JASON Foundation for Education
The Coral Reef at South Water Caye, Belize
Dr. Jerry
Wellington will lead a science team operating from a 17-20 meter
support boat off the western tip of this small caye. Wellington will
wear a LAMA Bubble helmet that allows him to breathe naturally, see
all around him, and speak normally. Thus the helmet will allow him to
broadcast reports as he works on the reef at a depth of 10-12 meters.
In addition, a mini-rover, a tethered Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV),
will explore sections of the reef and will be driven by students at
PINS. The science team working at South Water Caye will study coral
reefs, seagrass be ds and mangrove cayes. Investigations in the
seagrass beds and mangrove cayes will center around salinity and light
studies in such factors as diversity and distri bution of organisms in
these areas. In the coral reefs, the scientists will investigate the
role of ultra violet light on the numbers of the symbiotic algae. Increasing
water temperature has been cited as a possible reason for coral
bleaching. Although there is excellent data suggesting that this is
indeed a factor, it is suspected that ultra violet light is also a
factor. It has been shown that abnormally high levels of naturally
occurring UV rays can cause significant damage to the coral polyps'
cellular structure. Intriguingly, corals growing closer to the
water's surface have compounds in their tissues that naturally
protect them from the harmful effects of UV rays. Corals found at
greater depth s do not have as many of these compounds. This
expedition will provide scientists with the opportunity to compare
coral bleaching conditions in an area where coral bleaching has not
occurred to conditions at tw o sites where it has: San Salvador
(Bahamas) and Key Largo (Florida)
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Gene Carl
Feldman
(gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov)
(301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola,
JASON Foundation for Education
(todd@jason.org)