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 Pollution Mapping Data

Pollution Mapping Citizen Science Project

This 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

30 PROJECT SITES

The data below was collected between 2019 and 2024, and will be periodically updated. If you’d like to see additional data, please e-mail your request to mweiss@teamorca.org.

PM Data posting aug 2023 — As part of our November 2022 Pollution Mapping Citizen Science seasonal monitoring, sediment and water samples from 25 locations in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) watershed were collected. Samples were analyzed by the University of Florida for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or ‘forever chemicals.’ PFAS is a large and complex class of synthetic chemicals that are resistant to heat, water and oil and have been used in a wide variety of consumer products since the 1940s, including stain and water repellents used in textile manufacturing, paper products, food packaging and cookware. These chemicals have also been used in various industrial processes, including the formulation of fire suppressant foams used at firefighting training facilities, airports, chemical plants and military installations.[9] ORCA is interested in further investigating PFAS in the IRL because scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful effects on human and animal health.[10] Results revealed measurable concentrations of PFAS in all sampling locations. PFAS diversity ranged between 7 to 13 PFAS in sediment samples and 5 to 9 PFAS in surface water samples. Overall, PFAS concentrations in sediment samples were between 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than those in surface water samples.

PM Data posting aug 2023 (1) — As part of our November 2022 Pollution Mapping Citizen Science seasonal monitoring, sediment and water samples from 25 locations in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) watershed were collected. Samples were analyzed by the University of Florida for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or ‘forever chemicals.’ PFAS is a large and complex class of synthetic chemicals that are resistant to heat, water and oil and have been used in a wide variety of consumer products since the 1940s, including stain and water repellents used in textile manufacturing, paper products, food packaging and cookware. These chemicals have also been used in various industrial processes, including the formulation of fire suppressant foams used at firefighting training facilities, airports, chemical plants and military installations.[9] ORCA is interested in further investigating PFAS in the IRL because scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful effects on human and animal health.[10] Results revealed measurable concentrations of PFAS in all sampling locations. PFAS diversity ranged between 7 to 13 PFAS in sediment samples and 5 to 9 PFAS in surface water samples. Overall, PFAS concentrations in sediment samples were between 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than those in surface water samples.

Shorelines can vary from hardened to natural. Florida's shores have been altered by humans in many areas for aesthetics or to create a view of the water. In many cases, this involves hardening the shoreline by introducing bulkheads or seawalls that are intended to prevent erosion. However, hardened shorelines often reduce habitat for aquatic organisms, do not prevent erosion, and provide little to no buffer for pollutants entering the waterway. In contrast, natural shorelines which are made up of native and Florida-friendly plants provide nursery habitat and settlement sites for aquatic organisms, dissipate wave energy to better prevent erosion and serve as a chemical and physical obstacle for pollutants, sequestering nutrients from lawn runoff from storms or irrigation. As a result, hardened shorelines are often associated with worse water quality compared to living shorelines. ORCA uses a unique bioassay of bioluminescent bacteria to determine the relative toxicity of sediment samples, which can be related to multiple pollutants bound in the sediment. We categorized each Pollution Mapping Citizen Science sampling site as having a bulkhead, combination, or natural shoreline. Combination shorelines fall in between hardened and natural shorelines and feature a combination of characteristics of both (i.e. Rip-rap, mangroves, seawall, etc.). Only one of our sites was classified as just rip-rap. Utilizing only sites that had at least 4 cycles (1 year) of data as of November 2024, we compared the average relative toxicity per site between shoreline types. The bulkhead sites had elevated relative toxicity levels compared to both combination and natural shorelines, but this was not significant between any of the shoreline types (Kruskal Wallis, Dunn post-hoc test; p > 0.05). It is important to note that the sites that we sample are chosen based on concern of pollution and are likely to have higher overall relative toxicity compared to other locations in the Indian River Lagoon. These results highlight the importance of living and buffered shorelines in Florida. For more information on this, please look into our Land to Sea Citizen Science Project.

Lead can affect every organ in the human body, especially the nervous system [1]. In aquatic ecosystems, lead can affect the physiological and biochemical functions of organisms [2]. This box and whisker plot shows the distribution of lead concentration in sediments each year at 28 sites that have been monitored for at least two years (x= mean, ── = median). These sediment samples are collected once annually in November. Lead sediment concentration was not significantly different between years (paired samples t-tests: 2021 and 2022, p=0.690; 2022 and 2023, p =0.09; 2023 and 2024, p = 0.07). These data suggest that lead levels in sediment are not changing over time in the Indian River Lagoon. Only sites 1-16 were used for the 2021-2022 comparison, only sites 1-25 were used for the 2022-2023 comparison, and only sites 1-28 were used for the 2023-2024 comparison based on data availability for both years. Sites 29 and 30 were excluded from the statistical analysis of the graph above as they only had one heavy metal measurement.

Copper in aquatic ecosystems has been shown to be toxic to fish and invertebrates. Two main sources of copper in the environment are: 1) antifouling paints used on boats and 2) chromated copper arsenate-treated timbers [3]. Like lead, there was not a significant change in copper concentrations in sediments across 16 sites from 2021 to 2022 (paired samples t-test, p=0.759), across 25 sites from 2022 to 2023 (paired samples t-test, p = 0.976), and across 28 sites from 2023 to 2024 (paired samples t-test, p=0.725), suggesting no ongoing inputs of copper at these sites. This graph does not include sites added after the November 2023 sampling.

Mercury is a potent neurological poison in fish, wildlife, and humans with atmospheric deposition acting as the primary source to most aquatic ecosystems [4]. This graph shows the concentrations of mercury in sediments at 28 sites that have at least two years of data. Unlike lead and copper, mercury sediment concentrations increased significantly between annual collection events in 2021 and 2022 (paired samples t-test, p<0.001). While this increase in mercury is concerning, there was no significant change in mercury concentration between 2022 and 2023 (paired samples t-test, p=0.120) and there was a significant decrease in mercury concentration between 2023 and 2024 (p = 0.002). These data strengthen the importance of longitudinal monitoring and the importance of projects such as the Pollution Mapping Citizen Science project.

Lead concentration in sediments at all 30 sites for November 2024 in comparison to the threshold effect level (TEL-orange line) and probable effect level (PEL-red line). The TEL is the upper limit of the minimal effects range to aquatic organisms [5]. The PEL is the lower limit of the immediate hazard effect range to aquatic organisms [5]. Shepard Park I in Martin County is the only site that exceeded the TEL (30.2 mg/kg) for lead. Interestingly, in November 2023, De La Bahia in Martin County exceeded the TEL, but in November 2024 it fell just below the TEL line. No sites exceeded the PEL (112 mg/kg).

Copper concentration in sediments at all 30 sites for November 2024 in comparison to the threshold effect level (TEL-orange line) and probable effect level (PEL-red line). The TEL is the upper limit of the minimal effects range to aquatic organisms [5]. The PEL is the lower limit of the immediate hazard effect range to aquatic organisms [5]. Eight sites exceed the TEL (18.7mg/kg) for copper, while three sites exceed the PEL (108 mg/kg). This is one more site that exceeds the PEL from November 2023, which indicates serious environmental concern to aquatic life.

Mercury concentration in sediments at all 30 sites for November 2024 in comparison to the threshold effect level (TEL-orange line) and probable effect level (PEL-red line). The TEL is the upper limit of the minimal effects range to aquatic organisms [5]. The PEL is the lower limit of the immediate hazard effect range to aquatic organisms [5]. Similarly to 2023’s data, three sites located in Martin County exceeded the TEL (0.13 mg/kg) for mercury in 2024, while no sites exceeded the PEL (0.7mg/kg).

Phosphate concentrations in water column samples at all 30 Pollution Mapping sites for November 2024 in comparison to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) 50th and 90th percentiles for Florida estuarine waters (FDEP 2004). The orange line represents the 50th percentile at 0.1 mg/L, indicating the value at which 50% of the DEP samples fell below this concentration while the red line represents the 90th percentile at 0.33 mg/L, indicating the value at which 90% of the DEP values fell below this concentration. We use these percentiles from the DEP since we do not have localized percentages for the Indian River Lagoon. You can see that all 30 sites are at or above the DEP’s 50th percentile line (0.1 mg/L), while 18 of our 30 sites are on or above the 90th percentile line (0.33 mg/L). This could be an indication of accelerated eutrophication at these sites.

Glyphosate is an herbicide commonly used to kill weeds and grasses. Glyphosate is a toxicant of concern as it may persist in the environment through bioaccumulation in the food chain and adsorption into soils and sediments, which can lead to negative health effects [6]. 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 for 30 sites over time. The y-axis on the left corresponds to those sites with solid lines while the y-axis on the right corresponds to those sites with dotted lines. There is no legend identifying individual sites as we wanted to focus the reader's attention on the overall trend throughout all the sites. Lines that seem cut off are sites that started being monitored at that time, hence there is no previous data. Glyphosate concentrations significantly increased from February to May in 2022 and 2023 (Friedman test with paired Wilcoxon signed rank test; 2022: p = 0.003; 2023: p = 0.007). In 2022, glyphosate concentrations dramatically decreased from May to August; however, in 2023, the glyphosate concentration continues to increase more gradually from May to August, peaking in August for most sites. In 2024, we did not see a significant increase from February to May (p ≥ 0.05), however we did see a statistically significant increase from May to August in 2024 (p = 0.007) and then a statistically significant decrease from August to November in 2024 (p = 0.002). Differences between months could be from a variety of factors including rainfall, temperature affecting how it's broken down, and differences in usage and application! We speculate that the increase in glyphosate, starting in February 2022 and 2023, is due to many people applying glyphosate before the wet season begins as a preventative measure against weed growth. It seems to be that the application of glyphosate was delayed in 2024. We are looking forward to continuing to measure glyphosate to see if the pattern of change is more similar to the initial year (2022) or more similar to the current data (2024).

References: [1] Wani, A. L., Ara, A., & Usmani, J. A. (2015). Lead toxicity: A Review. Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 8(2), 55–64.; [2] Lee, J.-W., Choi, H., Hwang, U.-K., Kang, J.-C., Kang, Y. J., Kim, K. I., & Kim, J.-H. ; (2019). Toxic effects of lead exposure on bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and immune responses in fish: A Review. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 68, 101–108; [3] Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. [4] Mercury contamination of aquatic environments. Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Environments | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). [5] MacDonald, D. D. (1994). Approach to the Assessment of Sediment quality in Florida Coastal Waters. Development and Evaluation of Sediment Quality Assessment Guidelines, 1, 1–140; [6] Myers, J.P., Antoniou, M.N., Blumberg, B. et al. Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and risks associated with exposures: a consensus statement. Environ Health 15, 19 (2016); [7] Hand, J. (2004). Typical water quality values for Florida’s lakes, streams, and estuaries. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 101; [8] Protecting Florida’s springs. Florida Department of Environmental Protection; [9] Florida Department of Environmental Protection PFAS Dynamic Plan; [10] EPA.gov

Explore Fish Monitoring Data

One Health Fish Monitoring Citizen Science Project

This 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.

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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.

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 and the Lake Worth 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 data and information into school curriculum, science fair projects, and research opportunities throughout the school year. The results help students build a better understanding of the local ecosystem’s ecological health and the relationship their sites have to the entire watershed

_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 science 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!