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Dr. Tom Cronin (Principal Investigator) I grew up in a family of scientists - my uncle, Eugene Cronin, was one of the most respected biologists working on the Chesapeake Bay, and my father worked for the Chesapeake Bay Institute. So, I suppose that I was predestined to go into some form of marine science! I spent my summers growing up on the water or near it, and completed my doctorate at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in 1979. Since then I have worked in marine environments around the world - Australia, Belize, the Eastern Atlantic, Hawaii, French Polynesia, the Keys, and elsewhere. The work is never dull, although all the travelling can be a bit daunting. I also have done research at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which is a little closer to home! For most of my career, my research area has focussed on light in water, animal vision, biological signalling, color in water, and the properties of natural scenes. I work mainly with marine invertebrates, but the work also extends to fishes and marine mammals. We study color vision, the use of color for signalling and camouflage, and the evolution of visual systems for use in particular light environments. More recently, my lab has become interested in the colors of corals and the use of coral light reflectance as a signal of health and physiological condition in corals. This is the major focus of the August 1999 Mission at the Aquarius habitat. When corals are stressed, a very common response is the expulsion of some or all of their endosymbiotic zooxanthellae. This causes a loss of coloration, which is commonly called "bleaching". Corals at different depths and in different location vary both in their complements of zooxanthellae and in their amounts of coloration. Our work this year will concentrate on how corals vary in pigmentation and how this can be used as a measure of reef health. Simultaneously with collecting data on corals and reef condition, we will monitor light in the water, the variation in spectrum with location, water quality, and time of day (including ultraviolet light), and other features of the environment that relate to coral health and colors. |
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