{"id":110787,"date":"2020-07-07T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=110787"},"modified":"2020-09-30T11:33:53","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T15:33:53","slug":"ucf-sea-turtle-project-snags-nasa-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-sea-turtle-project-snags-nasa-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Sea Turtle Project Snags NASA Grant"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA has awarded Alexander Sacco a Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology grant to use satellites to help track sea turtle yearlings in the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of 62 awards made nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not what you would typically think of when you hear \u2018NASA grant,\u2019 \u201d says Sacco, who is leading the project and pursuing a doctorate degree in integrative and conservation biology<\/a>. \u201c[But] I\u2019m excited for this unique opportunity from NASA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before coming to UCF to work with sea turtles, Sacco earned his master\u2019s degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks by studying changes in sea ice and its impact on the local walrus population. Walrus are critical to many Alaskan Native communities in the Bering Sea because they are essential for community needs, Sacco says. He will apply the same mathematical and computer skills he used on the Alaska project to the sea turtle work here.<\/p>\n

Understanding Brown Algae<\/strong><\/div>\n

Sacco will be building an algorithm that tracks the brown algae sargassum<\/em> as it makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean and the east coast of Africa. Sargassum, <\/em>provides a safe place for sea turtle yearlings to float on during their early days of life.<\/p>\n

The algae clumps can be a few inches to a couple of miles long and also provides other sea life with a source of food. Unfortunately, these mats of sargassum<\/em> occasionally wash ashore \u2014 a problem that has made the news over the last few years. Scientists aren\u2019t quite sure why this happens, but the impact is clear. The clumps can hurt water quality surrounding coastlines and could be impacting coral reefs. The murky water and rotting smell caused by these beaching events in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean are also impacting beachside communities that rely on tourism and recreational fishing.<\/p>\n

Potential Impact<\/strong><\/div>\n

Sacco\u2019s algorithm will use American and European satellite images and radar data to create models that track sargassum<\/em>. The radar is important because it can see through the clouds that cover the Atlantic Ocean. This will allow scientists to see the changes more clearly, offer clues about why sargassum<\/em> may be degrading and determine how the change may impact the survival of endangered and threatened sea turtles.<\/p>\n

Florida is in the heart of the migration path of several sea turtle species. Central Florida\u2019s eastern coastline is among the most important nesting areas in the world for loggerhead sea turtles, and it also hosts about one-third of all green turtle nests in the state.<\/p>\n

The computer model should also be able to help provide information for better predictions of where sargassum<\/em> will come ashore, potentially helping communities prepare for or prevent the beach events, Sacco says.<\/p>\n

The data collected will also provide information that could help researchers understand the sea turtles\u2019 behavior while they float atop sargassum<\/em> during their \u201clost years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLost years\u201d refers to the period of time after the sea turtles hatch on beaches and head into the ocean and when they return to forage for food as juveniles several years later. Not a lot is known about this period of time, which is why it is nicknamed the \u201clost years.\u201d<\/p>\n