Research Summary
Long Island, Great Exuma, and Great Inagua in the Bahamian archipelago — The Bahamas are everyone's image of a tropical paradise: warm, light blue waters, colorful oral reefs, gentle breezes, and white sand beaches that go on forever. Just off the coast of Florida, stretching across the Tropic of Cancer, this island chain has been surprisingly unmarred by development until recently. But with development pressures mounting, biologists Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Sealey and Everton Joseph are researching powerful new tools to examine its effects on the plants and animals living nearby. You can help them compare satellite photographs to on-the-ground environmental information. By mapping the distribution of species and changing coastal habitats, you’ll help chart the course for truly sustainable development and resource management.
All volunteers should be comfortable snorkeling in shallow water for up to three hours at a time.
Meet the Scientists
Kathleen Sullivan Sealey
University of Miami
Dr. Sullivan Sealey, a US citizen and Bahamian resident, has more than 24 years of experience working in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, with expertise in marine ecology and remote sensing. After receiving a B.S. in Biology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, she earned a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. She is currently the Dean of Pure and Applied Sciences at the College of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas, and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Miami, Florida.
Everton Joseph
Marine and Environmental Studies Institute
Mr. Joseph is a Guyanese citizen with Bahamian residency. He earned a BA. in Biology at the College of The Bahamas and has a wide range of field experiences. He worked for two years with the US Fish and Wildlife Service tracking the neo-tropical Kertland’s warbler, a rare bird that spends its winters in The Bahamas and nests in the pine forests of Michigan. Everton also manages the Lionfish Response Project for the Marine and Environmental Studies Institute.