Elkhorn Coral Spawning at Turtle Rocks

Spawning! Gamete bundles rise from an Elkhorn Coral colony - 10:50pm 3 nites after full moon (photo K Neeley)

 KML staff divers had the opportunity to assist FWC/FWRI coral biologists with the Acropora spawning project at Turtle Rocks (Upper Keys). Scientists from 7 agencies combined forces to monitor various sites in the Upper Keys to witness the annual event and collect samples.

Divers head to the reef to monitor for spawning

Diver Bill Ferrell rigging a marker buoy at sunset

Elkhorn Coral colonies (Acopora palmata)

Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) provides a sheltered bed for a juvenile parrotfish (photo C Lewis)

Moonjellies dancing in the moon beams

Scientists measure oxygen consumption in coral sands

Diver checking on "tripod" of eddy correlation instruments at their monitoring site 

 Dr. Markus Huettel, from Florida State University, returned to KML in August 2013 with his colleague, Dr. Peter Berg from the University of Virginia and a team of divers to once again carefully deploy an array of equipment on the ocean floor. They are investigating the role of light, currents and dissolved organic matter on oxygen consumption of coral sands and carbonate mud. (permit: FKNMS-2012-137)

Despite several days of rough seas, the team returned to their site each day over a 10-day period to download data and re-deploy equipment.

Wallops Island Marine Consortium Class Explores the Keys

Once again, Dr. Sean Cornell, professor at Shippensberg College (Shippensberg, PA) traveled to the Florida Keys with the Marine Science Consortium class, (Wallops Island, VA).

Students gathered data at one of the KML Living Laboratory Near-shore Benthic Monitoring sites

photos by T Bartlett

Exploring the rocky inter-tidal/hard-bottom habitat along the south shore of Indian Key State Park

Thirteen students from 7 universities enthusiastically participated in comprehensive comparisons of the coastal ecosystems between Wallops Island and the Keys.