From dlowen at tenet.edu Wed Apr 3 16:35:37 1996 From: dlowen at tenet.edu (David John Lowen) Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 15:35:37 -0600 (CST) Subject: Coral Reef Bleaching Message-ID: I am currently working on my doctorate in Science Education and am in need of several articles on Coral Reef Bleaching. I have found some, but most are fairly old and out of date. If anyone has article titles or articles please contact me. Living in a land-locked area, I do not have access to a lot of marine literature. Good diving..... From acohen at cliff.whoi.edu Fri Apr 5 13:19:32 1996 From: acohen at cliff.whoi.edu (acohen at cliff.whoi.edu) Date: Fri, 05 Apr 96 13:19:32 est Subject: Pink Porites Message-ID: <9603058287.AA828739438@cliff.whoi.edu> Dear All I am making various geochemical measurements on Porites colonies from Johnston Atoll, NC Pacific. On sectioning several colonies from one of my lagoonal sites, I noticed a bright pink line, the contours of which follow the growth bands. In all colonies, it is situated about 1.5 cm from the surface, below the green endolithic algae. I have never seen this before and it seems restricted to one particular site on Johnston Atoll. Neither samples from the reef edge nor any other lagoonal localities nor any other genera I've sectioned show this. Could it be a red algae ? Does anybody have any suggestions ? much appreciated Anne (acohen at whoi.edu) From webb at vims.edu Fri Apr 5 14:07:45 1996 From: webb at vims.edu (Ken Webb) Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 14:07:45 -0500 (EST) Subject: Pink Porites In-Reply-To: <9603058287.AA828739438@cliff.whoi.edu> Message-ID: I'd guess someone like Bob Buddemeier (bob_buddemeier at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu) stained them to measure the growth rates at some future time. Ken Webb On Fri, 5 Apr 1996 acohen at cliff.whoi.edu wrote: > Dear All > I am making various geochemical measurements on Porites > colonies from Johnston Atoll, NC Pacific. On sectioning > several colonies from one of my lagoonal sites, I noticed a > bright pink line, the contours of which follow the growth > bands. In all colonies, it is situated about 1.5 cm from the > surface, below the green endolithic algae. I have never seen > this before and it seems restricted to one particular > site on Johnston Atoll. Neither samples from the reef edge > nor any other lagoonal localities nor any other genera I've > sectioned show this. Could it be a red algae ? Does anybody > have any suggestions ? > much appreciated Anne > (acohen at whoi.edu) > > From potts at biology.ucsc.edu Fri Apr 5 19:43:58 1996 From: potts at biology.ucsc.edu (Donald Potts) Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 16:43:58 PST Subject: Pink Porites In-Reply-To: <9603058287.AA828739438@cliff.whoi.edu> Message-ID: I've seen similar pink bands from time to time in massive Porites from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Again, only in some corals. While I have assumed they represent endolithic algae or micro-organisms, I've never looked closely at the cause. Not all Porites in one area have these pink bands ; and I suspect they may reflect host-specificity of the microorganisms among Porites species, as well as habitat-specificity Don Potts ***************************************************************************** * Donald C. Potts * * Professor of Biology * * Director, UCSC Education Abroad Program * * * * A316 Earth and Marine Sciences Building * * University of California Phone: (408) 459-4417 * * Santa Cruz Fax: (408) 459-4882 * * California 95064 U.S.A. Email: potts at biology.ucsc.edu * ***************************************************************************** From IKUFFNER at zoogate.zoo.hawaii.edu Sat Apr 6 02:06:53 1996 From: IKUFFNER at zoogate.zoo.hawaii.edu (Ilsa Kuffner) Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 21:06:53 -1000 Subject: Pink Porites Message-ID: Regarding pink Porites, Here in Hawaii we have a parasite that infects Porites compressa in the form of bright pink "coral zits." I don't know if this is related to pink bands, for I've never seen any when sectioning branches, but I don't believe I've checked an infected coral. The parasite is a trematode with a complicated life cycle involving several intermediate hosts including a gastropod. See papers by Greta Aeby. Anyway, the fact that the color is suspiciously the same and that it is so localized (infection here in Kaneohe Bay is extremely patchy) makes me suspect that it could be what you're seeing. Ilsa Kuffner Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology PO Box 1346 Kaneohe, HI 96744 ikuffner at zoogate.zoo.hawaii.edu From bob_buddemeier at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu Sat Apr 6 23:42:02 1996 From: bob_buddemeier at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu (Bob Buddemeier) Date: Sun, 07 Apr 1996 12:42:02 +0800 (U) Subject: Pink Porites Message-ID: <9604071838.AA10358@pangaea.kgs.ukans.edu> Contrary to the suggestions of some, I am not some sort of marine easter bunny hopping from atoll to atoll with a basket of dyed Porites (I'll get you for that, Ken). However -- like Potts, I have very occasionally seen pinkish bands in sectioned corals (I think non-Porites as well), but seldom uniform, bright or common -- and usually other colors: see section on boring algae in Buddemeier, Maragos & Knutson (1974). Radiographic Studies of Reef Coral Exoskeletons, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 14:179-200. If the lines faithfully (as opposed to just approximately) track the density growth patterns, if they are bright and uniform, and especially if they trace out pretty much the whole living surface at time of deposition, then I would check with any other scientists working at the atoll and/or the JA marine ops people to see who might have been dying or dumping material in the lagoon 1-2 years before these corals were collected -- biogenic pigment bands just aren't that consistent. Bob Buddemeier _______________________________________________________________________________ To: coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov From: acohen at cliff.whoi.edu on Fri, Apr 5, 1996 12:42 PM Subject: Pink Porites RFC Header:Received: by msmail.kgs.ukans.edu with SMTP;5 Apr 1996 12:42:11 U Received: by reef.aoml.noaa.gov (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for coral-list-outgoing id SAA13822; Fri, 5 Apr 1996 18:32:54 GMT Received: from aqua.whoi.edu by reef.aoml.erl.gov via ESMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id NAA13817; Fri, 5 Apr 1996 13:32:48 -0500 From: acohen at cliff.whoi.edu Received: from cliff.whoi.edu (cliff.whoi.edu [128.128.16.150]) by aqua.whoi.edu (8.6.11/8.6.11) with SMTP id NAA29415 for ; Fri, 5 Apr 1996 13:22:41 -0500 Received: from cc:Mail by cliff.whoi.edu id AA828739438; Fri, 05 Apr 96 13:19:32 est Date: Fri, 05 Apr 96 13:19:32 est Encoding: 14 Text Message-Id: <9603058287.AA828739438 at cliff.whoi.edu> To: coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Pink Porites Sender: owner-coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov Precedence: bulk Dear All I am making various geochemical measurements on Porites colonies from Johnston Atoll, NC Pacific. On sectioning several colonies from one of my lagoonal sites, I noticed a bright pink line, the contours of which follow the growth bands. In all colonies, it is situated about 1.5 cm from the surface, below the green endolithic algae. I have never seen this before and it seems restricted to one particular site on Johnston Atoll. Neither samples from the reef edge nor any other lagoonal localities nor any other genera I've sectioned show this. Could it be a red algae ? Does anybody have any suggestions ? much appreciated Anne (acohen at whoi.edu) From pecheux at eureka.meta.fr Sun Apr 7 19:13:23 1996 From: pecheux at eureka.meta.fr (pecheux at eureka.meta.fr) Date: Mon, 8 Apr 96 00:13:23 +0100 Subject: pink porites Message-ID: <9604072313.AA08325@innet.meta.fr> I don't know if it may be the same phenomenon but I observed in Acropora crevicornis in Mauritius, 1989 after bleaching event, that where algae have infested the coral, latter enclosed by calcification of recovery, (sometime with H2S smelling !), that the skeletton keep a rose-red color, not eliminated by organic washing. In few cases also a blue pale color was observed, of the skelletton, not tissue. Might it be that an immune reaction prov oke this ? After bleaching ? What time do this band correspond to for season ? It will be the first record of bleaching in coral band. Cheers From P.Blanchon at UAlberta.CA Mon Apr 8 14:34:42 1996 From: P.Blanchon at UAlberta.CA (Paul Blanchon) Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 12:34:42 -0600 Subject: Reef Resource Page Message-ID: Dear list members, Just an introductory note to inform you of a new World Wide Web site that I hope will be of interest and utility. The _ 'Reef Resource Page' _ is an attempt to provide an up-to-date and integrated review of the biology, ecology, and geology of modern reef systems for scientists, policy makers, and students alike. Such integrated reviews are critical for a full understanding of the dynamics of reef systems and therefore a prerequisite for any attempt to prognose reef response to environmental change -- be it natural or anthropogenic. Never has the need for such a review been as pressing as it is now, with reefs worldwide beginning to show signs of stress. Clearly, we need to know if these signs, such as bleaching, urchin die-offs, or starfish infestations, are natural processes with long recurrence intervals or unprecedented early warning signals of reef-system collapse. Only an integrated picture of reef systems will allow us to make that assessment. Any endeavor of this sort clearly requires the input of as many reef scientists as possible. So it is my hope that, by using the Web and all its multimedia capabilities, I can attract your views, insight, and participation. I must state at the outset that, I have no special qualification to undertake this task, only a desire to integrate our present knowledge and to view the entire horizon. Over the next few months I will post preliminary reviews, starting with geology -- the field with which I have most expertise -- and encourage you to send me recently published work on all reef topics for inclusion. I will post summaries and archives of correspondence on a future 'Feedback' section and may start a bibliography of recent in-press papers with abstracts (depending upon the response). In the mean time, before the reef reviews are posted, I have provided a survey and critique of many reef sites on the Web in order to save you time browsing and to keep you abreast of developments. Again, I would welcome your views on these sites, as well as notification of sites I have misconstrued or missed. The more input the better the resource. The site address is: http://www.ualberta.ca/~pblancho/index.html Enjoy and participate. Sincerely, Paul. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Dr. Paul Blanchon || Research Fellow Dept. Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 1-26 Earth Science Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Tel: (403) 492-4205 Fax: (403) 492-2030 E-mail: p.blanchon at ualberta.ca Web: http://www.ualberta.ca/~pblancho/index.html <<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<> From greta at hawaii.edu Mon Apr 8 18:58:20 1996 From: greta at hawaii.edu (Greta Smith Aeby) Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 12:58:20 -1000 Subject: Pink Porites In-Reply-To: <9603058287.AA828739438@cliff.whoi.edu> Message-ID: Ann, What species of Porites wwere you looking at? was the tissue pink upon collection or was it just the bleached skelteton that showwed the pink color? Living Porites does turn bright pink in response to many irratations. An inflammation response of some kind. The Porites parasite I work on causes polyps to swell up and become bright pink but the discoloration does not extend into the skeleton. If you notice irregular bumps(~5mm) on the coral skeleton that is also probably caused by parasitic infection. If the tissue isn't pink tho it is not caused by parasitic infection. Greta On Fri, 5 Apr 1996 acohen at cliff.whoi.edu wrote: > Dear All > I am making various geochemical measurements on Porites > colonies from Johnston Atoll, NC Pacific. On sectioning > several colonies from one of my lagoonal sites, I noticed a > bright pink line, the contours of which follow the growth > bands. In all colonies, it is situated about 1.5 cm from the > surface, below the green endolithic algae. I have never seen > this before and it seems restricted to one particular > site on Johnston Atoll. Neither samples from the reef edge > nor any other lagoonal localities nor any other genera I've > sectioned show this. Could it be a red algae ? Does anybody > have any suggestions ? > much appreciated Anne > (acohen at whoi.edu) > > From micho at ccrv.obs-vlfr.fr Mon Apr 8 14:05:37 1996 From: micho at ccrv.obs-vlfr.fr (francois Michaud) Date: Mon, 8 Apr 96 20:05:37 +0200 Subject: LARGE FOAMINIFERA GLOBAL MONITORING Message-ID: <199604081808.OAA16949@reef.aoml.erl.gov> >From pecheux at eureka.meta.fr (Martin Pecheux) Here we draw a general strategy to sample large foraminifers in reef monitoring stations, aims to guide local non-specialists to collect materials for a worlwide periodic survey, at a very few expense of work. This is the 3rd version of a working document (without plates) reread by several leader specialist of large foraminifers (Dr. P. Hallock, Dr. Erez, Dr. Lee, Dr. Rottger, Dr. Hohenegger, Dr. Venec-Peyre). People involved in reef monitoring are invitated to comment and critic before document finalization. And of course, as they will, to begin collection, perhaps first as described in "Simplified Sampling". See you all in Panama ! Goals are : assess long term reef degradation ; obtain a synoptic view of bleaching in large foraminifers ; acquire comprehensive data on global and temporal variability of ecology and CaCO3 production of those organisms ; and above all to have samples as soon as possible for future studies in a long term perspective. Those samples will also probably serve to monitor small foraminifers, ostracodes, micromollusks, bryozoans, etc... People interested in this perspective are invitated to contact us. Simple observations after sample collection are encouraged and are the only specialized work which might be done. Samples will be examined by our group, using classical technics and other such as high-resolution X-ray imagery. In any case, such samples will be valuable in a long-term perspective of monitoring reef healthiness. INTRODUCTION Long term monitoring of large foraminifers is becoming urgent with the general decay of reefs, often because of local causes in which pollutions, but also with the recent worlwide unexplained mass bleaching of reef photosynthetic symbioses, among them large foraminifers (Hallock and Talge, 1993, Hallock et al., 1995, Pecheux, unpublished). They appear even more sensible to bleaching than corals, and they bleach before them or in years when corals do not (Hallock and Talge, 1993, Hallock et al., 1995). Moreover, it has been observed spectacular abnormalities of the shell associated with bleaching events, to a grade not known in geological time to our knowledge apart the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. This prooves irrefutably that bleaching is a new phenomenon, and of great significance at planetary level. This long term monitoring have been never undertaken, nonwithstanding its importance. Large foraminifers are very good bioindicators, and for exemple, comparaison of fauna composition between samples taken in 1974 and in 1989 in Mauritius was full of informations (Hottinger and Pecheux, in prep.). Why is it important to study large foraminifers ? - they are major reef CaCO3 producers, maybe the greaters. They are found in almost all reef biotopes, and are very important in mid to deep waters ; - they are easy to collect and store in great numbers in small samples; - they are excellent bioindicators of environmental changes, both by faunal composition and with shell biometrics ; - their reproduction, which is clearly pertubated now, is easy to monitor (size at reproduction and of embryo, number of offspring), and would be indicative for the whole ecosystem ; - they show a great diversity of shell types, biotopes, and algae symbionts. The old hyalin/porcellaneous divergence corresponds to quite different calcification systems, with different responses to carbon change ; - they are excellent experimental biological material, better than corals, easy to cultivate in great numbers, with indicative behavior toward/away light, agitation, temperature, etc. Their biology is best understood then of corals in some domains ; - the geological knowledge on large forams is by far more complete than of any other reef taxon, given their abundance, dominance in some epochs, and their study by oil industry ; - also, there is a link with planctonic symbiotic foraminifers, among main ocean CaCO3 producers. MONITORING The proposed sampling needs only very few hours works if integrated in normal procedure of reef monitoring (Coral reef monitoring handbook, Ref. Meth. Mar. Poll. Stud. 25, UNEP, 1984, Long-Term Global Monit., Pilot Proj. Mangroves Coral Reefs, UNEP, 1991). Foraminifers are to be fully appreciated as main "other conspicuous organisms of interest". This monitoring will keep samples for future studies. In case of no standart corals monitoring, microfauna sampling such as here outlined is indeed the very best faster way for reef assessement. PREVIOUS SAMPLES Samples susceptible to contain large foraminifers and already collected in reef for any other purpose, and particularly those before bleaching in the early 80's, are extremely valuable. They must be conserved with very great care. Even samples of beach sands can provide important informations of when did malformations began, one of our topic interrogations. In order to know disponibilities, it is asked to send a descriptif of those samples. SIMPLIFIED SAMPLING In a first step, some whole samples can be taken from your area (even as a "blind test"), dried and send to us for examination before further advice and collection. We recommand : - a sand beach sample, around 1 mm granulometry ; - an eelgrass sample (search a little white circles of Soritid, see below) ; - a turf/brown algae, shallow 1-3m depth crest or immediate front reef ; - sand and/or algae of your favorite, monitoring sites. SAMPLING METHODS There are two main objectives : a) collect regularly large foraminifers, both living and dead shells ; b) collect and observe living ones at and during bleaching or other pertubating events. Regarding efforts, minimum to better coverage is let to local people choice, and is indicated in order of priority by A) B) C). It corresponds to only few hours work if integrated with recommanded Coral Reefs Global Monitoring, otherwise to one half day work to a very great maximum of a week per year. CHOICE OF GENERA Targeted genera are : A) Amphistegina, hyalin foram, because of its worlwide repartition and importance in sediment production, its shallow to deep euphotic habitat, lagoon to fore-reef, and various biotopes : algae turf, green-brown algae, eelgrass, sand facies, rubbles. A) Soritids (Sorites, Amphisorus, Marginopora) representing porcellaneous forams, easy to detect and observe underwater as white circles, epiphytic on eelgrasses, often abundantly in shallow facies. Whole sample with eelgrass must be conserved. B) porcellaneous Archaias, Cyclorbiculina (chlorophyte symbionts), Peneroplis (with generally rhodophyte symbionts), best encountred on algae in shallow facies up to tidal pool. B) Operculina/Heterostegina, either on soft or hard substrates, from surface (Caribbean, Pacific) or from 20 m depth (Indian) to deep euphotic waters. B) Calcarinids in Western Pacific (Calcarina, Baculogypsina), which can be very abundant in near-crest shallow sand facies with water energy. C) Alveolinids, from very shallow to mid depth, with maximum abundance around 20-40 m depth. They are not well known, as their presence is generally detected only after examination of sand samples with lens or binocular, but might be the most bleaching- and pollution-sensitive genera. C) Deep flat species (Heterocyclina, Cycloclypeus). Their collection at 50-150m depth usually requires a simple grab. Informations on them is desirable given the surface they inhabits in the world (~ 6 millions km2), and because they live in the most stable environment. SITES First is the choice of 2 to about 10 sites rich in large foraminifers, which will be regularly visited (profitably where some samples have been collected in previous years). Locations will be know within some few meters, we insist. According to local assemblage, we recommand A) one -better two- backreef/lagoonal site, subjected to usual lagoon diurnal condition variation, and one -better two- fore reef site, with rather stable environment, well bathed by open ocean water. They will be 2-5 m depth. Next priority is a 10-30 m depth scuba site on front reef, if present also in back reef B) then a multiplication of those sites, and C) one deep grab transect (maybe two if there are clear substrate differences) with 5-10 samples from 50 to 150m depth in clear water. Sites will be the most possible far away from local pollution source otherwise special cases. The sites have to be well caracterized (depth, light, often forgotten currents and water agitation, biological composition, desirable photographies) and homogenous at decadal meter scale, to minimize spatial variations. Aggregation of ~3 sub-samples within each site is recommended. Choosed biotopes will be : A) algae turf or brown or green algae field (Amphistegina and others); A) eelgrasses, with Soritids on leaves as well as Amphistegina and some other species, often at base or rhizome (which can be separated from upper part of leaves); B) sand facies, of 0.2-3mm granulometry, 2-5 m depth. Some samples of beach sands are indeed also wellcome, for completion of survey. C) rubble/boulder facies (Amphistegina,...), 2-5 m depth or deeper; C) very fine sand to mud facies (in both shallow protected areas and deeper realm). The sites will correspond in general to permanent "Monitoring Plots" of inner/mid/outer lagoon, inner/outer flat, reef slope at 3 and 10m depth as outlined in Coral Reefs Global Monitoring. Samples on turf, eelgrasses or other algae have the very great advantage to collect only living forams. It is preferable to cut algae with scissors or knife in order to avoid sediment contamination, and take apart a sediment sample. Usual standing crop is 1 to 10 specimens per cm2, up to 100/cm2 for highly productive biotopes (notably calcarenids in shallow reef flats). Samples will be considered sufficiently rich when few hundreds of living specimens are present. SAMPLING A constant sampling surface is mandatory. Usually a frame (often 10x10cm2, repeated three times with sub-sampling) is used, together with normalization to fresh or dry weight for algae biotope. After sampling in bags, algae are to be strongly agitated and frictionned as delicat cloth. Soritids on eelgrass have sometime to be detached with gentle brushing, sometime scrapped with knife. An other technique is to let the leaves in a seawater bac in darkness or mild-stress but aeration, and they detach by themshelves and fall on the bottom (but recuperation might be not total). Conservation of rest algae dried samples is to be done. Boulders and rubbles must be brushed on their upper face and their lower face, and have also to be (very rougly) measured to know their develloped surface. Sandy bottom samples are best pick up with a transparent box or tube and a sliding cover to take only the very first half centimeter to one centimeter, otherwise very caefully by hand. Sample weight will range from less than one gram (corresponding for example to one thousand Amphistegina) to few hundred grams for sand or grab samples. In all cases, the residus are washed and slowly rinced with seawater to eliminate mud, light and organic particules, or algae. If necessary, sieving with a coarse mesh or strainer (0.5-1cm) will eliminate big fragments of material. Even if samples are rich in very fine sand, it is recommended not to sieve them (or only at 63u) to conserve juvenile specimens, as well as other small microfauna. Then samples are generally washed two-three time with freshwater (which induce protoplasm retraction) and then dryed on newspaper in air in the shadow. Alternatively, they can be conserved in 95% ethanol or buffered formalin, which keeps full colors of living protoplasm (buffering is important to avoid dissolution). TEST OF PRESENCE OF LARGE FORAMINIFERS They can seen with naked eyes (apart for the small juveniles), once one know what to search, often directly in the field when densities are high. Best examination is of course done with good lens (x12, better x20) or binocular at low magnification. Living forams display a full colored protoplasm, typical of the species, brown, green, yellow, purple, depending of type of symbiont. The presence of color in all but the last few chambers due to protoplasm retraction is commun and very caracteristic. A very usefull method to see living forams (and to sort them) is to let the sample in non-agitated seawater in a small bac, jam pot, etc..., preferably with a curved bottom as a salade saucer, with 2-3mm sediment, for one or more days, in dim light and with not too much temperature variations. Large forams will slowly climb (up to 10cm/day) for light and agitation on top of sediment and along the walls where they might be taken with the finger or a pincel. This examination is important for search of bleached moving specimens, otherwise easely confounded with empty shells. SAMPLING FREQUENCY The samples taken during the selection of monitored sites will be kept and constitute a broad baseline allowing a possible ~ 10-20 years survey. It is recommended to collect numerosous samples (50-100) at this occasion for the same purpose, enough well localized, preferably on transects. The selected sites will be sampled : A) once a year in summer, at maximum temperature time, when standing crop and growth will be at maximum and yearly forms already adult, and with most probable bleaching ; B) once a year before spring, at minimum temperature, before reproduction, where some large forms are to be encountred ; Annual or bisannual survey are a "standart best-off". C) once in spring at time of rising temperature and weather change, and once in autumn. C) and/or two first priority sites might be sampled at the four seasons, with additionnal 3 times at spring, each month and half, for reproduction (many species reproduce once a year). Grab transect are worthy to be sampled only once (twice) a year. SAMPLING AT BLEACHING TIME AND SEARCH OF BLEACHING Special sampling associated with bleaching is the very more urgent, as are "episodic events" (UNEP 1991) Sampling must be undertaken as soon as coral bleaching is detected, then one week and one month after. Remember that large foraminifers appear more prone to bleaching than corals, and may bleach before or in years when corals do not, as in Florida 1992. One of our important question is if associations with symbionts other than diatoms are also subject of mass bleaching; abnormal orange color was observed in Cyclorbiculina (P. Hallock, com. pers.) and we observed high proportion of abnormalities in Sorites and Borelis. Observation under binocular for paling, mottling, bleaching, and of climbing behavior of white specimens (see above) should be systematic, and done on a fraction of collected samples. Other signs of stress is loss of mouvement and of adherence of living, well colored specimens, and presence of colored protoplasm in (only) the last chambers, before symbionts expulsion, and of course clump of expelled symbionts at aperture. This is the only analysis asked to be done by monitoring scientists. Shell abnormalities can be also observed, or latter. Sampling just before bleaching event, said in few cases to be predictable within a week when dolldrum time set (B. Causey in Looe Key, Florida, in Williams and Bunkley-Williams, 1990, T. Goreau in Jamaica, pers. com.) is of course particularly wellcome. SPECIAL MONITORING We are convinced that biological caracterization and long-term samples conservation for future studies are whorthy. Two main special monitoring might be done, for various delayed key biochemical and cytological caracterizations, particularly for bleaching at its start : - about one hour 14C/45Ca incubations ; - congelation and better liquid nitrogen storage. It is asked to signalize facilities for such possibilities. COLLECTION, TRANSPORT AND CULTURE OF LIVING LARGE FORAMINIFERS For completion of method description, here are recommendations for collection and transport of living specimens, in the optics of biological analysis. Large foraminifers are indeed quite resistant. Best is to collect them 2-3 days before expedition. After standart collection, seiving might be usefull, both to eliminate small and big particules (0.1-0.5mm and 5-10mm, depending on species), especially to get good sand water circulation therafter (sieving with a fine nylon mesh stocking is easy and fast). Then keep them in small bacs or aquarium to test their viability, and more important to sort them from the sediment and other microfauna , if culture conditions can be simply controlled (light from north window, temperature controller, air bubbling - better not from room where CO2 could be high- or aquarium pump agitator). The most important is that there must be low organic matters or algae, eliminated by carefull washing, nor meiofauna as mollusks, to keep pH in normal range (chemical buffers at 8.2-8.4pH might be used, or a NaHCO3-Na2CO3 mixture at 123mg-29mg/liter). In the container, forams and sediment must be not too thick (few millimeters) with 10-20 more seawater above. Temperature fluctuations are to be avoided as possible, although stressfull conditions are about lower 22oC and upper 30oC. Forams can be transported in plastic bags for few hours, or in bottle (even jam pot) during one day, sometime more, under room temperature. Best is to use one liter thermos bottle, kept in hand bagage if travel by air. If the travel does not exceed one day, it might be send through usual airplane postage if in 20oC-conditionned airplane luggage room, with accelerated transit if needed. When convoyed, it is desireable to regularly gently shake the container each few hours, and change of seawater with clean one from an other closed jar, ideally with some air bubbling (each ~ half day at least) and exposure to low light in day. My advice to keep them long alive (I had Amphistegina reproducing for 5 years in my kitchen) : blue light, some agitation and primarly high pH 8.5. ANNEX I : REFERENCES On large foraminifers here is a list of publications for non-specialists : LEE JJ, 1995, Living Sands, BioScience 45/4, 252-260. A very good introduction. REISS Z, HOTTINGER L, 1984, The Gulf of Aqaba, Ecological Micropaleontology 50, Springer Verlag Ed., 354p. With a very good long chapter on large forams, photo and drawning. HOTTINGER L, 1982, Larger foraminifera, giant cells with historical background, Naturwisssensch. 69, 361-371. Good presentation with different kinds of approach. HALLOCK P, 1984, Distribution of selected species of living algal symbiont-bearing foraminifera on two Pacific coral reefs, J. Foram. Res, 14/4, 250-261, for kind of repartition and plate. HOHENEGGER J, 1994, Distribution of living larger foraminifera NW of Sesoko-Jima, Okinawa, Japan, PSZNI Mar. Ecol. 15/3-4, 291-334. Typical repartition (but >10 meters depth) and good photos. And concerning bleaching and shells abnormalities : HALLOCK P, TALGE HK, SMITH K, COCKEY EM, 1992, Bleaching in a reef-dwelling foraminifer, Amphistegina gibbosa, Proc. 7 Int. Coral Reef Symp. V1, 44-49. HALLOCK P, TALGE HK, 1993, Symbiont loss ("bleaching") in the reef-dwelling benthic foraminifer Amphistegina gibbosa in the Florida keys in 1991-92. in Global Aspects of Coral reefs: health, hazards and history. Rosentiel School Mar. Atmos. Sc., 8-13. HALLOCK P, TALGE HK, COCKEY EM, MULLER RG, 1995, A new disease in reef-dwelling foraminifera : implications for coastal sedimentation. J. Foram. Res., 25/3, 280-286. ANNEX II : MAIN LARGE FORAMINIFERS GROUPS (Pl. 1) Large foraminifers are divided in two groups, those with an imperforate porcellaneous shell, composed of minute cristals which diffract the light and give them a white appearance, and those with a perforate hyalin shell, with big parrallel cristals transparent to light and a glassy aspect. Their internal space are divided in chambers and often chamberlets, and their internal structures are important to distinguish genera and species. As corals, they heavily rely upon photosynthesis of their symbionts, which are of various algae groups. They have active behavior, moving slowly with pseudopods toward elevation, light and agitation. Their life span ranges from few months, usually one year, up to four years at least (Marginopora). They reproduce mainly by multiple fission, giving 100-1000 small calcified embryos. Sexual reproduction give rise to a few percent of individuals with very tiny embryo ("microspherics") ordinarly with a very big size, 2-10 times their clonal counterparts. They are main reef CaCO3 contributors, giving the surface they inhabits, 95% of 6 millions km2 of reefs and tropical plateforms, producing up to 2-3kg/m2.y for calcarenids, usually 100-500g/m2.y in shallow waters, and even 50-100g/m2.y in deep euphotic zone. PORCELANEOUS SHELLS (Miliolina) Peneroplids Small (0.3-0.5, up to 1.5mm) helmet forms, purple color (rhodophyte symbionts) or green (chlorophyte symbionts in P. protea). Simple internal structure. Half a dozen species of Laevipeneroplis (=Peneroplis) and other similar genera (Spirolina, Dentritina), worlwide till subtemperate (Mediterranean). Mainly in very shallow water, on turf, algae or bottom, often in restricted facies subject to temperature, salinity and pH excursions (where shell abberations may be commun), and rare downto 60m. Archaiasids Disc (Cyclorbiculina, 2sp.) or helmet form (Archaias angulatus), about 2mm, up to 4mm, green (chlorophyte symbionts). Other similar genera (Broeckina, Androsina). Abundant in backreef shallow facies downto 20-25m, rarely in restricted facies (Androsina), on bottom or algae. Restricted to the Caribbean, but exist rare similar smaller forms in Indian ocean, New Guinea. Soritids Large white discs, 2-6mm (Sorites 3sp., worldwide, Amphisorus heimprichii, Indopacific), up to 4cm (Marginopora vertebralis, western Pacific), with brown color (dinoflagellates symbionts similar to Symbiodinium microadriaticum, or green S. marginalis with chlorophyts). Sorites and Amphisorus mostly epiphytic on eelgrass where they are conspicuous, Marginopora generally dwelling on bottom. Mainly downto 30-40m, rarely 70m. Alveolinids Small (0.5-1.5mm) subglobular (Borelis pulchra, worldwide), elongate (B. sclumbergeri, Indopacific) to 5-10mm (elongate Alveolinella quoii, western Pacific). Brown diatom symbionts. Living in sand, sometime on hard substrate or algae, rarely seen during diving. Small Borelis can be shallow, mostly 20-50 m depth. HYALIN SHELLS (Rotaliina) Calcarinids Rather small (1-2mm) spheric, spheric with spines or stellate forms, brown (diatom symbionts). Apart Calcarina calcar (Indopacific), restricted to western Pacific where they are often very abundant (up to 100 specimens/cm2) on sediments in shallow (less then 5-10m, rarely to 20m) high energy reef margin with current or bathed tidal pool. Also a small ecological Calcarina-like Asterigina carinata in Caribbean, somewhat deeper. Amphisteginids Shape of lense with medium size (1-2.5mm), slightly assymetric, with brown color (diatom symbionts, also accessory chlorophyt ones). One genera, Amphistegina, abundant, with worlwide repartition. Shallow thick species (A. gibbosa, Caribbean, A. lessoni, A. lobifera, Indopacific) from surface downto 20-40m, then flatter A. radiata and deeper A. bicirculata, A. papillosa downto 150m. Inhabits various biotopes : most abundant in algae turf otherwise on shallow sands, well represented on green or brown algae as well as on eelgrass somewhat on the lower part, or on boulders, gravels on both upper and lower faces, or on mud-fine sand in calm or deep euphotic realms. Nummulitids Mid-water and deep shelf species : - Operculina (and Nummulites)/Heterostegina : Spiral shell of 1.5-5mm, green or brown (diatom symbionts), thick in shallow waters, evolute in deep waters, 0 to 150m depth. O. ammonoides, rather on fine sand, mud or between eelgrass, H. depressa (Indopacific), H. antillarum (Caribbean) on hard substrate, boulders, dead coral head, coarse sand, sometime very shallow. - Heterocyclina/Cycloclypeus : Cyclical flat deeper water species, 5mm-5cm diameter (record 14cm), on sediments 70-150m depth where they can cover 10-20% of the surface. Diatom symbionts. H. tuberculata in western Indian, C. carpenteri, Heterostegina operculinoides in eastern Indian-western Pacific. MICHAUD francois Laboratoire de Geodynamique sous marine Universite Pierre et Marie Curie La Darse, B-P 48, Villefranche sur Mer, France Tel : (33) 93 76 37 40 ou 37 49 Fax : (33) 93 76 37 66 E-mail : micho at ccrv.obs-vlfr.fr From mcall at superaje.com Mon Apr 8 21:01:13 1996 From: mcall at superaje.com (mcall at superaje.com) Date: Mon, 8 Apr 96 21:01:13 EDT Subject: Reef Resource Page In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <9604090101.AA05777@superaje.com> Hi Paul, I look forward to seeing your reef page. Ocean Voice is a Canadian NGO which has been working for coral reef conservation for 10 years now. If you don't have a hot-link to our home page, we would appreciate it. See http://www.conveyor.com/oceanvoice.html And get your university to subscribe to Sea Wind, our quarterly bulletin. The latest special 72-page issue is on Status of the World Ocean and Its Biodiversity. Back issues are only $15 per year. And they might want to have our 126 page educational manual, Save Our Coral Reefs, $20 + postage. don Don E. McAllister /& Canadian Centre for Biodiversity Ocean Voice International /Canadian Museum of Nature Box 37026, 3332 McCarthy Rd. /Box 3443, Station D Ottawa, ON K1V 0W0, Canada /Ottawa, ON K1P 6P4 URL: http://www.conveyor.com/oceanvoice.html E-mail: mcall at superaje.com (or: ah194 at freenet.carleton.ca) Tel: (613) 264-8986, Fax: (613) 264-9204 From sambrott at ldgo.columbia.edu Wed Apr 10 08:10:14 1996 From: sambrott at ldgo.columbia.edu (Ray Sambrotto) Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 12:10:14 +0000 Subject: reef studies with CZCS Message-ID: <316BA526.7793@ldeo.columbia.edu> For a student project, I am looking for information on the use of remote sensing (particularly Coastal Zone Color Scanner - CZCS - images) in assessing reef health. Thanks in advance for any info. on this. -- Raymond N. Sambrotto, Ph.D. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Rt. 9W Palisades, NY 10964 U.S.A. phone: 914-365-8402; fax: -8150 http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/EV/EarthViewHome.html From jlang at uts.cc.utexas.edu Tue Apr 9 11:45:33 1996 From: jlang at uts.cc.utexas.edu (Judith C. Lang) Date: Tue, 9 Apr 1996 10:45:33 -0500 Subject: strange photographic request Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, To finish a traveling exhibit about conserving coral reefs in the Caribbean region we could really use a good photo of people using suntan lotion at a beach....should anyone just happen to have an image like this that we could borrow for a couple of weeks, please let me know right away and I'll send shipping instructions. Many advance thanks, Judy Lang From PRJCOLLI at aol.com Fri Apr 12 04:54:08 1996 From: PRJCOLLI at aol.com (PRJCOLLI at aol.com) Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 04:54:08 -0400 Subject: No subject Message-ID: <199604120854.EAA16271@emout06.mail.aol.com> ere know about cluster analysis. I am classifying coral communities, but am not sure what transformation to use on the live% cover data. There are a number of rare species, hence zero's in the data set! I get good results with log-ratio transformaions (which get rid of zero's), but I am unsure as to how valid this proceedure is!! Thanks!! Peter Collinson From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Fri Apr 12 09:51:56 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 09:51:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: reef studies with CZCS (fwd) Message-ID: Forwarded message: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 13:52:59 GMT From: Dr Anjali Bahuguna To: owner-coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: reef studies with CZCS Dear Raymond N. Sambrotto Using remote sensing data, lot of work has been done on the coral reefs of India. Particularly using Landsat TM, Indian Remote Sensing Satellite 1A, 1B and 1C. For the study of coral reefs health (condition) high resolution data is required. If you need further information I will be glad to give you. I have been able to map coral reefs zones (ecological and morphological) and condition by way of monitoring over a period of say 10 years or more and the delineation of certain associated features, for e.g. mud over reef - degraded condition live coral zones, wide reef flat, etc. - good condition. The mapping was done using the above data on 1:50,000 as well as 1:25,000 scale. Anjali Bahuguna. From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Fri Apr 12 10:02:04 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 10:02:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Cluster Analysis Message-ID: Forwarded message from Walt Jaap: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 09:42:48 -0500 (EST) From: Walt, Jaap To: OWNER-CORAL-LIST at reef.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: - no subject (01I3FYUT3SQQ0004E2) - - Reply For Classification, use Bray Curtis quantitative coefficient, square root transformation, and group average sorting. A good liitle paper on the issue is: Bloom, S.A. 1981. Similarity indicies in community studies: potential pitfalls. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 5: 125-128. Primer, Plymouth Labs is a PC program that does the job real fine. From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Fri Apr 12 10:18:15 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 10:18:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Online Research Directory Message-ID: About 75 names have now been added to the Online Coral Researchers Directory. If you haven't added your name yet, but would like to, you may find instructions at the following URL on the World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/lists/directory.html Cheers... From PRJCOLLI at aol.com Sat Apr 13 19:00:35 1996 From: PRJCOLLI at aol.com (PRJCOLLI at aol.com) Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 19:00:35 -0400 Subject: Coral growth in enriched N and P. Message-ID: <960413190034_469215847@mail06> Dear All Hello. Has anyone out here conducted experiments on the effects of N and P on coral 'nubbin' growth?. I believe that there are some of you in Barbados, Glasgow and the States, and I would desperately appreciate advice on expt set up and refs. Many thanks Peter RJ Collinson The University of Hong Kong PRJCOLLI at AOL.COM From kiene at informatik.uni-frankfurt.de Mon Apr 15 12:07:56 1996 From: kiene at informatik.uni-frankfurt.de (William Kiene) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 96 12:07:56 MESZ Subject: Pink Porites In-Reply-To: <9603058287.AA828739438@cliff.whoi.edu>; from "acohen@cliff.whoi.edu" at Apr 05, 96 1:19 pm Message-ID: <9604151007.AA24441@hera.rbi.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de> I can contribute some insight to the recent discussion of pink banding observed in Porites - and also help to clear Bob Buddemeier of any responsibility for coloring the corals in question. I have found pink bands in Porites and other corals in studies of microborers in the Pacific (GBR) and the Bahamas. These were in sections and cores of living corals. Sampling of the pink areas (that sometimes occur below the living coral tissue as well as below the "Ostreobium band". Found that they were produced by Plectonema terebrans (a boring cyanobacteria). The pink color is likely a chromatic adaption of pigments to low light conditions. Cochocelis (endolithic stage of red algae) probably also has this pigment adaption and has also been found in living coral skeletons (but I have not seen it in densities that would cause pink coloration). It cannot be ruled out though. William E. Kiene Geologisch-Palaeontologisches Institut Senckenberganlage 32 J.W. Goethe-Universitaet D-60054 Frankfurt am Main Germany Tel. +49 69 798 28598 Fax. +49 69 798 22958 E-mail. kiene at informatik.uni-frankfurt.de From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 15 10:16:08 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 10:16:08 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Eutrophication Message-ID: Forwarded message: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 14 Apr 1996 12:58:40 -0400 From: Ursula Keuper-Bennett To: owner-coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov Hi there, I have just completed a Web search engine sweep on the word "eutrophication" and found the following place names. Jakarta Bay, Indonesia Saquarema, Brazil Cancun, Mexico Barclay's Park, Barbados Moreton Bay, Australia Peel-Harvey, Australia In addition, I hit on these areas from Florida: Hillsborough Bay (an "impacted subdivision of Tampa Bay) Palm Beach and Broward counties "widespread" algae blooms Florida Bay concerns re. blooms and or eutrophication Sarasota Bay " Florida Keys " Indian River " When reading these Web coastal information/reports one thing stands out -- that human population has increased greatly along the world's coastal areas since the late 60's. Following right along (I quickly discovered) were more and more scientific papers and references to such things as run off, sewage, eutrophication, algae blooms, sea grass dieoffs etc. [By the way, I am not suggesting here that increased human population along coastal areas causes/generates scientific papers but I *did* find the link an amusing and true one.] What I found significant are the numerous reports by researchers expressing concern over the increased nutrient loading along coasts and related eutrophication/environmental degradation over the last two decades. Below are regions with environmental/eutrophication concerns but I can't find any detailed environmental information on them. My main interest is the prevalence of a marine turtle disease called fibropapillomas in these areas. But I would also like to know about the conditions underwater in these areas. See, I figured coral people when studying corals might notice lumpy turtles in the same way that when I study lumpy turtles I notice dead corals. So. What follows are areas I need information on. I would like to know the prevalence of fibropapillomas in these areas AND any details of known environmental insults to the ocean near these places. Jakarta Bay, Indonesia Saquarema, Brazil Cancun, Mexico Peel-Harvey, Australia and in Florida, Hillsborough Bay (an "impacted subdivision of Tampa Bay) Palm Beach and Broward counties "widespread" algae blooms Sarasota Bay " My success asking other divers has been minimal. I attribute this to the fact that most recreational divers won't dive in the kind of water I need reports on. I am hoping someone in this list could help. I am particulary interested in any info on the four non-US sites. If you have any information, please don't hesitate to send it this way, no matter how unimportant you might think it is. While I am on here, two other things: I have been told that the south and west coasts of Barbados have experienced considerable coral kills and seaweed blight. I would be interested in the place name of the worst area. Then my task will be to find the prevalence of GTFP there.... unless, of course, I hit paydirt and someone can provide me with both pieces to the puzzle... :-) Finally, and still related, if anyone is aware of coral kills resulting from Cladophora blooms, I would be interested in that too. Thanks for your time and regards ^ Ursula Keuper-Bennett 0 0 Mississauga, Ontario /V^\ I I /^V\ Email: howzit at io.org /V Turtle Trax V\ /V Forever Green V\ http://www.io.org/~bunrab From wm1 at ukc.ac.uk Mon Apr 15 12:02:25 1996 From: wm1 at ukc.ac.uk (William Moreno Caycedo) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 17:02:25 +0100 (bst) Subject: Beliza GEF Project Message-ID: Dear all Does anybody out there knows what is actually happen with the CCC e-mail (if anything is wrong with it) in Belize Jgibson at btl.net. I been trying to contact Janet Gibson (The National Project Adviser) for the pass three weeks and I haven't had any reply. Also I been triying to phone them but the CCC office in London don't seem to have the right telephone number (they claim that 44552 is the right number, but I think in Belize they have six diget number) Can anyone out there help me? I promise that I would dedicate my research project to the person who can provide me with the correct information (phone/e-mail or any contact adress for the CCC in Belize) Thanks William Moreno Durrel Institute of Conservation and Ecology wm1 at ukc.ac.uk From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 15 13:20:25 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 13:20:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Sand Key C-MAN station going off line (fwd) Message-ID: Forwarded message regarding the Sand Key C-MAN station situated at the southern end of the Florida Straits: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 12:36:05 EST From: James C. Humphrey To: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov Cc: svargo at marine.usf.edu, jogden at marine.usf.edu Subject: sand key going offline The Florida Institute of Oceanography's (F.I.O.) enhanced Coastal Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations are operated through a cooperative agreement with the National Data Buoy Center (N.D.B.C.). The network stations have been installed at Fowey Rocks, Molasses reef, Sombrero reef, Sand Key reef, Florida Bay, and the Dry Tortugas. The C-MAN stations normally only carry a meteorological suite of sensors, but can be enhanced with oceanographic sensors. The data collected at the enhanced stations include: wind speed, direction and peak gust, barometric pressure, air temperature, solar irradiance, seawater temperature, salinity, and underwater solar irradiance. Solar irradiances are currently not available at Sombrero or Molasses, furthermore, salinity is not available at Sombrero. The Sand Key Meteorological station, and its oceanographic sensors will be taken off-line. These actions have been planned since October 1995, but only now have been scheduled to be carried out, unless there is financial support for this station. The National Weather Service feels Boca Chita measurements are sufficient, and Sand Key is a redundant measurement. If the station is taken off-line, we not only lose accurate oceanic wind measurements, we lose the Coast Guard permit to use the station and the only long term environmental reef tract monitoring station in Key West. The cost to reconstruct the present station is over four times the amount to keep it running at current levels. With increased large vessel harbor traffic in Key West, and ocean related tourism at its highest level yet, Sand Key meteorological station is needed more than ever. Please call your local congress representative to support this project. Thanks, J.Chris Humphrey (field manager) (305)664-9101 From pdh at u.washington.edu Mon Apr 15 13:05:17 1996 From: pdh at u.washington.edu (Preston Hardison) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 10:05:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Beliza GEF Project In-Reply-To: Message-ID: You might look at the Belize Environment and Development Organizations country file available through Communications for a Sustainable Future (gopher csf.colorado.edu; http://csf.colorado.edu) in the directory path: Environment/Conservation Biology/Documents/Country Files - Environment and Development Organizations/Americas/Belize There are also files for a number of other Latin American countries for others who might be interested. The files also contain contacts for external researchers working in-country. Preston Hardison pdh at u.washington.edu From chg2 at cornell.edu Mon Apr 15 13:01:22 1996 From: chg2 at cornell.edu (greene) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 13:01:22 -0400 Subject: summer internship opportunity Message-ID: WHAT: Undergraduate Summer Internship Opportunity in Akumal, Mexico Cornell University and the Ecological Center of Akumal will be sponsoring a summer internship program this upcoming summer. The program is intended for 6 advanced undergraduates with an interest in coral reef ecology. Students will spend 8 weeks diving and studying the coral reefs in Akumal, Mexico. The first two weeks will be spent intensively studying basic coral reef ecology while learning the benthic fauna of the local reefs. During the next five weeks, students will work on individual research projects and participate in a reef monitoring project that will aid in the establishment of a marine park in Akumal. In the final week, students will write up their results in reports and give oral presentations of their findings. Throughout the 8 weeks, students will read, discuss, and write about a variety of topics pertinent to coral reef ecology. Students will also be introduced to the local Mexican and Mayan cultures. Students participating in the program will receive 8 semester credit hours from Cornell University as either Biological Sciences 418 or Geological Sciences 418 "Tropical Marine Science". Students should have relevant course experience in oceanography, geology, and/or ecology. Field course experience is certainly an advantage. Students must be SCUBA certified, and preferably have some underwater research experience. We anticipate stiff competition for the 6 internships, so please include any information on your application that may strengthen your case. WHEN: Exact dates to be announced, but probably 9 June - 3 August (8 weeks) ABOUT AKUMAL: Akumal is a small resort town located about 60 miles south of Canc=FAn, on the Yucat=E1n peninsula. Although the reefs around Akumal a= re in a relatively pristine state, this area of the Yucat=E1n is currently bein= g developed to accommodate the increasing number of tourists visiting the area. In addition to the coral reef diving, attractions include the nearby ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba and a remarkable network of underwater caves called cenotes. Local residents of Akumal are dedicated to preserving the health of the local reefs while maintaining sustainable development of the tourism industry; to support this effort, part of BioSM 418 will involve the collection of baseline data that will be used to monitor and protect the health of the reefs. WHAT DOES IT COST: The cost of participation in the program is $3,500 US. This includes room & board, tuition, and unlimited diving for 8 weeks. All dive operations will be supervised by a certified dive master. This price also includes international insurance. There is some financial aid available for those needing assistance. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE TO CANCUN, MEXICO, but it does include ground transportation from Cancun to Akumal. Those students requiring equipment will have the opportunity to purchase rebuilt Sherwood regulators (w/ pressure and depth guages) and bouyancy compensators for $250 (retail price, if new, is approximately $1000). APPLICATIONS: Applications should be filed electronically to Dan Shapiro (dfs7 at cornell.edu). The forms are below. Dan can also be contacted for further information at his e-mail address. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 3, 1996. Application Procedures: Student selection will be based on statements of interests and letters of recommendation. All correspondence and application materials will be transmitted by electronic mail. Please transmit the following information to DFS7 at CORNELL.EDU as your formal application: 1. Name: 2. Mailing Address: 3. Telephone Number: 4. E-mail Address: 5. FAX Number: 6. Sex: Male or Female (NOT YES OR NO) 7. Birthdate 8. Citizenship: 9. Universities Attended: 10. Current Academic Status: 11. Statement of Interests: Please describe in 500 words or less, 1.) what experience in oceanography, marine ecology, and/or geology you would bring to the program; 2.) what your long-term goals are in these areas; and 3.) how you feel participation in the program could further your efforts toward achieving those goals. 12. Letter of Recommendation: Please have a letter of recommendation transmitted by e-mail. Whoever writes your letter should be familiar with the statement of interests that you have submitted and should emphasize how your participation in the program will assist you in achieving your academic goals. 13. Do you need financial aid? Explain your circumstances and exact requirements to participate. All applications must be in by May 3, 1996 to ensure full consideration. We will attempt to have decisions transmitted to all applicants by May 15, 1996. ******************************************************************* Charles Greene Phone: (607) 255-5449 E-mail: CHG2 at CORNELL.EDU FAX: (607) 254-4780 Director, Ocean Resources & Ecosystems Program, Center for the Environment Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, 2130 Snee Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 From coral at ucb.edu.bz Mon Apr 15 14:20:51 1996 From: coral at ucb.edu.bz (Coral Cay Conservation) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 96 12:20:51 CST Subject: Fwd: Beliza GEF Project Message-ID: <57132.coral@ucb.edu.bz> ----- Forwarded message begins here ----- From: William Moreno Caycedo To: coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 17:02:25 +0100 (bst) Subject: Beliza GEF Project Dear all Does anybody out there knows what is actually happen with the CCC e-mail (if anything is wrong with it) in Belize Jgibson at btl.net. I been trying to contact Janet Gibson (The National Project Adviser) for the pass three weeks and I haven't had any reply. Also I been triying to phone them but the CCC office in London don't seem to have the right telephone number (they claim that 44552 is the right number, but I think in Belize they have six diget number) Can anyone out there help me? I promise that I would dedicate my research project to the person who can provide me with the correct information (phone/e-mail or any contact adress for the CCC in Belize) Thanks William Moreno Durrel Institute of Conservation and Ecology wm1 at ukc.ac.uk Dear Mr. Moreno, You could get in touch with Janet Gibson at tel # +501 (0) 2 35739/30719 or fax # +501 (0) 2 35738. Coral Cay Coservation contact number in Belize is fax/phone # +501 (0) 2 32787, E-mail CORAL at UCB.EDU.BZ Henry Lanza CCC Office Manager ------ Forwarded message ends here ------ --------------------------------------------+-------------------- University College of Belize, PO Box 990, | Tel: +501 2 32787 Belize City, BELIZE, Central America. | Fax: +501 2 32787 From greta at hawaii.edu Mon Apr 15 19:33:06 1996 From: greta at hawaii.edu (Greta Smith Aeby) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 13:33:06 -1000 Subject: Coral growth in enriched N and P. In-Reply-To: <960413190034_469215847@mail06> Message-ID: Peter, Dr. John Stimson at the University of Hawaii has done experiments looking at the effect of N & P enrichment on coral growth. He published a paper on his results. On Sat, 13 Apr 1996 PRJCOLLI at aol.com wrote: > Dear All > > Hello. Has anyone out here conducted experiments on the effects of N and P > on coral 'nubbin' growth?. I believe that there are some of you in Barbados, > Glasgow and the States, and I would desperately appreciate advice on expt set > up and refs. > > Many thanks > > Peter RJ Collinson > The University of Hong Kong > > PRJCOLLI at AOL.COM > From vanessa.craig at stonebow.otago.ac.nz Tue Apr 16 03:04:56 1996 From: vanessa.craig at stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Vanessa Craig) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 13:04:56 +0600 Subject: sand patch communities associated with reefs Message-ID: I have been trying to find literature regarding studies conducted on tropical soft-bottom communities associated with coral reefs. Ideally, I am looking for studies which have concentrated on sand patches on the outer reef slope. However, the only papers I have been able to find are those by Betz and Otte (1980), Grelet et al., (1987), Jones (1984) and Thomassin et al., (1982), . I would be very grateful for any information on other relevant literature. Thanks. Vanessa Craig Betz K.H. and Otte G. 1980. Species distribution and biomass of the soft-bottom faunal macrobenthos in a coral reef (Shaab Baraja, Central Red Sea, Soudan). Proc. Symp. Kartoum 1: 13-37. Grelet Y., Falconetti C., Thomassin B.A., Vitiello P. and Abu Hilal A.H. 1987. Distribution of the macro- and meiobenthic assemblages in the littoral soft- bottoms of the Gulf of Aqaba (Jordan). Atoll Res. Bull. 308: 1-14. Jones A.R. 1984. Sedimentary relationships and community structure of benthic crustacean assemblages of reef-associated sediments at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 3(2): 101-111. Thomassin B.A., Jouin C., Renaud-Mornant J., Richard G. and Salvat B. 1982. Macrofauna and meiofauna in the coral sediment on the Tiahura Reef Complex, Moorea Island (French Polynesia). Tethys 10(4): 392-397. Department of Marine Science University of Otago PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand e-mail: vanessa.craig at stonebow.otago.ac.nz From pichon at univ-perp.fr Tue Apr 16 04:25:53 1996 From: pichon at univ-perp.fr (michel pichon) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 08:25:53 GMT Subject: Green water Message-ID: <199604160825.IAA07788@gala.univ-perp.fr> A " GREEN WATER" EPISODE IN POLYNESIA A huge oceanic phytoplanktonic blom caused abnormaly high turbidity in French Polynesian waters in March 1996. In early March, fishermen and divers reported high turbidity in oceanic waters near Tahiti and Moorea. Samples were immediately taken by the permanent staff of the CRIOBE (EPHE laboratory in Moorea). Other samples were taken by scientists of the French University of the Pacific and by ORSTOM. The bloom was sufficiently important to cause Secchi disc measurements of less than 7 m, as compared to the usual 25 m plus. Visibility was very low below 20 m depth. From various sources, the bloom was estimated to cover at least 500 km2, from the island of Raiatea to the atoll of Kauhei East to West, and from the Tuamotu archipelago to Tahiti, North to South. The phytoplankton bloom was characterized by a pronounced green colour and a gummy consistency. It was limited to oceanic waters although some green lagoon waters could occasionally be observed when oceanic waters were flushed over the reef front. Inverted microscope examinations revealed a multispecific composition. Picoplanktonic and nannoplanktonic cyanophytes dominated together with (but to a lesser extent) many diatom species and 4-6 species of coccolithophorids. Conversely, dinoflagellates, which usually dominate the oceanic phytoplankton were not abundant. Other small phytoflagellates (e.g. prasinophytes,euglenophytes, chrysophytes) were occasionally encountered. Additional sampling was carried out for algal pigments and POC and DOC determinations. The bloom did not cause massive fish mortality but oceanic fishes like tuna disappeared from the area. Normal catches were made outside the bloom zone or in the places where the waters returned quickly to normal colour. The cause of the bloom is uncertain. Above normal seawater temperatures were observed to the north and the west of Moorea island, but not in the whole of the area where the bloom appeared. As oceanic waters in French Polynesia are strongly oligotrophic, it is assumed that such a bloom would need an enrichment of nutrients, possibly a localized upwelling of deeper waters. However, no low temperature anomaly could be detected by the temperature recorders which have been in place for several years on the outer reef slopes of Moorea, at 25 and 35 m depth. Other hypotheses, like a displacement of the equatorial upwelling, or the influence of the eruption of submarine volcanoes in the Vanuatu archipelago do not seem realistic. Bruno Delesalle Biologie Marine et Malacologie EPHE Universite de Perpignan France Please email comments or replies to : criobe at tahiti.rio.net or to bd at univ-perp.fr From GBUCK at crs.loc.gov Tue Apr 16 12:42:13 1996 From: GBUCK at crs.loc.gov (Gene Buck) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 11:42:13 -0500 Subject: Coral info for Congress Message-ID: Coral folks: I have a request from a congressional office for some background information relating to coral and coral reefs. I would appreciate some assistance in pointing me in the direction of where I might find what the office needs. BTW, I work for the Congressional Research Service, one of the support agencies for the U.S. Congress -- we provide non-partisan, objective public policy analysis for Members of Congress and their staff. Here is what the office is seeking: a) a list of U.S. and world experts on coral resources, degradation, and protection, including address and/or telephone numbers. Does any published list exist that might be provided to respond to this question? If not, what might be the best approach to quickly generate the beginnings of such a list? b) the identity and text of any State or Territory (United States only) legislation, studies, or hearings on coral resources, degradation, or protection. Any bibliographies for Florida, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and others on State/Territorial legislative resources relating to corals? [I am getting together everything done by the Federal Government, but need some help with the State/Territorial material] c) the identity and text of any United Nations resolutions, conferences, studies, symposiums on coral resources, degradation, and protection. Especially interested in all documentation relating to UN resolution designating 1996 as "The Year of the Reef" -- and any events scheduled in relating to this UN designation. Thanks for any assistance and suggestions you might be able to provide. Gene Buck, senior analyst Congressional Research Service e-mail: gbuck at crs.loc.gov fax: (202) 707-7289 From lisa at imbc.gr Wed Apr 17 03:28:40 1996 From: lisa at imbc.gr (Lisa owen) Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 10:28:40 +0300 Subject: IMBC Marine Science Forum Message-ID: **Apologies for the cross-postings. This will be distributed to all relevant marine lists*** The Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (IMBC) invites the posting of messages on its Marine Science Forum (URL: http://www.imbc.gr/cgi-bin/netforum/general/a). The Forum is a web-based communication and collaboration system, and allows participants to browse topics, messages and replies, and to send e-mail directly to forum participants. You may create your own topics for the forum - this is particularly suited for specific subject areas not addressed by any of the mailing lists. Any enquires, questions or suggestions should be directed to lisa at imbc.gr Lisa Owen Information design and Development Dept. I.M.B.C, Iraklio, Greece From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Wed Apr 17 06:49:55 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 06:49:55 -0400 (EDT) Subject: US Coral Reef Initiative--US National Science Foundation Message-ID: The following message has been split into two parts, because of its large size. Forwarded message, Part 1: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: prtaylor at nsf.gov Received: from xrelay.nsf.gov by mailman.nsf.gov with SMTP id AA14009 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for ); Tue, 16 Apr 1996 13:52:35 -0400 Received: from cc:Mail by xrelay.nsf.gov id AA829687938; Tue, 16 Apr 96 01:51:34 EST Date: Tue, 16 Apr 96 01:51:34 EST Message-Id: <9603168296.AA829687938 at xrelay.nsf.gov> To: coral-list Subject: US Coral Reef Initiative -- US National Science Foundation 16 April 1996 To anyone interested: Attached is a revised compendium that outlines many research and related projects that were supported by the U. S. National Science Foundation with Fiscal Year 1995 funding as part of the US Coral Reef Initiative and as part of the US contribution to the International Coral Reef Initiative. Phillip Taylor, Director Biological Oceanography Division of Ocean Sciences U. S. National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, Virginia 22230 USA prtaylor at nsf.gov 703-306-1587 16 April 1996 Directorate for Geosciences (lead) Population Biology of Caribbean Octocorals Daniel Brazeau, University of Florida Fertilization success among sessile, marine invertebrates is a largely unknown variable bridging those factors which field ecologists can measure (fecundity, organism size, population abundance) and one often difficult to estimate (reproductive success). Using the Caribbean octocoral Baiareum asbestinum as a model animal, this project will examine temporal and spatial variation in reproductive success for male and female colonies. The research will test the specific prediction that female fertilization success is directly proportional to the nearby abundance male colonies. This information is crucial for understanding the abundance and growth of invertebrate populations in coral reef ecosystems and will provide important information for the successful restoration and management of coral reefs worldwide. The Role of Heterotrophic Dinoflagellates in Marine Plankton Dynamics: Growth, Grazing Behavior and Bioluminescence Edward Buskey, University of Texas This study will examine the effects of food quantity and quality on the growth, feeding and bioluminescence of several species of Protoperidinium. Selective feeding of these pallium, feeding dinoflagellates (which capture large food particles extracellualarly) and the role of sensory perception in this selection process will also be examined. In addition, the study will determine the abundance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the western Gulf of Mexico, and examine the relationship between growth rate and bioluminescence capacity for field collected Protoperidinium incubated at ambient food concentrations. Hydrodynamic Forcing of Metabolism of Coral Reef Algal Communities Robert Carpenter, California State University Northridge and Susan Williams, San Diego State University The current paradigm explaining how coral reefs maintain high biomass of organisms and extremely high rates of gross primary productivity is that tight recycling of nutrients and organic matter occurs within the reef resulting in zones of net autotrophy alternating with zones of net heterotrophy. Autotrophic upstream communities are thought to support downstream heterotrophic assemblages with the overall balance resulting in ecosystem P/R ratios near unity. According to this paradigm, coral reefs are not coupled significantly to the surrounding oligotrophic ocean. Recent studies suggest that coral reefs may be much more dependent on hydrodynamic processes than currently believed. Although nutrient concentrations of tropical waters are very low, an enormous volume of water is advected across the reef and could result in a large flux of nutrients to benthic primary producers. The major upstream autotrophic zone is the reef flat where algal turf assemblages are responsible for the majority of primary productivi ty. Previous work has demonstrated that rates of primary productivity and nitrogen fixation of algal turf are affected significantly by water flow speed. Furthermore, flow measurements on one reef suggest that algal canopy height significantly alters the local hydrodynamic regime and as a result, metabolic processes of algal turfs may be diffusion-limited for a significant proportion of time. This project will test the hypothesis that rates of primary productivity and nitrogen fixation of coral reef algal turfs are diffusion-limited. Measurements of the flow environment on a reef flat will be made and used to estimate the degree to which algal turfs varying in canopy height are diffusion-limited. The project will then move on to test hypotheses about the specific factors that result in diffusion- limitation. The results of this project should fill a gap on empirical measurements of water flow in coral reef environments and how water flow affects algal metabolism. The results of this research may lead to a si gnificant paradigm shift in understanding how coral reefs function. Demonstration that reefs are open ecosystems that are strongly coupled to the surrounding ocean environment would have important implications for predictions of the effects of global climate change on these unique ecosystems. Recent Variability in the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the Western Atlantic: Seasonal Multicentury Reconstructions from Venezuela Corals Julie Cole, University of Colorado This project will examine stable isotopes in corals collected off Venezuela to look for evidence of changes in ocean circulation and temperature which may correlate with rainfall patterns in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa. If so, the coral record can be used to extend rainfall records to prehistoric times, in order to discern cyclic or long-term changes. The project also implicitly tests assumptions about the role of cross- equatorial heat transport in controlling tropical Atlantic climate. The Record of ENSO in the Warm Pool of the Western Pacific: Multi-century Reconstruction from the Geochemistry of Long-lived Corals Julie Cole, University of Colorado The western Pacific warm pool provides a major source of water vapor and energy to the global atmosphere and is a "center of action" for the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system, whose signal permeates the global record of interannual climate variability. ENSO warm extremes originate from the region, and the western Pacific convection anomalies associated with ENSO propagate climate variability throughout the tropics and the world. This award supports a project that will reconstruct multi-century records of variability in the ocean/atmosphere of the western equatorial Pacific, using geochemical records from the skeletons of long-lived corals. The study will extend the limited record to ENSO to span the past few centuries along an equatorial transect from the region of the date line into the heart of the western Pacific warm pool. The resulting records will provide a new understanding of long-term temporal and spatial variability of ENSO and its relation to variations in the western Pacific warm pool an d to external forcings, including the regional response to the Little Ice Age. The proposed paleoclimatic study will place the TOGA/COARE observations in a long-term perspective and delineating the range of natural variability that models must aim to simulate. Population and Community Dynamics of Corals: A Long Term Study. Joseph Connell, University of California The objectives of the present project are several: 1) To extend the detailed long-term monitoring of ecological communities of corals and algae on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia which has been carried on continuously over the past 30 years, the longest such study on any coral reef; 2) to expand the study to include sites on two nearby reefs, and additional replicate sites on Heron Reef; 3) to analyze spatial patterns and dynamics of corals and algae at several scales, from centimeters to tens of meters, both during the course of colonization of patches (opened by disturbances) and after most of the surface has become crowded by many colonies. These analyses should reveal the long-term effects of interactions that may be crucial in determining how natural communities are structured; 4) to test with controlled field experiments some hypotheses about mechanisms: a) that produce the unique species composition of corals at the Inner Reef Flat site, b) that cause contrasting patterns of algae after disturbances , and c) that determine precisely how each colony affects its neighbors; 5) to build mathematical models and computer simulations of the dynamics of these populations and communities of corals and algae: a) to investigate the influence of past and present conditions on future changes, b) to characterize temporal and spatial dynamics, and c) to test hypotheses about the consequences of these dynamics to the community. The models will be also used to asses the degree to which community structure and dynamics may or may not be influenced by details of spatial relationships. The field methods will use the standard sampling techniques used over the past 30 years, to assure continuity in the long-term data base. The experimental methods, using coral transplanting and cages to exclude larger herbivores, have also been used before in this study and are well- established. Larval choice experiments and new recruit transplants have been carried out successfully by the co- investigators elsewhere on the Great Barrier Re ef.. The significance of this proposed research to the advancement of knowledge is that: 1) it deepens the general knowledge of how natural communities of corals and algae (the dominant sessile organisms on tropical and sub-tropical reefs), are assembled and structured in the face of changes in their environment over extended periods of time; 2) it reveals some of the mechanisms that link the environment with these community changes, and how both vary over short and long time periods and between small and larger spatial scales; and 3) it helps to predict the effect of environmental changes, including those caused by human activity, on these natural communities. Ribosomal DNA Sequences in Marine Yeasts: A Model for Identification and Quantification of Marine Eukaryotes Jack Fell, University of Miami Using molecular techniques for rapid and accurate determination of community structure, this research will determine fungal biodiversity and population biomass in tropical caostal ecosystems (principally mangrove ecosystems) of two distinctly different groups of micro-fungi: the basidiomycetous yeasts and the oomycetous genus Halophythophora. Both groups have important roles in detrital based food webs. The research program will include laboratory and field studies. Laboratory studies will complete the data bank of know species as a basis for determining community structure in the field. New procedures will be developed with preliminary emphasis on quantitative PCR (QPCR) using laser detected infrared labeled primers. Field research will center on reef and mangrove habitats. Using a combination of classical microbial techniques and molecular methods, the community structure and relative abundance of known and unknown culturable fungi species will be determined. The identity of these species will be ascertain ed by automated DNA sequence analysis and nucleotide alignment with the data bank. Species-specific regions will be located and primers developed to test the accuracy and sensitivity of PCR techniques in estimating community structure. Through the use of PCR and QPCR, the occurrence of unculturable species and population densities will be estimated. The techniques developed in this research can be applied to population analyses of other micro- or macro-eukaryote communities. Bleaching of Symbiotic Algae (Zooxanthellae) and their Invertebrate Hosts: Causes and Mechanisms William Fitt, University of Georgia Bleaching, the loss of symbiotic dinoflagellates("zooxanthellae" hereafter) of their pigments, of reef corals and other invertebrates has become a world-wide problem in tropical marine ecosystem, linked by some researchers to global warming. The results of bleaching have potentially devastating environmental, ecological and economic effects in the Caribbean, IndoPacific, an other tropical marine areas. Though there is some experimental work showing involvement of both higher than average temperature and light, the mechanisms involved in bleaching are not well understood this project will test three hypotheses. 1. Bleaching in nature is caused by high temperature stress coupled with high energy blue light (and possibly UV-A between 380-400nm). Preliminary evidence shows that while high temperature alone will induce bleaching, natural light exposure during high temperature treatment exacerbates the effect by lowering the temperature threshold and time to bleaching at a given temperature. this study will determ ine which component of light is responsible for this effect and the mechanisms of action. Early theories on bleaching had light playing a major role, but experimental evidence has not yet supported this contention. Potentially harmful chemical alterations associated with high energy wavelengths of blue light (and possibly some near-blue wavelengths of UV-A, that are not adsorbed by UV-protecting pigments found in corals) are not only consistent with field observations of bleaching, but are also supported by both laboratory and field-based preliminary experiments. 2. The mechanisms of temperature-light induced bleaching involves the irreversible dissociation of the chlorophyll-protein associations in the chloroplast. The harmful effects of high temperatures and light on algae include the irreversible separation or inactivation of the chlorophyll-protein complexes associated with reaction centers in the chloroplast. Electron transport activity and eventually carbon fixation decrease markedly. 3. High light and temperatures cause decreases in "protective" pigments which absorb ultraviolet light. The role of different wavelengths of light in conjunction with high temperature in determining concentrations of UV- screening pigments will be determined as well as their relationship with photosynthetic rates. These hypotheses will be tested using cultured and freshly isolated zooxanthellae, and intact hosts both in the laboratory and in field-based experiments. El Nino Impacted Coral Reefs In The Tropical Eastern Pacific Secondary Disturbances, Recovery and Modeling of Population and Community Responses. Peter Glynn, University of Miami This research will continue a long-term study that has focused on ecological disturbances to eastern Pacific coral reefs that accompanied the sever and historically unprecedented 1982-83 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The study involves international collaboration with host- county research teams and primary field sites in Costa Rica, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), areas heavily impacted by the 1982-83 ENSO. Dr. Glynn will lead the research to continue (a) with the physical and biotic monitoring of eastern Pacific coral reefs initiated in the early-mid 1970s, (b) investigating the responses of different coral species to ENSO stressors, (c) studying coral reproductive ecology as it relates to recruitment success, and (d) documenting coral community recovery. New research directions include (e) remote sensing, which will attempt to link coral bleaching/mortality with local and global scale sea surface temperatures by means of synoptic and repeated measurements, and (f) modeling of coral pop ulation and community dynamics based on mechanistic relationships between temperature, predation, coral growth, and survivorship derived from field monitoring and experimental results. Because important secondary disturbances are still occurring and reef recovery has been slow, it is necessary to continue this study in order to understand the variety of changes involved and the full impact of a major disturbance on eastern Pacific coral survival and reef building. We are hopeful that ENSO warming disturbances can provide some insight to the probable changes in coral reefs worldwide if projected global warming causes repeated and/or protracted sea temperature increases comparable to the 1982-83 ENSO. Quantitative Aspects of Prey Chemical Defenses Mark Hay, University of North Carolina This project will extend the PI's current investigations on chemical mediation of seaweed-herbivore and invertebrate-predator interactions to include: (1) complex interactions of prey nutritional value with chemical and structural prey defenses, (2) an understanding of how larval and spore defenses differ from those of the adult, and why (exposure to different consumers?, increased exposure to UV without adult structures that provide shade?, etc.), and (3) the role of learned aversion by vertebrate versus invertebrate consumers in affecting both prey and consumer dynamics. Because benthic seaweeds and invertebrates play a trophically and ecologically important role in tropical and sub-tropical near-shore communities and are rich sources of novel secondary metabolites that function as defenses against consumers and have potential applications as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and growth regulating substances, understanding how these organisms respond chemically to ecological and environmental threats can pro vide fundamental information about how marine systems function, and can suggest strategies for applied uses of marine natural products. Broadcast Spawning and the Population Ecology of Coral Reef Animals Howard Lasker, State University of New York The literature on marine benthic ecology and evolution has generally ignored fertilization rates as an important factor in the life histories of benthic species, many which are important resource species. These rates have implicitly been assumed to be uniformly high and thus not a terribly significant factor in the establishment of the adult populations. There are now a number of data sets which raise doubts about the validity of that assumption. The research will determine rates of fertilization among natural populations and will explore some of the factors controlling these rates in reef communities. Using the Caribbean gorgonian, Plexaura A, as a model system Drs. Lasker and Coffroth will determine rates of fertilization of eggs released in synchronous spawning events. Plexaura A is clonal and often has skewed ratios of male and female colonies on different reefs. This will enable comparison of rates from reefs which differ in current regime and in the density of male colonies. Using random amplified poly morphic DNA (RAPD) from individual planulae larvae, they will conduct paternity analyses, determine the proportion of fertilizations attributable to specific male clones, and determine the effects of clone size and distribution on fertilization. If rates are low and are affected by factors such as population density, then it will be necessary to incorporate fertilization rates in analyses of benthic population animal dynamics and evolution. From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Wed Apr 17 06:51:14 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 06:51:14 -0400 (EDT) Subject: US CRI, NSF, Part 2 Message-ID: Forwarded message, Part 2: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ICRI, Part 2 The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Symbiotic Cnidarians: Action Spectra, Sites of Damage, and Bleaching Michael Lesser, University of New Hampshire The decrease of the stratospheric ozone layer has resulted in an increase in the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recent data indicates that this phenomenon will also affect tropical ecosystems. Tropical ecosystems have a long evolutionary history of exposure to fluxes of UV radiation, and can provide considerable insight into evolved mechanisms of protection against the deleterious effects of UV radiation. We presently do not know with confidence the wave length-dependent efficiency (action spectrum) of UV radiation for any physiological function in symbiotic cnidarians. Widespread coral bleaching events have recently been observed following anomolously high sea surface temperatures around the world. If UV radiation synergistically interacts with increased sea water temperatures, action spectra will be required to predict what dose of UV radiation can induce bleaching, with or without an increase in sea water temperature. An important step in understa nding the bleaching phenomenon is to determine the independent and synergistic effects of temperature, visible radiation, and UV radiation on the functional biology of symbiotic associations. A Facility for Research and Education at the Caribbean Marine Research Center, Lee Stocking Island Marine Field Station. Romuald Lipcius, Virginia Institute of Marine Science The Caribbean Marine Research Center (CMRC) is one of six National Undersea Research Centers. CMRC's marine field station on Lee Stocking Island (LSI) in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas comprises 28 buildings, a 915-meter airstrip, nine research vessels, wet and dry submersibles, and recompression chamber and an underwater habitat. The station affords access to a pristine marine environment with a diverse array of tropical habitats including shallow and deep coral reefs, grassbeds, sand flats, mangroves, submerged carbonate terraces, subsea caves, blue holes, tidal channels and stromatolites, a unique bio-geological feature. During 1993, 131 visiting scientists and students conducted research in the fields of benthic ecology, invertebrate biology, fisheries ecology, oceanography, coral reef ecology, paleo-oceanography, macroalgal ecology, aquaculture, global climate change, coral bleaching and marine geology. In addition, a limited number of field courses and workshops were held at LSI. However, the station is hinde red by a paucity of accommodations for visiting scientists, and the lack of a suitable lecture and workshop facility, which prevents CMRC from meeting numerous requests to conduct field courses, workshops and research. The proposed partnership between CMRC, The College of William & Mary (W&M), and NSF would significantly enhanced the utility of one of the most productivity marine field stations in the Caribbean. Specifically this project will provide for the construction of a dormitory and lecture/workshop building at LSI. Key contributions by CMRC include property for the facility, support services, and administrative framework for coordination of activities, and maintenance of the building over the facility's lifetime. Calcification by Hermatypic Corals: Regulation of the Calcium Pathway Erich Mueller, University of South Alabama Reef-building corals display two modes of calcification, that which occurs in the light and that taking place in the dark. Calcium carbonate deposition is greater in the light, a phenomenon attributed to the photosynthetic activity of algal endosymbionts (zooxanthellae). There is evidence that the two modes may differ in mechanism as well as quantitatively. In spite of numerous studies, the link between coral calcification and zooxanthellae photosynthesis remains unresolved. The significance of this link can be succinctly stated: the partnership of corals and their zooxanthellae is essentially responsible for the existence of the world's living (and most fossil) coral reefs. A major question is whether either of the calcium carbonate substrates, calcium and dissolved inorganic carbon dioxide, are limiting to calcification and, if so, under what conditions. The importance of calcium to living systems has led to a variety of well-conserved calcium regulatory mechanisms, however, very little coral research has examined such regulation. This strategy has a large base of information from research on other biomineralizing organisms and in many areas of cellular physiology. Such an approach, coupled with recent advances in coral culture, promises substantial progress in a research area that has made little during the past decade. This research project will focus on whether coral calcification is limited by calcium availability at the site of skeletogenesis (not in seawater) and how availability may be affected by symbiont photosynthetic activity. Using a combination of pharmacologic and kinetic approaches, the calcium pathway from seawater to skeleton will be compartmentally characterized. Calcium movement and regulation between compartments by membrane transport systems and messenger systems (i.e. cAMP, calmodulin ) will be of central interest. While this basic research question may be sufficient justification for this projec t, there are benefits of more practical value as well. Optimization of coral culture could h ave far reaching implications for coral reef conservation. Directly, it offers a means for propagation of corals to repair damaged reefs. Use of coral culture in the aquarium trade could indirectly help natural reefs by reducing the rapidly increasing wild harvest. Understanding the light-enhancement of coral calcification would allow manipulation of culture conditions to produce skeletons with consistent physical properties. Such skeletons would be of value for use in bone reconstruction where natural coral has been successfully employed. Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis and Release of Glycerol by Zooxanthellae Leonard Muscatine, University of California One of the most intriguing, and enigmatic phenomena in the field of coral reef ecology is the symbiotic relationship between the coral polyp and the nutrient producing dinoflagellate that it hosts. This relationship is the key feature in the stability of coral reefs and many of the organisms which reside there. The objective of this project is to study the translocation of carbon from symbiotic dinoflagellates to the coral host cells. This will be achieved by a revolutionary approach to studying this relationship, by artificially altering the biochemical carbon pathways, and evaluating the subsequent metabolism of the coral polyp and the photosynthetic capacities of the dinoflagellates. This shall give us new insights on the nutritional relationship between the two. Dr. Muscatine has a string of success with prior NSF awards and is at the forefront in this field of study. His project will help to achieve two objectives: 1) further contribute to our understanding of the role of coral symbioses, which could po tentially have biotechnological value, and 2) provide another opportunity for collaborative work with Russian scientist in U.S. laboratories. Housing Facility for Visiting Scientists Award Valerie Paul, University of Guam The University of Guam Marine Laboratory will build a housing facility for accommodating visiting researchers including visiting graduate students. The 2000 sq ft building will contain three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living area for dormitory style accommodations and a separate suite with two bedrooms, one bath, and a kitchen for an apartment style unit. Earlier support allowed the university to complete the architectural and engineering plans for this building. Such a facility is considered extremely important because 1) the institution is in an isolated academic environment and visiting investigators are a valuable resource for interactions and new ideas, and 2) skyrocketing rents and a serious housing shortage combine to make it difficult to impossible to find adequate lodging for visitors staying less than 6 months. The University of Guam Laboratory supports the research of 8 full-time faculty, numerous graduate and undergraduate students, as well as visiting investigators. The research dem ands on facility have increased due to the addition of new faculty at the laboratory, the recent establishment of collaborative programs between the Marine Laboratory and the University of Hawaii and the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa, Japan), and the awareness of the Marine Laboratory as a resource for coral reef research by over 550 scientists who attended the 7th International Coral Reef Symposium on Guam in June 1992. The new building will allow the support of increasing numbers of visiting scientists that wish to conduct research at the laboratory , which will in turn enhance the research environment. Assessing the Chemical Defenses of Caribbean Sponges Joseph Pawlik, University of North Carolina Sponges are important components of benthic marine communities, particularly on coral reefs. Organic extracts of their tissues have yielded a wealth of unusual chemical compounds that are not known to be involved in primary metabolism. These secondary metabolites have a diversity of pharmacological effects in laboratory assays, but it is unclear why sponges produce them. The most commonly held theory is that these compounds are distasteful to potential predators. The proposed research will provide an assessment of the chemical defenses of Caribbean demo sponges, a group whose taxonomy and chemistry is fairly well described. The investigation will proceed within a theoretical framework established by previous research on the chemical ecology of terrestrial plants and marine algae. Overall, this research project represents the first systematic investigation of the chemical defenses of tropical marine sponges. The results will be useful in judging the general applicability of optimal defense theories based on s tudies of terrestrial ecosystems. On the Abundance, Dynamics and Regulation of Damselfish Populations Russell Schmitt and Sally Holbrook, University of California The aim of the work is to understand the dynamics and regulation of structured, open populations, which typify most marine reef fishes and invertebrates. While there is broad agreement among ecologists that attributes of populations are shared by more than an single process (e.g., availability of propagules, competition within and between life stages, competition with other species, predation), there remains considerable disagreement regarding their relative importance. There also is some confusion about what roles various processes have in producing dynamics; few empirical workers have distinguished between processes that regulate populations (i.e., bound fluctuations) as opposed to those that cause variation around the mean abundance. An enormous amount is known about the caused of fluctuations in abundance of reef organisms, but very little is known about what regulates their populations. This work will contribute in several key ways to understanding the general issue of dynamics and regulation. It is one of the first comprehensive, pluralistic evaluations of reef fishes that will distinguish effects of processes on regulation and on variation. Second, it will use for the first time operational definitions and analytical protocols for quantitative assessm ents of the relative importance of various processes. As such, the research could yield standard approaches and procedures to address relative importance. Third, the application of infrared video technology enables the exploration of little studied but cr ucial processes of settlement and early mortality. Zooplankton Capture by Corals: Effects of Water Movement and Prey Escape Kenneth Sebens and Jennifer Purcell, University of Maryland Information on water flow in coral reef environments has generally been done to quantify mass transport across reefs or to identify important processes generating nutrient flux from reefs. This project will investigate the effects of water flow on several aspects of the feeding biology of corals. Field measurements of feeding rates on four species of corals will be made with prey sampling by an automated pump/sampler and field flume that allows concurrent measurements of water flow and prey availability. Feeding experiments will be manipulated by varying flow rate, prey type, and food availability and will be conducted over several days with different flow conditions. Capture events and prey type, and food availability and will be conducted over several days with different flow conditions. Capture events and prey escape behavior will be filmed using underwater video. Another important aspect of feeding biology in coral reefs is the small scale water flow around corals in the field. This will be accomplished with three self- contained underwater thermistors flowmeters with 2 mm spatial resolution, based on the design of LaBarber and Vogel (1976). The data collected will be used to characterize the general flow regime at the site, providing new information about the flow environment of coral reefs in Jamaica and other sites in the Caribbean. Pacific Paleoclimate from Reef Corals in the Eastern and Western Margins: Records from Galapagos, Cocos Island and the Gulf of Papua Glen Shen, University of Washington This award will support a study designed to characterize the paleoclimate of the eastern Pacific over the last 400 years using the best available coral samples and seeks to establish a new geochemical tracer in the far western Pacific - a region for which few marine climatic indicators presently exist. The foci of the eastern Pacific reconstructions will be the Galapagos Islands (0.5oS, 91oW) and Cocos Island ( 5.3oN, 86.9oW). The ratio of barium:calcium in coral argonite, a sensitive indicator of upwelling and fluvial discharge, will be the key measurement using an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Records spanning 270- (Cocos) and 400-years (Galapagos) length will be produced at quarter-annual resolution. Additionally, annual determinations of Cd/Ca and Mn/Ca will be made . Developmental effort for a regional precipitation index over Australasia will involve determination of Ba/Ca ratios in a 100- year coral core from the Gulf of Papua, an area markedly influenced by Ba-enriched contin ental runoff. The goal of this work is the development of climatically-relevant datasets which surpass the instrumental record in length yet retain the quality of latter 20th century measurements. Such records will allow a closer examination of recurrent periods (e.g annual, biennial, and three-to-seven year ENSO timescales) which appear to characterize the lower atmosphere and upper ocean, and may reveal the existence of longer time scale variations. Marine Biotechnology Fellowship: Natural Products from Common Shallow-water Soft Corals of Guam: Reproductive Considerations Marc Slattery, University of Mississippi This research project will utilize analytical chemical techniques to evaluate the importance of secondary metabolites and steroids in the reproduction of 3 species of soft corals from Guam. This project builds on ongoing research which has identified and examined the importance of secondary metabolites, organic extracts, and morphological defenses in soft coral predator deterrence. This project will extract, isolate, and determine the structures of new secondary metabolites in adult colonies and their eggs. Temporal changes in concentrations of these compounds will be correlated with reproductive indices to assess the role of the compounds in maturation and spawning. Standard bioassays will be conducted to guide isolation of bioactive compounds and to determine the importance of isolated natural products in egg release, sperm chemotaxis, and feeding deterrence. Novel compounds identified in this project will expand upon a growing database of metabolites that can be used as chemotaxonomic markers and will be incorporated into existing pharmacological programs. Additionally, this project will contribute significant in sights into the reproductive biology and chemical ecology of the common soft corrals on the shallow reefs surrounding Guam. The Physiology of Sclerochronology: Mechanism and Variation in Formation of High Density Bands in the Massive Coral Montastrea Annularis Alina Szmant and Peter Swart, University of Miami; Richard Dodge, Nova University; and James Porter, University of Georgia High density (HD) bands mark annual cycles of growth in X- radiographs of reef coral skeletons and presumably form due to physiological response to seasonal cycles of temperature and light. However, the mechanism of formation has not been established for any coral. The HD band is usually used to define the annual band, and thus understanding its formation, and the controls on variability in its timing is important. In the research, a conceptual model of how density bands form, based on physiological and morphological data obtained with earlier NSF funding, is will be developed. Four specific aspects of the work will include: (1) development of a mechanistic mathematical model for the formation of the HD band of Montastrea annularis, a major coral used in paleoclimate work; (2) conducting an in situ experiment to test the validity of the model; (3) evaluation of the genetic vs. environmental components of variation in time of formation of the HD band; and (4) assessment of the variation among corals in the re lationship between HD bands and stable isotope profiles. This study will provide the type of environmental physiological data needed for the precise use of coral density bands for paleoclimatology. The Temperature History of the Western Pacific Warm Pool Over the Last 30 Ka Frederick Taylor, University of Texas; R. Lawrence, University of Minnesota; and George Burr, University of Arizona This project will collaborate with French scientists to drill coral terraces in the western tropical Pacific. Three sites will span the center and southern margins of the Western Pacific Warm Pool, and will be drilled to about 30,000 yr BP. Samples will be analyzed for stable isotopes, U, Sr and radiocarbon. The project will address two objectives; (1) a record of warm pool thermal stability at several scales of climate change ( with implications for circum-Pacific climate) and (2) calibration of the radiocarbon age scale (relevant to all science which depends on radiocarbon dating). Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Biology of Caribbean Reef Corals Gerard Wellington, University of Houston Recent studies indicate that ultraviolet radiation can penetrate to considerable depths on tropical reefs. Persistent high levels of UV penetration, resulting from extended periods of calm sea conditions, have been shown to induce stress leading to the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae (i.e., bleaching) in reef-building corals. These conditions may have contributed significantly to the regional mass coral bleaching events observed in the Caribbean during 1987 and 1990. This project will continue monitoring penetration of UV radiation, sea temperatures, and recovery of coral exposed to UV radiation. In addition, the project will be expanded to evaluate the effects of UV radiation on the early life-history stages, namely planula larvae and newly-recruited juveniles, of predominant coral species. While increases in UV radiation are predicted to be minimal at low latitudes, increased frequency of calm sea conditions predicted by global warming will lead to enhanced water column clarity and high UV penetration with subsequent negative effects on reef corals. This project, by experimentally defining the maximum UV intensities that can be tolerated by larval and juveniles corals, will provide insight into the role that current intensities of UV radiation play in limiting recruitment and shaping subsequent coral community structure. Directorate for Biological Sciences (lead) Center for Ultraviolet Radiation Research at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Paul Jokiel; Robert Kinzie; George Losey, University of Hawaii This project will provide equipment to enable the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology to serve as a center for diverse research on UV radiation in the tropical marine environment. An international workshop on UV radiation in the sea (Aug., 1994) concluded that HIMB's history of such research and its sub- tropical location make it the most logical site in the U.S.A., or the world, for such a center. A scanning spectroradiometer will allow precision measurement of radiation in the laboratory and the field. A UV- sensitive/visible wavelength remote controlled television will allow visual perception and measurement of portions of the sensory world of marine animals of which humans are dismally unaware. Visitors will be encouraged to use these facilities and several leading investigators in the field have firm plans for participation. Optimization Strategies for Reef Restoration Using Cultured Hermatypic Corals Erich Mueller, University of South Alabama Coral reefs are important reservoirs of biodiversity and serve as centers of biological production in low productivity seas. They provide subsistence and commercial fishing and contribute to third world economies by attracting tourism. It has become increasing apparent that reefs are being adversely affected by human activities. The impact of anthropogenic activities, both historical and modern, is damaging reefs to the point whether ecosystem functioning has been compromised. Restoration of reef fisheries and habitats is in its embryonic stages. Lessons learned from terrestrial and near-shore restoration programs are being examined to avoid costly or damaging errors. However, the logistics of working on reefs and their complex nature require new approaches. There is a good foundation of coral physiology and reef ecology research on which to base restoration efforts. This project includes two closely coupled components: 1) examination of coral growth and physiology under laboratory culture conditions and 2) assessment of coral contribution to habitat structural a biological complexity and survival rates of laboratory -raised corals in field test plots. This project will examine the effect of photoperiod and substrates on coral growth rates and metabolic performance (photosynthesis, respiration and calcification). These data will be used to modify culture techniques which have significant advantages over simple transplantation strategies. Corals are generally slow-growing species and optimizing growth rates to attain coral of critical size will be fundamental to the success of a culture approach. The critical size will be assessed in field pilot studies. Test plots will be established in a vessel grounding site. Plots will include corals grown under various culture conditions (explants) and to varying sizes. Their effect on habitat structural complexity and the resulting biodiversity will be compared to corals transplanted from healthy reef areas and to natural control sites. Survivorship and growth rates of cul tured explants and transplanted corals will also be compared. Results obtained from this project should provide both physiological and ecological information for the formulation of viable restoration programs. In addition, the further development of coral culture will assist reef conservation efforts by reducing the increasing wild harvest of corals for commercial trade. Keys Marine Laboratory Research Housing Facility John Ogden; Kenneth Haddad, University of South Florida The Keys Marine Laboratory (KML) commenced academic research and education programs in the 1980's through a public/private partnership between the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) and Sea World of Florida, Inc. Based on the success of that partnership and recognizing the need for these programs and facilities the State of Florida purchased the KML in 1990. With the closure of other residential laboratory facilities in the region and the unprecedented scientific and political attention on the mosaic of South Florida environments, the KML has now assumed an even more critical support role. In the last five years usage by research and education groups has increased steadily and is beginning to exceed some of the capabilities of the current facilities. Particularly urgent is the need for improved and expanded housing accommodations for non-resident researchers. Lodging has been identified as one of the major impediments to conducting research in the region. Laboratory and boat facilities are equally impor tant but at this point in time the KML can reasonably accommodate these needs. This project will provide funding to construct the first unit of a planned three-unit handicapped accessible housing facility which will provide additional lodging space for two to four (2-4) researchers/unit. This facility will help meet the need of regional, national, and international scientists studying the continentally unique systems of South Florida, including coral reefs. From bhaskell at ocean.nos.noaa.gov Wed Apr 17 10:18:44 1996 From: bhaskell at ocean.nos.noaa.gov (Haskell, B.) Date: 17 Apr 1996 09:18:44 -0500 Subject: New Web Page Message-ID: I am pleased to announce the posting of a new web page for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. You can find us at: www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov HAPPY BROWSING! Benjamin Haskell Science Coordinator From tsmith at scu.edu.au Wed Apr 17 21:26:14 1996 From: tsmith at scu.edu.au (Tim Smith) Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 11:26:14 +1000 Subject: nutrients & corals (case studies) Message-ID: <199604180126.LAA16645@alsvid.scu.edu.au> Hello, I need some case studies of nutrients degrading coral reefs and other marine life, either directly through a decline in laval settlement etc., or indirectly through coral smothering from stimulated growth of primary producers etc. I would appreciate any help you could give. Thank you. Tim From mbrush at gsosun1.gso.uri.edu Thu Apr 18 12:56:15 1996 From: mbrush at gsosun1.gso.uri.edu (Mark J. Brush) Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 11:56:15 -0500 Subject: email address Message-ID: Hi all- Was there recently someone from Columbia looking for information on reef degredation, human impacts, etc.? I had some information for you but no longer have your address. Let me know! Regards, Mark Brush Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island Narragansett, RI 02882 From tsocci at usgcrp.gov Thu Apr 18 13:29:43 1996 From: tsocci at usgcrp.gov (Anthony Socci) Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 13:29:43 -0400 Subject: USGCRP Seminar on The Role of Aerosols and Climate Change, April 25th Message-ID: U.S. Global Change Research Program Second Monday Seminar Series The Role of Aerosols in Climate Change What are the sources of aerosols and what are their concentrations in the atmosphere? How much of a climate cooling influence do aerosols presently exert relative to the warming influence exerted by greenhouse gases? What influence will aerosols likely exert in the future? How well do climate models account for the influence of aerosols? What are the uncertainties and how large are those uncertainties? Will cooling due to aerosols counter warming due to greenhouse gases? Public Invited Thursday, April 25, 1996, 3:15-4:45 PM Rayburn House Office Bldg., Room B369 Reception Following INTRODUCTION Dr. John H. Seinfeld, Louis E. Nohl Professor and Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA SPEAKERS Dr. Robert J. Charlson, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Studies and Geophysics Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Dr. Joyce E. Penner, Atmospheric Science Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA OVERVIEW Aerosol is a term used to describe the many types of small particles in the atmosphere. Aerosol particles vary greatly in size, source, chemical composition, amount and distribution in space and time, and how long they survive in the atmosphere. Only over the past few years has enough become known about aerosol effects on solar radiation that scientists can start to estimate their large-scale influence on climate. While the results are still relatively new and uncertain, what has been learned is providing important new insights about how humans are affecting the climate. Measurements now show that a substantial fraction of the aerosols in the lower atmosphere is a by-product of human activities. The highly visible haze that persists in all of the industrialized regions of the world consists mainly of sulfate and organic compounds from emissions of sulfur dioxide, organic gases, and smoke from the burning of fossil fuels and vegetation. Emissions of sulfur dioxide, mainly from coal combustion, have risen dramatically in the Northern Hemisphere over the last century, and, while now decreasing in the United States, are continuing to rise in the industrializing nations of the Northern Hemisphere. Small aerosol particles affect the natural energy balance of the Earth mainly by reflecting (and in some cases absorbing) solar radiation and by, some evidence suggests, influencing the reflective and absorbing properties of clouds. Larger particles can also affect the fluxes of long-wave terrestrial radiation, but this is generally a smaller effect. Aerosol particles can also affect atmospheric chemistry by providing sites on which chemical reactions can take place-it is this role of aerosols, in this case mainly aerosols created by sulfur dioxide injections from volcanic eruptions that is contributing to depletion of stratospheric ozone and affecting the radiative effects of ozone in the atmosphere. The current mean global warming influence from anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas concentrations and from associated changes in atmospheric chemistry since the 18th century is estimated to be about +2.5 watts per square meter. By comparison, the continuing emissions of sulfur dioxide from coal combustion and other sources are estimated, with considerable uncertainty, to be causing an average cooling influence of about -1.3 watts per square meter, thus reducing the warming influence of greenhouse gases by about half. Recent projections of increases in global mean surface temperature suggest a best estimate of 2 degrees C temperature rise by the year 2100, with a range from about 0.8 to 3.5 degrees C depending on emissions projections for greenhouse gases and aerosols and climate sensitivity. These projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are roughly one degree lower than similar projections in 1990 because account is being taken of past and future cooling influences from changes in the aerosol concentration. While the radiative effects of aerosols work in the opposite direction of greenhouse gases, their climatic effects are not simply opposing because of the very different spatial and temporal distributions of their influence. Greenhouse gases exert their influence night and day, all year long. By contrast, forcing by anthropogenic aerosols occurs mostly by day, mostly in the summer, and mostly near and downwind of aerosol sources. While the cooling influence of aerosols is thus regional, the climate response can extend hemispherically, and even globally, as the atmospheric circulation patterns adjust to the differential patterns of warming and cooling. The long lifetime of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (typically decades to centuries) and the short lifetime of sulfate aerosols (typically days to weeks) means that the greenhouse gas induced warming will more and more strongly dominate the aerosol cooling influence in the future. Also, because of the health effects of fine aerosol particles, allowing a greater build-up of aerosols cannot be used to continue to offset the greenhouse gas effect without leading to deleterious health and ecological effects. Because of their many influences, improving understanding of aerosols effects is essential. Their effects determine how rapidly or slowly warming will occur, how soon human and natural influences on the climate can be distinguished, and what the regional patterns of climate change will be. This seminar will provide an overview of scientific understanding and of the importance of gaining better estimates of the influence of aerosols on climate. BIOGRAPHIES Dr. Robert J. Charlson began his career as an instrument engineer at the Boeing Company while simultaneously studying meteorology. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in meteorology at Stanford University, Dr. Charlson joined the faculty of the University of Washington. After 21 years in the College of Environmental Engineering, he joined the Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry faculties. His research interests focus on connecting chemical and physical properties and processes of atmospheric aerosols, focusing especially on the role of sulfur and organic aerosols in climate forcing. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Aerosol Forcing of Climate, serves on the Science Advisory Committee of the Atmosphere/Ocean Experiment, and was co-lead author of the aerosol section of the 1994 and 1995 IPCC reports. Dr. Charlson is a former Fulbright Scholar and NATO Lecturer in Meteorology. He is also the recipient of the Gerbier-Mumm Award of the World Meteorological Association, and holds an Honorary doctorate degree from Stockholm University. He received his BS and MS degrees in Chemistry from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. Dr. Joyce E. Penner is presently Group Leader of the Atmospheric Science Division of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She is responsible for developing, conducting and supervising research programs that are aimed at evaluating the role of fossil fuel emissions in altering chemical cycles and climate. She has over 90 peer-reviewed publications in the scientific literature, including studies of stratospheric chemistry and ozone change, regional and urban air pollution, nuclear war effects on global climate, and chemical and aerosol effects on radiation and climate. She is a leading expert on the interactions of chemistry, aerosols, and their effects on the climate system and has played an active role in recognition of the effect of aerosols on climate, organizing several meetings including, most recently, the 5th International Conference on Carbonaceous Particles in the Atmosphere. She has served on several scientific advisory committees, including the National Academy of Sciences Atmospheric Chemistry Committee and the National Academy of Sciences Panel on Aerosol Forcing and Climate Change. Dr. Penner received a BA degree from the University of California-Santa Barbara, and her MS and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. NEXT SEMINAR: May 20th and 21st, 1996 A Closer Look at Global Satellite and Surface Temperature Records and Trends (Parts I and II) For more information please contact: Dr. Anthony D. Socci, U.S. Global Change Research Program Office 300 D St., SW, Suite 840, Washington, DC 20024 Telephone: (202) 651-8244; Fax: (202) 554-6715 E-Mail: TSOCCI at USGCRP.GOV. Additional information on the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and this Seminar Series is available on the USGCRP Home Page at: http://www.usgcrp.gov. Normally these seminars are held on the second Monday of each month. From LPRoerden at aol.com Fri Apr 19 19:35:32 1996 From: LPRoerden at aol.com (LPRoerden at aol.com) Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 19:35:32 -0400 Subject: Grand Cayman's reef ecology Message-ID: <960419193532_378759136@emout10.mail.aol.com> I'm a high school teacher bringing a group of newly NAUI certified students to Grand Cayman this summer for an intensive marine bio course (for the month of July). I've searched the net (unsucessfully!) for information specific to the health of the Cayman Island's reefs (I'm specifically wondering about the incidence of bleaching). Does anyone have any information (or can point me to where I might find this information)? We're designing a research project for the students and want to tailor it to the unique qualities of Grand Cayman's reefs. Any suggestions? From hendee at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 22 10:03:01 1996 From: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov (James C. Hendee) Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 10:03:01 -0400 (EDT) Subject: ICRI Document (June 2, 1995) Message-ID: The complete document for the International Coral Reef Initiative Workshop, held May 29, 1995 through June 2, 1995, is available in three different formats at the following FTP address: ftp://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pub/champ/docs/icri/ This link is also available through our ICRI Home Page at: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/icri/icri.html Other documents are forthcoming. Yours, Jim Hendee From hendee at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 22 09:57:11 1996 From: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov (James C. Hendee) Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 09:57:11 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Caution on postings. Message-ID: Greetings, Please note here that the e-mail address for postings to the coral-list has a minor change. Please use: coral-list at reef.aoml.noaa.gov instead of: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov Otherwise, your message may not got posted. Thanks, Jim Hendee coral-list administrator From hendee at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 22 12:12:20 1996 From: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov (James C. Hendee) Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 12:12:20 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Reef Encounter deadline Message-ID: This message forwarded for Sue Wells. We are unfortunately having some problems with the list-server. Thank you for your patience. Sincerely yours, Jim Hendee ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 22 Apr 96 14:41:40 BST From: Sue.Wells at wcmc.org.uk To: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Reef Encounter deadline -------------------------- [Original Message] ------------------------- The next issue of Reef Encounter, the newsletter of the International Society for Reef Studies, will be produced in time for the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama. The deadline for receipt of copy for this issue has been extended from 15 April (as announced in Reef Encounter No. 18) to 30 April. We apologise for this short notice. Please let us know as soon as possible if you are planning to send an article or news item. This issue will have a larger than normal print-run because of the Panama meeting, so authors will have a good audience. Contributions on all topics will be welcome, but we would particularly like items relating to Central American reefs. We look forward to hearing from you. Sue Wells sue.wells at wcmc.org.uk Callum Roberts cr10 at york.ac.uk From coral at aoml.noaa.gov Mon Apr 22 12:25:49 1996 From: coral at aoml.noaa.gov (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 12:25:49 -0400 (EDT) Subject: test Message-ID: Please ignore this test message. Jim From Mangroveap at aol.com Mon Apr 22 13:29:50 1996 From: Mangroveap at aol.com (Mangroveap at aol.com) Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 13:29:50 -0400 Subject: relation between coral and mangroves Message-ID: <960422132950_277991391@emout14.mail.aol.com> Dear Mark Eskin, I was advised to write you on obtaining information on the shared functions of coral and mangroves. I am the Director of the Mangrove Action Project, based in Seattle, WA. Our organization is a non-profit international network addressing the serious problems of mangrove forest loss. We are trying to make more solid coalition connections with other groups working on coastal resource issues. Your help in clarifying the mutual connections betweenm coral and mangroves would help in this regards. Also, please advise on what it entails to join your list. And send us a mailing address, if you'd like a hard copy of our Spring issue of the MAP newsletter. Or, if you prefer, we can e-mail it. Thank you for your time and consideration. In Peace, Alfredo Quarto, Dorector Mangrove Action Project From J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com Tue Apr 23 12:27:00 1996 From: J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com (John McManus) Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 09:27:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: reply : grand cayman's reef Message-ID: <317C32B6@msm.cgnet.com> Regarding stresses affecting Grand Cayman, ReefBase has found only a report by Raymont et.al, 1976, summarized in "Coral Reefs of the World", involving sedimentation stress. The report is Part IV B of "Cayman Islands Natural Resources Study", published by the Ministry of Overseas Development, London. The report may be hard to find, but many libraries have "Coral Reefs of the World". Sincerely, John W. McManus ReefBase Project Leader Aquatic Environments Program International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) PO Box 2631 Makati City 0718 Philippines Tel.No. (63-2) 8180466 Fax No. (63-2) 8163183 EMail: J.McManus at cgnet.com From Ian.Price at jcu.edu.au Tue Apr 23 03:21:54 1996 From: Ian.Price at jcu.edu.au (Ian Price) Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 17:21:54 +1000 (EST) Subject: Algal Book Notice Message-ID: From: Assoc. Prof. Ian R. Price Department of Botany and Tropical Agriculture James Cook University Townsville, Qld 4811 AUSTRALIA Phone: National (077) 81 4133/4427 International 61 77 81 4133 Fax: (077) 25 1570 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BOOK NOTICE Ian R. Price and Fiona J. Scott, 1992, The Turf Algal Flora of the Great Barrier Reef, Part I, Rhodophyta, James Cook University, Townsville, xii + 266 pp. (incl. 81 figs). Softcover. This volume deals with the turf-forming species of red algae recorded from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of 75 species and subspecies are provided, with emphasis on vegetative characters. In addition, data on nomenclature, type material, voucher specimens, habitat, seasonality and geographical distribution are given. Genus descriptions, keys to genera and species, a glossary of terms and taxonomic index are also included. This is the first detailed taxonomic treatment of the turf algae which occur on coral reefs, where they are of major importance in trophodynamics. Although written for Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the work should prove useful throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific region. Available from the Bookshop, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia [phone (077) 814 812, fax. (077) 251 209]. Price Aust$58.45 (incl. packaging and postage in Australia or overseas). Cheques should be made payable to "James Cook University Bookshop". For credit card payment please specify whether Bankcard, Visa or MasterCard, give card number, expiry date and name of card-holder, and include your signature. E-mail orders (addressed to Carina at bookshop.jcu.edu.au) will be accepted if full credit card details are provided. --------------------------------------------------------------------- From CML at zool.canterbury.ac.nz Tue Apr 23 15:38:57 1996 From: CML at zool.canterbury.ac.nz (Dr.C.L.McLay) Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 08:38:57 +1300 Subject: Job Message-ID: <2B0B8310843@zool.canterbury.ac.nz> LECTURER IN ZOOLOGY (Aquatic Ecology) Applications are invited for the above position in the Department of Zoology. The minimum qualification on appointment is the Ph.D. degree or equivalent, and post-doctoral experience is preferable. The appointee can expect to contribute to the teaching of marine invertebrate zoology, aquatic ecology and general zoology at undergraduate level, and to teach a post-graduate course or courses in their area of specialisation. He or she will be required to develop an active programme of research and to supervise research students. Preference may be given to a candidate with strengths in biometrics and experimental ecology, and interests in the broader fields of environmental science or conservation biology. Academic enquires may be directed to the Head of Department, Professor M.J.Winterbourn, FAX 03-364 2024, or email: job at zool.canterbury.ac.nz The salary for Lectures is on a scale from $42000 - 52000 per annum. Applicants should quote Position No. ZO95 Applications close 30 June, 1996 Dr Colin McLay Zoology Department Canterbury University PB 4800, Christchurch New Zealand. Tel: +64 3 364 2887 FAX: +64 3 364 2024 email: c.mclay at zool.canterbury.ac.nz WWW Home Page: http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/zool/cm.htm From Mangroveap at aol.com Tue Apr 23 21:00:44 1996 From: Mangroveap at aol.com (Mangroveap at aol.com) Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 21:00:44 -0400 Subject: The Mangrove Action Project Message-ID: <960423210043_520509739@emout10.mail.aol.com> Dear Friends, I am taking this opportunity to send out a broadcast announcement about the Mangrove Action Project (MAP). This might be important for our coalition building efforts to alert those listed members to MAP's existence and purpose. If you are interested in receiving copies of our quarterly newsletter and other action alerts, then please respond by e-mail, so that we can transmit these your way. If you would like regular hard copy mailings by postal service, then please include your postal address for "snail mail!" If we do not hear back from you, we will assume that you are not interested in further information from MAP, and will remove your address from our e-mail file. So, please respond soon to this letter of enquiry. The following is a brief description of MAP for your review: A Global Voice For The Mangroves, To Counter The "Blue Revolution" The Mangrove Action Project is an international network addressing the serious problems of mangrove forest loss in tropical and sub-tropical nations. MAP also acts in support of the traditional coastal peoples who reside near the mangrove forests and depend upon these forests for their rich natural resources. MAP links NGOs working around the world with those NGOs working directly with coastal communities where mangroves are threatened. One of MAP's main objectives is to promote local community land-use rights, whereby local people are directly involved in, and responsible for, sustainable management of their own coastal resource base, including mangrove forest resources. Mangrove forests are vital coastal ecosystems which play a major role in world fisheries and coastal health and protection. These forests link sea and land, and provide complex habitats rich in biodiversity and natural resources. Mangroves act as buffers against storms, wind, and wave action, thus protecting both coast and coastal communities from severe damage and loss. Countless traditional coastal fishers and farmers depend on these forests for both their livelihoods and cultures. Also, the mangroves provide many necessary materials for construction, fuel wood for cooking and heat, and essential foods and medicines. Yet, today, these "rainforests of the sea" are highly threatened by modern developments and encroachments. The charcoal and timber industries are partly responsible for the problems of mangrove loss, and also developments for tourism and human settlement play a role in the demise of these important ecosystems. However, the greatest threat to our planet's remaining mangrove forests comes from the unregulated expansion of the shrimp aquaculture industry.. For the sake of a luxury export product, jumbo shrimp, which is sold in Japan, the US, Canada, Europe and other wealthy nations, tens of thousands of hectares of mangrove forests in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been cleared. Today, less than half the world's mangrove forests remain. With the continued, largely unregulated expansion of shrimp aquaculture, the situation for coastal communities and the environment is critical. Yet, many governments in developing nations have taken the bait, and gotten caught on the hook of promised export earnings via shrimp aquaculture. Even the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been promoting aquaculture as a means of supplementing a declining wild fishery, not taking into account that this same industry will further degrade the wild fisheries by destroying key coastal habitats and nursery grounds. Basically, the shrimp industry is still in its test phase, where all the "bugs" have not been worked out of the system. Yet, this same highly experimental, and still flawed, industry is being tested through wide-scale application, rather than small-scale research and development. A wise approach would be for the industry to first solve its major technical difficulties in a lab, or controlled test facility, not in a largely disjointed fashion, where there are no effective controls in place. (This disastrous, no-holds-barred production approach could be compared to opening up for public transport a newly designed and untested commercial airplane to unsuspecting passengers on its maiden flight!) The great earnings of shrimp culture are short-lived, while the real costs in terms of consequent environmental ruin and social disruption are astronomical! While the immediate profits may temporarily satisfy an elite few, vast numbers of coastal residents are in the long-term displaced and impoverished. And, now this despoiling industry is moving more determinedly onto the coasts of Africa, again threatening mangrove forests, sea grass beds and coral reefs, while usurping the agricultural lands and resource use rights of traditional farmers and fishers. Because both lands and labor in Africa are comparatively cheap, and governments are struggling to improve their export earnings, the industry which is desperate for new coastlines to re-establish itself will seize on the opportunities presented there. MAP's aim is to counter industry's next moves, by alerting African NGOs, coastal communities, academics and government officials of the risks involved in the impending invasion of the shrimp industry. If you would like to help, please write letters to the FAO, asking that they not promote shrimp aquaculture as a benevolent means of food production. Point out that shrimp farming will instead only further degrade our already over-stressed fisheries. Please write: Director of Fisheries, FAO of the UN, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100, Rome, Italy Our international network has grown to include nearly 300 NGOs and over 100 scientists and academics. We are currently expanding the effectiveness of our coalition work by solidifying our ties with other major environmental and activist groups in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. An important gathering of coalition representatives will occur in New York in late April, 1996 to discuss ways to strengthen our mutual efforts to protect the threatened mangrove forests from further destruction by launching a consumer awareness campaign against unsustainable shrimp mariculture. Please become a subscribing member of MAP, and receive our quarterly newsletter. Alfredo Quarto, Director Mangrove Action Project 4649 Sunnyside Ave N., Ste. 321 Seattle, WA 98103 USA phn./fax (206) 545-1137 And, please check out the Mangrove Action Project's webb site: http://www.earthisland.org/ei/. This site is an excellent opportunity for those who wish to broadcast information. Also, recently, MAP has opened a mangrove public conference on econet. The conference name is: map.mangroves at conf.igc.apc.org It's purpose is to stimulate dialogue on mangroves and shrimp issues, solicit research, and disseminate information. Questions or mail specifically for MAP staff can be sent to: mangroveap at aol.com. From adiaz at calafia.uabcs.mx Wed Apr 24 19:43:46 1996 From: adiaz at calafia.uabcs.mx (Ayax R. Diaz R.) Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 18:43:46 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Coral's mucus productivity Message-ID: Dear all Could anybody help me? I'm trying to find some papers about coral's mucus productivity; I heard that Stimpson had published one but I don't have the reference. I'm looking for something related with the energetic value of coral's mucus. I really thank your attention. Ayax R. Diaz R. Reef Fauna Proyect. Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur Km 5.5 Carretera al Sur. Apto. Postal 19-B, C.P. 23080 La Paz, B.C.S. Mexico adiaz at calafia.uabcs.mx From aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu Fri Apr 26 17:29:23 1996 From: aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu (Alina Szmant) Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 17:29:23 -0400 Subject: 8ICRS Meeting Schedule Message-ID: <199604262129.RAA12287@umigw.miami.edu> Hi All: I thought others of you intending to attend the panama meeting might also like to have this information in order to finalize travel plans. See you there, >Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 13:29:50 -0400 >From: Mar=A1a Majela Brenes >To: aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu >Subject: 8ICRS Meeting Schedule > >The schedule throughout the Symposium is the following: > > >Sunday, June 23 -(In the evening) The Opening of the Public =20 > Program and Exhibit > >Monday, June 24- Official Opening of 8ICRS > Opening of the Scientific Program > Technical Sessions > >Tuesday, June 25- Technical Sessions > >Wednesday, June 26- Technical Sessions > >Thrusday, June 27- One day field trips > Workshops > Traditional party > >Friday, June 28- Talks > >Saturday, June 29- Talks > Final Banquet > >The Registration desk at Atlapa will open from Sunday June 23 at >10:00 am for early arrivals, up to 10:00 pm.=20 > >We would appreciate if you could inform this to anyone that might be >interested in knowing. > >Thanks for your interest. > >Sincerely, >8th ICRS Office =20 > > > > > ********************************************** Dr. Alina M. Szmant Coral Reef Research Group RSMAS-MBF University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami FL 33149 TEL: (305)361-4609 FAX: (305)361-4600 or 361-4005 E-mail: ASZMANT at RSMAS.MIAMI.EDU **********************************************