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A photo of the SunFish Underwater Autonomous Vehicle taken at Jackson Blue Springs.(Woodville Karst Plain Project)<\/p>\nTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Florida State University researcher will work to map Wakulla Springs underwater caves, some of which have never been explored before. <\/p>\n
While divers have explored much of the underwater cave system, there is no 3D model. But, that\u2019s going to change thanks to FSU professor Ming Ye and some Tallahassee based engineers.<\/p>\n
Ye, a professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, was awarded more than $2.5 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to research groundwater sources in the Wakulla Springs basin. <\/p>\n
A test conducted Friday on Lake Bradford included the team from SunFish, a Texas-based underwater field services company, who will help map the caves with its Underwater Autonomous Vehicle.<\/p>\n
A photo of the SunFish Underwater Autonomous Vehicle taken at Jackson Blue Springs.(Woodville Karst Plain Project)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does have some capabilities for going out and exploring. We can tell it: Go out in this direction and map out the area,\u201d said Kristof Richmond, the CTO for SunFish Inc.<\/p>\n
The team will also take samples in an attempt to answer a long wondered question: Why is the Springs\u2019 water quality going down?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been in drought condition for a long time. Would that have a long-term impact or just short-term? And then when a hurricane comes, does everything go back or not?\u201d Ye said.<\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n
The Florida DEP recently announced it is testing wells and other sources <\/a>for \u201cforever chemicals\u201d known as PFAS. Ye said pretty much anything introduced to the water table in Tallahassee flows to Wakulla Springs. <\/p>\n \u201cPFAS, microplastic, pharmaceutical. So whatever we put as a source of contamination is going to eventually find a way out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ye will partner with the University of South Florida and a cave diving team of the Woodville Karst Plain Project. <\/p>\n \u201cThe divers have been working here for decades and even two people lost their life so that we can understand the conduit, but it\u2019s still not enough because we\u2019re human,\u201d Ye said<\/p>\n He hopes this round of funding will prove the concept of the project and that they may receive more grant money in the future.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n