Dr. Gerardo Toro-Farmer

Assistant Professor of Coastal and Marine Science

Contact

Phone Number

(941) 487-4367

Email Address

[email protected]

Location

Office

Heiser 101

Mail

Heiser E172C

Department

Office or Division

Natural Sciences Division

Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center

Area of Concentration

Marine Biology

Environmental Studies

International & Area Studies

Education

Ph.D., University of Southern California
B.S., Universidad del Valle, Columbia

Gerardo Toro-Farmer is an oceanographer interested in the application of geographic information system (GIS) techniques, remote sensing and in-situ optical tools to understand how marine, near-shore and coastal environments are changing due to natural and human processes and perturbations. His main research activities focus on benthic and pelagic productivity, diversity, spatial distribution and habitat connectivity. In his research he uses optical properties, from in-situ instrumentation and satellites, as fundamental tools to understand environmentally mediated biological processes at different spatial and temporal scales. Specifically, he examines how changes in the oceanic light environment (marine bio-optics) affect spatial-temporal variability of productivity, abundance and diversity in coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems.

Recent Courses

Introduction to GIS

GIS and Remote Sensing applications to coastal and marine sciences

Selected Publications

  • “Characterization of Available Light for Seagrass and Patch Reef Productivity in Sugarloaf Key, Lower Florida Keys”. Toro-Farmer, G., Muller-Karger, F., Vega-Rodríguez, M., Melo, N., Yates, K., Cerdeira-Estrada, S., & Herwitz, S. Remote Sensing. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8020086. 2016
  • “How Did the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Affect Coastal and Continental Shelf Ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico?”. Murawski, S. A., Fleeger, J. W., III, W. F. P., Hu, C., Daly, K., Romero, I., & Toro-Farmer, G. A. Oceanography, 29(3), 160–173. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.80. 2016
  • “Satellite Remote Sensing for Coastal Management: A Review of Successful Applications”. McCarthy, M. J., Colna, K. E., El-Mezayen, M. M., Laureano-Rosario, A. E., Méndez-Lázaro, P., Otis, D. B., Toro-Farmer, G., Vega-Rodriguez, M., & Muller-Karger, F. E. Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0880-x. 2017
  • “Large-scale deposition of weathered oil in the Gulf of Mexico following a deep-water oil spill”. Romero, I. C., Toro-Farmer, G., Diercks, A.-R., Schwing, P., Muller-Karger, F., Murawski, S., & Hollander, D. J. Environmental Pollution, 228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.019. 2017