In 1973, Dr. Getter began working along a gradient of intertidal habitats throughout the Florida Keys. Since then the sea level has risen almost 4 inches coinciding with large scale increases in depositional fringing mangroves, significant erosion of seaward fringing forest, the loss of most of the pine forests, and the loss of numerous acres of black mangroves and the shallow lagoons and ponded waters associated with them. Recently, Dr. Getter revisited the sites he monitored in the 1970’s.

He spent the last five years comparing todays shoreline and landscape with historic aerial photos and visiting areas of major changes. In October 2010 the staff of the Key Deer Refuge met and reviewed these findings, selecting a number of transects with the greatest potential for future changes due to sea level rise. Dr. Getter and his team of researchers have begun an ambitious program to place 100 permanent monitoring stations in the areas of greatest future change.