Fish communities in the Tuamotu Archipelago have been much more diverse than in Society Islands, especially on the fore reef. The fish are not only more abundant, but they are larger overall, meaning greater biomass, which is good for reefs
My two weeks aboard the Golden Shadow have come to a close. During that time, I spent the days diving with the science team. At night, as the ship swayed with the swells of the ocean, I reflected on their research as
The French Polynesian scientists participating on the Society Islands mission took the opportunity to quantify the abundance of a number of French Polynesia invertebrates… species that have, or may have, a commercial and food subsistence role in the near future.
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation works on a global scale to improve our understanding of coral reef health and the ecological integrity of coral reef ecosystems. Pollution, coastal development, overfishing, climate change, disease, and predation can negatively impact
For the last week, the Global Reef Expedition scientists have been diving and surveying the leeward side of fore reefs around Raiatea, French Polynesia, focusing their efforts on the reef slope. This particular reef community changes its structure along a
Most coral reefs thrive in shallow depth, where light can easily penetrate the water. Corals depend on the energy of sunlight, through the photosynthetic microscopic algae that reside within their tissue, to grow and survive. For the first time in
Coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the seas. Teeming with life, reefs harbor a broad range of organisms that rely on a complex network of ecological interactions and symbiosis (close and often long-term interaction between two or more
At first sight, Huahines’ reefs appeared to lack vertical relief; the bottom was barren and without much life. It was obvious to all of us that a disturbance had impacted these reefs sometime in the past. Locals indicated it was
Life on a coral reef in French Polynesia can be extremely unforgiving. Natural coral threats, especially cyclones, crown of thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks and coral bleaching events, have caused severe damage. Fortunately, because of the isolation and low human population
What comes to mind when thinking about a coral reef is a colorful undersea garden teaming with life: corals, fish, urchins, starfish, molluscs, crustaceans, sponges and other animals and plants, many still unknown to science. French Polynesia coral reefs should
