Science

Saving Hawaii's Coral Reefs

• Selfless
• Beautiful
• Fascinating

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:

• Corals are beatiful, living, breathing animals that create the largest, most complex, and most beautiful biogenic (animal-made) structures in the world.  The US values Hawaii's coral reefs alone at over $33 BILLION.

• HAWAII'S CORALS ARE RAPIDLY DYING OFF!!!  But we don't know why.

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT IT:

• I have organized a team of chemists, biologists and resource managers to explore the effects of water quality and herbivory on reef development at over 8 sites along leeward Maui.

• Previous research has described the magnitude of pollution and overfishing in Maui, and my research will take the next step by examining the ecological impacts on the development of fringing coral reefs

• Results from this work will provide much-needed information to resource managers, the scientific community and the public regarding the key factors leading to the loss of Maui's reefs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• CLICK "FUEL" in the upper right and contribute any amount of financial fuel to help me successfully tackle this important and demanding research project (see methods below).

• Our research is physically, temporally, and financially demanding. All work is conducted on scuba in the nearshore environments around Maui. Your contribution will provide the funds necessary to successfully accomplish our work.

• Your contribution will be used for transportation, facilities rental, maintenance of state-of-the-art equipment, water chemistry analyses, and sensor preparation and maintenance.

• Your contribution is a contribution to (1) the magnificent coral reefs & the diversity they bring to our oceans & our lives, (2) to the Hawiian economy, (3) to future scientists in training, and (4) to preserving your own natural heritage.

• GO BIG OR GO SMALL, before you go home.  Any contribution you can afford will be helpful and much appreciated.  Click "FUEL" in the upper right to get started!

 METHODS [the nitty gritty]

• We will use Calcification/Accretion Units (CAUs) to examine the effects of water quality and herbivory on the colonization (succession) and carbonate accretion (growth) of reef communities. To date, over 120 CAUs have been deployed in shallow mixed reef habitats at 8 sites in Maui. Half of these are caged to explore the effects of fishing on herbivores and reef health.

• The 8 sites are stratified across Maui to included areas exposed to various levels of pollution (proximity to centers of population) and fishing stress (protected vs. open to fishing) to assess the role of fishing and herbivory in determining reef development trajectories.

• Water samples are collected regularly at each location to examine salinity, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorous, and SeaFET pH sensors are used to collect pH (acidity) and temperature measurements. Differences in light availability, water motion and sedimentation are also being compared among sites.

• Net accretion of calcium carbonate (reef growth) will be evaluated for each unit and the encrusting community of sessile creatures will be evaluated using image analysis software. The development of the reef will be compared with measures of water quality, herbivory, and proximity to waste water effluent; therefore, allowing us to examine the effects of fishing and pollution on the development of Maui's coral reefs.

 About #Scifund

1. RocketHub is not an investment or charity. It is an exchange: funds from fans for rewards from me.

2. It's an All & More funding mechanism: if I don't reach my financial goal I get to keep what I raise. But if I do reach my goal, I get access to exciting opportunities.