CWL

Aquanauts Assemble: Coral Restoration

Several years ago (June, 2008), scientists participated in an eight-day mission in which they were living and working at 60 feet (18 m) below the sea surface in order to determine why some coral colonies survive transplanting after a disturbance, such as a storm, while other colonies die out.

Coral reefs worldwide are suffering from the combined effects of hurricanes, global warming, increased boat traffic, and pollution. As a result, their restoration has become a priority among those who are concerned about their health.

Using as a home base the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Aquarius, an underwater facility for science and diving located in Key Largo, Florida, a team of “Aquanauts” is working to protect coral reefs from this barrage of threats by investigating ways to improve their restoration. The photo above shows an aquanaut building a “coral garden” with transplanted colonies.

Summary and Photography by Iliana Baums

anoceanactivist:

The Florida Keys Reef - U.S. Marine Protected Area

The islands in the Florida Keys span 126 miles (200 kilometers) and are home to the most extensive living coral reef in the United States, and the third largest on Earth.

Just south of the Florida peninsula, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary covers 3,708 square miles (9,600 square kilometers).

The region receives more than 4 million visitors a year who come to dive, explore coral reefs and shipwrecks, and fish.

Beyond tourism, the Keys support a nearly 20-million-pound (9-million-kilogram) harvest of seafood and marine products annually. In an effort to protect the ecological and commercial resources in the park, the area was designated a national sanctuary in 1990.

(Photograph by Emory Kristoff)