11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Poster Mini-Symposium 16: Ecosystem Assessment and Monitoring of Coral Reefs - New Technologies and Approaches
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Investigations Of The Deep Reef Environment Of Palau, 60-600 M
Patrick COLIN* 1 , Lori BELL-COLIN 1
1 Coral Reef Research Foundation, Koror, Palau
The outer reef slope of Palau was investigated by mixed gas diving and small
submersible from 1997 to the present. Below the shallow reefs the area is characterized
by steep limestone slopes with depauperate biological communities in the range of 75-
100 m depth. The area is impacted by some of the largest internal waves known in the
world causing highly variable thermal regimes. Above 60-90 m communities are
characterized by elements of the shallow water fauna. Below 100-110 m the benthic
faunal structure shifts to lithistid sponge species which are not found in shallower water.
Hermatypic reef corals do not occur below about 75 m, but a distinctive ahermatype
fauna is found to over 300 m. Investigation has resulted in descriptions of many new
deepwater reef-related species as well as new discoveries of outer slope pinnacles and
geologically complex features.
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Coral Reef Information System (Coris): A One Stop Shop For Coral Information
Kelly LOGAN 1 , Michele NEWLIN* 2
1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 2 National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration, Silver Spring, MD
Destructive fishing practices, increases in sea surface temperatures, habitat destruction,
diseases, and invasive species: such are the trials and tribulations in the life of a coral
reef. The nation’s coral reefs are threatened and in decline. It is estimated that 10 percent
are now beyond recovery, 30 percent are in their critical stages and may die in the next
10-20 years, and 60 percent may die by the year 2050. (Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF).
2000. The National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs. Washington, DC: CRTF. p. 3.)
As a coral reef ecosystem manager, one may be overwhelmed with the range of threats
encountered on a daily basis. “How do I diagnose coral diseases?” “What are others
doing about habitat destruction so that I can learn from their work?” “Which invasive
species may inhabit my reef area?” Scientists and students may also find themselves
perplexed over the answers to these same questions. “What is being done to combat these
issues?” “Where can I find discussions on coral related topics?”
The answers to these questions, and many more, may be found in the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) web-enabled Coral Reef Information
System (CoRIS). CoRIS data discovery tools provide access to metadata, data, and
information from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and other coral
reef projects. CoRIS offers original essays that describe coral biology and physiology,
reef structure, and types of reefs, among other topics. The CoRIS Library enables
searching and browsing through a growing collection of NOAA’s coral ecosystemsrelated
publications, reports, web sites, educational materials, and digital images. One of
the most popular features of CoRIS, the Glossary, defines thousands of terms used in
coral reef science and management. Whatever your coral reef data and information needs
may be, you can begin your search at www.coris.noaa.gov.
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Use Of Marine Habitat Mapping And Dive Observation Of Marine Turtles To Identify
Feeding Areas in Martinique, Fwi
Laurent LOUIS-JEAN* 1 , Philippe LENFANT 2 , René GALZIN 2 , Claire CAYOL 3 , Jean-
Philippe MARÉCHAL 4
1 OMMM, Fort-de-France, Martinique, 2 EPHE - University of Perpignan, Perpignan, France,
3 ONCFS - Réseau tortues marines de Martinique, Fort-de-France, France, 4 OMMM, Fort-de-
France, France
In the early nineteen’s, marine turtles populations decreased to a critical level. This situation
was followed by a fully protection policy of the species living in the French West Indies (FWI)
in 1991 (Guadeloupe archipelago) and 1993 (Martinique). Recent studies throughout the
Caribbean showed an increase in turtle populations. However, they did not reach a sustainable
status yet. The green turtle, Chelonia mydas, and the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata,
are the main species living in the FWI waters. They are respectively classified as critically
endangered and endangered. The aim of the study is to correlate benthic community structure
with marine turtle abundance or presence.
Two life history stages can be observed: the feeding turtles and the nesting ones. The turtles
present in the FWI most part of the time are juveniles or feeding turtles which migrate once
every two to three years to nest. The present study, focusing mainly on the resident species, has
two objectives: 1) define experimental sites to follow the evolution of the local populations
versus time and 2) define experimental fishing sites to analyze small scale fisheries by-catch.
Benthic communities (sea grass beds and coral reef) and their boundaries were visually
analyzed using aerial photographs and validated with ground truthing campaigns. The data were
transferred to GIS. The abundance of marine turtles was assessed by the Martinique Marine
Turtle Network using the Ina-Scuba protocol. The protocol relies on visual observation of
turtles by local dive centers throughout the year. Three parameters are recorded: species, time
and location. Maps of benthic communities and turtle distribution were drawn from the results
and compared to determine the major turtle feeding areas.
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Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems: A New On-Line Resource Database For Research in The
Mesophotic Zone
Pim BONGAERTS* 1 , Felix MARTINEZ 2
1 Centre for Marine Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2 Center for
Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver
Spring, FL
Studies on mesophotic coral communities (> 30m) are extremely scarce, due to their location
outside of the usual depth range of scientific SCUBA diving. However, recent advances in
mixed-gas diving techniques and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle (AUV) design are gradually making the mesophotic zone more accessible
to scientists. This is an important development as these largely unexplored ecosystems may
harbor unique benthic communities and have the potential to play an important role by acting as
refugia during periods of environmental disturbance. Despite these advances, research in the
mesophotic zone remains logistically complicated and expensive, so collaborations and sharing
of resources are extremely beneficial to maximize the amount of knowledge gained from
operations. In order to facilitate the establishment of new partnerships, we have set up a new
website www.mesophotic.com, which will function as an on-line resource database focused
on mesophotic coral communities.
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