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Climate Café Series

Also of Interest

About the Climate Café Series

 

The Climate Café series is a signature event of the Rosenstiel School that invites students and the community to learn about leading-edge climate and environmental science. Moderated by award-winning WLRN NPR environment reporter Jenny Staletovich, each event brings together Rosenstiel School faculty, collaborating scientists, graduate students, and local stakeholders to explore the science shaping South Florida’s future.

 

 

In a relaxed, interactive setting, participants can hear firsthand about groundbreaking research—from coral restoration to climate resilience—and join conversations about how these discoveries can guide policy, inform community action, and train the next generation of scientists. The goal: to spark dialogue, inspire solutions, and connect cutting-edge science with the people it impacts most.

 

2025 Program:

The Future of Florida's Coral Reef: New Approaches for Rebuilding Resilience

A timely conversation on the future of Florida’s Coral Reef—an ecosystem under mounting stress from warming seas, disease, and pollution. Scientists from the Rosenstiel School and its NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) will share groundbreaking efforts to restore resilience, from cross-bred “Flonduran” corals to microbe-assisted coral rearing. Learn how innovative strategies and surprising insights from “urban corals” are shaping new approaches to safeguard biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal communities.

 

Hidden Engineers of the Deep—How Fish Shape the Ocean’s Carbon Cycle

We dive into the hidden role of deep-sea fish in regulating Earth’s carbon cycle. Rosenstiel School scientists will share new research revealing how mesopelagic species—nearly 94% of the world’s fish biomass—excrete minerals that shape ocean chemistry and influence climate. Join us for an eye-opening conversation about the ocean’s “chemical engineers” and their role in our changing planet.

 


2025 Schedule for all Climate Cafés: 
4:00p.m. Reception at Salt Waterfront, 4:30p.m. Program in auditorium.

Featured Links

rosenstiel school

Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - 4:00p.m. reception, 4:30pm program

The Future of Florida's Coral Reef: New Approaches for Rebuilding Resilience

A timely conversation on the future of Florida’s Coral Reef—an ecosystem under mounting stress from rising ocean temperatures, disease and pollution. Join scientists from the Rosenstiel School and its NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) as they share groundbreaking efforts to restore and protect coral reefs across Florida and the Caribbean.

Discover how “Flonduran” elkhorn corals - produced by crossing Florida’s elkhorn corals with elkhorns from Honduras – are being used in a world-first attempt to help boost the climate resilience of Florida reefs. And how providing baby corals with the right microbes early in life can greatly increase their ability to resist heat-induced coral bleaching. Using innovative strategies such as these, University of Miami scientists are developing new restoration approaches to safeguard biodiversity and sustain the many benefits coral reefs provide to coastal communities.

Also learn why “urban corals” thriving in extreme environments like the Port of Miami may hold clues to resilience in a changing climate, and how five key stressors—ocean acidification, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, warming, and excessive nutrients— can harm South Florida’s coastal ecosystems. CIMAS scientists will explain how these studies can deliver actionable insights to guide coral restoration efforts, as well as water quality and fisheries management.

Featured Speakers:

Andrew Baker, Ph.D., Director, Coral Reef Futures Lab; Professor, Marine Biology and Ecology

Michael Studivan, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, University of Miami NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies

Ana Palacio, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, University of Miami NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division.

rosenstiel school

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 4:00p.m. reception, 4:30pm program

Hidden Engineers of the Deep—How Fish Shape the Ocean’s Carbon Cycle

Beneath the ocean’s surface, vast schools of mesopelagic fish—making up nearly 94 percent of global fish biomass—were suspected to play an important role in regulating our planet’s carbon budget. Recent work demonstrates that these deep-dwelling species are indeed critical contributors to marine carbon cycling through the production of ichthyocarbonates, tiny mineral particles excreted as part of their physiology.

Rosenstiel School scientists will share groundbreaking new research on the blackbelly rosefish, a deep-sea species that provided the first direct evidence that mesopelagic fish produce ichthyocarbonate at rates comparable to their shallow-water relatives. These findings fill a key gap in ocean science and will strengthen global models of carbon cycling and open new avenues for understanding how marine life helps regulate Earth’s climate.

Join us for an engaging conversation on how hidden processes in the deep ocean influence global carbon budgets, why these discoveries matter for future climate predictions, and what they reveal about the resilience and complexity of marine ecosystems.

Featured Speakers:

Martin Grosell, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Marine Biology and Ecology

Amanda Oehlert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Geosciences

Rachael Heuer, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Biology and Ecology

Also of Interest

Join us at the Rosenstiel School on the following dates:

Wednesday, October 29, 2025 and Wednesday, November 12, 2025 


Gather at 4:00p.m. for a light snack in Salt Waterfront Restaurant, followed by the program at 4:30pm in the Rosenstiel auditorium.

Register via Eventbrite (links above) to attend in person or via Zoom.

The series is free and open to the public. 

 

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