epiphyte levels: Field observations and experimental studies. Mar. Ecol.
Prog. Ser. 75:9-17.
Lapointe, B. E. 1991. The quality of our seawater. In: The Monroe County Environmental Story (ed. by
J. Gato), Gemini Printing, Marathon, FL.
Lapointe, B. E. 1991. Hydrology of Monroe County. In: The Monroe County Environmental Story (ed.
by J. Gato), Gemini Printing, Marathon, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., J. D. O'Connell, and G. S. Garrett. 1990. Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage
disposal systems, groundwaters, and nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. Biogeochemistry
10:289-307.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. D. O'Connell. 1989. Nutrient-enhanced growth of Cladophora prolifera in
Harrington Sound, Bermuda: Eutrophication of a confined, phosphorus-limited marine ecosystem.
Est. Coast Shelf Sci. 28:347-360.
Lapointe, B. E. 1989. Caribbean coral reefs: Are they becoming algal reefs? Sea Frontiers 35:82-91.
Lapointe, B. E. 1989. Macroalgal production and nutrient relations in oligotrophic areas of Florida Bay.
Bull. Mar. Sci. 44:312-323.
Lapointe, B. E. 1988. Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage disposal systems, groundwaters, and
nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. EOS. 69(44):1080.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1988. A comparison of nutrient- and light-limited
productivity in psammophytic versus epilithic forms of Halimeda from the Bahamas. Coral Reefs.
6:219-225.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 1987. A comparison of nutrient-limited productivity in
macroalgae from a Caribbean barrier reef and from a mangrove ecosystem. Aquatic Botany.
28:243-255.
Lapointe, B. E. 1987. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-limited photosynthesis and growth of Gracilaria
tikvahiae (Rhodophyceae) in the Florida Keys: An experimental field study. Mar. Biol. 93:561-568.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1987. Baseline studies of herbivory and eutrophication
on dominant reef communities of Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA Technical
Memorandum. NOS MEMD 1, Marine Sanctuaries Division.
Lapointe, B. E. and N. P. Smith. 1987. A preliminary investigation of upwelling as a source of nutrients
to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA Technical Report #NA84AAA04157, Marine
Sanctuaries Division.
Lapointe, B. E. 1986. Upwelling as a source of “new” nutrients to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary
EOS 67(44):992.
Lapointe, B. E. 1986. Phosphorus-limited photosynthesis and growth of Sargassum natans and
Sargassum fluitans (Phaeophyceae) in the western North Atlantic. Deep Sea Res. 33:391-399.
Duke, C. S., B. E. Lapointe and J. Ramus. 1986. Effects of light on growth, RuBPCase activity and
chemical composition of Ulva species (Chlorophyta). J. Phycol. 22:362-370.
Lapointe, B. E. 1985. Strategies for pulsed nutrient supply to Gracilaria cultures in the Florida Keys:
Interactions between concentration and frequency of nutrient pulses. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
93:211-222.
Lapointe, B. E. and M. D. Hanisak. 1985. Productivity and nutrition of marine biomass systems in
Florida. In: Proceedings of Institute of Gas Technology Symposium, (Energy from Biomass and
Waste IX) Lake Buena Vista, Florida. January 20-February 1.
Lapointe, B. E. and C. S. Duke. 1984. Biochemical strategies for growth of Gracilaria tikvahiae
(Rhodophyta) in relation to light intensity and nitrogen availability. J. Phycol. 20:488-495.
Lapointe, B. E., C. J. Dawes and K. R. Tenore. 1984. Interactions between light and temperature on the
physiological ecology of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gigartinales: Rhodophyta) I. Growth,
photosynthesis and respiration. Mar. Biol. 80:161-170.
Lapointe, B. E., K. R. Tenore and C. J. Dawes. 1984. Interactions between light and temperature on the
physiological ecology of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gigartinales: Rhodophyta) II. Nitrate uptake and
levels of pigments and chemical constituents. Mar. Biol. 80:171-178.
Lapointe, B. E., D. L. Rice and J. H. Lawrence. 1984. Responses of photosynthesis, respiration, growth,
and cellular constituents to hypo-osmotic shock in the red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae. Comp.
Biochem. Physiol. 77:127-132.
Lapointe, B. E. 1981. The effects of light and nitrogen on growth rate, pigment content and biochemical
composition of Gracilaria foliifera var. angustissima (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta). J. Phycol. 17:90-
95.
Lapointe, B. E., F. X. Niell and J. M. Fuentes. 1981. Community structure, succession and production of
seaweeds associated with mussel rafts in the Ria de Arosa, N. W. Spain. Mar. Ecol. 5:243-253.
Rice, D. L. and B. E. Lapointe. 1981. Experimental outdoor studies with Ulva fasciata Delile. II. Trace
metal chemistry. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 54:1-11.
Lapointe, B. E. and K. R. Tenore. 1981. Experimental outdoor studies with Ulva fasciata Delile. I.
Interaction of light and nitrogen on nutrient uptake, growth, and biochemical composition. J. Exp.
Mar. Biol. Ecol. 53:135-152.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. H. Ryther. 1979. The effects of nitrogen and seawater flow rate on the growth and
biochemical composition of Gracilaria foliifera var. angustissima in mass outdoor culture. Bot.
Mar. 22:529-537.
Ryther, J. H., J. A. DeBoer and B. E. Lapointe. 1978. Cultivation of seaweeds for hydrocolloids, waste
treatment and biomass for energy conversion. Proceedings of the 9th International Seaweed
Symposium, 1-16.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. H. Ryther. 1978. Some aspects of the growth and yield of Gracilaria tikvahiae in
culture. Aquaculture 15:185-193.
DeBoer, J. A., B. E. Lapointe and J. H. Ryther. 1977. Preliminary studies on a combined seaweed
mariculture-tertiary waste treatment system. Proceedings of the 8th Annual Workshop, World
Mariculture Society, 401-410.
Lapointe, B. E., L. D. Williams, J. C. Goldman and J. H. Ryther. 1976. The mass outdoor culture of
macroscopic marine algae. Aquaculture 8:9-20.
Ryther, J. H., J. C. Goldman, C. E. Gifford, J. H. Huguenin, A. S. Wing, J. P. Clarner, L. D. Williams and
B. E. Lapointe. 1975. Physical models of integrated waste-recycling aquaculture systems.
Aquaculture 5:163-177.
Lapointe, B. E. 1973. Oil on the sea. Aquasphere 7(3):10-12.
LAPOINTE, BRIAN EDWARD
Research Professor
Marine Ecosystem Health Program
Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
5600 US 1 North
Ft. Pierce, FL. 34946
Office: (772) 242-2276
email:blapoin1@fau.edu
BORN: April 27, 1951, Greenfield, MA
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Biology, University of South Florida, 1982
Title of Dissertation: “Interactions between light intensity, temperature and nitrogen on growth rate,
physiological processes and chemical composition of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyta,
Gigartinales)”
M.S., Environmental Sciences, University of Florida, 1979
Title of Thesis: “The effects of light and nutrients on the growth and biochemical composition of the
sea lettuce Ulva fasciata (Delile)”
B.A., Biology, Boston University, 1973
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Algal physiology and biochemistry, coral reef ecology, seagrass ecology, harmful algal blooms, water
quality, eutrophication, remote sensing
AWARDS:
Sigma Xi, Outstanding Research Award
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., Red Wright Fellowship, 1986, 1990
Smithsonian Institution, Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Programs, Research Fellowship, 1984,
1986, 1987, 1988
Who's Who in Scuba Diving and Underwater Research
The Explorers Club, Fellow
Visiting Scholar, University of Queensland, Australia
Who’s Who in America, Science and Engineering, Millenium Edition
Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, Environmental Science Award for 2000
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
American Water Resource Association
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean
Oceanography Society
Phycological Society of America
Estuarine Research Federation
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society
Explorers Club
RESEARCH PROJECTS:
1983: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division. Baseline Studies
of Herbivory and Eutrophication of Dominant Reef Communities of Looe Key National Marine
Sanctuary. ($10,000)
1985: National Science Foundation, Biological Oceanography. Productivity and Nutrition of Pelagic
Sargassum. ($138,044)
1985: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division. Characterization
of Chemical and Hydrographic Processes in the Water Column of Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary.
($75,000)
1987: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Zone Management. Effects of
On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems on Nutrient Relations of Groundwaters and Nearshore Surface Waters
of the Florida Keys. ($40,000)
1989: National Science Foundation, Biological Oceanography. Episodic Nutrient Supply to Pelagic
Sargassum in Neritic versus Oceanic Waters. ($122,123)
1989: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Watershed Nutrient Inputs and Coastal
Eutrophication in the Florida Keys. ($300,000)
1989: Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. Trophic Structuring of Marine Plant
Communities in the Florida Keys. ($48,000)
1991: Monroe County, FL. Impacts of Stormwater Discharges on Eutrophication Processes in the Florida
Keys. ($75,000)
1991: Monroe County, FL. A Solar Aquatic Integrated Pond System for Nutrient Removal from Septic
Tank Effluent. ($75,000)
1992: The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Water Quality Issues: Florida Bay and the Florida Reef Tract.
($37,000)
1994: Florida Sea Grant. Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: Eutrophication on Coral Reefs of Southeast
Florida. ($179,000)
1995: Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District. Jupiter Creek and Tequesta Peninsular Septic
Tank/Water Quality Investigations. ($100,000)
1995: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Ocean Program. Nutrient Dynamics
and Limitation of Florida Bay Macroalgae. ($4,000)
1996: United States Environmental Protection Agency. High Frequency Monitoring of Wastewater
Nutrient Discharges and Their Ecological Effects in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
($50,000)
1996: Australian Research Council. Macroalgae as Bioindicators of Eutrophication in the Great Barrier
Reef Lagoon, Australia. ($30,000)
1997: Perry Foundation, Inc. Bottom-up Control of Coral Reef Community Structure at Norman's Pond
Cay, Exumas, Bahamas. ($3,000)
1997: NHK Broadcasting, Tokyo, Japan. The Pelagic Sargassum community: A universe within.
($98,000)
1998: The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Comparative water quality assessment of Looe Key National
Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park. ($55,000)
1999: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Optical classification and communities of marine
biota of the Florida Keys: Feasibility study of remote techniques for long-term monitoring. ($227,171)
1999: National Geographic Society. Changes in western Atlantic coral reef communities: 1974-1999.
($27,535)
2000: Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Sources and consequences of land-based nitrogen pollution to
Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park. ($59,000)
2001: Buccoo Reef Trust. Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring on Tobago’s fringing coral
reefs. ($80,000)
2001: Florida Institute of Oceanography. Discrimination of nitrogen sources to harmful algal blooms on
coral reefs off southeast Florida. ($75,000)
2003: US Environmental Protection Agency (STAR grant, ECOHAB Program). Physiology and ecology
of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off southeast Florida. ($279,098)
2004: Lee County, FL. Ecology of red tides and drift seaweed blooms. Phase I. ($38,000)
2004: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology and Oceanography of harmful macroalgal blooms on
coral reefs of southeast Florida. ($500,000)
2004: City of Stuart, FL. St. Lucie Estuary septic tank/water quality study. ($45,000)
2004: Martin County, FL. St. Lucie Estuary septic tank/water quality study. ($45,000)
2005: Lee County, FL. Ecology of red tides and red drift seaweed blooms. Phase II. ($48,000)
2005: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off
Southeast Florida. ($500,000)
2006: Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off
Southeast Florida. ($645,000)
2007: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($352,400)
2008: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($343,360)
2009: Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in Sarasota Bay.
($20,000)
2009: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($268,211)
2009: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Nutrient Linkages Between South Florida Rivers
and Coastal Habitats: Integrating water quality sampling with remote sensing to enhance management.
($399,000)
2010: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s
coastal waters. ($297,124)
2010: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Foundation. Environmental impacts of the Deep Water
Horizon oil spill on the Pelagic Sargassum Community: transport into the western North Atlantic Ocean.
($20,000)
2010: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Mapping and forecasting of pelagic Sargassum
drift habitat in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Bight for decision support. ($25,113)
2011: Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program. Nitrogen isotope analysis of Sarasota Bay macroalgae.
($20,000)
2011: US Navy. Determining Sources and History of eutrophication on nearshore reefs at Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ($68,585)
2011: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon. ($200,000)
2011: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Long-term nutrient monitoring of coral reef and
seagrass communities in the Florida Keys. ($50,000)
2012: Florida Atlantic University, Division of Research Seed Grant, Effects of land-use on nitrogen and
phosphorus inputs to the Indian River Lagoon. ($19,224)
2012: Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus to Florida’s
Indian River Lagoon. ($24,840)
2013: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Nutrient enrichment and eutrophication in Florida’s
Indian River Lagoon. ($200,419)
2014: U.S. Navy. Determining sources and history of eutrophication on nearshore reefs at Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: Phase II. ($116,753)
2014: St. Johns River Water Management District. Indian River Lagoon – Algal Blooms Investigation:
Analysis of submersed aquatic vegetation tissue nutrient content and the response of drift macroalgae to
extreme levels of salinity, temperature, and light. ($419,001)
2014: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). The Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO):
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function of an Estuary in Transition. ($260,000)
2015: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Water quality impacts of the St. Lucie River
plume on the northern end of the Florida Reef Tract. ($59,556)
2015: Martin County, FL: Martin County septic tank study. ($124,500)
2015: Specialty License Plate (“Save Our Seas”). Ecology and nutrition of macroalgal blooms in
Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. ($210,000)
2015: Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida water education campaign. ($90,000)
INVITED AND CONTRIBUTED ORAL PRESENTATIONS:
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Evidence of nitrogen-fueled blooms of pelagic Sargassum in the
Gulf of Mexico, Panama City, Panama, November, 2015.
Martin County Board of County Commissioners, Martin County septic study: preliminary results, Stuart,
FL, November, 2015.
Martin County Economic Council, Sources of nutrients driving eutrophication in the Indian River
Lagoon, Stuart, October, 2015.
Florida Chamber of Commerce, Keynote Speaker, Sound Science: Florida’s Water Future, Orlando,
September, 2015.
American Planning Association, Contributions of septic tanks to eutrophication of Florida’s aquatic
ecosystems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, September, 2015.
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean, Shifting baselines: three decades of nitrogen
enrichment on two Caribbean coral reefs, Curacao, May, 2015.
Southeast Estuarine Research Society, Integrating continuous ammonium measurements with real-time
LOBO monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon, Jacksonville, March, 2015.
Ocean Science Lecture Series, Sources and history of eutrophication at Naval station Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2015.
Southeast Estuarine Research Society, The effects of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems on
the relief canals of Indian River County, the St. Sebastian River, and the central Indian River Lagoon,
Carolina Beach, November, 2014.
Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Eutrophication, climate change, and macroalgal blooms in south Florida
and the Caribbean region, Portland, OR, May, 2014.
Ocean Science Lecture Series, The Indian River Lagoon as a bioreactor: new perspectives on sewage
pollution, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2014.
Tidal Creeks Summit, Impacts of septic tanks on water quality of Jupiter Creek, an urbanized tidal creek
in southeast Florida, Wilmington, N.C., December, 2013.
United States House of Representatives Hearing, Water Quality Impacts on the St. Lucie Estuary and
Indian River Lagoon, Washington D.C., October, 2013.
Florida Senate Select Committee, Water Quality Impacts on the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River
Lagoon, Stuart, FL, August, 2013.
Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Workshop, Effects of nutrient pollution on coral reefs in South
Florida and the Caribbean region, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Jamaica, June 2013.
Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean, Translating scientific knowledge into effective
management practices: Lessons from South Florida, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, June 2013.
South Florida Science Museum, Nutrient pollution of coral reefs in South Florida and the Caribbean
region, West Palm Beach, FL, June, 2013.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Nitrogen vs. phosphorus limitation of algal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon, FL: spatial and temporal trends, Charleston, South Carolina, April, 2013.
Indian River Lagoon Symposium, Nitrogen versus phosphorus limitation in the Indian River Lagoon:
spatial and temporal trends, Ft. Pierce, FL, February, 2013.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Secrets of the Sargasso Sea, Key Largo, January, 2013.
Shell Museum, Harmful algal blooms in coastal waters of southwest Florida: a tale of two rivers, Sanibel
Island, January, 2013.
Florida Keys Community College, Top-down vs. bottom-up controls of benthic algal blooms on South
Florida’s coral reefs, Key West, September, 2012.
Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation Conference, N:P ratios and taxonomic shifts among macroalgal
blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters, Daytona Beach, FL, November, 2011.
LOICZ Open Science Conference, Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in southwest Florida’s
coastal waters: relations to riverine discharges and N:P ratios, Yantai, China, September, 2011.
Sea Camp, Secrets of the Sargasso Sea, Big Pine Key, FL, August, 2011.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Benthic macroalgae as substrata for Gambierdiscus: bottomup
and top-down controls, Crete-Greece, November, 2010.
Sea Camp, Reefs, wreckers and shipwreckers of the Florida Keys, Big Pine Key, FL, August, 2010.
Global Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB), Benthic macroalgae as substrata for
Gambierdiscus: bottom-up and top-down controls, Honolulu, Hawaii, June, 2010.
International Seaweed Symposium, Harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters. Ensenada,
Mexico, March, 2010.
Greater Naples Leadership, Corals at the crossroads, Naples, FL, February, 2010.
NASA Gulf of Mexico Workshop, Nutrient linkages between South Florida rivers and coastal habitats:
integrating water quality sampling with remote sensing to enhance management, New Orleans, Louisiana,
December, 2009.
Sea Camp, Corals at the crossroads, Big Pine Key, FL, June, 2009.
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Effects of land-based nutrient pollution on coral reefs: Lessons
from the Florida Keys, Gosier, Guadaloupe, November, 2008.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Post hurricane discharges and harmful algal blooms off
southwest Florida, USA: Red tides vs. macroalgal blooms, Hong Kong, November, 2008.
Estuarine Research Federation, Recent hurricanes and their impacts on harmful algal blooms in South
Florida, Providence, RI, November, 2007.
Island Roots Heritage Festival, Conservation of our reefs: From pirates to present, Courthouse, Green
Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas, May 4, 2007.
Southwest Florida Watershed Council, Harmful algal blooms in coastal waters of southwest Florida:
Linkages with land-based nutrient inputs. Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau, Ft. Myers, FL,
April 19, 2007.
Garden Club of America, Danger in the Gulf of Mexico – pollution threatens the harmony of our coastal
waters, Florescence, Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX, April 1, 2007.
International Seaweed Symposium, Caulerpa brachypus f parvifolia invades deep reef communities off
southeast Florida. Kobe, Japan, March 27, 2007.
Sanibel City Council, Emerging red drift algal blooms on Sanibel Island: Linkages with land-based
nutrient inputs, Sanibel Island, March 6, 2007.
Environmental Studies Council, Ecology of harmful algal blooms in South Florida’s coastal waters,
Stuart, FL, February 5, 2007.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI), Nutrient standards for protection of South Florida’s
coral reef ecosystems. Nova University, Dania, FL, November 30, 2006.
Trustees Garden Club, Water quality degradation and harmful algal blooms in south Florida’s coastal
waters. Coastal Science Center, Savannah, GA, November 17, 2006.
Meet the Scientists, Water quality and harmful algal bloom research in south Florida’s coastal waters: A
personal odyssey. Jupiter High School, Jupiter, FL, October 11, 2006.
Soufrierre Marine Management Association, Development of a water quality protection program for St.
Lucia’s fringing coral reefs. Souffriere, St. Lucia, October 7, 2006.
Venice Institute of Art and Science, CORILA. Nutrient ecology of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters
of South Florida. Venice, Italy, July 11, 2006.
University of Parma, Environmental Sciences Department. Linkages between land-based nutrient inputs
and macroalgal blooms on coral reefs of the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. Parma, Italy, July 4, 2006.
Florida Association for Water Quality Control, Ecology of macroalgal blooms in coastal waters off South
Florida: Hurricanes and new discoveries. Naples, FL, June 6, 2006.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Latitudinal shifts in nutrient-limitation of harmful algal blooms in
coral reefs off southeast Florida, Nova University, Dania, FL, May, 2006.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Spring Meeting. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne terminate
invasive blooms of Caulerpa brachypus forma parvifolia (Harvey) Cribb on coral reefs off northern Palm
Beach County, FL., Ponte Vedra Beach, March 31, 2006.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Winter Meeting. Nutrient availability, macroalgal
HABs, and coral reef development in southeast Florida: Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.
Honolulu, Hawaii, February 21, 2006.
27th Southeastern Phycological Colloquy, Nutrient availability, macroalgal HABs, and coral reef
development in southeast Florida: Changes in latitude, changes in attitude. Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institution, October, 2005.
Third Symposium on Harmful Algae in the United States, Remote imaging system for monitoring
macroalgal HABs in deep reef communities off southeast Florida. Pacific Grove, CA, October 3, 2005.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Summer Meeting, Anthropogenic nutrient
enrichment, macroalgal blooms, and coastal ecosystem services on coral reefs in the wider Caribbean
region. Santiago, Spain, June 21, 2005.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Nutrient pollution and macroalgal blooms in the Negril Marine
Park, Jamaica: Using stable nitrogen isotopes to identify sources of anthropogenic pollution. Swept Away
Resort, Negril, May, 2005.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, Natural reefs and artificial reefs. Key West, FL, April 6, 2005.
Palm Beach Sailing Club, Invasional meltdown on Palm Beach County’s coral reefs. West Palm Beach,
FL, March 15, 2005.
Sierra Club (Calusa Chapter), Red drift seaweed blooms in Lee County, FL: Evidence of increased
nitrogen enrichment? Three Oaks Conference Center, Bonita Springs, FL, March 14, 2005.
Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB), Linkages between land-based
nutrient discharges and harmful macroalgal blooms: Comparative studies on coral reefs of southeast
Florida and Jamaica. Baltimore, MD, March 8, 2005.
International Conference on Harmful Algae, Invasive and harmful blooms of the green alga Caulerpa in
southeast Florida and the Bahamas linked to anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment Cape Town, South
Africa. Cape Town, South Africa, November 16, 2004.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Land-Based Sources of Pollution TAC Meeting, Effects of landbased
sources of pollution on coral reef/hard bottom communities of Southeast Florida: An integrated
monitoring approach. Nova Oceanographic Center, Dania, FL, November 8, 2004.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Fall Meeting, Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment of seagrass
and coral reef communities in the Lower Florida Keys: Discrimination of local versus regional nitrogen
sources. Wilmington, NC, October 15, 2004.
13th Aquatic Invasive Species Conference. Invasive blooms of the green alga Caulerpa in southeastern
Florida and the Bahamas supported by anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment. Ennis, Ireland, September 21,
2004.
Garden Club of America, Zone IX Flower Show. Water quality issues in Zone IX and beyond! Nashville,
TN, May 18, 2004.
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Spring Meeting. Nutrient ecology of harmful and invasive
macroalgal blooms on coral reefs off southeast Florida. April 16, 2004.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, Environmental tensions: Natural versus sunken treasures. Key West, FL,
April 6, 2004.
Pine Jog Environmental Center, Annual Board Meeting. Green tides invade Palm Beach County’s coral
reefs. March 12, 2004.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Water Quality Workshop. Tracing land-based sewage pollution
into coral reef communities of the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica, West Indies. Negril, Jamaica. March 2,
2004.
Sierra Club, Calusa Chapter. Impacts of land-based nutrient pollution on eutrophication of seagrass and
coral reef communities in south Florida. Bonita Springs, FL, February 27, 2004.
Marine Resources Council, Indian River Lagoon Water Quality Workshop. Invasive and harmful algal
bloom research on coral reefs off southeast Florida. Stuart, FL, February 21, 2004.
Sierra Club, Broward County Chapter. Invasion of the Green Tides. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 3, 2004.
Second Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the United States. Physiology and ecology of
macroalgal blooms (green tides) on coral reefs off northern Palm Beach County, FL. (USA). Woods Hole,
MA, December 12, 2003.
Estuarine Research Federation. Invasive macroalgal blooms in coastal southeastern Florida supported by
anthropogenic nitrogen. Seattle, WA, September, 2003.
Friends of the Loxahatchee, Invasion of the Green Tides. Jupiter, FL, July 13, 2003.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Special Lecture. Invasion of the Green Tides. Ft. Pierce, FL,
June, 2003.
National Audubon Society, Everglades Chapter. Offshore update: From seaweed to sharks. West Palm
Beach, FL, June, 2003.
Royal Caribbean International, Splendour of the Seas. Secrets of the Sargasso Sea: A mystery revealed!;
Around the world under the sea: Our planet’s threatened coral reefs; Marine Protected Areas in the
Caribbean: How well are they doing? November, 2002.
24th Southeastern Phycological Colloquy, Nutrient ecology of harmful macroalgal blooms on coral reefs
off southeast Florida. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL, November, 2002.
National Academy of Sciences, Ocean Studies Board. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle:
Impacts on coral reef ecosystems, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL, March, 2002.
Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring on fringing
reefs of Tobago: Chemical and ecological evidence of sewage-driven eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef
Complex. Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, November, 2001.
Estuarine Research Federation, Special Session on Harmful Algal Blooms. Simultaneous effects of
nutrient enrichment and grazing on macroalgal blooms in coral reef communities at Norman’s Pond Cay,
Exumas Cays, Bahamas: A natural enrichment experiment. St. Petersburg, FL, November, 2001.
Institute of Marine Affairs, Integrated water quality and coral reef monitoring in Tobago: Discrimination
of nitrogen sources fueling eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef Complex. Trinidad, West Indies,
September, 2001.
Florida State University, Oceanography Department. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle:
Impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Tallahassee, FL, December, 2000.
Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium, Land-based nutrient inputs and their ecological consequences
on coral reefs in the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. Bali, October, 2000.
Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium, Decadal-scale nutrient enrichment correlates with changes in
the optical properties and biotic structure of coral reef communities on bank reefs of the Lower Florida
Keys, USA. Bali, October, 2000.
International Botanical Congress, Linkages between land-based nitrogen inputs and macroalgal blooms
on coral reefs in Jamaica and South Florida. St. Louis, MO, August, 1999.
Moss Landing Marine Lab, Nutrient regulation of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in Jamaica and South
Florida. Monterey, CA, April 23, 1999.
Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Water Quality Workshop. Results of a comprehensive coral
reef/water quality monitoring program in the Negril Marine Park: 1998. Negril, Jamaica, February 14,
1999.
Center for Marine Conservation, Nutrient Workshop. Impacts of nutrient enrichment on coral reef
communities of the Florida Keys. Rayburn Building, Washington, D.C., September, 1998.
Australasian Chemical Engineering Conference (CHEMECA), The demise of coral reef communities in
Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, USA: The nexus of hypersalinity, eutrophication, and political science.
Plenary Talk, Port Douglas, Australia, September, 1998.
Wider Caribbean Conference of Nautical Tourism, The decline of Caribbean coral reefs: Impacts from
sewage and land-based runoff. Cozumel, Mexico, April, 1998.
South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council Meeting, The importance of fish schools to nutrient supply
and productivity of pelagic Sargassum. Beaufort, NC, October, 1997.
American Assembly on Conservation of the Indian River Lagoon, Water quality impacts associated with
discharges of septic tank effluent. Cocoa Beach, FL, April, 1997.
International Ocean Pollution Symposium, Relations between external nutrient loading and biotic phase
shifts in Florida Bay and the Florida Reef Tract. Ft. Pierce, FL, April, 1997.
Florida Bay Conference, Modeling relations between external nutrient loads and biotic phase shifts in
Florida Bay. Key Largo, FL, December, 1996.
Florida Marine Fisheries Commission, Codium blooms on coral reefs in southeast Florida. Cocoa Beach,
FL, August, 1996.
Eighth International Coral Reef Symposium, Macroalgal blooms on fringing coral reefs at Discovery Bay,
Jamaica: Overfishing or eutrophication? Panama, June, 1996.
Estuarine Research Federation, Evidence of long-term, large-scale eutrophication in Florida Bay and the
Florida Reef Tract. Corpus Christi, TX, November, 1995.
National Science Foundation, National Workshop on Harmful Algal Blooms. Nutrient-driven algal
blooms in South Florida's coastal waters. Snow Mountain Ranch, CO, August, 1994.
Estuarine Research Federation, Stormwater nutrient discharges and their ecological effects in the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Hilton Head, SC, November, 1993.
Seventh International Coral Reef Symposium, Modification of benthic community structure by natural
eutrophication: The Belize Barrier Reef, Guam, June, 1992.
International Congress of Ecology, Nutrient couplings between tropical watersheds and coastal waters:
The role of groundwater. Yokohama, Japan, August, 1990.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mesoscale variability in nutrient-limited productivity
of pelagic Sargassum. New Orleans, LA, February, 1990.
Everglades Coalition, Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage disposal systems, groundwaters, and
nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. West Palm Beach, FL, January, 1990.
Estuarine Research Federation, Factors regulating primary production of macroalgae in coastal
environments. Baltimore, MD, October, 1989.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mini-symposium on Couplings between watersheds
and coastal waters: Role of groundwater. Effects of on-site sewage disposal systems on nutrient relations
of groundwaters and nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. San Francisco, CA, December, 1988.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Keys Coral Reef Workshop. Baseline
characterization of herbivory and eutrophication on dominant reef assemblages of Looe Key National
Marine Sanctuary. Key Largo, FL, July, 1988.
Everglades Coalition, Eutrophication in nearshore marine waters of the Florida Keys: Point-sources, nonpoint
sources, and remedial actions, Key Largo, FL, May, 1988.
Western Society of Naturalists, Adaptation of pelagic Sargassum to an ocean desert: Boundary current
circulation provides elevated nutrient availability. Hilo, HI, December, 1986.
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Mini-symposium on Nutrient dynamics on coral
reefs. Upwelling as a source of new nutrients to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. San Francisco,
CA, December, 1986.
Institute of Gas Technology, Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Wastes. Productivity and nutrition
of marine biomass systems in Florida. Lake Buena Vista, FL, January, 1985.
EXPERIENCE:
2013: Testified in U. S. House of Representatives hearing on nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms
in the Indian River Lagoon and South Florida, Washington, D.C.
2013: Testified in Special Florida Senate Hearing on nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms in the
Indian River Lagoon, Stuart, FL.
2012: Expert witness for Earth Justice involving development of nutrient standards for Biscayne Bay,
Florida Bay, southwest Florida, and the Florida Keys, Tallahassee, FL.
2011- present: Co-founder, Board Member, and Executive Director of Science and Technology, Coastal
Ocean Association of Science and Technology, a 501C3 non-profit organization, Marineland, FL.
2007- present: Research Professor, Marine Ecosystem Health Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Pierce, FL.
2006 - 2008: Expert witness for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in administrative hearings (Board of Land
and Natural Resources) involving impacts of stormwater nutrient pollution on the ecology of limu
(seaweeds) in Oahu’s coastal waters, Honolulu, HI.
2006–present: Member, Board of Advisors, Arthur Marshall Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL.
2006 – 2007: Senior Scientist, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Division of Marine Science, Ft.
Pierce, FL.
2005–present: Editorial Board, Harmful Algae.
2004–2006: Member-at-Large, Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Board of Directors.
2004–2006: Member, Board of Advisors, Caulerpa Task Force, California.
2004–2006: Member, United States Caulerpa Working Group, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San
Francisco, CA.
2004–2006: Adjunct Professor, Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
2004–present: Member, Technical Advisory Committee on land-based sources of pollution, Southeast
Florida Coral Reef Initiative.
2003–2007: Adjunct Professor, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.
2001- present: President, Reef Research & Design, developed water quality monitoring programs in the
Florida Keys, Bahamas and Caribbean region, Vero Beach, FL.
2000–2003: Buccoo Reef Trust, Consultant and Board of Advisors, Tobago, West Indies.
1999–present: Consultant to Jacoby Development, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
1999–2005: Adjunct Professor, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL.
1999–present: Adjunct Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay
Harbor, ME.
1998–1999: President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Reef Relief, Key West, FL.
1997: Scientific advisor, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Australia.
1996: Visiting Scholar, University of Queensland, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia.
1996: Expert witness for the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District (ENCON), Legal
challenge by the city of Tequesta regarding research and monitoring of septic tank contamination of
the Loxahatchee River, Tequesta, FL.
1996–2002: Scientific advisor to the Green Turtle Cay Foundation, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas.
1994–1997: Expert witness for 1,000 Friends of Florida in administrative hearings regarding the
environmental impact of septic tanks in Monroe County (Comprehensive Growth Management Plan
and the 18-Mile Stretch); Legal challenge of research on impacts of sewage pollution on seagrass
and coral reef ecosystems in the Florida Keys, Marathon, FL.
1994–1995: Consultant to Little Palm Island, Florida Keys, Big Pine Key, FL.
1993–2000: Member, Technical Advisory Committee, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Water
Quality Protection Program, Marathon, FL.
1992–2005: Scientific advisor to the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society, Negril, Jamaica.
1990–1992: Consultant to the Mustique Company, Mustique Island, Grenadines, West Indies.
1990–2010: Scientific advisor to Reef Relief, a non-governmental grass-roots organization dedicated to
the protection of coral reefs, Key West, FL.
1990–1994: Expert witness for the Department of Community Affairs, State of Florida, concerning
impacts of land-based pollution on seagrass and coral reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys, Key
Largo, FL.
1988–1991: Consultant, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland, Solomons, MD.
1988–1990: Director of Marine Conservation, Florida Keys Land & Sea Trust, Marathon, FL.
1988: Consultant, Preparation of the coastal conservation and management elements of the city of
Boynton Beach Comprehensive Land Use Plan (9J-5), Boynton Beach, FL.
1987: Instructor, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Jamaica; Tropical marine algae: Their biology and
exploitation, Discovery Bay, Jamaica.
1986–1996: Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Sciences, Virginia Key, FL.
1986–1988: Visiting Scientist, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Ferry Reach, Bermuda.
1986–1993: Consultant to Monroe County Planning Department: effects of septic tanks and injection
wells on quality of groundwaters and surface waters of the Florida Keys, Marathon, FL.
1986–1994: President, International Marine Research, Inc.: Consulting on local, regional and
international projects involving nutrient pollution and health of tropical seagrass and coral reef
ecosystems.
1985–present: Participant, Smithsonian Institution's Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program, Carrie
Bow Cay, Belize.
1985-2006: Associate Scientist, Division of Marine Science, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution,
Ft. Pierce, FL.
1983–1985: Assistant Scientist, Aquaculture Division, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft.
Pierce, FL.
1982–1983: Post Doctoral Research Scientist, University of Florida, Aquaculture of Gracilaria and
Sargassum as a source of biomass for energy conversion, Big Pine Key, FL.
1980–1981: Research Assistant, University of South Florida, Major and trace metal analysis of South
Florida lake water, Tampa, FL.
1977–1982: Participant in the Cooperative Spanish-American Rias Study (SARS) in the Rias Bajas, N W.
Spain, Productivity of macroalgae associated with mussel-raft aquaculture, Savannah, GA.
1977–1979: Research Assistant III, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, physiological ecology of
Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyta) grown in outdoor culture, Savannah, GA.
1973–1977: Research Assistant II and III, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Aquaculture of marine
macroalgae for hydrocolloids, waste treatment, and biomass for energy conversion, Woods Hole,
MA.
1973–1977: Consultant, Boston Edison Company, Irish moss survey at Pilgrim I, Plymouth, MA.
PUBLICATIONS:
Hu, C., B. Murch, B. Barnes, M. Wang, J. P. Maréchal, J. Franks, B. Lapointe, D. Goodwin, J. Schell, and
A. Siuda. (2006) Sargassum Watch. Eos, 97, doi: 10.1029/2016EOO58355, published on 02
September 2016.
Calle, L, Gawlik, DE, Xie, Zhixiao, Green, L., Lapointe, B. and Strong, A. (2016). Effects of tidal
periodicities and diurnal foraging constraints on the density of foraging wading birds. The Auk:
Ornithological Advances, 133, (3): 378- 396 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-234.1
Whitehouse, L. N. A., and B. E. Lapointe. 2015. Comparative ecophysiology of bloom-forming
macroalgae in the Indian River Lagoon. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 471:208-216.
Green, L., D. Gawlik, B. Lapointe, and L. Calle. 2015. Relative effects of physical and small-scale
nutrient factors on the distribution of tropical seagrasses in the Great White Heron National
Wildlife Refuge, Lower Florida Keys, Aquatic Botany 124:45-53.
Green, L., B. E. Lapointe, and D. Gawlik. 2015. Winter nutrient pulse and seagrass epiphyte bloom:
Evidence of anthropogenic enrichment or natural fluctuations in the lower Florida Keys?
Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-015-9940-8.
Lapointe, B. E., Herren, L. W., Debortoli, D. D., and Vogel, M. A. (2015). Evidence of
sewage driven eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.
Harmful Algae, 43, 82-102.
Lapointe, B. E., West, L. E., Sutton, T. T. and C. Hu. 2014. Ryther revisited: nutrient excretions by fishes
enhance productivity of pelagic Sargassum in the western North Atlantic Ocean. J. Exp. Mar.
Bio. Ecol. 458:46-56.
Bell, P. R. F., Elmetri, I., and B. E. Lapointe. 2013. Evidence of large-scale chronic eutrophication in the
Great Barrier Reef: quantification of chlorophyll a thresholds for sustaining coral reef
communities. Ambio DOI 10.1007/s13280-013-0443-1.
Barnes, B. B., Holekamp, K. L., Blonski, S., Spiering, B. A., Palandro, D., and B. Lapointe. 2013. Use of
Landsat data to track historical water quality changes in Florida Keys marine environments.
Remote Sensing of Environment 140: 485-496.
Mayakun, J., Ha, J., Lapointe, B.E, Prathep, A. 2013. The effects of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on
morphology, reproduction, and chemical content of Turbinaria conoides (Phaeophyceae).
Phycological Research. Article first published online June 10, 2013. DOI: 10.1111/pre.12023
Zhao, J., C. Hu, B. Lapointe, N. Melo, E. M. Johns, and R. H. Smith. 2013. Satellite observed black water
events off southwest Florida: Implications for coral health in the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary. Remote Sensing
(Basel, Switzerland) 5(1): 415-431. DOI: 10.3390/rs5010415.
Mayakun, J. Ha, J, Lapointe, B.E., Prathep, A. 2012. Gametangial characteristics in the sexual
reproduction of Halimeda macroloba Decaisne (Chlorophyta: Halimedaceae). Songklanakarin
Journal of Science and Technology, 34 (2): 211-216. (March- April, 2012)
Mayakun, J., Jeong Ha Kim, Lapointe, B.E., Prathep, A. 2012. The effects of herbivore exclusion and
nutrient enrichment on growth and reproduction of Halimeda macroloba. ScienceAsia, 38: 227-
234. DOI: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2012.38.227
Zhao, J., B. Barnes, N. Melo, D. English, B. Lapointe, F. Muller-Karger, B Schaeffer, and C. Hu. 2012.
Assessment of satellite-derived diffuse attenuation coefficients and euphotic depth in South
Florida coastal waters. Remote Sensing of Environment 131:38-50.
Lapointe, B. E., L. W. Herren and B. J. Bedford. 2012. Effects of hurricanes, land-use, and water
management on nutrient and microbial pollution: St. Lucie Estuary, southeast Florida. J. Coastal
Research 28(6):1345-1361.
Lapointe, B. E., K. Thacker, C. Hanson and L. Getten. 2011. Sewage pollution in Negril, Jamaica: effects
on nutrition and ecology of coral reef macroalgae. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology
29(4): 775-789.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2011. Stormwater nutrient inputs favor growth of non-native
macroalgae (Rhodophyta) on O’ahu, Hawaii Islands. Harmful Algae 10:310-318.
Sherwood, O. A., B. E. Lapointe, M. J. Risk , R. Jamieson. 2010. Nitrogen isotopic records of terrestrial
pollution encoded in Floridian and Bahamian gorgonian corals. Environ. Sci. and Technol. 44
(3):874-880.
Lapointe, B .E., R. Langton, B. J. Bedford, A. C. Potts, O. Day, and C. Hu. 2010. Land-based nutrient
enrichment of the Buccoo Reef Complex and fringing coral reefs of Tobago, West Indies. Mar.
Poll. Bull. 60(3): 334-343.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2010. Ecology and nutrition of invasive Caulerpa brachypus blooms
on coral reefs off southeast Florida. Harmful Algae 9:1-12.
Lapointe, B. E., R. E. Baumberger, B. J. Bedford, and S. W. Hurley. 2009. Effects of land-based nutrient
pollution on coral reefs: Lessons from the Florida Keys. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean
Fisheries Institute, Gosier, Guadaloupe, November, 2008.
Risk, M., B. E. Lapointe, 0. A. Sherwood, and B. J. Bedford. 2008. The use of δ15N in assessing sewage
stress on coral reefs. Mar. Poll. Bull. 58:793-802.
Yentsch, C. S., B. E. Lapointe, N. Pouleton, and D. A. Phinney. 2008. Anatomy of a red tide bloom off
the southwest coast of Florida. Harmful Algae 7:817-826.
Littler, M M., D. S. Littler, B. L. Brooks, and B. E. Lapointe. 2007. Unusual linear arrays of the coral reef
macrophyte Halimeda incrassata in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 26(4):817-818.
Bell, P.R.F., B.E. Lapointe and I. Elmetri. 2007. Re-evaluation of ENCORE: Support for the
eutrophication threshold model for coral reefs. Ambio 36: 416- 424.
Lapointe, B. E., B. Bedford, and R. Baumberger. 2007. Looe Key, FL: Nutrients and climate change pose
threat to coral reefs. In: Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation’s estuaries: A decade of change.
S Bricker et al. (eds.), NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 26 National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD.
Lapointe, B. E., Bedford, B. J., Littler, M. M., and D. S. Littler. 2007. Shifts in coral overgrowth by
sponges and algae. Coral Reefs 26:515.
Lapointe, B. E., and B. J. Bedford. 2007. Drift rhodophyte blooms emerge in Lee County, Florida, USA:
Evidence of escalating coastal eutrophication. Harmful Algae 6:421-437.
Lapointe, B. E., B. J. Bedford, and R. Baumberger. 2006. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne remove blooms
of the invasive green alga Caulerpa brachypus forma parvifolia (Harvey) Cribb from coral reefs off
northern Palm Beach County, FL, USA. Estuaries 29(6A):966-971.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, B. L. Brooks, and B. E. Lapointe. 2006. Nutrient manipulation methods for
coral reef studies: A critical review and experimental field data. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 336:242-
253.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, B. E. Lapointe, P. J. Barile. 2006. Toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
associated with groundwater conduits in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 25:186.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. M. Littler, D. S. Littler, B. J. Bedford, and C. Gasque. 2005. Macroalgal
blooms on southeast Florida coral reefs: I. Nutrient stoichiometry of the invasive green alga
Codium isthmocladum in the wider Caribbean indicates nutrient enrichment. Harmful Algae
4:1092-1105.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 2005. Macroalgal blooms on southeast
Florida coral reefs: II. Cross-shelf discrimination of nitrogen sources indicates widespread
assimilation of sewage nitrogen. Harmful Algae 4:1106-1122.
Barile, P. J. and B. E. Lapointe. 2005. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition from a remote source enriches
macroalgae in a coral reef ecosystem at Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas. Mar. Poll. Bull.
50:1262-1272.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, M. J. Wynne, and C. S. Yentsch. 2005. Reciprocal Caulerpa invasion:
Mediterranean native Caulerpa ollivieri in the Bahamas supported by human nitrogen enrichment.
Aquatic Invaders, 16(2):1-5.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and P. J. Barile. 2004. Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment of seagrass and
coral reef communities in the Lower Florida Keys: Discrimination of local versus regional nitrogen
sources. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 308(1): 23-58.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, and C. S. Yentsch. 2004. The physiology and ecology of macroalgal blooms
(Green tides) on coral reefs off northern Palm Beach County, Florida (USA) Harmful Algae 3:185-
268.
Barile, P. J., B. E. Lapointe, and T. R. Capo. 2004. Dietary nitrogen availability in macroalgae affects
growth of the sea hare Aplysia californica (Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea) J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
303(1):65-78.
Yentsch, C. S., C. M. Yentsch, D. A. Phinney, B. E. Lapointe, and S. F. W. Yentsch. 2004. The odyssey
of new production. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 300:15-30.
Lapointe, B. E. and P. J. Barile. 2004. Seagrass die-off in Florida Bay: An alternative interpretation.
Estuaries 27(1): 157-178.
Lapointe, B. E. 2004. Phosphorus-rich waters at Glover’s Reef, Belize? Mar. Poll. Bull. 48:193-195.
Lapointe, B. E., P. J. Barile, C. S. Yentsch, M. M. Littler, D. S. Littler, and B. Kakuk. 2004. The relative
importance of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on macroalgal communities near Norman’s Pond
Cay, Exumas Cays, Bahamas: A natural enrichment experiment. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 298:275-
301.
Yentsch, C. S., C. M. Yentsch, J. J. Cullen, B. E. Lapointe, D. A. Phinney, and S. F. Woodman. 2002.
Sunlight and water transparency: Cornerstones in coral research. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
268(2):171-183.
Lapointe, B. E. and K. Thacker. 2002. Community-based water quality and coral reef monitoring in the
Negril Marine Park, Jamaica. In: The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys:
An Ecosystem Sourcebook. edited by J. and K. Porter, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and P. J. Barile. 2002. Biotic phase-shifts in Florida Bay and fore reef
communities in the Florida Keys: Linkages with historical freshwater flows and nitrogen loading
from Everglades runoff. In: The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys: An
Ecosystem Sourcebook, edited by J. and K. Porter, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., R. Langton, O. Day, A. C. Potts. 2001. Integrated water quality and coral reef
monitoring on fringing reefs of Tobago: Chemical and ecological evidence of sewage-driven
eutrophication in the Buccoo Reef Complex. Proceedings of the 54th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries
Institute 54:457-472.
Lapointe, B. E. 2000. Nutrient over-enrichment of south Florida’s coral reefs: How science and
management failed to protect a national treasure. Proceedings of the Coastal Zone Canada 2000
Conference Coastal Stewardship: Lessons learned and the paths ahead. Saint John, New Brunswick.
Howarth, R., D. Anderson, J. Cloern, C. Elfring, C. Hopkinson, B. Lapointe, T. Malone, N. Marcus, K.
McGlathery, A. Sharpley, and D. Walker. 2000. Nutrient pollution of coastal rivers, bays, and seas.
Issues in Ecology 7:1-15.
Capo, T. R., J. C. Jaramillo, A. E. Boyd, B. E. Lapointe, and J. E. Serafy. 1999. Sustained high yields of
Gracilaria (Rhodophyta) grown in intensive large-scale culture. J. Applied Phycology 11:143-147.
Lapointe, B. E. 1999. Simultaneous top-down and bottom-up forces control macroalgal blooms on coral
reefs. Limnol. Oceanogr. 44(6):1586-1592.
Barile, P. and B. E. Lapointe. 1999. Nutrient enrichment and seagrass decline in the Indian River
Lagoon: A typical nutrient problem in a special subtropical estuary. Florida Naturalist, July.
Lapointe, B. E. and W. R. Matzie. 1998. The demise of coral reef communities in Florida Bay and the
Florida Keys, USA: The nexus of hypersalinity, eutrophication, political science, and marine
science. Proceedings of the 8th Australasian Chemical Engineering Society Meeting. Port Douglas,
Australia.
Lapointe, B. E. 1997. Nutrient thresholds for bottom-up control of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in
Jamaica and southeast Florida. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42:1119-1131.
Lapointe, B. E., Littler M. M. and D. S. Littler. 1997. Macroalgal overgrowth of fringing coral reefs at
Discovery Bay, Jamaica: Bottom-up versus top-down control. Proceedings of the 8th. Inter. Coral
Reef Symposium. Panama 1:927-932.
Lapointe, B. E. and W. R. Matzie. 1996. Effects of stormwater nutrient discharges on eutrophication
processes in nearshore waters of the Florida Keys. Estuaries 19:422-435.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, I. G. MacIntyre, B. L. Brooks, P. R. Taylor, and B. E. Lapointe. 1995. The
Tobacco Range Fracture Zone: A unique system of slumped mangrove peat. Atoll Res. Bull.
August, Nos. 426-431.
Lapointe, B. E. 1995. A comparison of nutrient-limited productivity in Sargassum natans from neritic
versus oceanic waters of the Western North Atlantic Ocean. Limnol. Oceanogr. 40:625-633.
Lapointe, B. E., D. A. Tomasko and W. R. Matzie. 1994. Eutrophication and trophic state classification
of seagrass communities in the Florida Keys. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54:696-717.
Delgado, O. and B. E. Lapointe. 1994. Nutrient-limited productivity of calcareous versus fleshy
macroalgae in a eutrophic, carbonate-rich tropical marine environment. Coral Reefs 13:151-159.
Lapointe, B. E., W. R. Matzie, and M. W. Clark. 1993. Phosphorus inputs and eutrophication on the
Florida Reef Tract. In: Global Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards, and History, University of Miami.
Lapointe, B. E., 1993. Nutrient thresholds for macroalgal overgrowth and eutrophication of coral reef
ecosystems. In: Protecting Jamaica's Coral Reef Ecosystems: Water Quality Issues, Island Press.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 1992. Modification of benthic community structure by
natural eutrophication: The Belize Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the 7th International Coral Reef
Symposium, Guam 1:323-334.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler and D. S. Littler. 1992. Nutrient availability to marine macroalgae in
siliciclastic versus carbonate-rich coastal waters. Estuaries 15:75-82.
Lapointe, B. E. and M. Clark. 1992. Nutrient inputs from the watershed and coastal eutrophication in the
Florida Keys. Estuaries 15:465-476.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1992. Modification of benthic community structure by
cultural eutrophication: The southwest coast of Martinique. Proceedings of the 7th International
Coral Reef Symposium, Guam 1:335-343.
Tomasko, D. and B. E. Lapointe. 1991. Productivity and biomass of Thalassia testudinum as related to
water column nutrients and epiphyte levels: Field observations and experimental studies. Mar. Ecol.
Prog. Ser. 75:9-17.
Lapointe, B. E. 1991. The quality of our seawater. In: The Monroe County Environmental Story (ed. by
J. Gato), Gemini Printing, Marathon, FL.
Lapointe, B. E. 1991. Hydrology of Monroe County. In: The Monroe County Environmental Story (ed.
by J. Gato), Gemini Printing, Marathon, FL.
Lapointe, B. E., J. D. O'Connell, and G. S. Garrett. 1990. Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage
disposal systems, groundwaters, and nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. Biogeochemistry
10:289-307.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. D. O'Connell. 1989. Nutrient-enhanced growth of Cladophora prolifera in
Harrington Sound, Bermuda: Eutrophication of a confined, phosphorus-limited marine ecosystem.
Est. Coast Shelf Sci. 28:347-360.
Lapointe, B. E. 1989. Caribbean coral reefs: Are they becoming algal reefs? Sea Frontiers 35:82-91.
Lapointe, B. E. 1989. Macroalgal production and nutrient relations in oligotrophic areas of Florida Bay.
Bull. Mar. Sci. 44:312-323.
Lapointe, B. E. 1988. Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage disposal systems, groundwaters, and
nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. EOS. 69(44):1080.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1988. A comparison of nutrient- and light-limited
productivity in psammophytic versus epilithic forms of Halimeda from the Bahamas. Coral Reefs.
6:219-225.
Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler, and D. S. Littler. 1987. A comparison of nutrient-limited productivity in
macroalgae from a Caribbean barrier reef and from a mangrove ecosystem. Aquatic Botany.
28:243-255.
Lapointe, B. E. 1987. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-limited photosynthesis and growth of Gracilaria
tikvahiae (Rhodophyceae) in the Florida Keys: An experimental field study. Mar. Biol. 93:561-568.
Littler, M. M., D. S. Littler, and B. E. Lapointe. 1987. Baseline studies of herbivory and eutrophication
on dominant reef communities of Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA Technical
Memorandum. NOS MEMD 1, Marine Sanctuaries Division.
Lapointe, B. E. and N. P. Smith. 1987. A preliminary investigation of upwelling as a source of nutrients
to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA Technical Report #NA84AAA04157, Marine
Sanctuaries Division.
Lapointe, B. E. 1986. Upwelling as a source of “new” nutrients to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary
EOS 67(44):992.
Lapointe, B. E. 1986. Phosphorus-limited photosynthesis and growth of Sargassum natans and
Sargassum fluitans (Phaeophyceae) in the western North Atlantic. Deep Sea Res. 33:391-399.
Duke, C. S., B. E. Lapointe and J. Ramus. 1986. Effects of light on growth, RuBPCase activity and
chemical composition of Ulva species (Chlorophyta). J. Phycol. 22:362-370.
Lapointe, B. E. 1985. Strategies for pulsed nutrient supply to Gracilaria cultures in the Florida Keys:
Interactions between concentration and frequency of nutrient pulses. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
93:211-222.
Lapointe, B. E. and M. D. Hanisak. 1985. Productivity and nutrition of marine biomass systems in
Florida. In: Proceedings of Institute of Gas Technology Symposium, (Energy from Biomass and
Waste IX) Lake Buena Vista, Florida. January 20-February 1.
Lapointe, B. E. and C. S. Duke. 1984. Biochemical strategies for growth of Gracilaria tikvahiae
(Rhodophyta) in relation to light intensity and nitrogen availability. J. Phycol. 20:488-495.
Lapointe, B. E., C. J. Dawes and K. R. Tenore. 1984. Interactions between light and temperature on the
physiological ecology of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gigartinales: Rhodophyta) I. Growth,
photosynthesis and respiration. Mar. Biol. 80:161-170.
Lapointe, B. E., K. R. Tenore and C. J. Dawes. 1984. Interactions between light and temperature on the
physiological ecology of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gigartinales: Rhodophyta) II. Nitrate uptake and
levels of pigments and chemical constituents. Mar. Biol. 80:171-178.
Lapointe, B. E., D. L. Rice and J. H. Lawrence. 1984. Responses of photosynthesis, respiration, growth,
and cellular constituents to hypo-osmotic shock in the red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae. Comp.
Biochem. Physiol. 77:127-132.
Lapointe, B. E. 1981. The effects of light and nitrogen on growth rate, pigment content and biochemical
composition of Gracilaria foliifera var. angustissima (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta). J. Phycol. 17:90-
95.
Lapointe, B. E., F. X. Niell and J. M. Fuentes. 1981. Community structure, succession and production of
seaweeds associated with mussel rafts in the Ria de Arosa, N. W. Spain. Mar. Ecol. 5:243-253.
Rice, D. L. and B. E. Lapointe. 1981. Experimental outdoor studies with Ulva fasciata Delile. II. Trace
metal chemistry. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 54:1-11.
Lapointe, B. E. and K. R. Tenore. 1981. Experimental outdoor studies with Ulva fasciata Delile. I.
Interaction of light and nitrogen on nutrient uptake, growth, and biochemical composition. J. Exp.
Mar. Biol. Ecol. 53:135-152.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. H. Ryther. 1979. The effects of nitrogen and seawater flow rate on the growth and
biochemical composition of Gracilaria foliifera var. angustissima in mass outdoor culture. Bot.
Mar. 22:529-537.
Ryther, J. H., J. A. DeBoer and B. E. Lapointe. 1978. Cultivation of seaweeds for hydrocolloids, waste
treatment and biomass for energy conversion. Proceedings of the 9th International Seaweed
Symposium, 1-16.
Lapointe, B. E. and J. H. Ryther. 1978. Some aspects of the growth and yield of Gracilaria tikvahiae in
culture. Aquaculture 15:185-193.
DeBoer, J. A., B. E. Lapointe and J. H. Ryther. 1977. Preliminary studies on a combined seaweed
mariculture-tertiary waste treatment system. Proceedings of the 8th Annual Workshop, World
Mariculture Society, 401-410.
Lapointe, B. E., L. D. Williams, J. C. Goldman and J. H. Ryther. 1976. The mass outdoor culture of
macroscopic marine algae. Aquaculture 8:9-20.
Ryther, J. H., J. C. Goldman, C. E. Gifford, J. H. Huguenin, A. S. Wing, J. P. Clarner, L. D. Williams and
B. E. Lapointe. 1975. Physical models of integrated waste-recycling aquaculture systems.
Aquaculture 5:163-177.
Lapointe, B. E. 1973. Oil on the sea. Aquasphere 7(3):10-12.