[Coral-List] Toward a New Era of Coral Reef Monitoring

Sat Apr 22 00:51:10 UTC 2023

Thank you all for this dialog.  Yes the elephant in the room is how will we
put all these great data and technologies to practice with people 'on the
ground?'.  Its actually a similar problem to one we have always had with
monitoring data.  We will try this out by developing a 'toolbox' of data
and visualization platforms *with* communities, in response to their input
regarding what their concerns and needs are, what would help them most, and
how they will implement the results through *their* management action.
This will have to be a combination of high tech sensor and field based
assessment (including metabolomics and genomics), standard reef surveys,
community management plans, community fishery landings data, local
knowledge, and a story from communities about change (social, resource
availability and reef health among others).  We will attempt to weave these
knowledge sets into a spatial tool that will enable us all to visualize the
system, assess reef health and potential drivers, and for the community to
then use that to take specific action.  We will head out next month to
complete a dataset for the prototype (We just came back from round 1 and
will head out again next month).  The communities of Ulithi are driving
this effort through their stated needs, and collaborative assessments.  Its
a time consuming process that is so incredibly rewarding and is starting to
yield some amazing results.  The real key here is the ACTION part: what do
we do with the data. We are really working to address that. Stay tuned!!
Thank you all for your thoughts on this topic
onepeopleonereef.org

*Nicole L. Crane*
Executive Director, Smith Fellows Program
<https://conbio.org/mini-sites/smith-fellows>, Society for Conservation
Biology
Senior Conservation Scientist, Project co-lead, One People One Reef
<https://onepeopleonereef.org>
Faculty, Cabrillo College, Natural and Applied Sciences

On Fri, Apr 21, 2023 at 2:01 PM Tomas via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Jianna,
>
> I found this TED talk by Kai uplifting, and something we need to hear
> just that.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH9Jk7sdJdA
>
> Tom
>
>
> On 2023-04-19 5:39 pm, jianna wankel via Coral-List wrote:
> > "Everyone is focusing on restoration but corals will never thrive in
> > polluted water."
> > This stood out to me... The coral isn't the problem. It is the water.
> > We
> > should be working on *water* restoration. It feels very hopeless. What
> > can
> > I do as a young scientist?
> >
> > Jianna
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 10:23 AM Douglas Fenner via Coral-List <
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >
> >> Phil,
> >>      THANK YOU!!!  You hit the nail on the head.  Scientists and
> >> agencies
> >> want to get attention and funding, and the way to do that is with
> >> shinny
> >> toys.  Preferably expensive.  In other words, technology.  But the
> >> things
> >> that must be changed to save reefs require hard work with humans that
> >> don't
> >> want to change the things they are doing that are destroying the
> >> reefs.
> >> The big exception is probably global warming, where big technology,
> >> not
> >> having to do with coral reefs is needed to make the changes.  Things
> >> like
> >> renewable energy, electric cars, etc.
> >> Cheers, Doug
> >>
> >> On Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 4:59 AM Phillip Dustan via Coral-List <
> >> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >>
> >> > Hi Amy,
> >> >  Your team is organizing an amazing array of instrumentation to dial
> in
> >> > coral reef condition. The real question is what is going to be done
> >> about a
> >> > degrading reef when it is revealed.
> >> > In general, when people hear that a reef is being monitored they think
> >> some
> >> > remedial action will be triggered to "fix the problem".
> >> > As valuable as reefs are to humankind you'd think this might be the
> case
> >> > but in fact, history shows it has not been.
> >> > Take the Florida Keys for example. This reef system has been under
> attack
> >> > by humans for at least 100 years.
> >> > John Pennekamp's work got a small section of Key Largo "protected"
> which
> >> > resulted in hoards of divers dissenting upon the reefs.
> >> > In the 1970's thousands of anchors were ravaging the reefs and it took
> >> the
> >> > work of individuals to create serviceable moorings buoys.
> >> > The creation of a Marine Sanctuary increased business.
> >> > But we all knew it was the increasing sewage that was causing the
> major
> >> > problems but
> >> > Then the major herbivores dropped out and the weeds, fertilized by
> >> sewage,
> >> > began to over grow the reef.
> >> > Individual people started monitoring in the 70's and a Keyswide
> >> monitoring
> >> > system was put in place in the mid 1990's
> >> > The investigators measured a 38 percent loss of coral cover and 400%
> >> > increase in stations with disease in 4 calendar years.
> >> > Coral cover on reefs where monitoring had begun in the 1970's was
> >> showing a
> >> > 90%+ loss in coral cover.
> >> > Business continued to BOOM and the reefs continued to die.
> >> > Now the loss is blamed on climate change whereas, truth be told, most
> of
> >> > the death happened before climate change began to be a factor.
> >> > The sewer system that was installed is a failure because fresh
> wastewater
> >> > is buoyant.
> >> > New diseases are so virulent the corals must be placed in rescue
> aquaria
> >> > away from the reef.
> >> > Everyone is focusing on restoration but corals will never thrive in
> >> > polluted water.
> >> > A few years ago I was visiting DIscovery Bay where I had worked years
> >> > before.
> >> > ( see https://biospherefoundation.org/project/coral-reef-change/)
> >> > I told Leslie I was interested in how the reef had changed and he
> said,
> >> > "Phil, you don't have to dive to see the reef is dying, just look out
> and
> >> > see it's dark brown when it used to be golden".
> >> > So while we can build better gizzies to follow the dying reefs in ever
> >> > greater detail, unless we generate the political will to act it is
> all in
> >> > vain.
> >> > Maybe we should spend our energies and ever decreasing budgets on
> >> altering
> >> > human behaviors instead of building newer, faster, better resolving
> >> > platforms to watch the war in ever greater detail.
> >> > Most nations do not have the resources of a Wood's Hole or Scripps
> >> > Institute of Oceanography, or the need for nextgen monitoring
> platforms.
> >> > They need help with food, healthcare, sewage treatment, and education.
> >> > My friends and colleagues know I love technology and was one of the
> first
> >> > to monitor coral reefs using lines,video, and even satellites, but
> this
> >> is
> >> > not going to help the reefs anymore.
> >> > They are way past needing monitoring.
> >> > They need simple help: clean water, reduced pollution, reduced fishing
> >> > pressure, less tourists, and a cooler, higher pH ocean.
> >> > So congrats on developing a nexgen monitoring system but you may be
> >> wasting
> >> > your energy on something that is necessarily over complex and will not
> >> > accomplish what is needed.
> >> > Simply put, the very adaptations that have enabled coral reefs to
> thrive
> >> in
> >> > the clear, nutrient poor tropical seas makes them vulnerable to human
> >> > activities.
> >> > They are complex processes operating at levels of ecological
> efficiency
> >> > humans should strive to emulate- That would be true  sustainability!
> >> > But, sadly, coral reefs will probably not thrive again until humans
> are
> >> > gone.
> >> > Phil
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Leslie, the retire gardener and I were sitting in the
> >> > breezeway reliving old times
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Sat, Apr 15, 2023 at 9:19 AM Amy Apprill via Coral-List <
> >> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Hello Coral List,
> >> > >
> >> > > Our team is pleased to share a new open-access perspective paper
> titled
> >> > > ‘Towards a New Era of Coral Reef Monitoring’ published in
> Environmental
> >> > > Science & Technology (2023, 57, 5117-5124).
> >> > >
> >> > > Link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.2c05369
> >> > >
> >> > > Abstract: Coral reefs host some of the highest concentrations of
> >> > > biodiversity and economic value in the oceans, yet these ecosystems
> are
> >> > > under threat due to climate change and other human impacts. Reef
> >> > monitoring
> >> > > is routinely used to help
> >> > > prioritize reefs for conservation and evaluate the success of
> >> > intervention
> >> > > efforts. Reef status and health are most frequently characterized
> using
> >> > > diver-based surveys, but the inherent limitations of these methods
> mean
> >> > > there is a growing need for
> >> > > advanced, standardized, and automated reef techniques that capture
> the
> >> > > complex nature of the ecosystem. Here we draw on experiences from
> our
> >> own
> >> > > interdisciplinary research programs to describe advances in in situ
> >> > > diver-based and autonomous reef monitoring. We present our vision
> for
> >> > > integrating interdisciplinary measurements for select “case-study”
> >> reefs
> >> > > worldwide and for
> >> > > learning patterns within the biological, physical, and chemical reef
> >> > > components and their interactions. Ultimately, these efforts could
> >> > support
> >> > > the development of a scalable and standardized suite of sensors that
> >> > > capture and relay key data to assist in categorizing reef health.
> This
> >> > > framework has the potential to provide stakeholders with the
> >> information
> >> > > necessary to assess reef health during an unprecedented time of reef
> >> > change
> >> > > as well as restoration and intervention activities.
> >> > >
> >> > > Best wishes,
> >> > > Amy Apprill, Yogesh Girdhar, T. Aran Mooney, Colleen M. Hansel,
> Matthew
> >> > H.
> >> > > Long, Yaqin Liu, W. Gordon Zhang, Jason Kapit, Konrad Hughen, Jeff
> >> > Coogan,
> >> > > and Austin Green
> >> > > Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > _______________________________________________
> >> > > Coral-List mailing list
> >> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >> > > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Phillip Dustan PhD
> >> > Charleston SC  29424
> >> > 843-953-8086 office
> >> > 843-224-3321 (mobile)
> >> >
> >> > "When we try to pick out anything by itself
> >> > we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
> >> > that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. "
> >> > *                                         John Muir 1869*
> >> >
> >> > *A Swim Through TIme on Carysfort Reef*
> >> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPJE7UE6sA
> >> > *Raja Ampat Sustainability Project video*
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RR2SazW_VY&fbclid=IwAR09oZkEk8wQkK6LN3XzVGPgAWSujACyUfe2Ist__nYxRRSkDE_jAYqkJ7A
> >> > *Bali Coral Bleaching 2016 video*
> >> >
> >> > *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo
> >> > <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo>*
> >> > TEDx Charleston on saving coral reefs
> >> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwENBNrfKj4
> >> > Google Scholar Citations:
> >> > https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HCwfXZ0AAAAJ
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > Coral-List mailing list
> >> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >> _______________________________________________
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> > _______________________________________________
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