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
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
The genus Acropora includes the most diverse and abundant corals found on Indo-Pacific reefs, with different species displaying a baffling number of growth forms and color varieties. With over 150 species known to science, these corals often out compete all
Worldwide, coral reefs are declining at an alarming rate. This is most apparent in the Caribbean, where reefs have been transformed from coral gardens – 60-70% of the bottom was carpeted in thickets of elkhorn coral and staghorn coral, mountainous
At the southern end of Grande Terre, is Prony Bay, a large sheltered bay at the convergence of the open ocean and two larger streams that drain the surrounding mountains and hillsides. The terrain here is unusual: dark red earth
With wind and swell building from the south and east, we identified two relatively sheltered sites north of Ile des Pins for the morning surveys. Ominous rain clouds were building in the sky to the east, but we were glad
One of the most unusual group of animals found on the reef are the echinoderms. So named because of their “spiny skin”, these animals are pentamerous or radially symmetrical (five point). Found only in the sea, they include sea urchins,
“Ocean acidification” is a term you may have heard in relation to coral reefs. As carbon dioxide increases in the air, the amount in the ocean goes up as well. The increased carbon dioxide makes the ocean water more acidic,
