Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Cruise 2012

CCRI, Coral, Mesophotic

A multi-site comparison on mesophotic reefs from Mona Island, PR to St. Croix, USVI Sponsor: Caribbean Coral Reef Institute, University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Collaboration: NOAA/NCCOS Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Funding: NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Vessel: M/V Spree, a 100-ft commercial dive vessel The Players Richard Appeldoorn- ROV operations and project PI, shallow diver…

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Cruise 2011

CCRI, Coral, Mesophotic

A multi-site comparison on mesophotic reefs from Mona Island, PR to St. Croix, USVI Sponsor: Caribbean Coral Reef Institute, University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Collaboration: Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology and the University of North Carolina – Wilmington Funding: NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Vessel: M/V Spree, a 100-ft commercial…

Cyanobacterial blooms on coral reefs and algal epizoic growth on corals in Southwest Puerto Rico

Benthic, Bloom, Conservation, Coral, Disease, Ecology, Microbiology, Monitoring, Water quality

Author: David L. Ballantine, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2006 One of the recently recognized threats to coral reef health is overgrowth by macroscopic algae. Algal blooms are becoming increasingly widespread on a worldwide scale with the phenomenon involving both geographical expansion and increased biomass. Virtually all macroalgal blooms appear to be initiated by nutrient…

Reef fish spawning aggregations of the Puerto Rican shelf

Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Habitat, Management, Reef, Snapper, Spawning

Author: Edgardo Ojeda, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2007 Known spawning aggregation sites (SPAG’s) for reef fishes from Puerto Rico consisted only of several red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) sites and one each for tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) and mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis). This project initiated an interview-based survey as a first step to identify additional…

Mapping red hind groupers at spawning aggregation sites with an AUV and long-term acoustic recorders in Puerto Rico

Acoustic, Ecology, Fish, Grouper, Habitat, Management, Mapping, Remote sensing, Spawning

Author: David Mann, Ph.D. Institution: University of South Florida Year: 2008 Field trips to Mona Island and the West Coast of Puerto Rico and subsequent data analysis have revealed a unique sound associated with male red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) territoriality, which has been identified and characterized. Data corresponds to two months of recordings from long-term acoustic recorders (LARS)…

Taking coastal mapping to a new level: assessing habitat composition and water properties of shallow coastal ecosystems along the coast of Puerto Rico using hyperspectral remote sensing

Benthic, Chemistry, Coastal, Habitat, Mapping, Remote sensing, Sediment

Author: James Goodman, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2007 – 2008 The primary objective of the project is to provide a more comprehensive assessment and mapping of the shallow coastal resources for selected areas along the coast of Puerto Rico. Specifically, we will extract information on habitat composition and water properties using the enhanced capabilities…

Sedimentation patterns at reef sites adjacent to the Guanica Bay watershed, Southwest Puerto Rico

Chemistry, Coastal, Conservation, Geology, Habitat, Monitoring, Sediment

Author: Clark Sherman, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2009 – 2012 This research is part of the Guanica Bay Watershed Project, a multi-agency project to strategically evaluate, design, and implement a watershed restoration project to reduce the effects of land-based sources of pollution into the coastal ocean. A primary element of this…