This work centers around the way that people’s lives are affected by environmental issues in their communities. It illustrates the dynamic relationship between the natural coastal environments and how humans maintain and depend on the water.

Environmental and Underwater

A mature whale shark swims through the waters off of Wolf Island next to Enrique “Quike” Moran, a local naturalist from Santa Cruz, on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Galápagos, Ecuador. This adult whale shark appeared to be a new sighting meaning this spec

A mature whale shark swims through the waters off of Wolf Island next to Enrique “Quike” Moran, a local naturalist from Santa Cruz, on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Galápagos, Ecuador. This adult whale shark appeared to be a new sighting meaning this specific shark is not tagged and has not been seen in the Galápagos before. Juveniles have also never been seen here, so naturalists are not sure where the nurseries are for the ones that are seen passing through Galápagos.

Andrew Hall, first year graduate student at Ohio University, takes a break from crawling through the narrow spaces inside of Rapps Cave at the West Virginia Association for Cave Studies on March 3, 2018, in Frankford, West Virginia. Hall had walked a

Andrew Hall, first year graduate student at Ohio University, takes a break from crawling through the narrow spaces inside of Rapps Cave at the West Virginia Association for Cave Studies on March 3, 2018, in Frankford, West Virginia. Hall had walked and crawled through around 2 miles of the cave.

Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya, center, lowers a tray of coral fragments into the hands of Coral Restoration Foundation staff member on Nov. 20, 2023, off of the coast of Tavernier in the Florida Keys. These coral fragments were taken out of the nursery to

Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya, center, lowers a tray of coral fragments into the hands of Coral Restoration Foundation staff member on Nov. 20, 2023, off of the coast of Tavernier in the Florida Keys. These coral fragments were taken out of the nursery to enable their survival earlier in the year, and as temperatures cooled, were returned to the ocean.

An American alligator swims through the water while attached to the boat for researchers to collect data during a research survey with the University of Florida Croc Docs team Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Everglades National Park. The alligators health

An American alligator swims through the water while attached to the boat for researchers to collect data during a research survey with the University of Florida Croc Docs team Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Everglades National Park. The alligators health is a good indicator of the health of the Everglades.

Bigeye trevally fish swim against the current at Wolf island on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Galápagos, Ecuador. This time of year, the Cromwell current comes from the west and is the coldest and holds the most nutrients, so a larger number of animals a

Bigeye trevally fish swim against the current at Wolf island on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Galápagos, Ecuador. This time of year, the Cromwell current comes from the west and is the coldest and holds the most nutrients, so a larger number of animals are found in these waters.

Glass Fire burns through the mountainside in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.

Glass Fire burns through the mountainside in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.

Captain Jim releases a green sea turtle after a local scientist tagged the turtle during a GoBeyond student turtle tagging trip on Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands, on Monday, June 28, 2021. Jim has lived on Anegada for his entire life, a

Captain Jim releases a green sea turtle after a local scientist tagged the turtle during a GoBeyond student turtle tagging trip on Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands, on Monday, June 28, 2021. Jim has lived on Anegada for his entire life, and his fishing and other jobs revolve around sustainable living. The island of Anegada sits at sea level, so it cannot be seen from the other islands in the territory. It was heavily impacted by hurricane Irma in 2017 and many of its inhabitants are still rebuilding.

Firefighters take a short rest after protecting homes from the Glass Fire aftermath in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. They arrived on the scene at 7 PM the previous night, and pictured here, it is 1PM. This type of break is the only o

Firefighters take a short rest after protecting homes from the Glass Fire aftermath in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. They arrived on the scene at 7 PM the previous night, and pictured here, it is 1PM. This type of break is the only one they get. “The ground is our bed,” said one of them.

A tarpon hunts minnows at Mountain Point, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Tarpon are members of the Megalopidae family and can reach up to eight feet in length.

A tarpon hunts minnows at Mountain Point, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Tarpon are members of the Megalopidae family and can reach up to eight feet in length.

Scuba diving students with a program called ActionQuest complete a certification dive at the Playgrounds in Green Cay, British Virgin Islands, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. ActionQuest teaches teenagers how to dive, how to help preserve our oceans, a

Scuba diving students with a program called ActionQuest complete a certification dive at the Playgrounds in Green Cay, British Virgin Islands, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. ActionQuest teaches teenagers how to dive, how to help preserve our oceans, and how to be a better person in their own lives and also for the environment. Tourism plays a big part in the economy in the British Virgin Islands. COVID-19 caused many people to be out of work due to a loss of tourism, and ActionQuest was one of the first tourism schools that was able to come back.

Blanca Rizo, who has attended the festival in the past, looks at an orchid at a vendor during the Redland Orchid Festival on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Fla. “I am basically an orchid farm, I collect them,” she said.

Blanca Rizo, who has attended the festival in the past, looks at an orchid at a vendor during the Redland Orchid Festival on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Fla. “I am basically an orchid farm, I collect them,” she said.

A lightning storm strikes in the bite of Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands, on Sunday, July 25, 2021. Since hurricane Irma came through the the British Virgin Islands in 2017, the citizens have been worried about the growing threat of tropi

A lightning storm strikes in the bite of Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands, on Sunday, July 25, 2021. Since hurricane Irma came through the the British Virgin Islands in 2017, the citizens have been worried about the growing threat of tropical storms. Storms increased this summer and concerned many of the locals in the area. “I’ve seen storms like this before, the summer before Irma hit,” said one restaurant owner.

Zookeeper Yosanni Torres gives Goliath, the Galapagos tortoise born in 1890, a shower to cool off during the day on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Zoo Miami. With temperatures increasing in Miami during the hottest months, zookeepers have to keep animals

Zookeeper Yosanni Torres gives Goliath, the Galapagos tortoise born in 1890, a shower to cool off during the day on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Zoo Miami. With temperatures increasing in Miami during the hottest months, zookeepers have to keep animals cool.

Family of Dave McCammon, whose ashes were turned into an artificial reef, attend a ceremony lowering the artificial reef urn into the water on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the reef in Golden Beach. Eternal Reefs is a company that works with families to

Family of Dave McCammon, whose ashes were turned into an artificial reef, attend a ceremony lowering the artificial reef urn into the water on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the reef in Golden Beach. Eternal Reefs is a company that works with families to turn the ashes of their loved ones into a concrete artificial reef so that they can become part of the reef and flourish with wildlife in the years to come.

A green sea turtle comes up for a breath in the ocean outside of Electric Beach on Saturday, May 28, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawai’i. If the turtles are swimming, they can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. Many turtles are used to interacting with hu

A green sea turtle comes up for a breath in the ocean outside of Electric Beach on Saturday, May 28, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawai’i. If the turtles are swimming, they can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. Many turtles are used to interacting with humans due to the heavy presence which has many in the dive community concerned.