[Coral-List] Water quality thresholds on reefs (dredging)
Medio, David
MedioD at halcrow.com
Thu May 22 05:18:09 EDT 2008
Richard
we have looked at the issue re a large offshore port development in the
Gulf (Arabian) and have asked colleague to get in touch directly.
David
Dr David Medio
Principal Environmental Scientist
Halcrow Group Ltd, Arndale Centre, Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 2UL,
UK
tel: switchboard +44 (0)113 2208220, direct line: +44 (0)113 220 8253,
mobile: +44 (0)773 919 0968
fax: +44 (0)113 274 2924 email: mediod at halcrow.com
www.halcrow.com
________________________________________________________________________
_______
Halcrow Sustaining and improving the quality of people's lives
________________________________________________________________________
____ __
P Please do not print this e-mail and attachments unless absolutely
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-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of
coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Sent: 21 May 2008 18:16
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 59, Issue 22
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
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Today's Topics:
1. bio rock reefs (Barbara Whitman)
2. response (John Fraser)
3. Reef Relief's International Year of the Reef Event June
17th
(DeeVon Quirolo)
4. Re: Reefs of horror / reefs of hope (Christopher Hawkins)
5. reef restoration (Gene Shinn)
6. Re: IUCN call for images, (Reuven Walder)
7. Re: Water Quality Thresholds for Dredging (Don Baker)
8. Re: Reefs of horror / reefs of hope (Don Baker)
9. Re: ICRS Field Trip - Flower Garden Banks NMS (Emma Hickerson)
10. Re: White-spined Diadema antillarum (Esther Peters)
(Lessios, Harilaos)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 13:57:33 -0400
From: "Barbara Whitman" <terramar at caribcable.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] bio rock reefs
To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID: <1093466ED5C04F8D937A6CE8C6DF9DCA at BarbaraWhitmPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I am interesting in learning more about the biorock alternative to
cement structures. Is funding available to do a project?
Thanks,
Barb Whitman
Nevis
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:19:52 -0400
From: John Fraser <jfraser at wcs.org>
Subject: [Coral-List] response
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <D4D86BA0-AD0E-4809-ABFF-77067EB8003D at wcs.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Colleagues,
This listserv is a place where many people concerned about the state of
coral reefs and environmental degradation share information. We would
like to ask for your help because of your specific experiences working
with knowledge about environmental conservation today. We are
specifically interested in learning about how people like members of
this list feel about, react to, and ponder environmental challenges.
To help us out, we would like as many of the members of this listserv as
possible to fill out a survey that you can reach by the URL below. The
survey will only take about 10 minutes to do, and may help to teach us
more about how we are addressing the psychological impacts of having the
kind of conservation knowledge that list members take for granted.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227TRYL628P
If you can complete the survey by May 24th, we would be most
appreciative. We anticipate having results to share with members of
this list by August 15th.
Thank you very much
John Fraser,
Director, Public Research and Evaluation Wildlife Conservation Society
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:26:01 -0400
From: "DeeVon Quirolo" <dquirolo at gmail.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] Reef Relief's International Year of the Reef
Event June 17th
To: "coral-list coral-list" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID:
<dd85dc920805201126t3d25f78w935a4332e1da5b44 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252
*International Year of the Reef Celebration at Reef Relief June 17th *
*Gala Grand Opening of Reef Relief Environmental Center & Annual
Membership Meeting *
Please consider this your invitation to Reef Relief's celebration of the
*International Year of the Reef* on Tuesday, June 17th with the Grand
Opening of it's new Environmental Center at 631 Greene Street in Key
West. The day will begin with an open house from 12pm-5pm with fun
activities for children, newly produced films on coral reefs, talks, and
tours of the center's interactive exhibits.
Following the open house is a reception from 5?8pm to kick off the
21stAnnual Reef Relief Membership Meeting. It will feature the Reef
Relief President's Address by Paul G. Johnson describing recent
achievements and goals for the coming year, along with induction of new
board members.
So mark your calendar now and plan on enjoying a day and evening all
about
coral reefs, the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on earth.
Reef
Relief is a global non-profit membership organization dedicated to
protecting coral reefs. For more information, contact Reef Relief at
(305) 294-3100, email reef at reefrelief.org or go to www.reefrelief.org.
--
DeeVon Quirolo, executive director
Reef Relief, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting
coral reefs
(305) 294-3100 fax (305 293-9515 www.reefrelief.org Mailing address:
Reef Relief, Post Office Box 430, Key West, Florida 33041-0430. Key West
Headquarters/Environmental Center, 631 Greene Street, Key West, Fla.
Bahamas: Captain Roland Roberts House Environmental Center, Parliament
Street, New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas tel/fax
(242) 365-4014.
Celebrate the International Year of the Reef at the Gala Grand Opening
of the Reef Relief Environmental Center in Key West Tuesday, June 17th.
Noon--5pm: Open house and children's activities 5pm--8pm: Reception,
Annual Membership Meeting, Presidents Address and more....
Do you want to make a difference? Join Reef Relief's free online
community at www.reefrelief.org
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 11:57:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Christopher Hawkins <chwkins at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reefs of horror / reefs of hope
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov, sfrias_torres at hotmail.com
Cc: Dave Loomis <loomis at forwild.umass.edu>
Message-ID: <885778.93646.qm at web32806.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Sarah and Listers:
Much of what has been said below is quite valid. However, I would to
point out that if "we know what causes degradation and destruction of
coral reefs and their inhabitants" then I question a narrow disciplinary
view of coral reef research that states "it is essential that we
continue our current research efforts to understand the ecology of coral
reefs".
Obviously that part of the equation is very important and should
continue, but it does seem to me that addressing the (mostly
human-based) causes of coral reef degradation and destruction will not
be dependent on yet another biophysical reef study or series of studies.
As you point out, we know much of this already.
Given that our conception of what comprises a coral reef ecosystem no
longer maintains human benefits and impacts as outside of the ecosystem,
we must expand our research paradigm to understand the linkages between
humans and the environment.
Before folks say "But we are quantifying impacts and benefits...", let
me say that simple, descriptive research into the nature and magnitude
of human impacts (for example) gives us only a superficial understanding
of this linkage. There are a number of other areas where social
research can assist with many of the causes of degradation.
Unfortunately our science and monitoring plans typically (and
generally speaking) prioritize and fund research into the biophysical
dimensions to the exclusion of the human dimensions, rather than give
each appropriate weight and priority and interweave them. What a great
coral reef management world it might be if we both acknowledge the human
part of the problem (which we are quite good at) AND institutionalize
social research that seeks to predict, understand, and address the roots
of these problems. Sometimes these roots are attitudinal and value
oriented, other times they are economic and sustenance oriented.
Sometimes it is a recreational issue, other times it is commercial
issue.
The bottom line is that all of these are often interlinked and
interlinked again with the environment. A more holistic research
tradition may finally will us to comprehensively address these reef
horrors. That is my reef hope.
Best,
Chris
Christopher Hawkins, Ph.D. Candidate
Human Dimensions of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Program
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Dear Coral-listers,
Coral reefs are seen and used as a commodity, not as a resource worth
protecting. The coral reefs and its inhabitants are killed, displaced,
sold as souvenirs, silted, polluted, stepped on, their entrails
removed, blasted off.. . and don?t?
get me started with global warming.
We know what causes degradation and destruction of coral reefs and
their inhabitants. We also know that coral reef ?restoration? does not
bring a degraded or destroyed coral reef back to its pristine
condition. And with less than 1 % of the ocean protected in the form of
some sort of sanctuary (and much less of that is coral reef
sanctuary), there is little hope for a future.
Talking and doing some outreach about the amazing biodiversity in coral
reefs, the resources and benefits they provide, the need to conserve
Nemo?s home and so on is simply not enough. It is essential that we
continue our current research efforts to understand the ecology of
coral reefs, and current conservation and outreach, but we need to do
so more diligently, wisely, and with a punch.
Whether it is greed or ignorance, the world at large simply is not
getting the message. We can sit and complain about it, and share our
reefs of horror stories (as Tom Williams names them) or we can do
something about it.
So to all coral-listers, please, take some time today out of your busy
schedule, and think carefully what action are you going to take. Think
big, think tiny, local or globally, don?t be afraid to write down what
you think you can accomplish yourself or with the help of others. Make
a plan, make a shopping list of action items, with a specific timeline
(the next 3-6 months, or by next
year) and then take action. Stand up and be counted.
Then, we can either use coral list or the upcoming ICRS, and post our
action items on some board at the poster sessions, or brainstorm some
more during the receptions or at the closing banquet. We can end up
with a true plan for action, and then, do it.
Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
Marine Conservaton Scientist
Ocean Research and Conservation Association, Florida, USA
_______________________________________________
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:40:47 -0400
From: Gene Shinn <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
Subject: [Coral-List] reef restoration
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <a0623095fc458cb338f8d@[131.247.137.127]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
The various discussions of reef restoration/recovery/resiliency etc.,
have been interesting. Throughout this long thread no one has mentioned
geology! I would suggest that before anyone begins restoration projects
a few core holes should be drilled. It helps to know if coral ever
thrived in a place before pumping money into recovery efforts. What
biologists and divers call a reef isn't always a reef. The same is true
of seagrass mitigation/restoration projects.
A simple push core will determine if seagrass ever lived in a mitigation
area. It makes no sense to transplant seagrass, or corals, to a place
where they never thrived in the first place.
Martin Moe had it right. It may be worthwhile to do restoration in
"special places." Special places are rare in the Florida Keys. By
special I mean the reef has grown to more than a few meters thick and
has built up to near sea level. That's why ships hit them! These special
places usually have lighthouses and markers and they have been given
special names. Why are those places so special? Because they make up no
more than a few percent of the entire Florida Keys Reef Tract. The rest
of the 150-mile-long so-called reef tract is less than 2 m thick and
some of it is just bare Pleistocene limestone with scattered coral
heads, sponges, gorgonians, and fish. Most divers call these areas reefs
but they are basically hard ground communities. Because corals in these
hard ground areas (about 98 percent of the reef tract) have been unable
to construct a reef, and have undergone previous die-offs during the
past approximately 6,000 years, it would be a waste of time an money to
attempt resurrection.
The expression, "beating a dead horse" comes to mind. Sometimes a
little geology could save a lot of public money. Gene
--
No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
Marine Science Center (room 204)
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 15:56:38 -0400
From: Reuven Walder <rwalder at seaweb.org>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] IUCN call for images,
To: coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov,
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <4722E5B7-4959-4543-8BC6-6E2F15F8C4FA at seaweb.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; delsp=yes;
format=flowed
Dear Gabriel and David,
While I do not have footage, the Marine Photobank provides a collection
of ocean conservation focused imagery which is available for
non-commercial as well as media use. Images are free to use as long as
you agree to the usage terms.
These two galleries will be of most interest to you:
Coral Bleaching and Disease
Coral Degradation
Go to www.marinephotobank.org to see our collection and sign up for an
account.
Take care,
Reuven Walder
Director, The Marine Photobank
The Marine Photobank, a program of the nonprofit SeaWeb, works to
advance ocean conservation by providing compelling, high-quality marine
photos, images and graphics at no cost for non-commercial use as well as
for media use under special terms. The Marine Photobank aims to
literally shed light through photos on pressing marine issues and
human-related impacts on the ocean ecosystem.
www.marinephotobank.org
8401 Colesville Road | Suite 500 | Silver Spring, MD 20910
T: 301.830.7078 | F: 301.495.4846 | www.seaweb.org,
www.marinephotobank.org
?
>
>>
>> Message: 4
>> Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 17:19:17 +0100
>> From: Gabriel Grimsditch <gabriel_grimsditch at hotmail.com>
>> Subject: [Coral-List] Call for underwater video footage
>> To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>> Message-ID: <BLU111-W42AF24922C652AC24B48A6F6C50 at phx.gbl>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
>>
>>
>> Dear Coral-listers
>>
>> The IUCN Climate Change and Coral Reefs Working Group (http://
>> www.iucn.org/themes/marine/coral_reefs/cccr/cccr_home.html) is
>> preparing short videos on coral reef resilience for the IUCN
>> Conservation Congress in October of this year (http://cms.iucn.org/
>> news_events/events/congress/index.cfm). This is a high-profile
>> conservation event, and the videos will be viewed by a varied
>> audience from around the world.
>> We are calling for people who have footage to contribute this to
>> for use in the videos. Of course full credit will be given to
>> sources. We are looking for high quality PAL footage of the
>> following:
>>
>>
>> Shots of bleached corals? Different angles, different species,
>> bleached coral fields, partially-bleached colonies, bleached
>> corals overgrown by algae, bleached corals being monitored,
>> bleached and healthy colonies of the same species next to each other
>>
>>
>> Intense sun over calm water
>>
>>
>> View of calm lagoon on hot day with exposed corals at low tide.
>>
>>
>> Coral spawning
>>
>>
>> Shot of zooxanthellae under a microscope
>>
>>
>> Large Montastrea annularis colony
>>
>>
>> Jamaican fishermen
>>
>>
>> Diseased/dying sea urchin
>>
>>
>> Jamaican reefs completely overgrown by algae
>>
>>
>> Experimental cages locking out herbivores
>>
>>
>> Batfish feeding on macroalgae
>>
>>
>> Coral piece breaking off a colony during a storm
>>
>>
>> A coral reef in fast current conditions
>>
>>
>> Corals shaded by cliffs
>>
>> If you are interested in providing some underwater footage for
>> these videos, please get in touch with Gabriel Grimsditch
>> (ggrimsditch at iucnus.org) or David Obura (dobura at cordioea.org)
>>
>> Thank you and look forward to hearing from youGabriel
>> _________________________________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ******************************************
>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:17:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Don Baker <reefpeace at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Water Quality Thresholds for Dredging
To: Richard Unsworth <richardunsworth at hotmail.com>
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <911566.19693.qm at web58001.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hello Richard,
I, too, am very interested in this info....as the US Navy anticipates to
dredge out Guam's Apra Harbor in order to allow air craft carrier
entry/access .....and to expand its ammunition offload docking area.
Cheers from Guam,
Don Baker
Richard Unsworth <richardunsworth at hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi All,
does anyone know of any mainstream or 'grey' literature that is
available on the development and use of water quality thresholds for the
modelling and monitoring of dredge impacts upon coral reefs or other
benthic primary producer habitats? I have some studies (i.e. Mcarthur et
al 2002, Turner et al. 2006, Koskela et al. 2002) and associated
references but actual hard information on specific thresholds and how
and why they were developed seems scant within the literature, so any
studies would be extremely useful! There seems to be lots of information
available on the impact of dredging, sedimentation and turbidity but not
about the assessment of potential impacts and the thresholds required to
prevent these. Also any useful contacts for such information would also
be useful.
Any ideas would be hugely appreciated!
Kind regards
Richard
-------------------------------------------------------- Dr Richard
Unsworth
M.Sc B.Sc CMarSci
Mob: +61 (0) 437681169e-mail: richardunsworth at hotmail.com
my website: http://www.richardunsworth.co.uk
check out http://www.wakatobi.org
--------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
Coral-List mailing list
Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
Alternate Email: donbjr95 at hotmail.com
"Dedication and motivated direction in achieving specific goals related
to the care and protection of living things is not necessarily a
guaranteed formula for success. Success is, more often than not, a
direct result of a person?s passion in addition to the above formula."
[Don Baker, Marine Conservationist/Activist, 1998]
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:35:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Don Baker <reefpeace at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reefs of horror / reefs of hope
To: Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov, Jeff Pleadwell <jeffjpc at guam.net>
Message-ID: <735669.34347.qm at web58005.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hi Sarah,
Excellently stated!
Please also consider that we are dealing with 'humans' and there is a
serious need for social and population experts to be part of the
picture, whereas, global population is reaching unsustainable levels in
areas that are adjacent/near coral reef ecosystems. It may be a
synergistic endeavor that requires the input from scientific, social,
religious, cultural and governance disciplines.
I have always seemed to surprise people when giving presentations/talks
by stating that coral reefs, unto themselves, need absolutely no
management. It's the humans that may affect a reef that needs
management!
My premise is aquaculture; culturing those species we take from the
reefs for either food or pleasure (aquariums).
Regards from Guam,
Don Baker
Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Coral-listers,
Coral reefs are seen and used as a commodity, not as a resource worth
protecting. The coral reefs and its inhabitants are killed, displaced,
sold as souvenirs, silted, polluted, stepped on, their entrails removed,
blasted off.. . and don?t? get me started with global warming.
We know what causes degradation and destruction of coral reefs and their
inhabitants. We also know that coral reef ?restoration? does not bring a
degraded or destroyed coral reef back to its pristine condition. And
with less than 1 % of the ocean protected in the form of some sort of
sanctuary (and much less of that is coral reef sanctuary), there is
little hope for a future.
Talking and doing some outreach about the amazing biodiversity in coral
reefs, the resources and benefits they provide, the need to conserve
Nemo?s home and so on is simply not enough. It is essential that we
continue our current research efforts to understand the ecology of coral
reefs, and current conservation and outreach, but we need to do so more
diligently, wisely, and with a punch.
Whether it is greed or ignorance, the world at large simply is not
getting the message. We can sit and complain about it, and share our
reefs of horror stories (as Tom Williams names them) or we can do
something about it.
So to all coral-listers, please, take some time today out of your busy
schedule, and think carefully what action are you going to take. Think
big, think tiny, local or globally, don?t be afraid to write down what
you think you can accomplish yourself or with the help of others. Make
a plan, make a shopping list of action items, with a specific timeline
(the next 3-6 months, or by next year) and then take action. Stand up
and be counted.
Then, we can either use coral list or the upcoming ICRS, and post our
action items on some board at the poster sessions, or brainstorm some
more during the receptions or at the closing banquet. We can end up with
a true plan for action, and then, do it.
Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
Marine Conservaton Scientist
Ocean Research and Conservation Association, Florida, USA
_______________________________________________
Coral-List mailing list
Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
Alternate Email: donbjr95 at hotmail.com
"Dedication and motivated direction in achieving specific goals related
to the care and protection of living things is not necessarily a
guaranteed formula for success. Success is, more often than not, a
direct result of a person?s passion in addition to the above formula."
[Don Baker, Marine Conservationist/Activist, 1998]
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 17:30:28 -0500
From: Emma Hickerson <emma.hickerson at noaa.gov>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] ICRS Field Trip - Flower Garden Banks NMS
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <48335104.6060404 at noaa.gov>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Five slots still available for the ICRS Field Trip to the Flower Garden
Banks National Marine Sanctuary!
Field Trip details are in the announcement attached. These five slots
are available on a first come first serve basis. Call Sharon at Gulf
Diving, Inc. 979-233-4445 to make your trip reservations directly.
Trip Leaders:
G.P. Schmahl
Sanctuary Superintendent
Emma Hickerson
Research Coordinator
--
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
Emma L. Hickerson
Research Coordinator
emma.hickerson at noaa.gov
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216
Galveston, TX 77551
Phone: 409-621-5151
cell: 979-777-3895
fax: 409-621-1316
flowergarden.noaa.gov
sanctuaries.noaa.gov
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 19:07:56 -0400
From: "Lessios, Harilaos" <LESSIOSH at si.edu>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] White-spined Diadema antillarum (Esther
Peters)
To: "Szmant, Alina" <szmanta at uncw.edu>, "Rex Chip Baumberger"
<RBaumberger at HBOI.edu>, <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID:
<C2E47E26F84C9A4997ED63E116E48F3691A479 at SI-ECL04.US.SINET.SI.EDU>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I have been following the white Diadema e-mails but have kept silent,
because the observations mentioned are nothing new, and because neither
I, nor anyone else knows the answers. Since Alina mentioned my name,
here is my two cents worth.
Alina is right there have been white Diadema even before the mass
mortality, and they were not all that uncommon. One could find them in
caves during the day, and they were easy to find in the open during the
night. White and black Diadema show no differences in either isozymes
or mitochondrial DNA, but this does not mean all that much. The
difference could still be genetic, but we would have to know what locus
controls color to find out if there is allelic variation in it. My
feeling is that if the differences are genetic, it is not a simple
genetic system (like albinism), but a complex interaction between
genetics and environment. I have no evidence for this, but as Gordon
Hendler mentioned, there is both an ontogenetic progression from banded
to black spines (which can be retarded by keeping the animals in the
dark) and a tendency for all Diadema to be a lot paler at night, which
means that color to some extent is induced by light.
Has the frequency of white Diadema increased after the mass mortality?
I wish I had the pre-mortality data to test for it, because it would
have been a neat story of the strange ways natural selection works. My
impression is that yes, white (or partly white) Diadema are now more
frequent (not necessarily more abundant). The story I have concocted
about this comes from observations of what was happening when mass
mortality hit a reef. For a few days, there would be Diadema, still
alive, tumbling in the waves, because their tube feet seemed to be
unable to cling to the substrate. Following each tumbling Diadema was a
cloud of fish that would normally never eat adult Diadema, pomacentrids,
acanthurids, labrids. Eventually something would crack the sea urchin,
and everyone would have a feast. For a week or two after that, there
were no Diadema to be seen on a reef, but then some survivors would
appear (presumably from hiding places) with their spines broken half-way
and beginning to regenerate. Now, if part of the mortality was due to
predation by fish following these wave-swept Diadema, then Diadema in
caves had an advantage, and since most white Diadema were in caves
during the day (when herbivorous fish are active), white Diadema would
survive slightly better than black ones.
This is a just-so story. It could well be that white Diadema is not
more frequent, it is just that we all look more carefully at each
Diadema we encounter these days. We also do not know if the white
Diadema we see today had white Diadema parents. And not all of mass
mortality was caused by debilitation followed by predation. Diadema in
aquaria with sea-water intakes died at the same time that Diadema on the
reefs were dying.
If anyone wants to know more about photosensitivity in Diadema, they
should look at Millott's studies. A good summary is in: Millott, N.
1975 The photosensitivity of echinoids. Advances in Marine Biology
13:1-52, but Millott did not address the question of white Diadema.
H.A. Lessios
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Balboa, Panama
Telephone: +507/212-8708
Fax: +507-212-8791
Telephone from the USA (domestic call): (703)-487-3770 x 8708
Mail address:
>From the USA:
Unit 948
APO AA 34002-9948
>From elsewhere:
Box 0843-03092
Balboa, Panama
-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Szmant,
Alina
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 6:12 PM
To: Rex Chip Baumberger; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] White-spined Diadema antillarum (Esther
Peters)
Hi All:
I responded privately to the first white Diadema email, and thought
maybe Haris Lessios might chime in to the general discussion. Since he
hasn't here it goes.
White spined Diadema have been around as long as I can recall (1960s) in
small numbers at least in the Puerto Rican populations. After the
die-off they have become a much larger proportion of the population both
in PR and FL and elsewhere. I asked Haris at least a decade ago whether
he had any indication about a genetic difference between the white and
black individuals, and I recall he hadn't found any. But he also
recognized the shift in abundance of the two color morphs.
So, it appears that for some reason more of the white spined variety
survived the epidemic and contributed more offspring to the recovering
population. They now occur together in varying proportions. Juveniles
come in both all black and mottled colors, so it's not just an age
issue. One possibility is that when they were sick, the black ones were
more prone to predation than the lighter colored ones. Another would be
that there is some disease resistance genetically-linked to the color
genes.
Best wishes,
Alina Szmant
*******************************************************************
Dr. Alina M. Szmant
Coral Reef Research Group
UNCW-Center for Marine Science
5600 Marvin K. Moss Ln
Wilmington NC 28409
Tel: (910)962-2362 & Fax: (910)962-2410
Cell: (910)200-3913
email: szmanta at uncw.edu
Web Page: http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
******************************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Rex Chip
Baumberger
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 1:50 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] White-spined Diadema antillarum (Esther
Peters)
I recall seeing the occasional white-spined D. antillarum during the
past 4 years of reef monitoring off of south Florida. With that in mind
from recent posts here, I was diving off of Jupiter, Fl 5-15-08 at
65-70' on Jupiter Ledge, and I saw a white spined Diadema. However, as
I got closer I noticed it was about 60% white spined and the rest normal
black spines. I wonder if anyone has noticed this in with the
white-spined variety. I have the GPS for it if anyone is interested,
the site is locally known as "Scarface".
Rex "Chip" Baumberger
Biological Scientist, FAU
Marine Nutrient Dynamics Dept.
Marine Science Division
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst.
5600 US1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
772-465-2400 x398
-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of
coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 12:00 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 59, Issue 18
Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
"Re: Contents of Coral-List digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Re: White-spined Diadema antillarum (Esther Peters)
2. Reef Restoration (Lee Goldman)
3. Re: Coral Reef Restoration (David Fisk)
4. photoshop trick for sat imagery (Dean Jacobson)
5. Re: Coral restoration (Medio, David)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 12:28:58 -0400
From: Esther Peters <esther.peters at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] White-spined Diadema antillarum
To: Gordon Hendler <hendler at nhm.org>
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <4830594A.4010304 at verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
I recall seeing large white-spined /Diadema antillarum/ in shallow water
at The Indians, rock outcroppings in the British Virgin Islands. I was
pregnant then, so could only snorkel, in 1988. I remember thinking they
must not have been affected by the mass motality because they were so
large. They might have been able to stay in the shade of the
outcroppings.
If one does a Google Scholar search on these key words "sea urchin
melanin epidermis" one finds all kinds of interesting papers on and
references to melanin production in the epidermis and effects of light
and diet on pigmentation in these animals. But more studies are needed!
Esther Peters, Ph.D.
George Mason University
Gordon Hendler wrote:
> According to Moore (1966:81) large Diadema antillarum with some or
> many
> white or gray spines "...are found in darker and more turbid
conditions and
> frequently in caves. In my experience, they seem to be more common in
deep
> water around Caribbean reefs than at shallow depths. The spines of
> juveniles are always banded with black and white. Individuals change
color
> in response to the intensity of illumination. Animals that are black
during
> the day pale at night.
> Hendler et al. 1995. Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Allies. Echinoderms
of
> Florida and the Caribbean. Smithsonian Institution Press. 390 pp.
> Moore, H.B. Ecology of echinoids. In: Physiology of Echinodermata, ed.
R.A.
> Boolootian, 73-85. John-Wiley Interscience. N.Y.
>
>
> ********************************************
> Gordon Hendler, Ph.D.
> Curator of Echinoderms
> Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
> 900 Exposition Boulevard
> Los Angeles, California 90007 U.S.A.
> Voice: 213 763 3526
> Fax: 213 746 2999
> ********************************************
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 10:43:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Lee Goldman <coralfarmguam at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] Reef Restoration
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <86461.29273.qm at web33206.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hi List,
The discussion on reef restoration is another example of a great topic
of interest for this list. My concern, however, is that it is reaching
an audience that is not necessarily the right audience. Todd, your
website (and your CNN interview) is filled with success stories in which
you talk about positive reef restoration. In your postings here, you
seem to understand that reefs cannot be restored to their original
glory. I agree that something must be done, even if we can't make them
what they were. BUT to the developers and polluters who ultimately cause
need for this work, the message may be that we are successful in
restoring reefs. Thus mitigating 'restoration' in exchange for
development appears to be a commonplace and accepted. So the dilema, to
me, is that as we get better (or think we get better) at 'restoration'
developers use that as a means to mitigate potential damage...and all
along we agree, at least here in this like-minded and for lack of a
better term, 'in-crowd' list-serve, that it really isn't as successful
as we promote it to be to the general public (the audience that really
needs to be a part of this discussion). If this is the theme of Don's
postings, then I have to agree with him as well. Solutions to this
issue? Not that I can find. We can't do nothing yet anything that is
done is seen as a mitigating factor which falls well short of the
ultimate goal.
Lee Goldman
Coral Farm Guam
PO Box 6682
Tamuning, Guam 96931
671-646-6744
Coralfarmguam at yahoo.com
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 23:09:12 +0200
From: "David Fisk" <davefisk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral Reef Restoration
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Cc: MedioD at halcrow.com
Message-ID:
<1dd51780805181409p2a8c963fx65cd87f283c93351 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252
The pertinent point I think from David Medio's comments is that it is
wrong to think that reef restoration can be used as an excuse to allow
some developments to proceed - at all, or in a certain proposed manner.
The argument that doing something (restoration) is better than doing
nothing, usually does not stack up when it is used as an argument to
accept a proposed development strategy. With the required sensitivity
and developmental controls, some developments may result in minimal
impacts, but the cost will usually be too prohibitive to be really
effective for most developments.
The true 'point of practicality' here is that restoration should not be
be used as that offset, nor should any 'smart' engineering per se, as
it's too easy to let serious impacts to go ahead when the current
knowledge base clearly shows such 'offsets' will not deliver what it is
promised. In previous posts I have said sufficient re the use of the
same technologies to reverse larger scale disturbances including
predicted climate change effects, but I still hear of proposals claiming
to do just that. For example, a publicly available UN document dated
April 2008 demonstrates how serious this situation has progressed, and
that I am not making idle arguments. Here is a recent UN link to a
UNDESA document called "Partnerships for Sustainable Develoment" which
may very well lead to substantial funding for certain restoration
projects:
http://webapps01.un.org/dsd/partnerships/public/partnerships/1894.html
In this web page the following statement is included (and note some of
the extreme statements) : "SIDS (Small Island Developing States)
fisheries, tourism industries, and protection from rising sea levels,
increased tropical storm frequency and intensity are heavily dependent
on healthy coral reefs?and these are the most climatically threatened of
all ecosystems, due to global warming. SIDS have already lost most of
their corals, and the rest are imminently endangered by rising global
temperatures, and most daunting of all, low-lying island nations are
threatened with extinction by submergence from global sea level rise."
Further on under the heading: Additional Relevant Information - New
Sustainable Development for SIDS - CORAL REEF AND FISHERIES HABITAT
RESTORATION "New technology increases the growth rates of corals several
times faster than normal, greatly increases survival of corals under
conditions of extreme high temperature stress, and greatly increases the
buildup of fish and shellfish populations. This allows reefs to be kept
alive where they would die, and new reefs and fisheries habitat to be
grown in a few years in places where they cannot recover naturally.
Because reef fisheries are collapsing due to habitat destruction,
control of fishing activities cannot restore fisheries without
large-scale habitat restoration. This restoration process is powered
using tidal, solar, and wind energy. "
As this information is in the public domain it is imperative that the
coral reef community is adequately informed of this as a means of
placing this discussion in a contemporary framework. Again, I apologize
if any individual is compromised by pointing out this trend - I am just
the messenger, and am not targeting anyone in particular. But I think it
is time that the wider coral reef community step up and insist on proper
scientific review and do not let commercial interests within the
scientific community drive this assessment of the allocation of critical
development funding for SIDS in particular.
David Fisk
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 00:27:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dean Jacobson <atolldino at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] photoshop trick for sat imagery
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Cc: Don Hess <cmihess at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <287849.35766.qm at web31803.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Hi listers:
Today I "discovered" a useful way to filter satellite images using
Photoshop to reveals relatively deep reefs (below 15 meters). (I am
fortunate to have access to 0.6 m Majuro atoll data for ArcMap). I am
using Photoshop 6.
Under "images", choose selective color, choose blue, then minimize the
black slider. Then choose black, and maximize black slider. Another
iteration may be needed. Then, increase contrast and brightness. To
avoid blowing out the shallows and land, first save an extra image
layer, make your adjustments, and then selectively erase the upper
adjustment layer so the original pixels show through.
The results were pretty remarkable; it was like having "X-ray vision"...
well-defined deep reefs magically appeared out of the monotonous dark
blue lagoon water. This will work only if the stat image was taken an a
calm day; a wave chop seems to obscure the deep features.
I discovered this just in time for my coral monitoring season! I can
send some example jpgs upon request.
Cheers,
Dean Jacobson, PhD
College of the Marshall Islands
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 09:17:42 +0100
From: "Medio, David" <MedioD at halcrow.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral restoration
To: "Douglas Fenner" <dfenner at blueskynet.as>
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID:
<A87990669172924FADCAABF1721CB6EC0878E991 at LOND-MX-01.halcrow.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Doug
apologies! It is indeed the Arabian Gulf (Persian to some) I am
referring to!
David
Dr David Medio
Principal Environmental Scientist
Halcrow Group Ltd, Arndale Centre, Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 2UL,
UK
tel: switchboard +44 (0)113 2208220, direct line: +44 (0)113 220 8253,
mobile: +44 (0)773 919 0968
fax: +44 (0)113 274 2924 email: mediod at halcrow.com
www.halcrow.com
________________________________________________________________________
_______
Halcrow Sustaining and improving the quality of people's lives
________________________________________________________________________
____ __
P Please do not print this e-mail and attachments unless absolutely
necessary
-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Fenner [mailto:dfenner at blueskynet.as]
Sent: 18 May 2008 00:18
To: Medio, David
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral restoration
Dave,
Are you speaking of the Arbian/Persian Gulf? I know its common to
refer to it as the Gulf in that area. The coral-list has many readers
that are closer to the Gulf of Mexico, some near the Gulf of California,
and so on.
Might be good to specify so no one is left wondering. Thanks! -Doug
----- Original Message -----
From: "Medio, David" <MedioD at halcrow.com>
To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 2:13 AM
Subject: [Coral-List] Coral restoration
>I am involved in a wide range of medium to very large coastal
developments
>some of which a priori are known to damage long established reefs in
the
>Gulf. Whereas some of the recent artificial reef applications may well
have
>had positive results, I am as rule very sceptical on the use of and
>proliferaion as well as the political clout afforded artificial reef
>initiatives.
>
> Firstly, can we really recreate a reef (as opposed to relocating
existing
> bits of a reef) in its complexity, function and extent?
>
> Secondly, using man made reefs, if pushed to the limit, as is the case
in
> many coastal and offshore developments in the Gulf, will amount
frequently
> to giving a green light to using such as a tool to offset large levels
of
> multi-layered damage to the marine environment, i.e. more than just
the
> coral habitats.
>
> Reefs in the Gulf are increasingly being described as far more
extensive
> and pristine and species rich than previuosly thought whilst at the
same
> coming under the greatest level of pressure ever experienced in the
> region.
>
> The answer for their conservation is cleverly designed engineering,
robust
> and well implemented mitigation measures and environmental management
> plans, improved environmental educational and awareness and improved
> regulatory frameworks.
>
>
> Dr David Medio
> Principal Environmental Scientist
> Halcrow Group Ltd, Arndale Centre, Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds, LS6
2UL,
> UK
> tel: switchboard +44 (0)113 2208220, direct line: +44 (0)113 220 8253,
> mobile: +44 (0)773 919 0968
> fax: +44 (0)113 274 2924 email: mediod at halcrow.com
> www.halcrow.com
>
________________________________________________________________________
_______
>
> Halcrow Sustaining and improving the quality of people's lives
>
________________________________________________________________________
____
> __
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