Home » Technical Articles » A Semester at Sea Program Teams With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to Study the Threatened Elkhorn Coral
A Semester at Sea Program Teams With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to Study the Threatened Elkhorn Coral
Students in Sea|mester, a semester at sea program, have joined with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in the Caribbean, the first coral to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
BRADENTON, FL, November 05, 2008 /Technical PR News/ -- Students in Sea|mester, a semester at sea program, have joined with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in the Caribbean, the first coral to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
"We believe in experiential learning," explains Sea|mester Director Mike Meighan. "So instead of a classroom slide show about coral reefs, participants have the opportunity during their semester at sea to work on a project for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It's a great learning experience and a valuable lesson on our responsibility to the ecosystems that maintain the balance of life on our planet."
For participants in the semester at sea program it's an opportunity to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk - or more accurately, to dive the dive. One participant, Abe Harder-Cattell, described the experience this way, "We worked in four different areas over a two-day period. At each location, two crewmembers would snorkel using underwater scooters and GPS tracking devices, while two others would dive with one or the other of our marine science instructors. The students working with one teacher would help to photograph the corals with identifying serial numbers and measure the colonies, noting any signs of bleaching, disease or recent mortality. The other students would help to hammer identification tags into dead coral or rock. Our tagging, searching, and data collecting proved to be successful and at the end of the project our teachers awarded us with necklaces made from the metal tags of colonies we were unable to locate because they had died since the last survey."
The project began in 2006 as collaboration between Sea|mester's Chief Scientist Chantale B gin and NOAA scientists, Dr. Margaret Miller and Dr. Dana Williams. A significant gap in knowledge of the condition of the Elkhorn coral in the eastern Caribbean islands existed, an area the students visit several times a year during their semester at sea. NOAA's need for information and Sea|mester's commitment to experiential learning and the environment naturally led to the partnership. Four permanent sites were established in the British Virgin Islands, Bequia and Antigua along the route traveled by Ocean Star, Sea|mester's sailing classroom.
These sites are surveyed twice a year by Sea|mester scientists and students, who also monitor growth, survival and diseases of tagged colonies. They have also been getting population density estimates in various places the students visit during their semester at sea, including Mayreau, the Tobago Cays, Guadeloupe and The Saints. This baseline data is extremely important to assess changes that happen over time. The initial results of the work were presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale this past summer and will be published in the conference proceedings.
"The US Endangered Species Act requires us to evaluate the status of these corals throughout their geographic range, but neither our resources nor our jurisdiction extend to cover the entire Caribbean region. The partnership with Sea|mester provides valuable information on the status of these species in relatively remote locations that would otherwise be beyond our reach," is how Dr. Miller of NOAA describes the contribution Sea|mester students make during their semester at sea.
Sea|mester delivers a unique educational experience to students who spend a semester at sea sailing between islands, countries, even continents discovering not only the world, but their potential as well. Sea|mester is not a cruise. The program, which began nearly a decade ago, challenges students aboard its two vessels, Argo, which circumnavigates the globe, and Ocean Star, which sails the Caribbean, with college-level academics and the responsibility of playing an active and integral part in the voyage. Sea|mester is located in Sarasota, Florida.
A branch of the Department of Commerce, NOAA works to keep citizens informed about the changing environment. NOAA provides citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with information on everything from daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management and coastal restoration.
Learn more about Sea|meser at www.seamester.com
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com |
|
|
Press Release Contact Information:
Julia Riddle
Seamester
Project Manager
9114 58th drive east
bradenton, fl
usa 34207
Voice: 941-758-2404
Website: Visit Our Website |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertise With Us |
About Us |
Contact Us