USF scientists have launched a five-year study focused on pollutants in Tampa Bay, aiming to understand their impact on the region’s ecosystem and economy. The Tampa Bay Surveillance (TBS) project brings together researchers from the USF College of Marine Science and local charter captain Rob Gorta to examine “contaminants of emerging and known concern” throughout Florida’s largest estuary.
“This research will help by telling us more about the pollution in Tampa Bay and how it impacts our fish,” said Gorta, who has worked in the bay for nearly 30 years.
The study uses racks installed at 17 locations across Tampa Bay to attract barnacles. Researchers extract tissue samples from these barnacles as well as oysters, fish, water, and sediments to analyze chemical contamination. The bay is economically significant for the area; according to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, its annual economic output reaches $32 billion through sectors such as fisheries and tourism.
“We know from our past studies that Tampa Bay contains these contaminants of concern,” said Steve Murawski, endowed chair of biological oceanography at USF and principal investigator for TBS. “We want to determine their distribution and concentration in the bay, and help figure out how they’re getting here.”
Contaminants under investigation include pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals disposed via household waste streams, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are used in everyday products like plastic bags and non-stick cookware.
The origins of this research date back more than 15 years to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Following the April 2010 incident—the largest marine oil spill in history—USF scientists were among the first responders collecting samples near the blowout site with support from NOAA and the USF Foundation. Murawski later led an international consortium examining environmental effects of the spill over a decade-long effort involving 18 institutions and resulting in extensive scientific publications.
“Through our work on the spill, we learned a lot about the impacts of these contaminants and acquired highly specialized equipment to do the science,” Murawski said. “TBS is a natural extension of our work on Deepwater Horizon.”
Graduate students AJ Gross and Layne Leggett are key contributors to fieldwork efforts around Tampa Bay. By sampling filter feeders such as oysters—which can indicate water quality—and comparing results across different species and sites, researchers hope to trace pollutants back to their sources.
“By comparing the samples of oysters to samples of barnacles and fish from around the bay, we can make inferences about where these pollutants come from and may be able to help prevent contamination at the source,” Gross said.
Leggett also tracks seasonal variations by analyzing contaminant levels before and after rainy periods—a strategy intended to distinguish between runoff-driven pollution during wet months versus industrial discharges during drier times.
“It’s been amazing to see how quickly these barnacles have grown,” Leggett noted while checking specimens gathered for analysis.
The team expects their findings will inform government agencies at all levels as they seek strategies for managing contaminants within Florida’s coastal waters.
