Expedition Log: Palau – Day 11 On most of the barrier reefs we’ve examined off the south and west coast of Palau, the coral community has been thriving, with 60-90% of the bottom covered in a diverse assemblage of branching,
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 10 While I perform my task of taking coral photo transects during our survey dives, I get a close look at the reef (one square meter at a time). One side effect of focusing my
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 9 After surveying the reefs located off Angaur, an oceanic Island about 10 km south of Peliliu, we headed ashore to explore the island. Tucked away in a lush tropical rainforest at the northwestern end
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 8 1998 was a bad year for coral reefs. In many parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans an unprecedented coral bleaching event swept across the reefs, killing much of the coral. In some countries,
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 5 Usually we find the most delicate corals in protected deeper lagoonal waters. Species such as Anacropora, a cousin of Acropora which forms bushes of long spindly branches, up to a meter tall but only
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 4 Today, as we prepare to leave the Rock Islands and head to Negerumekao – the Global Reef Expedition’s next research site in Palau – we take a minute to reflect on the stunning natural
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 3 Today we surveyed reefs in the Ngeruktabel complex of the Rock Islands, which are located south of Malakal harbor. The area is known locally as the “bait grounds” because local fishermen use small nets
Expedition Log: Palau – Day 2 Remoras are a unique type fish. They use their distinctive specialized dorsal fin to attach to larger marine animals for transportation, protection and food. These fish are most commonly seen underwater hitching a free
After our dive earlier in the mission where we could hear the submarine explosions of Kavachi, the underwater volcano (and occasionally nascent island landmass), we were told that we were in for a special treat on the last day of
I am really excited to be aboard the M/Y Golden Shadow for the second half of the Living Oceans Foundation’s (LOF) Solomon Islands mission. I have joined the LOF education team and I am representing a partner organization, OceansWatch. OceansWatch
