[Coral-List] CCMI- Rutgers University Coral Reef Research Internship

Sat May 12 19:03:06 EDT 2007

Coral List.

Two (2) additional spaces are available in the Rutgers Summer 2007 Study
Abroad: Coral Reef Research Internship in Ecology & Conservation 

Website:

http://www.reefresearch.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.unlinked&id=87

Registration: http://studyabroad.rutgers.edu/program_caymanislands.html

Additional Information: Marcela V. Caro, marcelac at rutgers.edu

Program Overview:  CCMI is collecting long-term monitoring and assessment
data to gain deeper insight into the causes of the recent regional declines
in coral reef systems. The internship program provides advanced research
opportunities for undergraduates, graduates, teachers, and conservation
professionals and provides CCMI with support in conducting research at the
Little Cayman Research Centre.  Students will be trained in coral
identification and fundamental marine biological field techniques (including
the AGRRA protocol) while working directly with principal investigators.
Students will complete a joint research poster that will be published or
presented at a national or international conference.  SCUBA Divers are
encouraged to apply but non-certified participants are also accepted and
will work on research projects to assist us in collecting data.  This is a
college course that provides 4 credits.

Affiliated University:  Undergraduate and graduate course credit is offered
through the Rutgers University Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences and
the Rutgers Study Abroad program. Credit is transferable. Rutgers will offer
4 credits under the course title: Coral Reef Research: Ecology and
Conservation.  All registration requirements and payment for this course
must be processed through Rutgers Summer Study Abroad program.

http://reefresearch.org

Dr. Carrie Manfrino

Central Caribbean Marine Institute

Associate Professor of Oceanography

PO Box 1461

Princeton, NJ 08540

609.933-4559

Little Cayman Research Centre

North Coast Road

Little Cayman Cayman Islands

345.948-1094

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Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 47, Issue 8

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: threats to coral from seismic testing (Tom Williams)

   2. Re: threats to coral from seismic testing (Steve Gittings)

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Message: 1

Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 08:35:30 -0700 (PDT)

From: Tom Williams <ctwiliams at yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: [Coral-List] threats to coral from seismic testing

To: tim ecott <timecott at hotmail.com>, coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov

Message-ID: <905968.66684.qm at web50411.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Tim and others

Seismic exclusion zones are to eliminate any other

noise sources or reflective surfaces...also to

eliminate any sources of objections or liability. 

They also recognize that divers in the water, along

with dolphins, etc. are sensitive to minor changes in

water pressure on our ears, we tap on our tanks and

whales sing. A wave passing over a shallow reef gives

more turbulence and pressure change than a seismic

pinger but it is longer duration.

The seismic would not be the problem, If they are

doing seismic, maybe within three-five years you will

see the rigs come in.

Tom Williams

--- tim ecott <timecott at hotmail.com> wrote:

> hi coral-listers,

> i am trying to find sources/references for any data

> or studies on the 

> possible impacts of seismic testing on coral reef

> communities. in particular 

> i am keen to know if anyone has expertise on the

> possible negative effects 

> of seismic testing done for oil/gas prospecting? I

> understand that during 

> seismic tests of this nature there is an exclusion

> zone for divers of up to 

> 28 kilometres - which would imply fairly large sonic

> disruption!

> sincerely,

> time ecott

> 

> 

> 

> tim ecott is the author of

> Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World

> (Penguin) and

> Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Luscious Substance

> (Penguin)

> 

> 

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------------------------------

Message: 2

Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 15:24:07 -0400

From: Steve Gittings <Steve.Gittings at noaa.gov>

Subject: Re: [Coral-List] threats to coral from seismic testing

To: tim ecott <timecott at hotmail.com>

Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov

Message-ID: <4644C2D7.9030108 at noaa.gov>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

If you're talking about airguns used for 3-d seismic, such an exclusion 

zones would seem excessive.  I'm not aware of such zones.  I have been 

in the water less that 1.5 km from a large multi-airgun 3-d survey and 

while you could hear and feel, to some extent, the percussion, it 

certainly didn't seem dangerous.  The power curve for airgun explosions 

that I've seen, and the fact that they are low velocity explosions, 

suggest fairly localized danger zones (a few meters) around the 

discharges.  Beyond those distances, there would seem to be little 

danger of direct damage to reefs or most organisms associated with 

reefs.  As I recall, the Minerals Management Service funded some work on 

the U.S. west coast on impacts.  Investigators were able to document 

fish retreating for cover as the airguns passed over, but if memory 

serves, no other impacts.

Airgun surveys have been conducted directly over the reefs of the Flower 

Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of 

Mexico with no discernible effects.  There is, however, uncertainty 

about the impacts of airgun surveys on the behaviors of animals that 

depend on sound to communicate, such as cetaceans.  Some feel that they 

may alter feeding or other aspects of life for these animals, but I 

haven't seen any hard data on this.

tim ecott wrote:

> hi coral-listers,

> i am trying to find sources/references for any data or studies on the 

> possible impacts of seismic testing on coral reef communities. in 

> particular i am keen to know if anyone has expertise on the possible 

> negative effects of seismic testing done for oil/gas prospecting? I 

> understand that during seismic tests of this nature there is an 

> exclusion zone for divers of up to 28 kilometres - which would imply 

> fairly large sonic disruption!

> sincerely,

> time ecott

> 

> 

> 

> tim ecott is the author of

> Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World (Penguin) and

> Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Luscious Substance (Penguin)

> 

> _________________________________________________________________

> Make every IM count. Download Messenger and join the i'm Initiative 

> now. It's free. http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=TAGHM_MAY07

> 

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 

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