Florida Atlantic University was founded in 1961, in Boca Raton on an 850-acre site located near the Atlantic Ocean. The campus is conveniently located halfway between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale and offers a broad range of academic programs, activities, and services.

The Boca Raton campus provides an exciting and supportive learning environment for students. The Student Union hosts student activities and meetings. In addition, its 2,500-seat Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium enables students to enjoy performances ranging from rock bands to the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. The campus supports two cafeterias and has an attractive array of accommodations for its residential students. The Boca Raton campus is also home to FAU's Division I Intercollegiate Athletics program and facilities. Its recreation complex includes an aquatic center, gymnasium, tennis courts, wellness center, track, and a variety of fields for club and intramural sports competition.

The five-story S.E. Wimberly Library houses a large collection of monographs, serials, and other academic resources. Computer labs, study lounges, a media center, and tutoring services also provide valuable academic support for students. The Boca Raton campus hosts art exhibits, theatre productions, and concerts in its two galleries and theatre. Visiting performers and speakers add to the artistic and intellectual vibrancy of the campus.

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Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, 2000

Environmental Science Award

Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., 1986, 1990

Red Wright Fellowship

Outstanding Research Award

American Water Resource Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Society of Limnology and Oceanography

Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean

Oceanography Society

Phycological Society of America

Estuarine Research Federation

Southeastern Estuarine Research Society

Explorers Club

Remote Sensing of Sargassum Biomass, Nutrients, and Pigments

Characterizing a Sea Turtle Developmental Habitat Using Landsat Observations of Surface-Pelagic Drift Communities in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

Septic systems contribute to nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms in the St. Lucie Estuary, Southeast Florida, USA

Brian Lapointe’s research interests include algal physiology and biochemistry, seagrass and coral reef ecology, eutrophication, marine bioinvasions and marine conservation.

He has extensive experience in water quality research in South Florida and the Caribbean region. As chief scientist on numerous Caribbean and western North Atlantic Ocean research expeditions, he has amassed valuable field experience in assessing relations between water quality and the health of tropical seagrasses and coral reefs. Lapointe’s long-term water quality monitoring at Looe Key reef in the Florida Keys represents the longest low-level nutrient record for a coral reef anywhere in the world. His work in the Keys led to a strong phosphate ban and new state regulations for Monroe County requiring greater nutrient removal from sewage effluents.

Lapointe’s work in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in the 1990s, which utilized stable nitrogen isotopes to “fingerprint” nitrogen sources, was the first to demonstrate the importance of agricultural nitrogen from mainland sources to development of algal blooms in the Keys. He developed the first “ridge-to-reef” water quality monitoring program for the European Union in Negril, Jamaica, a model that has been adopted by Marine Protected Areas around the Caribbean region. Lapointe has advised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, State of Florida and the governments of Monroe County (Florida Keys), Palm Beach County, Lee County, Bahamas, Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, Bonaire, Curacao, Martinique and St. Lucia on development of water quality monitoring programs for assessing the impacts of land-based pollution.

Lapointe’s Sargassum research has yielded novel insights into the ecology of this macroalgae, the Sargasso Sea and associated communities, including symbiosis with juvenile fish marked by exchange of habitat and nutrients.

Marine Bioinvasions

Coral Reef Ecology

Algal Physiology

Biochemistry

Seagrass Ecology

Eutrophication

Marine Conservation

Lapointe Hab Lab Website

Google Scholar Profile

Florida Atlantic University Profile

ResearchGate Profile

Bloomberg Profile

'Will they make it?': Florida researchers discuss how coral reefs are dealing with the heat

FAU Harbor Branch Study Underscores the Need to End Septic Tank Use and Convert to Sewer Systems

The Atlantic Ocean is heavy on the sargassum

From the Magazine: Protecting Neverland

Piles of rotting seaweed finally clear off South Florida’s beaches, a month earlier than usual

Sewage problems create algae blooms in Fort Lauderdale waterways

Seaweed's back, lining Palm Beach County shorelines

Shift in weather pattern brings in banner crop of sargassum

In an effort to replace polluting septic tanks, sewer lines now extend throughout Stuart

Out of sight, still a blight

When beaches reopen, are you safe from coronavirus in the water?

The coast may be clear now, but sargassum is heading from the Caribbean to Florida shores, scientists warn

As beaches reopen, talk turns to likely reappearance of seaweed

Sargassum seaweed could return to Florida's beaches in coming weeks

South Florida beach closures could help marine life, water quality

Fort Lauderdale’s foul sewage spills have killed fish. There’s likely more damage

Pollution + Florida’s Coral Reefs: “We Are Changing The Chemistry Of The Planet”

What’s that weed on the beach? If it’s not sargassum, what is it?

Local expert comes up with possible solution for blue-green algae problem

Nitrogen, septic tanks to blame rash of Fla. algae blooms, expert says

Study finds source of toxic green algal blooms and the results stink

north-atlantic-sargassum-bloom-hits-record-levels-and-florida-is-feeling-the-surge-one-expert-says

New record-setting bloom raises concerns for marine ecosystems, tourism, and public health.

Research Professor at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

  Dr. Brian LaPointe, Research Professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, is one of the nation’s most recognized experts on marine ecosystems. 

His work spans algal physiology, biochemistry, biodiversity, and coastal conservation — with more than a decade of dedicated research focused on the rise and impact of sargassum blooms across the Atlantic.

 LaPointe confirmed that sargassum levels in the North Atlantic have hit a new biomass record — and much of it is now washing ashore across South Florida’s coastlines.  The scale of this bloom, he says, could have lasting consequences for marine ecosystems, tourism, and public health. LaPointe recently spoke to CNN about why this record bloom is raising alarm bells:

 “Sargassum goes from being a very beneficial resource of the North Atlantic to becoming what we refer to as… a harmful algal bloom when it comes ashore in excessive biomass.”  Ammonia is another problem emitted by the decaying seaweed, LaPointe noted. The chemical compound “strips the oxygen out of the waters along our coastal ecosystems like mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds,” he said.  The scale of the bloom is staggering. According to University of South Florida estimates cited by LaPointe, over 31 million tons of sargassum have been detected this year — a 40% increase over the previous record.

Dr. Brian LaPointe is available to speak with the media on this topic. For interviews, click below to view his full profile and click the connect button.



North Atlantic Sargassum Bloom Hits Record Levels – and Florida is Feeling the Surge, One Expert Says

whats-that-smell-something-is-rotten-and-florida-atlantics-seaweed-expert-has-the-answers

Brian Lapointe’s research interests include algal physiology and biochemistry, marine bioinvasions and marine conservation.  Contact More  Share

It’s back…and bigger than before. This summer, Floridians can expect a record amount of it!

Sargassum, it smells like rotting eggs and a 'mega bloom' of the algae is expected to wash up on beaches soon.

Sargassum is essentially a brown seaweed and also a type of algae. When out at sea, it's an essential item that helps feed fish, turtles, crabs and an array of ocean life.  But once it hits land, it begins to rot and can be at the very least annoying and even potentially dangerous to humans by emitting harmful gases.

The topic is getting a lot of media coverage - with reporters connecting with experts like Florida Atlantic's Brian LaPointe to get the answers and explanations they need.

The Atlantic Ocean has a toxic seaweed problem. Floating in brown islands of algae, this year’s sargassum bloom has already broken its own size record by millions of tons — and the growing season isn’t done yet. Now stretching across some 5,500 miles of ocean, the annual bloom is more than just an eyesore: Sargassum hurts ecosystems and economies wherever its overgrown arms reach. And they are spreading into Florida’s waterways, coating marinas and beaches in the Miami area. “Sargassum goes from being a very beneficial resource of the North Atlantic to becoming what we refer to as … a harmful algal bloom, when it comes ashore in excessive biomass,” said Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.  For more than a decade, Atlantic coastal communities have been inundated by more and more sargassum. Images of white sand beaches stretching into azure waters have been altered by the toxic and putrid invasion. In the water, it’s home to larvae and other organisms that can irritate the skin of any passing swimmers. As it rots on shore, it emits harmful gases— an infamous stench. It’s a blight on beaches that repels tourists during the high-travel season, ultimately hurting towns that rely on tourism to fuel their economy. Rising ocean temperatures due to human-caused climate change have spurred this sargassum surplus, supercharging the seaweed. In April, the University of South Florida estimated this year’s bloom is already at 31 million tons — “40% more” than the previous record from June 2022, according to LaPointe. May 15 - CNN  Looking to know more? We can help.

Brian LaPointe is available to speak with media about seaweed, sargassum and what beachgoers can expect this summer in Florida. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.


What's That Smell? Something is Rotten and Florida Atlantic's Seaweed Expert has the Answers

Brian Lapointe Speaking on Water Pollution in Florida

Ocean Science Lecture Series 2010

The Ocean Science Lecture Series provides a forum for Harbor Branch's scientists to share their most recent discoveries with our neighboring communities.

The Ocean Science Lecture Series provides a forum for Harbor Branch's scientists to share their most recent discoveries with our neighboring communities.

Brian Lapointe, Ph.D. - Reefs, Wreckers, and Shipwreckers in the Florida Keys

Florida Atlantic University
Harbor Branch 
Ocean Science Lecture Series

Secrets of the Sargasso Sea
Brian Lapointe, Ph.D.

For over five centuries, the Sargasso Sea has been a subject of lively debate among explorers and scientists alike. Named for its characteristic brown seaweed Sargassum, the boundary of the Sargasso Sea is now defined by the currents that surround this unique "sea without a shore" - also known as the North Atlantic Central Gyre.

Dr. Lapointe will share a number of "secrets" about this mysterious oceanic realm, some of which date back to the historic voyage of Christopher Columbus. He will describe the discovery of Sargassum by early explorers, the phenomenon of the "Bermuda Triangle", and the amazing community of invertebrates and fishes supported by Sargassum "weedlines". Dr. Lapointe will show outtakes of a documentary of the Sargassum community that he and NHK Broadcasting (Tokyo, Japan) collaborated on in 1997. He will close by describing his recent studies of the impacts the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the "essential fish habitat" provided by pelagic Sargassum.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Brian Lapointe has studied nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), algal growth, and eutrophication at Harbor Branch for the past 28 years. He has authored over 85 publications in the field of biogeochemistry, algal physiology, and nutrient pollution and is internationally recognized for his work in marine conservation. His early research in the 1980s, supported by the National Science Foundation, focused on the ecology of the pelagic brown seaweed Sargassum. That research showed the importance of coastal nutrient runoff and associated fishes to the productivity and nutrition of Sargassum.

Dr. Lapointe and colleagues from the University of South Florida are currently funded by NASA to use satellite imagery to monitor the abundance and nutrition of pelagic Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico. This research represents major progress in our understanding of the variability of Sargassum, particularly the role of nutrients from the Mississippi River plume to blooms of Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico. This research will help management of coastlines from Texas to Florida, which have been increasingly plagued by accumulations of excessive Sargassum biomass in recent decades.

FAU OSLS - Secrets of the Sargasso Sea - Brian Lapointe, Ph.D.

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