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Thriving ‘Middle Light’ Reefs Found In Puerto Rico
Jan 5th, 2011 by Michael Bear

SILVER SPRING, Maryland — NOAA-funded scientists have found extensive and biologically diverse coral ecosystems occurring at depths between 100-500 feet within a 12 mile span off the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. With the overall health of shallow coral reefs and the abundance of reef fish in Puerto Rico in decline, this finding brings hope that deeper fish stocks may help to replenish stocks on shallower reefs.
These mesophotic ecosystems — ‘meso’ for middle and ‘photic’ for light — are the deepest of the light-dependent coral reefs. Too deep for exploration with traditional scuba gear, these reefs have until recently remained largely unexplored because of the cost and technical difficulty of reaching them. Advances in diving techniques allowed scientists to safely dive and conduct this pioneering survey.
See here for more: http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=45172068391

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NY Times: Higher Temps Bleaching Coral Reefs Worldwide
Sep 21st, 2010 by Michael Bear

This year’s extreme heat is putting the world’s coral reefs under such severe stress that scientists fear widespread die-offs, endangering not only the richest ecosystems in the ocean but also fisheries that feed millions of people.
Bleached and dying coral off the coast of Thailand.
From Thailand to Texas, corals are reacting to the heat stress by bleaching, or shedding their color and going into survival mode. Many have already died, and more are expected to do so in coming months. Computer forecasts of water temperature suggest that corals in the Caribbean may undergo drastic bleaching in the next few weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/earth/21coral.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

This year’s extreme heat is putting the world’s coral reefs under such severe stress that scientists fear widespread die-offs, endangering not only the richest ecosystems in the ocean but also fisheries that feed millions of people.
Bleached and dying coral off the coast of Thailand.From Thailand to Texas, corals are reacting to the heat stress by bleaching, or shedding their color and going into survival mode. Many have already died, and more are expected to do so in coming months. Computer forecasts of water temperature suggest that corals in the Caribbean may undergo drastic bleaching in the next few weeks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/earth/21coral.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

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No ‘Silent World’: Study Shows ‘Noise’ Is Symptom Of Coral Reef Health
Sep 21st, 2010 by Michael Bear

RISTOL, U.K. — Healthy reefs with more corals and fish generate predictably greater levels of noise, according to researchers working in Panama. This has important implications for understanding the behavior of young fish, and provides an exciting new approach for monitoring environmental health by listening to reefs.

Contrary to Jacques Cousteau’s ‘Silent World’, coral reefs are surprisingly noisy places, with fish and invertebrates producing clicks and grunts which combine to produce cacophonies of noise. Each reef is subtly different depending on the size and composition of the resident community.

http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=74892136510

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First Frozen Repository For Hawaiian Coral Created; Can Be Thawed ’1,000 Years From Now’
Aug 25th, 2010 by Michael Bear

MāNOA, Hawaii — Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have created the first frozen bank for Hawaiian corals in an attempt to protect them from extinction and to preserve their diversity in Hawaiʻi. Mary Hagedorn, an adjunct faculty member at HIMB and a research scientist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, leads the laboratory at the HIMB research facilities on Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay, Oʻahu, that is banking the frozen coral cells.
“Because frozen banked cells are viable, the frozen material can be thawed one, 50 or, in theory, even 1,000 years from now to restore a species or population,” said Hagedorn. “In fact, some of the frozen sperm samples have already been thawed and used to fertilize coral eggs to produce developing coral larvae.”
Coral reefs are living, dynamic ecosystems that provide invaluable services: They act as nursery grounds for marine fish and invertebrates, provide natural storm barriers for coastlines, purify carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and they are potential sources for undiscovered pharmaceuticals.
http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=85101079263

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