Grantee Research Project Results

CISNet: Coral Bleaching, UV Effects, and Multiple Stressors in the Florida Keys

EPA Grant Number: R826939
Title: CISNet: Coral Bleaching, UV Effects, and Multiple Stressors in the Florida Keys
Investigators: Anderson, Susan L. , Santavy, Debbie , Zepp, Richard
Current Investigators: Anderson, Susan L. , Zepp, Richard , Hansen, Lara , Cherr, Gary N. , Oliver, Leah , Jackson, Susan , Brown, Heather , Machula, Jana
Institution: University of California - Davis
Current Institution: University of California - Davis , U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 1998 through September 30, 2001
Project Amount: $407,567
RFA: Ecological Effects of Environmental Stressors Using Coastal Intensive Sites (1998) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Environmental Statistics

Description:

Elucidating interactions between climate, anthropogenic stressors, and damage to significant natural resources is a primary goal of CISNet. We will evaluate the role that climate change may play in altering penetrance of UV radiation over coral reefs and potentially contributing to coral bleaching. Our studies will be conducted at intensively monitored sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Thus, our work will add to ongoing investigations of stressors in coral related to coral disease and impaired water quality. Data available from programs in the FKNMS will also help us characterize temperature and light conditions at our sites in a cost-effective manner. Global climate change may contribute to coral bleaching because thermal stratification causes both increased temperature and increased penetration of UV light associated with photobleaching. Both of these stressors are believed to contribute significantly to coral bleaching.

Approach:

The remote sensing component of the proposal will first characterize underwater solar UV irradiance and the factors that modify UV exposure in corals. Characterization of diffuse attenuation coefficients under stratified and unstratified conditions will help to determine whether increased stratification and photobleaching cause increased UV irradiance over corals. Secondly, we will develop continuous observations of chromophoric dissolved organic matter concentrations (CDOM) and algorithms that relate measured CDOM concentrations to sea surface UV irradiance (predicted by remote-sensing and land-based radiometers). These efforts could be utilized to predict sites affected by increased UV and may eventually be related to coral bleaching.

In the coral stressors component of the proposal, we will utilize biomarker techniques to examine UV-specific DNA damages (thymine dimers) in relation to coral bleaching. We will also use these techniques to characterize temperature and UV interactions under controlled conditions. A monitoring study will be conducted in the FKNMS using Mote Marine Laboratory-Pigeon Key Marine Research Center (PKMRC) as the base of investigations with additional sampling in the Key West area and the Dry Tortugas National Park. The primary goals of this investigation are to determine whether: 1) temperature or UV irradiance/ thymine dimers better predict the occurrence of coral bleaching in field populations and 2) levels of thymine dimers and coral bleaching vary significantly under stratified and unstratified conditions. If significant positive correlations between UV exposure, thymine dimers, and coral bleaching are observed, this would be the most thorough analysis we know of indicating that increased UV irradiance associated with climate warming may have damaging effects on corals. To our knowledge, no previous studies have employed state-of - the-art molecular techniques to quantify UV-specific DNA damages in coral, utilizing these responses as "ecosystem indicators". The proposed investigation involves extensive collaboration between the PI and federal researchers. Matching funds in excess of $100,000 per year are provided by EPA.

Expected Results:

This research should result in significant advances in our understanding of the etiology of devastating increases in coral bleaching in the Florida Keys, the third largest barrier reef in the world.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 25 publications for this project

Journal Articles:

Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 6 journal articles for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

ecological effects, ecosystem indicators., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Air, Geographic Area, Ecological Indicators, Ecological Risk Assessment, State, Ecosystem Protection, Chemistry, Ecology, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Monitoring/Modeling, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, climate change, UV effects, FLA, ecological effects, multiple stressors, water quality, stressors, photobleaching, Florida, Global Climate Change, environmental monitoring, thermal stratification, ecosystem indicators, coastal zone, Florida Keys, ecological exposure, CISNet Program, chromophoric dissolved organic matter, anthropogenic stresses, natural stressors, biomonitoring, thymine dimers, climate, anthropogenic stress, biomarkers, coral bleaching

Progress and Final Reports:

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.