Evaluating Satellite-Based Sea Surface Temperatures, \u3ci\u3eIn Situ\u3c/i\u3e Observations, and Coral Symbioses in Southwestern Puerto Rico

I examined the effects of in situ and satellite-based sea surface temperatures (SST) on the seasonal coral-algae symbiotic relationship in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Climate change-driven rising sea temperatures are endangering most of the world’s reefs, which are currently in decline. Satellite remote sensing datasets support global-scale characterization and monitoring of risks to reefs associated with increasing temperatures. Corals’ unique symbiotic relationship with unicellular algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae is largely responsible for helping corals cope with increasing ocean temperatures, and some corals are able to adjust their symbiont species in response to temperature disturbances. My research had two components to evaluate how satellite SST and in situ data corresponded to symbiont shuffling: (1) assessment of in situ temperatures at the depth of coral reefs with corresponding satellite-based SST datasets, and (2) evaluating the seasonal coral symbioses community dynamics of Orbicella faveolata and Montastraea cavernosa using high resolution quantitative PCR. This study involved a combination of fieldwork, computational analysis, and detailed laboratory work. All three satellite-based SST datasets evaluated produced a cool bias and represented the temperature at the depth of the corals with ~1°C offset. There were no seasonal differences in the coral symbioses for either species. The results highlight the need for further in situ and satellite validation studies, and the complexity of the coral symbiotic relationship. The conclusions will be useful to coral conservation managers interested in using satellite SST datasets to monitor coral reefs, and marine bioengineering efforts focused on optimizing the coral symbioses to combat climate change

11th International Coral Reef Symposium Abstracts

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11th International Coral Reef Symposium Proceedings

A defining theme of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium was that the news for coral reef ecosystems are far from encouraging. Climate change happens now much faster than in an ice-age transition, and coral reefs continue to suffer fever-high temperatures as well as sour ocean conditions. Corals may be falling behind, and there appears to be no special silver bullet remedy. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs that we should not despair. Reef ecosystems respond vigorously to protective measures and alleviation of stress. For concerned scientists, managers, conservationists, stakeholders, students, and citizens, there is a great role to play in continuing to report on the extreme threat that climate change represents to earth’s natural systems. Urgent action is needed to reduce CO2 emissions. In the interim, we can and must buy time for coral reefs through increased protection from sewage, sediment, pollutants, overfishing, development, and other stressors, all of which we know can damage coral health. The time to act is now. The canary in the coral-coal mine is dead, but we still have time to save the miners. We need effective management rooted in solid interdisciplinary science and coupled with stakeholder buy in, working at local, regional, and international scales alongside global efforts to give reefs a chance.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_icrs/1000/thumbnail.jp

The Future of Coral Reefs

This volume contains a series of papers prepared for presentation at the 14th International Coral Reef Symposium, originally planned for July 2020 in Bremen, Germany, but postponed until 2021 (online) and 2022 (in person) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains a series of papers illustrating the breadth of modern studies on coral reefs and the response of the reef science community to the threats that coral reefs now face, above all from climate change. The first group of papers focus on the biology of a selection of reef organisms, ranging from sea fans to coral dwelling crabs. The next group describe studies of coral communities and ecological interactions in regions as diverse as Florida, Kenya, Colombia, and Norway. Further papers describe investigations into the effects of global warming (in the Maldives and in Timor-Leste) and of other impacts (UV blockers, ocean acidification). The final two papers describe the latest applications of satellite and camera technology to the challenge of mapping and monitoring reefs

Performance evaluation of CRW reef-scale and broad-scale SST-based coral monitoring products in fringing reef systems of Tobago

Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) is used to monitor coral bleaching through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch (CRW) Decision Support System (DSS). Since 2000, a broad-scale 50 km SST was used to monitor thermal stress for coral reefs globally. However, some discrepancies were noted when applied to small-scale fringing coral reefs. To address this, CRW created a new DSS, specifically targeted at or near reef scales. Here, we evaluated the new reef-scale (5 km resolution) products using in situ temperature data and coral bleaching surveys which were also compared with the heritage broad-scale (50 km) for three reefs (Buccoo Reef, Culloden and Speyside) of the southern Caribbean island of Tobago. Seasonal and annual biases indicated the new 5 km SST generally represents the conditions at these reefs more accurately and more consistently than the 50 km SST. Consistency between satellite and in situ temperature data influences the performance of anomaly-based predictions of bleaching: the 5 km DHW product showed better consistency with bleaching observations than the 50 km product. These results are the first to demonstrate the improvement of the 5 km products over the 50 km predecessors and support their use in monitoring thermal stress of reefs in the southern Caribbean