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USGS Collaborates with Biscayne National Park on Coral-Reef Research
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SHARQ: The Submersible Habitat
for Analyzing Reef Quality (SHARQ) was successfully deployed on coral reefs and seagrass beds in Biscayne
National Park. The SHARQ traps water overlying the benthic substrate, enabling 24-hour monitoring of
benthic-community metabolism.
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Researchers at the Center for Coastal Geology in St. Petersburg recently returned from a successful
coral-reef research expedition in Biscayne National Park (BNP). Located on Florida's southeast coast,
BNP encompasses a marine coastal environment characterized by coral reefs,
mangrove islands, seagrass beds, and a variety of other tropical marine benthic habitats. The close
proximity of BNP to a major metropolitan area and agricultural region has raised concern for the health
of this marine resource.
Kim Yates, Bob Halley, Phil Thompson, and Alex Moomaw have been monitoring
rates of key metabolic processes such as calcification, photosynthesis, and respiration (collectively
termed productivity) as a method for quantifying reef health in terms of system functionality. This
enables geographic comparisons of system health between different reef environments.
Productivity
rates associated with representative benthic habitats in BNP were measured using the Submersible
Habitat for Analyzing Reef Quality (SHARQ), a large incubation chamber invented by Yates and Halley.
The large surface area and water volume isolated by the SHARQ enables 24-hour, community-level
productivity measurements for several substrate types including live rock, coral and coral rubble,
live sand, and seagrass communities. Halley and Yates are also monitoring the health of reefs
located on the southern coast of Molokai, Hawaii (see Related Sound Waves Stories below), and of coral
and seagrass communities in Florida
Bay. Continued, seasonal monitoring of productivity in BNP and comparison to other reef environments
will aid in assessing the health of our nation's coral-reef environments.
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August 2000
in this issue:
cover story:
Biscayne Nat'l Park Corals
Santa Monica Bay
Salvage for Science
Joint USGS—Monterey Aquarium Cruise
Teachers Tour WHFC
Students Tour WHFC
West Falmouth Harbor Water Sampling
World's Largest GIS Conference
Modeling Workshop
SC/GA Coastal Erosion Project
NOAA Data Integration
Talk at WHFC
New Babies in Western Region
New Coastal & Marine Geology Circular
August Publications List
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
