scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Monitoring Methods

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015, to widen and deepen the channel. While the precise effects of the dredging on surrounding coral reefs are not well quantified, previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame confounded the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel. In-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response, including significantly greater proportion of live coral tissue loss, occurred within coral reef sites located closer to the channel. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from the warmest times of year.

scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Monitoring Methods

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015, to widen and deepen the channel. While the precise effects of the dredging on surrounding coral reefs are not well quantified, previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame confounded the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel. In-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response, including significantly greater proportion of live coral tissue loss, occurred within coral reef sites located closer to the channel. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from the warmest times of year.

scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W. Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E. Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Compensatory Mitigation ◽  
Reef Environment

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015 to widen and deepen the channel. Due to the limited spatial extent of impact-assessment monitoring associated with the project, the extent of the dredging impacts on surrounding coral reefs has not been well quantified. Previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A confounding regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame made the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel difficult but still feasible. The current study sought to better understand the sedimentation impacts that occurred in the coral reef environment surrounding Port of Miami, to distinguish those impacts from other regional events or disturbances, and provide supplemental information on impact assessment that will inform discussions on compensatory mitigation requirements. To this end, in-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response (e.g., higher prevalence of partial mortality of corals) extended up to 700 m from the channel, whereas project-associated monitoring was limited to 50 m from the channel. These results can contribute to more realistic prediction of areas of indirect effect from dredging projects needed to accurately evaluate proposed projects and design appropriate compliance monitoring. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of seasonal warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from such seasonal thermal stress events.

scholarly journals Failure to respond to a coral disease epizootic in Florida: causes and consequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1-47
Author(s):  
William Precht
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Compliance Monitoring

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first observed in September 2014 near Virginia Key, Florida. In roughly six years, the disease spread throughout Florida and into the greater Caribbean basin. The high prevalence of SCTLD and high resulting mortality in coral populations, and the large number of susceptible species affected, suggest that this outbreak is one of the most lethal ever recorded. The initial recognition and management response to this catastrophic disease in Florida was slow, which delayed the start of monitoring programs and prevented coordinated research programs by at least two years. The slow management response was a result of several factors that operated concurrently. First, the Port Miami dredging project was ongoing during the coral disease epidemic and dredging rather than SCTLD was blamed by some managers and local environmental groups for the extreme coral losses reported in the project’s compliance monitoring program. Second, this blame was amplified in the media because dredging projects are intuitively assumed to be bad for coral reefs. Third, during this same time State of Florida policy prohibited government employees to acknowledge global warming in their work. This was problematic because ocean warming is a proximal cause of many coral diseases. As a result, the well-known links between warming and coral disease were ignored. A consequence of this policy was that the dredging project provided an easy target to blame for the coral mortality noted in the monitoring program, despite convincing data that suggested otherwise. Specifically, results from the intensive compliance monitoring program, conducted by trained scientific divers, were clear. SCTLD that was killing massive numbers of corals throughout Florida was also killing corals at the dredge site – and in the same proportions and among the same suite of species. While eradication of the disease was never a possibility, early control measures may have slowed its spread or allowed for the rescue of significant numbers of large colonies of iconic species. This coral disease outbreak has similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and there are lessons learned from both that will improve disease response outcomes in the future, to the benefit of coral reefs and human populations.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease at El Seco, a Mesophotic Reef System off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey M. Williams ◽  
Jorge García-Sais ◽  
Jorge Sabater-Clavell
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Mesophotic Reef

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are ecologically and functionally vital, as they are Essential Fish Habitats that function as refugia for corals and sponges of shallow-water reefs. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a relatively new lethal coral disease, first affecting coral reefs in Florida and has now spread through most of the Caribbean. SCTLD was observed in Puerto Rico in December 2019 in Culebra Island. Since then, SCTLD has appeared along the east coast of Puerto Rico, affecting primarily shallow reefs in San Juan, Culebra and Vieques Island, and Fajardo. During late June and July 2020, four mesophotic reef habitats were surveyed at El Seco (off Vieques Island), on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. SCTLD was observed at colonized pavement (CPRT – 23–30 m), bank coral reef (BCR – 35–40 m), patch coral reef (PCR – 36–42 m), and rhodolith (Rhodo – 40–50 m) habitats. The mean percent substrate cover by sessile-benthic categories varied significantly between habitats (PERMANOVA, p < 0.001), with a higher mean (± SE) coral cover at BCR (26.95 ± 5.60%), followed by PCR (12.88 ± 3.88%). SCTLD was detected in all habitats, but the disease prevalence was significantly higher at BCR, ranging from 9.70 to 21.13% of colonies infected (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, p < 0.007). Even though PCR habitats exhibited less coral cover, SCTLD prevalence was still elevated ranging from 6.66 to 15.07%. The deepest record of SCTLD at El Seco was 40.9 m. The majority (∼98%) of the corals infected with the disease were from the Orbicella complex spp. (faveolata/franksi). However, there were other infected species, such as Agaricia grahamae, A. lamarcki, Montastraea cavernosa, and Porites astreoides. As seen in the surveys conducted in 2011 and 2020, the loss of coral cover allows for the emergence of other benthic “detractors,” such as peyssonnelids, specifically Ramicrusta spp. Ramicrusta spp., an aggressive encrusting red alga known to take over available space and overgrow corals, significantly increased its substrate cover at the impacted reefs. Therefore, the severity and virulence of SCTLD will most likely have severe and long-lasting negative impacts on the coral communities at El Seco mesophotic reef system.

scholarly journals Status of Coral Reefs in the Water of Spermonde, Makassar, South Sulawesi

2021 ◽  
Vol 324 ◽  
pp. 03007
Author(s):  
Ni Wayan Purnama Sari ◽  
Rikoh Manogar Siringoringo ◽  
Muhammad Abrar ◽  
Risandi Dwirama Putra ◽  
Raden Sutiadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Live Coral Cover ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Index Value

Observations of the condition of coral reefs have been carried out in Spermonde waters from 2015 to 2018. The method used in this observation uses Underwater Photo Transect (UPT), and the data obtained is analyzed using CPCe (Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions) software. The results show that the percentage of coral cover has increased from year to year. The percentage of live coral cover in 2015 was 19.64%, 23.60 in 2016, 23.72% in 2017, and 27.83% in 2018. The increase in live coral cover from year to year is thought to occur due to the availability of nutrients. or increasing public awareness, considering this location is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Makassar. Coral reef health index values can be used to classify coral reef health. Through the analysis of the coral reef health index, an index value of 4 was obtained, which means that the condition of the coral reefs is in the “moderate” category.

scholarly journals Pengamatan Laju Penyakit White Syndrome Pada Montipora sp. Di Pulau Pramuka, Taman Nasional Laut Kepulauan Seribu, DKI Jakarta

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Abdur Rosyid ◽  
Oktiyas Muzaky Luthfi
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Progression Rate ◽  
White Syndrome ◽  
Coral Surface ◽  
Pathogenic Vibrio ◽  
Imagej Software ◽  
Main Factor

Coral disease now became main factor of coral degradation in the world. There is still a few report about coral disease in Kepulauan Seribu Marine National Park (TNKPS) include of white syndrome (WS) in Montipora sp. WS was characterized by white area on coral surface at several stages. WS had caused coral tissue loss and leaved bare CaCO3 skeleton that was caused by pathogenic Vibrio coralliitycus associated with other microorganisms. In this study the progress of WS calculated by measurement of the distances of WS that moved from diseased to healty coral surface. All calculations was performed used ImageJ Software. Our result showed that WS progression rate in first week was 9.06 cm2 and the second week was 2.37 cm2. Total coral tissue mortality was 12.03% for 2 weeks.

scholarly journals Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease biomarker bacteria identified in corals and overlying waters using a rapid field-based sequencing approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia C. Becker ◽  
Marilyn Brandt ◽  
Carolyn A. Miller ◽  
Amy Apprill
Keyword(s):  
Coral Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
Virgin Islands ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Disease Biomarker ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Ribosomal Rna Sequences ◽  
Reef Tract

AbstractStony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a devastating disease. Since 2014, it has spread along the entire Florida Reef Tract, presumably via a water-borne vector, and into the greater Caribbean. It was first detected in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) in January 2019. To more quickly identify disease biomarker microbes, we developed a rapid pipeline for microbiome sequencing. Over a span of 10 days we collected, processed, and sequenced coral tissue and near-coral seawater microbiomes from diseased and apparently healthy Colpophyllia natans, Montastraea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites and Orbicella franksi. Analysis of the resulting bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA sequences revealed 25 biomarker amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) enriched in diseased tissue. These biomarker ASVs were additionally recovered in near-coral seawater (within 5 cm of coral surface), a potential recruitment zone for pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis of the biomarker ASVs belonging to Vibrio, Arcobacter, Rhizobiaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae revealed relatedness to other coral disease-associated bacteria and lineages novel to corals. Additionally, four ASVs (Algicola, Cohaesibacter, Thalassobius and Vibrio) were exact sequence matches to microbes previously associated with SCTLD. This work represents the first rapid coral disease sequencing effort and identifies biomarkers of SCTLD that could be targets for future SCTLD research.

scholarly journals Coral Reef Degradation Due to ‘Ship Grounding’ in Indonesia: Case Study of Ship Aground in Bangka-Belitung Waters by Mother Vessel MV Lyric Poet

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Idris Idris ◽  
Neviaty P. Zamani ◽  
Suharsono Suharsono ◽  
Fakhrurrozi Fakhrurrozi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Lyric Poet ◽  
Ship Grounding

HighlightDamage to coral reefs by ship aground is twice the area of a football fieldFound four zones of damage including runoff, dune, blow and dispersalMortality of live coral and other benthic biota ranges from 75-100% in the affected locationThe form of damaged live coral growth is predominantly slow growing.Eight hard coral species were found on the IUCN-Redlist list with a vulnerable status.AbstractShip grounding on coral reefs often results in physical and biological damage, including dislodging and removal of corals from reefs, destruction of coral skeletons, erosion and removal of sediment deposits, and loss of three-dimensional complexity. Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, is very vulnerable to various pressures; for example, the case of ship grounding is a great concern of scientists, managers, divers, and sailors themselves. Most of the damage is very severe. The purpose of the research conducted is to identify the condition of the live coral cover, mapping the type and extent of coral reef damage, affected coral species, their conservation status, and to quantify the extent of the area of coral reef damage. Measuring the extent of damage to coral reef ecosystems using the fishbone method, while the level of damage and its impact was measured using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) and belt transect method. The event of the grounding of the MV Lyric Poet on the Bangka Waters, Bangka-Belitung Province, has caused damage to the coral reef ecosystem. There are four damage zones identified, i.e., trajectory, mound, propeller, and dispersion zone. Corals are damaged with a total area of 13.540m2; equivalent to twice that of an international football field. Diversity of hard coral found as many as 49 species included in the CITES-Appendix II. A total of eight protected species are included in the IUCN Red List with extinction-prone status.

scholarly journals Kondisi Terkini Presentase Tutupan Terumbu Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19 di Gili Air, Taman Wisata Perairan Gili Matra, Nusa Tenggara Barat

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-247
Author(s):  
Nurliah Buhari ◽  
Mahardika Rizqi Himawan ◽  
Edwin Jefri ◽  
Paryono Paryono ◽  
Ibadur Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Core Zone ◽  
Biological Targets ◽  
The Core ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems

Gili Matra Aquatic Tourism Park has two conservation targets, namely biological targets and social, cultural and economic targets. Coral reef ecosystems, apart from being a conservation target, are also an attraction for tourists to visit. This research was conducted to determine the condition of the coral reef ecosystem to be used as the basis for the management of conservation areas. The research was conducted by collecting coral reef data either through surveys or secondary data from the results of previous studies. Coral reef survey using the standard Line Intercept Transect method. The survey results show that the condition of coral reefs in the utilization zone is better than the core zone. Live coral cover in the utilization zone reached 71% so it was categorized as good, while in the core zone it only reached 8% so it was categorized as bad. Coral reefs in the core zone are unable to recover even though the number of tourists has decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the location of the core zone on Gili Air needs to be evaluated further so that the effectiveness of Gili Matra TWP management can be improved.  Key words: coral reefs; Gili Matra; Conservation

scholarly journals Intra-colony disease progression induces fragmentation of coral fluorescent pigments

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Caldwell ◽  
Blake Ushijima ◽  
Courtney S. Couch ◽  
Ruth D. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Health State ◽  
Scanning Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Coral Health ◽  
Healthy Coral

Abstract As disease spreads through living coral, it can induce changes in the distribution of coral’s naturally fluorescent pigments, making fluorescence a potentially powerful non-invasive intrinsic marker of coral disease. Here, we show the usefulness of live-imaging laser scanning confocal microscopy to investigate coral health state. We demonstrate that the Hawaiian coral Montipora capitata consistently emits cyan and red fluorescence across a depth gradient in reef habitats, but the micro-scale spatial distribution of those pigments differ between healthy coral and coral affected by a tissue loss disease. Naturally diseased and laboratory infected coral systematically exhibited fragmented fluorescent pigments adjacent to the disease front as indicated by several measures of landscape structure (e.g., number of patches) relative to healthy coral. Histology results supported these findings. Pigment fragmentation indicates a disruption in coral tissue that likely impedes translocation of energy within a colony. The area of fragmented fluorescent pigments in diseased coral extended 3.03 mm ± 1.80 mm adjacent to the disease front, indicating pathogenesis was highly localized rather than systemic. Our study demonstrates that coral fluorescence can be used as a proxy for coral health state, and, such patterns may help refine hypotheses about modes of pathogenesis.

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