Determining the condition of coral reefs in Florida: Long-term monitoring of deep reef communities at Conch Reef, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
This Aquarius mission will provide information about the condition of U.S. coral reefs in waters deeper than can be routinely reached using surface-based diving techniques. Marine scientists will live and work underwater for seven days to monitor and explore coral reefs first visited as part of baseline studies completed in 1994, at Conch Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS).
It is well know that significant declines have occurred in recent years in shallow coral reef environments, in Florida and throughout the Caribbean. However, deeper coral reefs between 60 and 120 feet, which comprise a significant amount of area within the FKNMS, remain largely unexplored and their condition is not well documented. Since 1994, reefs in Florida have undergone coral bleaching twice, the distribution and abundance of coral diseases have increased, and early this year seaweed blooms were observed throughout the Keys. It is against this backdrop, and possible declines in water quality, that scientists will be studying the deep coral reefs of Conch Reef.
Photographic, video, and visual techniques will be used to determine the distribution and abundance of hard corals, soft corals, sponges, algae, and other organisms at Conch Reef, site of the Aquarius underwater laboratory. Saturation diving using Aquarius will provide the extensive dive time needed to complete work tasks associated with the monitoring effort. The project is a cooperative effort among federal and state of Florida personnel, and academic scientists. In addition to the benthic monitoring, fish surveys will be conducted using conventional census techniques. There is a possibility coral spawning will occur toward the end of the mission; if so, data will be collected related to timing, depths, and species.
Two development programs are still in preparation and will be implemented if equipment is ready for the mission;
- ultra-low light vision capability will be provided to aquanauts during night dives for fish surveys and behavioral studies; and
- 2) fish traps will be deployed to capture fishes for tagging studies to document distances traveled by snappers and groupers in the sanctuary.
The ultra-low light work will provide scientists, for the first time, with a means to directly observe coral reef night life, without the disturbance of bright lights that scare away many organisms - and attract others. The fish tagging studies are relevant because marine protected areas, like Conch Reef, have the potential to export resources throughout the sanctuary and snappers and groupers have the potential to travel great distances, or stay close to home.
The August mission brings together a unique mix of scientists, managers, and educators to address critical environmental issues in our coastal ocean. The mission will be documented by National Geographic, and extensive information and interactive opportunities will be available through NURC/UNCW’s Aquarius homepage. Aquanaut journals will be posted and chat sessions will be conducted from Aquarius during the mission. For additional information please contact Dr. Steven Miller, Associate Director — Florida Program University of North Carolina at Wilmington.