Dr. Travis Courtney

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Photo of Travis Courtney, PhD, Professor: marine biogeochemistry and ecology

Professor: marine biogeochemistry and ecology
PhD – Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Department of Marine Sciences
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
PO Box 9000
Mayagüez, PR 00681-9000

Tel. (787) 899-2048 ext. 221
Email: travis.courtney@upr.edu
Webpage: https://theberglab.com/
Office: Magueyes Marine Laboratories


Research

                Growth and maintenance of coral reefs and the role of bleaching, disturbances, and restoration

                Coastal biogeochemistry and water quality monitoring

                Blue carbon uptake by seagrasses and seaweed aquaculture


Courses

                CMOQ 6615: Chemical Oceanography

                CMOQ 6617: Marine Pollution

                CMOQ 6008: Open Data Science in Chemical Oceanography

                CIMA 6007: Professional Research Conduct in Ocean Sciences


Publications

  1. Toth LT, Courtney TA, Colella M, Ruzicka RR. 2023. Stony coral tissue loss disease accelerated shifts in coral composition and declines in reef accretion potential in the Florida Keys. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1276400

  2. Mejias-Rivera CL, Armstrong RA, Balint S, García-Troche E, McKinney RA, Morell JM, Oczkowski A, Courtney TA. 2023. Localized inshore warming, acidification, and elevated particulate organic matter across a coupled mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef ecosystem in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-023-02435-y

  3. Cornwall CE, Carlot J, Branson O, Courtney TA, Harvey BP, Perry CT, Andersson AJ, Diaz-Pulido G, Johnson MD, Kennedy E, Krieger EC, Mallela J, McCoy SJ, Nugues MM, Quinter E, Ross CL, Ryan E, Saderne V, Comeau S. 2023. Crustose coralline algae can contribute more than corals to coral reef carbonate production. Nature Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00766-w

  4. Pezner AK, Courtney TA, Barkley HC, Chou WC, Chu HC, Clements SM, Cyronak T, DeGrandpre MD, Kekuewa SAH, Kline DI, Liang Y-B, Martz TB, Mitarai S, Page HN, Rintoul MS, Smith JE, Soong K, Takeshita Y, Tresguerres M, Wei Y, Yates KK, Andersson AJ. 2023. Increasing hypoxia on global coral reefs under ocean warming. Nature Climate Change 13, 403–409 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01619-2

  5. Rintoul M, Courtney T, Dohner J, Giddings S, Inoha K, Kekuewa S, Mitarai S, Monismith S, Pezner A, Andersson A. 2022. The Effects of Light Intensity and Flow Speed on Biogeochemical Variability within a Fringing Coral Reef in Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018369

  6. Kekuewa SAH, Courtney TA, Cyronak T, Andersson AJ. 2022. Seasonal nearshore ocean acidification and deoxygenation in the Southern California Bight. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21831-y

  7. Toth LT, Courtney TA, Colella MA, Kupfner Johnson SA, Ruzicka RR. 2022. The past, present, and future of coral reef growth in the Florida Keys. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16295

  8. Courtney TA, Barkley HC, Chan S, Couch CS, Kindinger TL, Oliver TA, Kriegman DJ, Andersson AJ. 2022. Rapid assessments of Pacific Ocean net coral reef carbonate budgets and net calcification following the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12159

  9. Elahi R, Edmunds PJ, Gates RD, Kuffner IB, Barnes BB, Chollett I, Courtney TA, Guest JR, Lenz EA, Toth LT, Viehman TS, Williams ID. 2022. Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2651

  10. Bresnahan P, Cyronak T, Brewin RJW, Andersson A, Wirth T, Martz T, Courtney T, Hui N, Kastner R, Stern A, McGrain T, Reinicke D, Richard J, Hammond K, Waters S. 2022. A High-Tech, Low-Cost, Internet of Things Surfboard Fin for Coastal Citizen Science, Outreach, and Education. Continental Shelf Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2022.104748

  11. Courtney TA, Cyronak T, Griffin AJ, Andersson AJ. 2021. Implications of salinity normalization of seawater total alkalinity in coral reef metabolism studies. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261210

  12. Kekuewa SAH, Courtney TA, Cyronak T, Kindeberg T, Eyre BD, Stoltenberg L, Andersson AJ. 2021. Temporal and Spatial Variabilities of Chemical and Physical Parameters on the Heron Island Coral Reef Platform. Aquatic Geochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-021-09400-7

  13. Courtney TA, Guest JR, Edwards AJ, Dizon RM. 2021. Linear extension, skeletal density, and calcification rates of the blue coral Heliopora coerulea. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02137-3

  14. Pezner AK, Courtney TA, Page HN, Giddings SN, Beatty CM, DeGrandpre MD, Andersson AJ. 2021. Lateral, Vertical, and Temporal Variability of Seawater Carbonate Chemistry at Hog Reef, Bermuda. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.562267

  15. Courtney TA, Kindeberg T, Andersson AJ. 2020. Coral calcification responses to the North Atlantic Oscillation and coral bleaching in Bermuda. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241854

  16. Kindeberg T, Bates NR, Courtney TA, Cyronak T, Griffin A, Mackenzie FT, Paulsen M-L, Andersson AJ. 2020. Porewater Carbonate Chemistry Dynamics in a Temperate and a Subtropical Seagrass System. Aquatic Geochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-020-09378-8

  17. Courtney TA, Barnes BB, Chollett I, Elahi R, Gross K, Guest JR, Kuffner IB, Lenz EA, Nelson HR, Rogers CS, Toth LT, Andersson AJ. 2020. Disturbances drive changes in coral community assemblages and coral calcification capacity. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3066

  18. Cyronak T, Takeshita Y, Courtney TA, DeCarlo EH, Eyre BD, Kline DI, Martz T, Page H, Price NN, Smith J, Stoltenberg L, Tresguerres M, Andersson AJ. 2020. Diel temperature and pH variability scale with depth across diverse coral reef habitats. Limnology and Oceanography Letters. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10129

  19. Baumann JH, Ries JB, Rippe JP, Courtney TA, Aichelman HE, Westfield I, Castillo KD. 2019. Nearshore coral growth declining on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Global Change Biology, 25: 3932–3945. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14784

  20. Courtney TA & Andersson AJ. 2019. Evaluating measurements of coral reef net ecosystem calcification rates. Coral Reefs, 38(5):997–1006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01828-2

  21. Page HN, Courtney TA, De Carlo EH, Howins NM, Koester I, Andersson AJ. 2019. Spatiotemporal variability in seawater carbon chemistry for a coral reef flat in Kāne’ohe Bay, Hawai’i. Limnology and Oceanography, 63:913–934. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11084

  22. Guest JR, Edmunds PJ, Gates RD, Kuffner IB, Andersson AJ, Barnes BB, Chollett I, Courtney TA, Elahi R, Gross K, Lenz EA, Mitarai S, Mumby PJ, Nelson HR, Parker BA, Putnam HM, Rogers CS, Toth LT. 2018. A framework for identifying and characterising coral reef “oases” against a backdrop of degradation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 00:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13179

  23. Courtney TA, De Carlo EH, Page HN, Bahr KD, Barro A, Howins N, Tabata R, Terlouw G, Rodgers KS, Andersson AJ. 2018. Recovery of reef-scale calcification following a bleaching event in Kāne’ohe Bay, Hawai’i. Limnology & Oceanography Letters, 3:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10056

  24. Courtney TA, Lebrato M, Bates NR, Collins A, de Putron SJ, Garley R, Johnson, R, Molinero JC, Noyes TJ, Sabine CL, Andersson AJ. 2017. Environmental controls on modern scleractinian coral and reef-scale calcification. Science Advances, 3(11), p.e1701356. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1701356

  25. Page HN, Courtney TA, Collins A, De Carlo EH, Andersson AJ. 2017. Net community metabolism and seawater carbonate chemistry scale non-intuitively with coral cover. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4:161. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00161

  26. Courtney TA, Andersson AJ, Bates NB, Collins A, Cyronak T, de Putron SJ, Eyre BD, Garley R, Hochberg EJ, Johnson R, Musielewicz S, Noyes T, Sabine CL, Sutton AJ, Toncin J, Tribollet A. 2016. Comparing Chemistry and Census-based Estimates of Net Ecosystem Calcification on a Rim Reef in Bermuda. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3:181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00181

  27. Baumann JH, Townsend JE, Courtney TA, Aichelman HE, Davies SW, Lima FP, Castillo KD. 2016. Temperature Regimes Impact Coral Assemblages along Environmental Gradients on Lagoonal Reefs in Belize. PLoS ONE, 11(9): e0162098. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162098

  28. Aichelman HE, Townsend JE, Courtney TA, Baumann JH, Davies SW, Castillo KD. 2016. Heterotrophy mitigates the response of the temperate coral Oculina arbuscula to temperature stress. Ecology and Evolution, 6(18): 6758-6769. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2399

  29. Horvath KM, Castillo KD, Armstrong P, Westfield IT, Courtney T, Ries JB. 2016. Next-century ocean acidification and warming both reduce calcification rate, but only acidification alters skeletal morphology of reef-building coral Siderastrea siderea. Scientific Reports, 6:29613. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29613

  30. Courtney T and Ries JB. 2015. Impact of atmospheric pCO2, seawater temperature, and calcification rate on the δ18O and δ13C composition of echinoid calcite (Echinometra viridis). Chemical Geology, 411: 228-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.06.030

  31. Courtney T, Ries JB, Westfield I. 2013. Predicted end of 21st century CO2-induced ocean acidification decreases calcification rates in the tropical urchin Echinometra viridis. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 440: 169-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2012.11.013

NOTE: The information on this page changes frequently, may be outdated and in need of revision. Please contact us for the most up to date information, cima@uprm.edu.