Category Archives: oceanography

coral reef ecology, oceanography, reef conservation

Wildlife Promise: Artificial Reefs: Restoration Beyond Recreation?

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Wildlife Promise

 

 

 

 

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST

 

Over the past few decades the five Gulf States have built artificial reefs both inshore and offshore with the aim of enhancing recreational fishing and diving opportunities. State and local governments on the Gulf Coast have expressed interest in creating additional artificial reefs with some of the money from the federal funds resulting from the BP oil disaster.

 

 

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Artificial Reef in Southwest Florida. Flickr photo by Florida Sea Grant

 

It is important to make sure these projects are funded appropriately and implemented using the best available science.

 

Artificial Reef Science: Are We There Yet?

 

A number of environmental and economic considerations should be considered when planning and designing new artificial reef projects. Water quality, wave interaction, bottom composition, reef profile, and materials used for construction are just a few things that can influence the effectiveness of these habitats, or potentially cause harm to adjacent habitats.

 

For a more comprehensive look at Gulf State artificial reef programs and key considerations in implementation or management, please take a look at NWF’s new white paper: Artificial Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico: A Review of Gulf State Programs & Key Considerations.

 

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Reef Pyramids being deployed in Florida. Flickr photo by Florida Fish & Wildlife

 

The bottom line is that scientists are still working to unravel the functionality of artificial reefs.  Some experts believe that artificial reefs can function comparably to natural reef communities. Others argue that artificial reefs merely attract existing fish from the adjacent open water habitat, forming more dense fish aggregations.  Only time, and additional research, will tell.

 

Natural Reefs vs. Artificial Reefs

 

Artificial reef projects are designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities. Reef restoration projects are designed to restore the ecological functions provided by reef systems.  In cases where materials of similar type and size to historical or natural habitats-such as oyster reefs-are placed in nearshore waters in order to help the recovery of related ecological services, the term “artificial reef” is misleading. Because reef restoration projects can restore or replace “natural resources, habitats, or natural resource services” damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, they may qualify as an appropriate use of Natural Resource Damage Assessment funding, or even other spill-related resources like the RESTORE Act and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.

 

Loss of Human Use?

 

Artificial reefs develop communities of encrusting organisms and thus attract fish, but studies have shown that the communities that develop on artificial reefs remain quite different from those on natural reefs. Because artificial reef projects don’t serve to replace or restore the harm to natural resources, they have a more limited source of appropriate spill-related funding.

 

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Nearshore oyster reef restoration at Helen Wood Park near Mobile, AL. Flickr photo by CesarHarada

 

These types of projects could help to restore or replace the loss of human use stemming from the Deepwater Horizon disaster:

 

1.      The oil disaster resulted in significant closures of recreational fishing, boating and swimming ground. Scaled appropriately, artificial reefs could help compensate the public for lost access (or “human use”) to the Gulf of Mexico by generating new opportunities for angling, snorkeling, and engaging in other recreational activities.

 

2.      Artificial reef projects intended to restore or replace existing artificial reefs that were harmed during the oil disaster would be a justifiable use under the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process.

 

The Gulf of Mexico is an economic powerhouse and a national treasure. Natural and restored reef habitats can help make it whole again in the wake of the disaster. Strategic and appropriate investment of spill-related funding to restore its use, wildlife habitats, water quality and diversity of ecosystems will pay environmental and economic dividends for generations to come.

 

 

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oceanography, reef conservation

Colorado Ocean Coalition: “Making Waves” Ocean Symposium Saturday, September 21, 2013

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Making WAVES is honored to host this free, public symposium to address a variety of climate/ ocean topics, marine protected areas, plastics and environmental impacts, plus agricultural and watershed connections. This community-focused, interactive event will offer plenty of opportunities for you to learn about how our oceans are affected and what we all can do to protect and preserve our oceans.

 

Location:    University of Colorado at Boulder University Memorial Center
Time:          8:00AM – 5:30PM
Tickets:      FREE

 

What Will I Learn?

 

Between informative keynote presentations, topic-specific panels and interactive “dive-in” sessions, you will have the opportunity to learn about a variety of ocean issues, including:

 

        * Savvy travel: Eco-tourism and adventure travel

 

        * How to be a “responsible” traveler

 

        * What it is like to be a submarine pilot

 

        * How fossil fuels impacts oceans and inland water sources

 

        * Aquaculture and sustainable seafood – What Seafood can I eat?

 

        * How Plastic Pollution effects oceans and animals

 

        * How the Inland Ocean Movement partners to protect oceans

 

        * MoreŠ

 

 

Confirmed Speakers

 

View a list of confirmed Symposium speakers and speaker bios here.

 

        * Fabien Cousteau, Diver and Founder of Plant a Fish

 

        * Richard Charter, Senior Fellow, The Ocean Foundation

 

        * David Guggenheim, President, Ocean Doctor

 

        * Holly Lohuis, Field Producer, Exec. Coordinator for Jean-Michel Cousteau

 

        * Mark Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation

 

        * Stephanie Tobor, Founder, Green Apple Supply

 

        * Jim Toomey, “Sherman’s Lagoon Cartoonist and Ocean Advocate

 

        * Richard Theiss, RTSea Media

 

        * Gregg Treinish, Executive Director of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation

 

        * Erika Bergman, Submersible Pilot, ExploreOcean

 

        * Dennis Long, Executive Director, Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation

 

        * Sonja Fordham, President, Shark Advocates International

 

        * John Armor, Deputy Director, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries

 

 

Check out Making Waves 2012 Speaker videos

 

Are you interested in becoming a weekend sponsor? Download sponsor packet or contact coloradoocean@gmail.com for more information.

 

 

Co-sponsored by Colorado Ocean Coalition and Colorado Scuba Retailers Association.
Special thanks to Richard Charter.
oceanography

Discovery.com WHALES & DOLPHINS: Many Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins May Be Deaf

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AUG 1, 2013 10:00 AM ET // BY TANYA LEWIS, LIVESCIENCE

PLAY VIDEO

DOLPHINS GIVE EACH OTHER UNIQUE NAMES

 

Dolphin deafness can be caused by aging, underwater noise or other factors. VINCENT M. JANIK, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS

 

 

In waters from Florida to the Caribbean, dolphins are showing up stranded or entangled in fishing gear with an unusual problem: They can’t hear.  More than half of stranded bottlenose dolphins are deaf, one study suggests. The causes of hearing loss in dolphins aren’t always clear, but aging, shipping noise and side effects from antibiotics could play roles.

 

 

“We’re at a stage right now where we’re determining the extent of hearing loss [in dolphins], and figuring out all the potential causes,” said Judy St. Leger, director of pathology and research at SeaWorld in San Diego. “The better we understand that, the better we have a sense of what we should be doing [about it].”

 

Whether the hearing loss is causing the dolphin strandings — for instance, by steering the marine mammals in the wrong direction or preventing them from finding food — is also still an open question.

Deaf strandings

Dolphins are a highly social species. They use echolocation to orient themselves by bouncing high-pitched sound waves off of objects in their environment. They also “speak” to one another in a language of clicks and buzzing sounds. Because hearing is so fundamental to dolphins’ survival, losing it can be detrimental. (Deep Divers: A Gallery of Dolphins)

A 2010 study found that more than half of stranded bottlenose dolphins and more than a third of stranded rough-toothed dolphins had severe hearing loss. The animals’ hearing impairment may have been a critical factor in their strandings, and all rescued cetaceans should be tested, the researchers said in the study, detailed in the journal PLOS ONE.

 


How exactly do scientists give dolphins a hearing test? In captivity, dolphins and whales can be trained to press a paddle or make a noise when they hear a test sound. But a different approach is needed for wild animals.

 


Above water, animals perceive sound via airwaves. But underwater, dolphins hear primarily via pressure changes in their jawbone, so researchers use a “jawphone,” which consists of a suction cup placed on the dolphin’s lower jaw to produce sound pulses. Electrodes embedded in the suction cups measure brain responses to the sounds.
NEWS: Dolphins May Be Math Geniuses

Causes of deafness
Dolphins can become deaf for a variety of reasons. The most common cause is age-related hearing loss, said Dorian Houser, a marine biologist at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego. Like humans, dolphins tend to lose their high-pitch hearing first, and males tend to go deaf more often than females, Houser told LiveScience.

 


Some dolphins are also born with impaired hearing; certain drugs used to treat the animals’ other health problems can also cause hearing loss. Other causes are chronic exposure to noise (such as from shipping), or exposure to short-lived intense noise (such as explosions).

 


Many studies have investigated the effects of military sonar on dolphin hearing. “There’s mounting evidence that midfrequency sonar may be impacting dolphins and whales,” St. Leger said.

 


The animals may lose hearing for a short time and then recover — the so-called rock-concert effect, Houser said. But they’d have to be pretty close to the source of the sonar and be exposed to it repeatedly, he added. Studies have shown temporary hearing loss from sonar, but less is known about its long-term effects. The bigger concern is how sonar could disrupt the dolphins’ behavior. For example, the high-frequency pings can mask the calls of dolphins and whales and scare them away from their habitats.

 


As for deafness in dolphins, researchers are still trying to get a handle on the problem’s prevalence, which may not be as pronounced as the PLOS ONE study suggested, Houser said. “But I think, in time, we’re going to answer the question,” he said.

 

 

 

This article originally appeared on LiveScience.com. More from LiveScience.com:

 

Copyright © 2013 Discovery Communications, LLC. The number-one nonfiction media company

Special thanks to Richard Charter

climate change, coral reef ecology, coral reef educational materials, Home Page Posts, learning dvd, oceanography, reef conservation

Coral List: Coralwatch releases educational DVD series including Shifted Baselines

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Dear Colleagues

CoralWatch recently released an education DVD series, adapted from our book, Coral Reefs and Climate Change.  This series incorporates 22 short videos (3-8 minutes), each focusing on a key aspect of oceanography, coral reef ecology, climate change science, and reef conservation. Animated diagrams, interviews with scientists and footage from around the globe help to communicate the latest science to diverse audiences.

We have just uploaded the episode on Shifted  Baselines to be freely available on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chn_4EyTK9g&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Feel free to share with colleagues or use this in your teaching activities.

If you would like to order the full DVD, or find out more about CoralWatch, please visit our website www.coralwatch.org, or email info@coralwatch.org

regards,
Angela

Dr Angela Dean I Project Manager (Monitoring & Research) – CoralWatch I The University of Queensland l Phone: +61 7 3365 3127 l Fax +61 7 3346 6301 l Email a.dean@uq.edu.au