Ian Enochs

2015

2016

Improve Acropora nurseries and restoration efforts through analysis of growth and carbonate chemistry by coordinating and leveraging ongoing nursery/restoration operations and NCRMP-associated water analysis.Need:Populations of ESA-listed Acropora cervicornis are declining throughout the Caribbean, with widespread negative implications for reef ecosystem health and function. Ocean acidification has been repeatedly highlighted as one of the most important stressors facing already degraded reefs in the coming years. Restoration and management efforts seeking to preserve this ecologically important species need to incorporate strategies to deal with acidification. Collaborating nurseries are currently growing and out-planting Acropora at sites spanning Biscayne National Park to the Dry Tortugas. Coral nurseries provide a sustainable stock of genetically diverse corals for use in targeted restoration activities of degraded coral reefs and decrease the dependency on repeated collections from existing wild donor populations.Objectives:1. Characterize the carbonate chemistry of existing nursery and out-planting sites and correlate with growth rate/nursery output.2. Characterize the capacity of nursery and out-planting locations to withstand ocean acidification. i.e., whether they exist in hotspots vs. refugia.3. Communicate these findings to organizations involved in Acropora restoration so that they can create cheaper and more productive nurseries and target potentially resilient out-planting sites located within ocean acidification refugia.Methods:We propose to characterize the carbonate chemistry at six existing nursery sites and eleven out-planting restoration sites, run by four partner organizations throughout the Florida Keys. Carbonate chemistry will be tied to Acropora growth measurements to determine the influence of natural carbonate chemistry conditions on restoration efforts and to identify sites which will be most resilient to ocean acidification. We will achieve this goal via a two-pronged approach: 1. The quantification of carbonate chemistry through deployment of autonomous pH sensors coupled with discrete bottle sampling and 2. Measurement of Acropora response through the quarterly quantification of linear extension and post-experiment analysis of calcification using computed tomography (CT). The results will be disseminated through the involvement of local stakeholders directly participating in restoration as well as through a workshop which will be open to managers, non-partner nurseries, and the general public.Partners:This project will be extremely cost effective because we will leverage already funded nursery operations as well as existing equipment for the analysis of seawater carbonate chemistry. The specific non-NOAA partners are as follows:1. Dr. Diego Lirman and Stephanie Schopmeyer of the University of Miami provide measurements at two nurseries and eight restoration sites (Biscayne and Key Largo)2. Erich Bartels with Mote conduct measurements at one nursery site and two out-planting sites (Looe Key)3. Meaghan Johnson at The Nature Conservancy provide measurements at one nursery and one out-planting Site (Dry Torgtugas)4. Kerry Maxwell at Florida Fish and Wildlife provide measurements at two nurseries (Middle Keys) CRCP proposal(#1094) by M. Miller is complimentary in that additional data will be collected at the FWC Middle Keys sites.

The additional year of funding will result in a dataset that covers that originally proposed two-year project. Widespread, Bleaching-related coral mortality soon after we initiated this project greatly reduced our sample size. While samples were replaced in the field immediately thereafter, this resulted in a lack of data during the critical summer months, necessitating further study to capture yearly fluctuations in coral growth. A year extension of this project will therefore allow us to obtain the necessary measurements and complete our analysis as originally planned.As a whole, this work provides a direct action that can be undertaken to reduce the threat of OA and maximize Acropora growth i.e., strategically locating nurseries in CO2 refugia. More specifically, this project will advise managers as to which candidate areas slated for Acropora nurseries and out-planting will be least affected by ocean acidification (OA). Locations determined to be more resilient to OA can be targeted as Acropora nursery and out-planting sites in order to maximize the production of endangered species susceptible to climate change. Current project buy-in spans a region from the Dry Tortugas to Biscayne Bay, including partners from NOAA, The University of Miami, Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and The Nature Conservancy. Broad endorsement and application of our approach to participant nurseries and out-planting sites highlights the need and timely nature of this study. Our goal is to provide useful information for restoration practitioners and managers to include within future project and management designs. Finally, the results of this study will be disseminated to local communities and stakeholders to promote the use of coral nurseries and out-planting projects as a cost effective methods to help guarantee the persistence of a critically endangered species in a high CO2 world. We anticipate that our results and methodology will serve as a model for other Acropora nurseries in Florida and throughout the Caribbean.

• Florida

Climate Change

Closed

Completed

https://www.coris.noaa.gov/search/rest/find/document?searchText=projectNumber%3A1123%20OR%20projectTitle%3A"Coral%20restoration%20in%20natural%20ocean%20acidification%20refugia"&start=1&max=10&f=searchPage