Surfrider Miami is sharing an independent research paper conducted by Gianna Ramirez, a student researcher at MAST Academy in Miami, Florida. The research was conducted in partnership with Surfrider Foundation and supervised by Christi LeMahieu, Vice Chair and BWTF Director of Surfrider Miami.
The paper, titled “Effects of Salinity Reduction on the Rate of Decay of Marine-Adapted Enterococcus,” investigates how freshwater infiltration of coastal seawater affects Enterococcus concentrations, the bacteria used to measure recreational water quality in marine environments.
Ramirez collected water samples from Virginia Key Dog Beach and tested them at five different salinity levels to simulate varying degrees of freshwater infiltration. Her findings suggest that lower salinity levels are associated with lower Enterococcus concentrations, raising important questions about how water quality measurements should be interpreted in coastal environments following rain events, runoff, or other freshwater inputs.
This type of independent research contributes to a broader understanding of the environmental conditions that influence water quality monitoring results. Surfrider Miami supports efforts to advance community science and is proud to share this work with our community.
To read the full paper, download the PDF below.
Gianna Ramirez
Student Researcher at MAST Academy