Palm Beach State College brings marine life to the surface, contributing to Smithsonian global study

Palm Beach State is the first college in South Florida to participate in the work of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History Global ARMS Program. ARMS, or autonomous reef monitoring structures, are deployed around the world to help scientists study changes in marine biodiversity and improve ocean health. 

Professor Jessica Miles, Ph.D., chair of PBSC’s Environmental Science Department, based on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, started the ARMS project at PBSC and installed monitoring structures in and just outside the Jupiter Inlet in 2017, as part of her Reef Hope Project, her initiative to engage students from all disciplines in activities to save the coral reefs. 

Flash forward to Aug. 26, 2022. Miles put on her dive gear and, with two dive teams, retrieved three ARMS. The pandemic had delayed the retrieval, but it was worth the wait. Smithsonian scientists were finally able to travel from Washington, D.C., to the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, where they trained Miles and her team in the techniques used to examine the marine life found living in the ARMS. 

“Palm Beach State College is pioneering the type of partnership that is really important as we build a broader community of people monitoring ocean health,” said Smithsonian scientist Christopher Meyer, Ph.D., a research zoologist and curator of marine invertebrates. “This workshop was a training exercise to share and spread ARMS knowledge, and the best part is having Palm Beach State so close to our marine station and the potential for future growth and engagement.” 

“This was a long-term project, so I was very excited to finally see what had moved into these units,” Miles said. “This is our chance to put Jupiter on the map. There are ARMS all over the world, but this is the first time the deeper waters outside the Jupiter Inlet are being represented.”

ARMS are designed to mimic the nooks and crannies of reef habitats and become dwellings for marine species. Not big fish and turtles, but creepy crawly things like brittle stars, snapping shrimp, crabs, sea urchins and snails to name a few. Built of nine 9” x 9” stacked plates, ARMS are like mini-condos, and upon retrieval, scientists can see who took up residence and gain insights into the health and diversity of reef ecosystems and the impacts of ocean stressors like pollution and ocean acidification. According to the Global ARMS Program website, knowing how marine species respond to different ocean states can help scientists predict and plan actions for a healthier planet.

 “I really see this as groundbreaking for us to understand what a lot of these local organisms are and catalog them so that we’re aware of what’s here,” Miles added. “Then in the future, we can continue to monitor and see if their presence continues or changes. Maybe some of these animals will move further north as the climate changes, seeking out cooler waters. This type of study is the least invasive kind of research project we can do to understand what the complexity of species actually are.” 

The ARMS were analyzed over three days by a team that included three Smithsonian scientists, Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area staff, Miles and other PBSC faculty and students. 

“Just imagine having my students sitting right next to these expert Smithsonian scientists. It doesn’t get much better than that,” Miles said.

Palm Beach State’s participation is also important to the Smithsonian Institution.

“We’re very excited to use this as an initial partnership to figure out what motivates people to use the tools and how to maintain enthusiasm as we scale out the ARMS program and get more people to participate, because it takes a village,” Meyer said. 

Meyer and Sarah Tweedt, Ph.D., a Smithsonian research associate in invertebrate zoology, conducted the workshop with the support of Dean Janiak, a biologist and one of the resident scientists based at the Smithsonian Marine Station. 

“Watching them work was a mind-blowing experience,” said Rida Talukdar, a PBSC student pursuing the Environmental Science Technology A.S. degree and Dr. Miles’ student assistant. “The scientists would always make sure to stop and explain what they were doing and if we ever had any questions, they would explain everything to us, teaching us all the processes of disassembling the ARMS and how to study the creatures.” 

Hundreds of species were discovered living in these three ARMS, but thousands more remain to be discovered using DNA metabarcoding techniques over the next several months. Miles will then work toward publishing their findings and hopes to create a public exhibit that can move from nature center to nature center and campus to campus, to share what they discovered. 

“A lot of people experience the ocean, but just on the surface, as a blanket of blue water. They don’t get to see what’s going on underneath,” Miles said. “They don’t get to know these characters that are really sustaining the health and vitality of our coastal ecosystem. We get a chance to do that if we scuba dive, but most people do not get to have that kind of opportunity. So this is a way for us to bring all of that information to light.” 

GianAntoni Consalvo, another of Miles’ students, plans a career in wildlife biology that will involve field research like he experienced with the ARMS retrieval and lab analysis. 

“The Reef Hope Project is honestly, probably one of the most exciting things that has happened to me in my life so far,” Consalvo said. “Because, I mean, who doesn’t want to go find out what creatures are living inside these little artificial reefs. It gave me a taste of what it’s like to do something like this, and now that I have, it’s like I’m hooked—I don’t want to do anything else.” 

Founded in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college, Palm Beach State College has been an integral player in the growth and prosperity of Palm Beach County. Our graduates impact every industry and are community and business leaders. With more than 130 programs of study, PBSC offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, professional certificates, career training and lifelong learning. More than 40,000 students enroll annually in face-to-face, online, live online and hybrid classes at five convenient locations in Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Belle Glade and Loxahatchee Groves. Learn more at www.palmbeachstate.edu.