Citizen Science Data

CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA

In order to understand complex ecological problems, you need large amounts of data that is consistently collected over a long period of time.

ORCA scientists and community members are working together to gather data needed to optimize conservation efforts.

Explore ORCA's Fish Monitoring Project Data

The One Health Fish Monitoring Citizen Science Project tests for toxins and toxicants in fish from the Indian River Lagoon and connecting waterways. Current analyses in this project include: heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium), cyanotoxins (microcystin and saxitoxin), microplastics, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Additional analyses coming soon include: pharmaceuticals, controlled substances and parasites. This is an ongoing project, and the data presented will continue to be updated as additional samples are collected and analyzed.

310 CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

1580

FISH PROCESSED

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This data was collected between 2019 and 2025, and will be periodically updated. If you’d like to see additional data, please e-mail your request to fish@teamorca.org.

Explore Pollution Mapping Data

The Pollution Mapping Citizen Science Project involves on-going comprehensive monitoring of specific sites within the Indian River Lagoon. During each quarterly monitoring event, citizen scientists measure basic water quality parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and alkalinity), measure muck depth, and collect both water and sediment samples to be brought back to the Center for Citizen Science for analyses. Once at the lab, citizen scientists composite and prepare samples for particle analysis, as well as measure nutrient concentrations (ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, and phosphate) in both water column and pore water samples. Additional analyses of these samples include relative toxicity, glyphosate, and atrazine.

110 CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

24 PROJECT SITES

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This data was collected between 2019 and 2025, and will be periodically updated. If you’d like to see additional data, please e-mail your request to mweiss@teamorca.org.

Explore Land to Sea Project Data

Our Land to Sea projects—including living and buffered shorelines—are nature-based solutions designed to improve water quality, stabilize eroding shorelines, and restore habitat throughout the Indian River Lagoon. Living shorelines incorporate native vegetation and structures like breakwaters to prevent erosion, while buffered shorelines use Florida-friendly plants and stormwater management features such as berms and swales to filter runoff before it reaches the lagoon. These projects are implemented in collaboration with citizen scientists and local partners and are monitored for at least two years post-installation to assess ecological benefits, track reductions in nutrient and pollutant loads, and support long-term success. This science-guided, community-powered approach ensures that every project contributes meaningful, measurable improvements to lagoon health.

July 19th Presentation (9) — In partnership with the City of Sebastian and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, ORCA and community volunteers installed the Riverview Park Buffered Shoreline in Sebastian (Indian River County) in April 2025. This project spans 127 linear feet (2,200 ft²) and features over 250 native plants representing 18 different species. Preliminary nutrient data shows a statistically significant decrease in phosphate concentrations —decreasing by 9.09 mg/L from baseline in just one month after installation (p < 0.01). This reduction coincides with the rapid growth and expansion of vegetation within the project footprint. ORCA and volunteers will continue to monitor the site through the first-year post-installation, but early results already underscore the vital role native plants play in reducing nutrient pollution. Replacing turf with native vegetation helps filter runoff before it enters the Indian River Lagoon, contributing to improved water quality and ecosystem health.

July 19th Presentation (8) — ORCA’s Frank P. Catino Park Buffered Shoreline (formerly DeSoto Park), located in Satellite Beach (Brevard County), spans 350 linear feet (1,189 ft²) and features over 350 native Florida plants. Installed in March 2023 with the help of nearly 50 volunteers and in partnership with the City of Satellite Beach, this project is a key component of ORCA’s Buffered Shoreline Initiative. The bar graph shown highlights the average phosphate concentrations in stormwater runoff before and after buffer installation. Results show a significant reduction in phosphate levels—decreasing by 0.98 mg/L from baseline to 12 months post-installation (p < 0.05). This buffered shoreline serves as a strong example of how native vegetation can reduce nutrient pollution entering the Indian River Lagoon.

July 19th Presentation (6) — ORCA’s Faber Cove Buffered Shoreline, located in Fort Pierce on the Indian River Lagoon (St. Lucie County), was one of the first buffered shoreline installations in the initiative in 2022. The buffer spans 32 linear feet (228 ft²) and is planted with approximately 50 native Florida plants. As part of ORCA’s Buffered Shoreline Initiative, Citizen Scientists monitor nutrient runoff both before and after installation by testing water samples for phosphate, ammonia, and nitrate/nitrite. As the buffer matures, these native plants are expected to uptake nutrients from runoff, thereby reducing the amount that reaches the lagoon. In the bar graph shown here, a significant decrease in phosphate concentrations was recorded—from 1.32 mg/L to 0.53 mg/L—just three months after installation. Ammonia and nitrate/nitrite levels showed negligible changes between pre- and post-monitoring. This data underscores the importance of native vegetation in acting as both a physical and chemical barrier to filter pollutants. Buffered shorelines slow the flow of water from lawns and impervious surfaces, reducing the volume of nutrient-rich runoff entering the Indian River Lagoon—particularly during storms or irrigation events.

July 19th Presentation (5) — The primary goal of ORCA’s Living Shoreline Initiative is to restore and stabilize shorelines through the use of breakwaters constructed from environmentally friendly materials and the installation of native shoreline plantings. As part of ORCA’s comprehensive monitoring efforts, Citizen Scientists collect sediment samples both in front of and behind the breakwaters during pre- and post-installation phases to conduct particle size analysis. This analysis helps determine the composition of the sediment—such as silty, medium, or course size—and tracks how it changes over time. The pie charts shown here illustrate shifts in sediment type between the pre-monitoring phase and the 3- and 6-month post-monitoring periods. Results indicate a growing proportion of medium sediment over time, suggesting that the shoreline is successfully trapping and accumulating these particles. This trend is a strong indicator of shoreline stabilization and is supported by visual evidence of shoreline accretion, including the formation of a tombolo—a landform connecting the breakwaters to the shore.

July 19th Presentation (3) — Approximately 400 oyster reef ball modules were deployed at Riverside Park in April 2024 as part of ORCA’s Living Shoreline Initiative, which supports shoreline protection and coastal resiliency. In addition to buffering against heavy storms and constant wave action, living shorelines offer the added benefit of attracting filter-feeding organisms such as oysters. Prior to deployment, the oyster reef balls contained no oysters. Within three months, ORCA scientists documented oyster recruitment, with an average shell length of 16.74 mm. By six months post-installation, oysters continued to settle and grow on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the modules, with average shell length increasing by 7.53 mm. At the nine-month mark, average shell length had grown approximately 16 mm beyond the initial measurement. One year after installation, oysters at Riverside Park’s Living Shoreline continue to thrive, with new spat settling on the modules. Average oyster shell length has increased by 22.23 mm since initial monitoring—highlighting the valuable secondary habitat benefits provided by the reef ball modules.

Untitled design (21) — In addition to enhancing coastal resiliency and stabilizing shorelines, living shorelines offer important secondary benefits, including nutrient sequestration. When nitrogen and phosphorus are sequestered in lagoon sediments, these nutrients become bound within the sediment layer rather than remaining readily available in the water column. As a living shoreline matures, levels of sequestered nutrients—such as total phosphorus and total nitrogen—are expected to increase in the sediment over time [1].

[1] Reynolds, L., Stephens, N. C., Barry, S. C., & Smyth, A. R. (2021). Living Shoreline Monitoring—How do I evaluate the environmental benefits of my living shoreline? SS694/SL481, 1/2021. EDIS, 2021(1).

This data was collected between 2019 and 2025, and will be periodically updated. If you’d like to see additional data, please e-mail your request to nstephens@teamorca.org.

A Day in the Life of the Indian River Lagoon Data

A Day in the Life of the Indian River Lagoon Student Citizen Science Project

Each year, hundreds of students, teachers, and environmental partners collect scientific data at various sampling sites all along the Indian River Lagoon on the same day in October. Student citizen scientists use hands-on field techniques to measure the same chemical, physical, and biological parameters to evaluate how their local piece of the estuary fits into the larger ecosystem. Teachers are encouraged to integrate A Day in the Life (ADIL) data and findings into their curriculum, science fair projects, and student-led research throughout the academic year. This hands-on, place-based learning opportunity deepens students’ understanding of the ecological health of the Indian River Lagoon and the vital connections between their sampling sites and the broader watershed.

In addition to core water quality and biological data, this project also includes the collection and analysis of glyphosate levels—a commonly used herbicide—providing a powerful opportunity to explore the impact of land use and human activity on aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating this real-world data fosters scientific inquiry, environmental literacy, and a stronger sense of stewardship in students.

_graphs 2025 — Glyphosate is an herbicide commonly used to kill weeds and grasses residentially and commercially. Glyphosate is a toxicant of concern as it may persist in the environment’s food chain and adsorb into soils and sediments. This can potentially lead to negative health effects in humans as well as organisms in the lagoon. The EPA Summary Review of Glyphosate states that it is “unlikely to be a human carcinogen” whereas the World Health Organization states that it is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Its potential negative health effects and current limited information make it essential to monitor glyphosate in the environment.

This figure shows water column glyphosate concentrations from A Day in the Life of the Indian River Lagoon (ADIL) Citizen Science project from 2019-2024. Teams of citizen scientists including students and teachers with the support of a local environmental partner, collected single water column samples from a specific site within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) or its contributing waterways – all on a single day in October. These samples have been collected for six consecutive years. Glyphosate was measured in the water samples by ORCA scientists using a commercially-available ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit. This box and whisker plot shows the distribution of glyphosate concentration by year from 2019 to 2024. This plot shows year on the x-axis and the water column glyphosate concentration in parts per billion (ppb) on the y axis. This figure makes it evident that glyphosate is present across the IRL at low concentrations (mean: 0.305 +/- st dev: 0.357 ppb). There are many variables that could affect glyphosate concentration including application time and quantity, chemical composition of herbicide, wind direction, currents, rainfall, temperature, and more. There was no significant difference across years when running an ANOVA test on this data (p-value >0.05). Of the years sampled, 2020 and 2023 tend to have higher concentrations while 2021 and 2024 have typically lower concentrations. In conclusion, it appears glyphosate fluctuates slightly between years but there is no overall trend in glyphosate concentration levels observed in the IRL shown through this data.

Dive into Team ORCA’s Citizen Science blog to read about the importance of data collection, why we monitor, the significance of citizen science and more!