Paula G. Coble

My research is focused on the use of absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy for the study of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in natural waters. Understanding temporal trends in CDOM concentration and fluxes in rivers has become increasingly important due to the role of CDOM in water clarity, dissolved organic carbon flux, drinking water quality, and ecosystem health. Sources of CDOM from land include dissolution from soils, agricultural waste products, sewage effluents, groundwater discharge, and biological inputs from swamps, marshes, reservoirs, and phytoplankton. Factors that increase inputs from these sources include rainfall, river discharge, erosion, temperature, and waste and water management practices. Factors that decrease inputs include drought, biological consumption, and photobleaching. The composition of CDOM is determined by specific fluorophore components from agriculture, intact forest, wetlands, and sewage effluent, and can be used as a tracer of land use and land cover. Increasing population density and resultant land use changes may also alter fluxes of carbon and CDOM. Other applications of my research include Ocean Optics, satellite remote sensing of ocean color, verification of ballast water exchange, and development and deployment of multichannel fluorometers, including laser-based systems, in the environment.
My other interest is Ocean Science Education. I recently took a two-year leave of absence from USF to spend two years at NASA HQ as a Program Scientist in Earth System Science Education. I have been involved in numerous education and outreach programs at the College of Marine Science, including Project Oceanography, COSEE-FL, Oceanography Camp for Girls, the Teacher Oceanography Workshop and an NSF GK-12 project.