The last of the Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights.

#10: Future PIPA Expeditions

Okay, I admit it. I have been stalling on this last post. The truth: I have no idea how to end this blog. How do you put a neat, satisfactory end on something so wild? Anything I write will be anticlimactic. With this in mind, let me simply offer you some stats to let you know how where things stand as of this very moment:

...15 Expedition members, now spread all over the globe
...15 amazing NAI'A Crew members (based in Fiji)
...100+ bags of luggage transported to and fro
...400+ SCUBA dives completed on the 2009 expedition
...4 blue water dives
...3 ROV excursions
...11 days on-site in PIPA
...11+ days in transit (5 in very rough seas)
...500+ species of fish documented
...200+ invertebrate species documented
...3+ scientific publications in progress
...5000+ photos of PIPA (see previous posts for highlights)
...65 blog posts
...12,000+ blog readers (Thank you!)
..........408,250 km2 of protected ocean (PIPA remains the world's largest MPA)

And the experience ..... priceless.

Thank you all so much for reading and journeying with us. Special thank you to Jeff Ives (the New England Aquarium blog guru) for all of his support. Special thank you to all of the fellow bloggers who posted, students who participated, and readers who commented. To those silent readers - thank you - we hope you had as much fun reading as we did writing. It was a blast. I still don't know how to end this blog (mea culpa), so I'll leave you with some comforting thoughts:

1. The next PIPA expedition is slated for 2011. Stay tuned, and we'll keep updating this blog to let you know exactly when.

2. We'll post 2009-PIPA related press, publications, lectures, and outreach efforts here on this blog. These will include a book, a National Geographic article, a movie, scientific publications, and press.

3. This blog will not disappear (it will remain on the Aquarium website), so you can re-visit the 2009 expedition at any time. With 65 posts to go through, it will certainly keep you busy to go back to the beginning! Plus, the New England Aquarium is never idle - there are always amazing adventures all over the globe (including at 1 Central Wharf, Boston!), so check out the other blogs to see what's going on.

So, thank you! And don't forget to live blue.

Happy holidays,

-Randi



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Labels: next steps, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, Transport, wrap-up

The Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#9: PIPA coral forests

If you've never read The Lorax (Dr. Seuss), you're missing out. It's a brilliant book about Truffula Tree Forests, which support a high diversity of magical, mystical creatures like Bar-ba-loots and Swomee Swans and Humming Fish. In this story, the forest gets slowly cut down by the Once-ler in order to knit thneeds (that everyone needs!). As the Once-ler systematically destroys the forest, the fantastical inhabitants suffer. They face food shortages and disease and suffer from smoke pollution (from the Thneed factory, of course). The Lorax is one of the strange forest dwellers, and the self-proclaimed spokesperson for the trees. The Lorax tries to warn the Once-ler that at the rate the forest is being destroyed, it will no longer support the thriving thneed business (let alone the diverse and complex forest community). "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please...".


Photo: J. Stringer

Enough rambling. What does The Lorax have to do with corals? More than you think! Trees create the forest, and the same goes for corals. No trees, no forest, no fantastical forest creatures; no corals, no reefs, no spectacular reef creatures. And by the way, The Laroc is just "Coral" backwards. :-) Check out the photo above this paragraph, and below (left) of the corals with fish hiding among the branches and curls. From the fish's perspective, the coral is certainly a forest! Similarly, look at the beautiful archway in the photo below (right). Though the arch is topped with a few live corals on the top, the arch is mostly composed of dead coral skeletons that are *still* providing reef structure - yup, it was all built by corals.


Photo (L) - D. Obura, (R) - J. Stringer

Corals grow very slowly. The photo below shows a brown Halomitra coral with purple edges. Those edges are the growing tips, not yet populated with symbionts. As the symbionts colonize the areas of new growth, the coral will turn brown (purple is a pigment produced by the host; brown/green is a pigment produced by the symbiont). For more information on host-symbiont coral relationships, check out the chapter in the Aquarium's Blue Impact multimedia tour called "color changing corals."


Photo: D. Obura

Slowly, corals grow into vast underwater forests, like the Hydnophora coral forest below. These forests provide shelter for many fishes and reef invertebrates. If these forests get destroyed, there is no Laroc (Lorax) to speak for them. Luckily in the case of the Phoenix Islands, the reefs are well on their way to recovery following the severe 2002 bleaching event. But that's not true everywhere, and corals need your help to stop the pollution, overfishing, disease, and myriad other stressors that threaten their very existence.


A living coral forest: Photo: J. Stringer

Amazingly enough, we don't need to go all the way to the Phoenix Islands to see corals. Now that we're home from the expedition, I'm once again thinking about my backyard coral reefs. Here's a glimpse of a coral species that grows right here in New England - the Great Northern Star Coral. It doesn't get as big as the tropical corals, and it doesn't create vast forests, but it is our local coral reef, and is certainly worthy of mention. :-) Plus, WHOI scientists are using it as a model system to examine the effects of climate change.


Photo: J. Dimond

So with that, whether they be tropical or temperate corals, I leave you with these wise words from Dr. Seuss:

Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.

Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.

Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.

Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."

:-)

-Randi-

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Labels: coral bleaching, coral reef health, Randi Rotjan

Although we still have 2 more stops on our "greatest hits" site, I am going to take a blogger's liberty of another sidetrack to acknowledge the amazing outpouring of support and interest in the Phoenix Islands. Thanks to all who came out on Monday night for the lecture to come meet the expedition members (Greg, Alan, Les, and Randi).

Special thanks to the students of Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire for coming; see their earlier posts to the blog here and here.


Les and Greg (left) and Alan and Randi (right) meet with students from Souhegan High School, with teacher Julianne Mueller-Northcott (center; in green). Thanks for coming! (photo: J. Wolman).

The talk was upgraded to the IMAX theatre, which was great fun--50-foot PowerPoint slides!



We've been back for about 3 weeks now, and we all miss the Phoenix Islands. Luckily, we can go downstairs to our exhibits to see live corals and giant clams and fishes to remind ourselves of the amazing adventures on the equatorial Pacific.


Live coral reef rank at the New England Aquarium (photo: R. Rotjan)

Stay tuned for the remainder of the greatest hits...

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Labels: Alan Dynner, Education Week, Gregory Stone, Les Kaufman, Randi Rotjan

Want to hear more about the Phoenix Islands? Want to meet some of the expedition members in person? Want to meet some of the students who corresponded with the team on this very blog? Want to see new (never before seen!) photos?

Join us THIS COMING MONDAY, November 2, at 7pm. The lecture is free; and free snacks will be provided as well!

Please register (free!) using this link - seats are limited!


Phoenix Islands Residents (photos: J. Stringer)

Rising From the Ashes: The Phoenix Islands Protected Area
These days it is impossible to find an ecosystem that is untouched by man. Human effects are felt from the polar ice caps to the deep sea, and coral reefs are far from the exception. The major stressors on most reefs--sewage inputs, overfishing, point-source pollution and extensive tourism--are local. However, a few remote places still exist where reefs are not affected by these local stressors; humans only affect these reefs on a global level. The Phoenix Islands are among these treasures. Their remote location, coupled with their intensive regulations and protection, create a unique opportunity for scientists to study a reef free from local impact.

New England Aquarium researchers recently participated in a rare expedition to the Phoenix Islands. In this lecture they will share scientific findings as well as anecdotes from this remarkable adventure.


Stuart, David, Les, and Randi underwater, measuring reef creatures like the clowfish and anemones featured here (photos: J. Stringer)

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Labels: coral reef health, Marine Protected Area, Randi Rotjan

The Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#7: Photography and videography on a scientific expedition

We were fortunate to have several excellent professional and amateur photographers and videographers with us on this trip. You've heard directly from Brian Skerry, the award-winning National Geographic Magazine (NGM) photographer with us (see Brian's earlier posts here). But we also had Jeff Wildermuth with us, assisting Brian and making professional videos for the New England Aquarium and Conservation International.

Jeff Wildermuth, in action (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Jim Stringer is an excellent amateur photographer who has provided many of the photos posted on this site. In addition, Rob Barell and Sam Campbell (NAI'A) shot terrific, high-def video footage of the science-in-action, the reef denizens, and anything else in sight. Craig Cook was not only our MD; he is also an accomplished photographer and helped to capture the essence of our trip, as well as helped Les Kaufman take some scientific footage of coral fluorescence. It's quite likely that hundreds of thousands of photos were taken--I'm not a real photographer (neither pro nor high quality amateur), but I took over 3,000 shots! Add that to the impressive skills of Kate, Larry, Les, David, Greg, Stuart, Tuake, Tukabu, and Alan... and you get the idea. This trip was well documented by all of these photographers (snappers) on our trip (in our group-er). My apologies for the bad puns.

Our snappers, in action - L. Madin, S. Campbell, J. Stringer. (Photos: R. Rotjan)

So, speaking of snapper, what was the most photographed fish? My guess is the charismatic and in-your-face red snapper (Lutjanus bohar); they were everywhere! As for coral, my money is on Porites lobata (a lovely mounding coral present at most sites). David Obura might be the most photographed human; he is especially photogenic with a clipboard and transect tape in hand. Fairy terns might be the most photographed bird. But in truth - I have no idea. Even 2 weeks later, we're still compiling our photographs and sharing files. However, many of our images will be published in Aquarium publications, and shown on November 2 (lecture details here), so keep your eyes open. :-) You never know when you might recognize a Phoenix Islands photograph premiered here on this blog.

Snapper with snappers! (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Before this trip, I had no idea what it was like for Brian and Jeff, our professionals, to photograph a story in the field. I'll re-post some comments of Brian's here, since he says it best:

"Photographically, the challenges have been substantial. Even when all is perfect on these central pacific reefs, making great images can be difficult because fish are skittish and hard to get near. The nature of being on an expedition means we also move continually in order to collect scientific data, so each dive is in a new location. Without the chance to dive the same sites repeatedly and gain knowledge about subtle nuances, I must simply spend as much time in the water as possible and hope to find something especially interesting happening."

Brian and Jeff with gear on the boat; Brian contemplating unpacking the photo gear (Photos: R. Rotjan)

"For this assignment, I have 11 days to photograph underwater, quite a bit less than the 10-12 weeks I typically have for an NGM assignment. Still, I hope that the handful of key images I've produced so far and others I hope to make in the few days remaining will speak to the important story and illustrate the issues we are experiencing here I the central Pacific Ocean."

Brian is being modest--he may have only a handful of images that meet his extremely high standards, but we were all wowed at our first glimpse of his photos. He captures movement, texture, and energy that really demonstrates the wildness of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.

It was terrifying having the pro's photograph us, however! During our "Phoenix Islands Firsts" post, Tuake described what it felt like to be under the lights:

"I was a bit nervous to be photographed by the National Geographic People! I was finding it hard to breathe on my tank when Brian was taking pictures of me. Normally, I like to be underwater for the fun of diving. I felt relieved when Brian was telling me that he was done with me. I hoped that I had done what I was supposed to do as part of my Phoenix Islands mission. I count myself fortunate to be attached and learning from highly academic scientists who are on this marine expedition. This was indeed a first for me--to be photographed for a magazine story."

Multiple snappers - count 'em, three! (Photo: R. Rotjan)

As for me, I managed to avoid the camera most of the time and be a "snapper" in my own right.... taking photos for science and pleasure with no remorse (thank goodness for digital photography and large memory cards!). But if this post has you hoping for more information on the *real* snappers and groupers of the trip - and yes, I do mean the fish - stay tuned! Stuart and Les will be guest-blogging soon on the fishes hits of the trip. :-)

-Randi-

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Labels: corals, photos, Randi Rotjan, red snapper, tern, videography

The Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#6: Medical objectives and triumphs of the 2009 PIPA expedition

Some of the most incredible highlights from the trip were the things that never happened. These things are of huge concern when headed 5.5 days away from anywhere, and when engaging in high-risk activities such as repeatedly diving in shark-filled waters with sharp corals at every turn. Of course, there are always the other regular afflictions--sun poisoning, broken bones, infected wounds, parasites, disease and who knows what else. So, you can see that it is quite worth mentioning that no major medical maladies occurred on our expedition. Hoorah!


Dr. Craig Cook on SCUBA with camera in hand and no sharp coral in sight (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Despite our good fortunes, we weren't willing to risk our lives on luck alone. Instead, we placed our lives into the care of the NAI'A, and into the very capable and experienced hands of Dr. Craig Cook, who was our expedition medical doctor. Craig is no stranger to practicing medicine in high-risk, remote locations. He is the Medical Editor for Sport Diver Magazine and a referral physician for Divers Alert Network. With a background in Anesthesiology, Dr. Cook has been a consultant to the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and is also a scuba instructor and has been actively diving for 40 years. It is with his guidance and wisdom that we hauled a Hyperlite Hyperbaric Chamber with us all the way to middle of nowhere.


Dr. Craig Cook (black shirt) demonstrating the hyperbaric chamber to expedition members (photos: R. Rotjan)

What exactly is a hyperbaric chamber? It's used to treat decompression sickness, (aka "the bends"), which can occur when diving. Basically, divers are at pressure (every 30 feet of depth is equivalent to approximately 1 atmosphere of pressure). The air we breathe is a mix of gasses, including oxygen (~21%) and nitrogen (~78%). At depth, air is compressed (more or less depending on the diving depth), but "the bends" occurs upon depressurization. As divers return to the surface, gas expands as the pressure decreases, and air (basically a mix of dissolved gasses) can form bubbles. Bubbles are usually small and eventually dissipate, but sometimes a bubble forms that is too large, or unfortunately located, and can cause illness ranging from mild to extreme severity. Its effects may vary from joint pain and rash to paralysis and death. To treat the formation of bubbles, doctors use a hyperbaric chamber to recompress a patient (simulate diving depths) while on oxygen, to re-dissolve the bubbles and hopefully prevent their reformation.


Close-up views of the chamber and pressure valves (photos: R. Rotjan)

Luckily, we never needed to use the chamber, and Craig spent most of his doctoring time trying to ease our seasickness, or treating bruises, cuts, scrapes, and allergies. Beyond that, we were all healthy and returned home safely and intact. We were prepared for much worse, however. Craig made sure that each diver was equipped with communications technology (in case we got lost or separated), a safety sausage (again to increase our visibility in case we got lost), a flashlight, a knife (to free from entanglements), a whistle (to call for help), and a tourniquet (in case of shark attacks). However, the one thing that we were all most scared of was a coconut incident. After all, there were a lot of coconut palms on some of the islands!


Coconut palms on Nikamororo (photo: R. Rotjan)

You see, one of my favorite marine biology statistics is as follows: you are more likely to get hit on the head by a coconut than to suffer a shark attack. True, or urban legend? Who knows, but to quote a 2001 journal in the ANZ Journal of Surgery entitled Coconut palm-related injuries in the pacific islands "A total of 3.4% of all injuries presenting to the [Solomon Islands] surgical department was related to the coconut palm. Eighty-five patients fell from the coconut palm, 16 patients had a coconut fruit fall on them, three patients had a coconut palm fall on them and one patient kicked a coconut palm".


"Dangerous" coconut palms 0n the Phoenix Islands (photos: R. Rotjan)

In other words - beware of falling coconuts, but if one falls, mix it with lime (full of vitamin C, it prevents scurvy!), and yell "DOCTOR!" loudly. Thanks to Craig, tropical fruit-borne fractures, scurvy, and the bends were not an issue... and we're most grateful.

Dive safe,

Randi


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Labels: dive safety, hyperbaric chamber, Randi Rotjan, SCUBA

The Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#5: ROV exploration of PIPA depths

Take a deep breath. Go on, try it. In with the good air; out with the bad air. Ahhhhh. It's easy, and feels good, eh? Now, try it underwater. With SCUBA, you can only breathe so deep - around 120 feet on air, if you're a conventional diver. At best, might be able to breathe about 300 feet deep. What about on a submarine? Okay--you can breathe deep there, but you're breathing recycled air. And hence the topic of today's post: since we can't breathe deep underwater (at least not easily), how do we explore deep underwater?


(Left Photo: David Obura) (Right Photo: Jim Stringer)

The answer to this question depends on how deep you want to go. The coral reefs on PIPA are a reef formation known as an atoll (described in an earlier post). One of the features of these mid-ocean, volcanic atolls is that they are basically seamounts that break the surface--so they descend very deep, with a very steep slope. Kiribati is also full of seamounts that do not break the surface. In fact, Kiribati is home to ~4% of the world's seamounts. That's a lot of ocean to explore below the surface!


Seamounts featured between McKean, Rawaka (Phoenix) and Enderbury Islands (Photo: Google Earth)

It would be great to get a manned submersible out to PIPA someday, and hopefully we will soon. But as a first glimpse of the deep, we brought an unmanned ROV with us on this expedition. This ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) can only go 500 feet deep, but that's 380 feet deeper than we were diving. And yes--you guessed it--since the ROV was unmanned, breathing was not an issue. :)


Mo preparing to launch the ROV off the boat for a dive (Photo: Larry Madin)

Now, I'm not a stranger to the concept of deep depths. I used to work on deep-sea hydrothermal vents (miles below the ocean!) , but I've never personally journeyed there (though my experiments have). So naturally, I was extremely curious to be on-site for some deep-sea exploration. One of the big advantages of working on these reef atolls with their steep, sloping sides is that we could (and did) literally dangle the ROV out of our ship window (see Mo above with the ROV). Greg could (and did) sit at our dinner table on-ship and drop the ROV below us, while others of us were diving on the reef. As any deep-sea scientist will tell you: what an unlikely (and pleasurable) way to explore! Greg posted extensively on this earlier - see Greg's posts for more photos and details.


Randi Rotjan, David Obura and Les Kaufman look on as Greg Stone controls the ROV (Photo: Larry Madin)

A first glimpse was just enough to leave us breathless (figuratively, of course). Corals living past 300 feet! The crystal clear waters of PIPA were able to allow enough sunlight at depth to support the coral-algal symbiosis. We saw lots of healthy corals, though the diversity was low (just a few species) And fish! Snapper (the same we'd been seeing shallow), and more baby sharks patrolling the slopes. In fact, on one ROV dive, 10 sharks (gray reef and black tip) were seen. And here's the enticing part--when we looked further down the slope at the end of our ROV's tether, we could see that there was more life, still. Breathtaking.


(Photos: Jim Stringer)

Marine organisms are not limited to the shallows the way that humans are. Sadly for us, we have to make the choice between deep breaths or deep depths; we generally can't have both. But ROV's and manned submersibles give us borrowed lungs and enable us to explore the last unexplored frontier--the ocean floor. After all, we know more about the moon that we do about our ocean floor! I'm excited about future ROV and sub explorations of PIPA. After all, the thrilling and mysterious sights of the deep sea will take your breath away--but thanks to this technology, not literally.

-Randi-

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Labels: deep sea, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, ROV

Note: Students from Celeste Young's biology class (Monument Mountain Regional High School; Great Barrington, MA) posted a question for Aquarium researcher Dr. Randi Rotjan in the comments section of this post. Here is Susanna's question with Randi's answer in light blue:

Hello! This is Celeste Young & her biology class! What is the scale of the christmas tree worm picture?

Hi Celeste and Susanna,

Thanks so much for reading the blogs, and for posting your question!

Christmas tree worms are small-- the crowns are only a few centimeters across, at most. They are hard to measure, since they actually retract their plumes (or branchial crowns) into their tubes with the slightest disturbance in the water. Tubes are made of calcium carbonate. These worms settle on the surface of a coral (they do not bore into the skeleton) and grow at roughly the same pace as the coral tissue - thus, they grow really slowly! Some worms are known to be up to 40 years old, so they also can live a very long time. Worms feed by filtering plankton from the water column with their branchial crowns. They retract into their tubes to avoid predators (and rulers). The best way to add a ruler to the photo is to place the ruler down, let the worm retract, and then re-emerge. However, this only works in very calm water, with high flow, the ruler will not stay in place! :-)

Check out the photos below of an exposed worm (left); and then the same worm retracted into its tube (right). These photos were taken by a student of mine, Sarah Abboud, who is actually studying these worms for her masters thesis. These photos are taken from Moorea, French Polynesia, but are of the same species of worm that we observed in the Phoenix Islands.


Spirobranchus giganteus christmas tree worm - exposed and retracted. (Photos: S. Abboud)

Below is another worm next to a piece of flagging for scale. The flagging is 2.5 cm across, so you can now estimate the size of the worm crown!


Spirobranchus giganteus christmas tree worm - exposed (Photos: S. Abboud)

Here are some additional photos by Sarah, measuring the diameter of the tube. Tube diameter correlates to worm age, but not to crown size. Crown size varies with depth; worms in deep areas with high water flow (surge) actually have shorter crowns so that they don't bend or break when water is rushing past them. Deep areas with low surge have taller crowns. Here are some scale bars next to worm tubes; the left photo has an exposed worm behind the 1 cm scale bar (it's orange).


Spirobranchus giganteus christmas tree worms - retracted. (Photos: S. Abboud)

Finally, here's a worm retracted, but just barely: you can see it's crown folded within the tube, and just breaking the surface.


Spirobranchus giganteus christmas tree worm - retracted. (Photos: S. Abboud)

The photos on The Slow and the Spineless post were not taken for an explicit scientific purpose, thus, there are no scale bars on those photos. But I hope that this gives you an idea of scale, nonetheless.

Thanks again for your question!

Best fishes,

-Randi

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Labels: Christmas Tree worm, invertebrates, Randi Rotjan

The Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#4: PHOENIX ISLANDS REEF INVERTEBRATES

The invertebrates of this trip deserve to be in the top 10; but on this blog thus far, they've barely received an honorable mention. Mea culpa! Because of the scientific interests of the expedition members, invertebrate diversity attention has been taxonomically-eclipsed by the coral invertebrates, the remarkable fishes, and the algae. But, invertebrate diversity is important and interesting, and I'm not the only blogger who thinks so! Check your backbone at the door and go visit Chris Mah's Echinoblog, as well as The Other 95% (written by Kevin Zelnio and Eric Heupel) if you like inverts. Full disclosure: I do not know all of the taxonomic identifications of the critters posted here, so I invite you to join me in this adventure (semi wiki-style)! If you post the ID in the comments section below, I will amend the blog to include the correct ID and give you credit for the match. :-)

Without further ado, allow me to introduce a few of the "the slow and spineless" Phoenix Islands critters. Most of these images will enlarge when you click on them.


Spirobranchus giganteus (photo: David Obura)

The Christmas Tree worm is aptly named for it's shape (photo above by David Obura). They also come in all sizes and colors (see shots below).


Spirobranchus giganteus on Porites lobata corals (photo: R. Rotjan)

Time for a little echinoderm shout-out (for more, check out Chris Mah's blog here). You may not realize it, but echinoderms are a whole lot more than just sea stars! But, we'll start with a Linckia spp. on the left (not sure which one, any guesses? Also, anyone notice anything a little unusual about this Linckia? Count the arms...). But, sea cucumbers (holothurians) are also echinoderms (photo on the right). New England Aquarium Researcher Tim Werner works on these. I think this one is an Actinopyga spp., and Tim Werner has confirmed that it is A. mauritiana. Thanks, Tim!


Linckia spp. sea star and holothurian sea cucumber (photos: R. Rotjan)


Phoenix Island Sea Urchins (photo: R. Rotjan)

Above are two more echinoderms - a Diadema spp. and an Echinometra spp. sea urchins; I think! Let's go check out some more inverts. There are two focal invertebrates in the photo below. The one to the left is an echinoderm (a Culcita novaguinae seastar). But take a look at the invert on the right-- definitely NOT an echinoderm.


Culcita novaguinae cushion star(left) and Tridacna spp. clam (right) (Photo: R. Rotjan)

The photo below shows a bunch of molluscs (Tridacna spp. clams nestled amidst the coral). The photo above shows a clam also - on the right side, next to the cushion star. Chris says that all of these clams are Tridacna maxima. Thanks, Chris!


Tridacna spp. clams (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Molluscs are great; they include clams, mussels, snails, octopus, and squid. They also include nudibranchs, which are shell-less snails like the one below. I think this nudibranch is a Phyllidia spp.; any other ideas?


Nudibranch (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Below is another confusing photo. There is no mollusc in the photograph (only a crustacean), but the crustacean is using a snail shell. Yup, it's a land hermit crab (Coenobita perlatus).


Coenobita perlatus hermit crab (photo: R. Rotjan)

Hermit crabs are very interesting creatures, and they are very picky about their shell choice. While we're on the topic of crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, lobsters, crabs), check out this terrestrial land crab (often called a sally lightfoot). Eric Heupel suggests that it might be Graspus tenuicrustatus.


Sally lightfoot crab (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Back to my favorite group--the cnidaria (e.g. corals, jellyfish, anemones). Below are some beautiful hydrozoans (Halocordyle disticha on the left, and Lytocarpus phoenicus on the right, I think!). These animals have the appearance of a feather, but the branches have polyps (just like corals).


Hydroids (Photos: R. Rotjan)

Of course, corals will always have my heart. Hard corals, scleractinians, have been featured on many posts here already, and are the main focus of our reef recovery attention. The reason why? Well, hard corals may be slow and technically spineless, but they are the backbone of coral reefs. They have calcium carbonate skeletons that create the complex reef structure. In an earlier post, we showed you lots of dead coral skeleton covered by crustose coralline algae. That skeleton is made by the coral animal via a symbiosis with a photosynthetic algae and provides shelter for most of the other organisms on the reef. To see more about the symbiosis, check out the Blue Impact Tour and click on "color changing corals".


Acropora table coral closeup (photo: R. Rotjan) and colony (photo: David Obura)

But the main point here is that coral animals and their calcium carbonate skeletons create the complex structure of reefs.

So spineless? Hardly. These inverts are themselves the backbone of coral reefs. No bones about it.

-Randi-

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Labels: clam, hermit crab, invertebrates, mollusc, Randi Rotjan, sea star

And the Phoenix Islands "Greatest Hits" highlights continue...

#3: SHIP WRECKS, RUINS, PLASTICS, RATS, COCONUT TREES, FISHING, and STYROFOAM

During this entire expedition, we've been cautiously describing the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) as "relatively free from human impact," or as "a reef with little/no current local impacts," etc. In case you missed the nuance, it's worth taking a moment to explain exactly how much human impact there is or has been in and around PIPA. First of all, these reefs are not pristine in the absolute sense of the word. Nowhere in the world is completely free from human impact, anymore. Climate change is impacting natural ecosystems from the equator to the poles. There are still wild and beautiful places in this world, but no place is truly pristine. Pristine has taken on new meaning, and is now used to describe places that are relatively pristine--or as free from human impact as they can get.

So, what are the ghosts of humanity (past and present) that haunt PIPA islands and reefs? To simplify things, I've created a few categories. First, there are long-lasting ghosts. This category basically is restricted to shipwrecks (of which there are surprisingly many!), plane wrecks (Amelia Earhart's plane, in theory anyway), and recent remnants of buildings created when the islands were used by PanAmerican Airlines, or by guano miners, or by military operations during WWII. These large ghosts are mostly made of metals (iron, copper, steel, etc), and are very long-lasting.


Abandoned buildings on Kanton Island (photo: R. Rotjan)

Some of the wrecks on the Phoenix Islands are likely over 100 years old, but they are still having a continual impact on the islands through their slow deterioration and the resulting metal poisoning (which facilitates algal growth, whereby restricting coral growth, for example). There is noticeable shipwreck debris on the reefs. To some extent, the debris has become part of the reef and provides complex structure for fish to hide in and for invertebrates and algae to settle on. However, the debris also changes the ecosystem. We were able to see visible impacts of iron poisoning (with a spread proportional to the size of the wreck). On such small reefs, shipwrecks can have a substantial impact for decades, if not centuries. Similarly, metals leach from abandoned metallic structures on land into the coral sands, and promote plant growth that would otherwise never be found on equatorial, Pacific atolls.



Metal remains from shipwrecks and anchors (photos: R. Rotjan)

The next category is quick-release ghosts. These include plastic water bottles, flip-flops, Styrofoam floats, plastic buoys, glass bottles and buoys, and any other small-trash debris that is likely to last for only a decade or less. This small-scale debris can still have a big impact - as plastics break down, they release chemical compounds that remain in the water long after the original plastic object physically degrades. As we blogged about earlier, there is a surprising amount of trash that washes up on remote, uninhabited shores. The Pacific Garbage Patch is a testament to how much trash is visible from the surface, never mind how much trash lies on the ocean floor.


Debris washed up onthe Phoenix Islands (photos: R. Rotjan)

There are also low-impact ghosts. Ruins from long-ago island residents (Polynesian or otherwise) that were built with coral stones or other natural materials have very low impact. They do alter the landscape of the islands, but they are generally not leaching toxins or metals onto the islands.

There are also a lot of living reminders of humanity on these islands - including the small resident population of people on Kanton Island. However, Kanton is their home and the only inhabited island in the Phoenix Chain, and I give these residents lots of credit for living in an incredibly harsh environment with relatively low impact. Thus, I will restrict this commentary to the 7 uninhabited islands of the 8 total Phoenix Islands. So, living ghosts is my final category.

There are both marine and terrestrial living ghosts. In the marine realm, the abundance of small (and deficit of large) sharks is a living reminder of the shark finning that has occurred on these islands. Baby sharks are an encouraging sign, but they are also living ghosts of fishing past. Since PIPA is now protected with strong enforcement via satellites, on-board government agents, and regular boat patrols, hopefully there will be no over-fishing future.


Baby black-tip shark (photo: Jim Stringer)

However, we see living ghosts in the corals, too--large stands of dead coral rubble reflect the major bleaching event a few years ago (see previous posts by David for more on this), and the geological record of global change will be forever preserved in coral skeletons.


Contrasts between live versus dead coral (photos: Jim Stringer)

In the terrestrial realm, there are living ghosts as well. Rabbits and rats are not native to these islands, but we can see evidence of these (and other) small mammals that were introduced by man. As Greg posted earlier, rat eradication projects have been going very well, which has enhanced the nesting and reproductive success of native birds. But rodents are tough to remove, and their presence (decades after introduction) is a strong reminder of the fragility of these islands, and the long lasting impact of careless (or unfortunately-shipwrecked) rat-infested boats. Though the vegetation on these islands is beautiful, it is worth mentioning that some trees and plants are themselves living ghosts of human impact. Used by humans to provide sustenance, coconut trees would not likely have found their way to the Phoenix Islands without being directly planted. So too with other plants, I'm sure, but I didn't spend enough time exploring the land to see for myself (I was mostly underwater). But the point remains--living ghosts still abound on the most remote, uninhabited islands of the earth.


Palm tree on the Phoenix Islands (photo: Randi Rotjan)

As we approach the Halloween season and ghosts and goblins abound, take a few minutes to consider the ghosts around you--remnants of society and humanity that still influence the natural world long after they have been abandoned by humans. And with that, I leave you with this eerie thought: Boo!

-Randi-

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Labels: coral reef health, hits, human impact, lagoons, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, shipwrecks

#2: CRUSTOSE CORALLINE ALGAE: Next on the greatest hits of the Phoenix Islands (and these are in no particular order, by the way), is our CCA tour. CCA tour? What's that? Glad you asked.


Hydnophora rigida coral near Kanton Island (Photo: R. Rotjan)

CCA is science geek shorthand for Crustose Coralline Algae. Clear as mud, I know. CCA (now that you know what it stands for) is basically reef cement. It's an encrusting, hard, red algae (Rhodophyta) that covers dead reef substrate (among other things). CCAs are anything but slimy--they appear smooth, but also provide some texture and traction. This textural combination is a bit like sidewalk cement. It pours smoothly and will cover surfaces evenly, but has a bit of a grainy texture to the touch. Also similar to cement, CCA acts like mortar holding bricks together, only that CCAs cover loose pieces of dead coral rubble and holds them together.

With all of this construction/cement talk, you might be wondering about the pink part of this story. Molly Ringwald, Aerosmith, Pink Panther--this part is for you. CCAs are usually pink! The pinkness adds a lovely aesthetic to a coral reef, which is one nice feature.


PIPA reef in recovery. Can you spot the pink CCAs in this picture? (Photo: R. Rotjan)

More importantly, a pink reef is a reef ready for re-growth, since baby corals like to settle on CCA-covered substrates.


Coral recruits and juveniles growing on CCA-covered substrate (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Loosely, when corals reproduce, they either spawn or brood their next generation, and these eggs and sperm combine to create larvae which spend some time in the water column before settling on a permanent home on the reef floor. For a coral larvae, pink = prime real estate, a.k.a. smooth, available substrate with just enough texture to hang on while growing.

There is always some amount of CCA on reefs, and coral settlement is highly biased towards CCA. On a reef that has suffered some major challenge, in the case of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) reefs, the catastrophic coral bleaching event (mentioned in previous posts here, here and here) caused by the longest and highest thermal anomaly likely ever recorded on reefs. CCAs are a critical part of the recovery stage. Once corals bleach and die, their rubble often remains and gets strewn about on the reef floor, knocked around by waves and storms.

Without live coral animals continually building new skeleton, abandoned skeletons get quickly overrun by bioeroding organisms and become weakened to the point of collapse. This is why live, healthy, GROWING corals are critical to reef. Leftover skeletons can only provide structurally complex habitat for a short while. The point is that CCAs overgrow these dead skeletal frameworks and provide the perfect platform for larval settlement: a.k.a. coral re-growth. Hence, CCAs are a critical part of reef recovery.


Dead, standing coral rubble covered with pink CCA (photo: R. Rotjan)

CCAs themselves are only one part of a very complex recovery story. Briefly, for successful recovery recipe, a reef needs the following the ingredients: reproductive coral adults (or a nearby supply of coral larvae), a CCA blanket, clean and clear waters, and a healthy population of reef herbivores to graze the fleshy macroalgae that would otherwise cover the CCAs and outcompete baby corals for access to space and sunlight. A reef also needs to NOT have the following: disease, pollution, repeated disturbances, etc. Luckily for PIPA, there was only one major bleaching event. With almost no current influence from human populations, PIPA remains free from extensive pollution and disease.


A parrotfish feeding frenzy, "lawn mowers" (Photo: R. Rotjan)

PIPA also hosts a relatively intact fish population, which means that herbivores keep the reef substrate clean (think of herbivores as lawn mowers working to maintain a perfect corporate lawn). Weedy macroalgae is therefore only present in low abundance (because the herbivores graze it), and the reef stays closely cropped. Put all of this together, and the story is this: PIPA reefs are pretty in pink!


PIPA recovery in progress: newly growing coral overgrowing CCA substrate, which is kept clean by herbivores such as the surgeonfish shown here (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Sure enough, on this expedition, we saw lots of pretty pink CCA, and on top of the CCA: coral recruits and juveniles. PIPA is well on the way to recovery. Stay tuned for the next expedition (2011?!) to find out: Will coral be the new pink?

-Randi-


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Labels: coral bleaching, coral reef health, Crustose Coralline Algae, hits, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan

#1: BLUE WATER EXPLORATION

I think it's fitting to begin our top 10 countdown with a rendition of "The Blues." With all due respect to jazz, I have yet to hear a good version of the blues that actually laments the state of the ocean (if anyone has evidence to the contrary, post to the comments below! I'd love to hear it!).

In terms of the Phoenix Islands, there are lots of ways to interpret "The Blues." First, I miss being on a boat and seeing nothing but blue--blue sky, blue sea. No land, or birds, or other boats. Just blue.


(Photo: R. Rotjan)

In fact, most of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) is just blue. With an area of 410,500 km2, PIPA is the largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the world, and is the first MPA in the Pacific to include large areas of deep water habitat including seamounts (of which Kiribati has around 4% of the world's total). We explored the seamounts with an ROV, but I'll save the details, since the ROV has also made the top 10. The Phoenix Islands are located in extremely deep ocean waters (>5,000m), most of which is just blue.

We explored some of this blue-ness with Larry and Kate Madin, who led the blue-water exploration part of our expedition. Kate has blogged extensively about these experiences - check out her posts on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) blog, specifically:

• Looking for plankton in PIPA
• Green island blue desert

PIPA is an important "ocean desert," to quote Larry. More specifically, to directly quote Kate quoting Larry: "Dives in the surface water of the tropical ocean are very different from some dives I've made in the North Atlantic," Larry said, "where sometimes we've seen salps and jellyfish in swarms of thousands. The reason is that the ocean here has only low levels of the nutrients that plankton need, such as nitrogen. Without it, phytoplankton (microscopic plants) can't grow, and there's little food for bigger plankton. It's almost an ocean 'desert.'"


Blue water diving photo from an earlier expedition (Photo: Michael Aw)

Now, terrestrial deserts are anything but boring. Though they are relatively sparse, there are still some incredibly important and interesting desert critters... so too in the oceans. However, we know very little about life in blue deserts. That is why Larry's work on gelatinous plankton in PIPA is so important. The majority of the ocean is blue and represents one of the last unexplored frontiers for humanity. Far from sadness, these blues represent excitement and adventure.



So, bring on the blues! Let's respectfully explore our oceans, and try to understand and conserve what we have. Let's embrace the concept of living blue. And while I'm sad that the expedition is over, I think singin' the blues is just fine... I'll be walking the bass line from the shore line for a while.

-Randi-

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Labels: deep sea, hits, Randi Rotjan, ROV

In addition to the frequent Q+A opportunities that the expedition team has had with readers, students, and the traditional press, there has also been interest from ocean bloggers. Yesterday, Rick Macpherson, the Director of Conservation Programs at the Coral Reef Alliance, posted an interview conducted over email with Randi Rotjan on his longrunning ocean conservation blog Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice and Sunsets. Here's brief excerpt from his introduction and one of the interview questions, follow the link for the whole thing:

"I've been handing out quite a few YAOSGBIR (Yet Another Ocean Scientist Getting Broader Impact Right) recognitions recently. SEAPLEX, Finding Coral, NE Pacific Expedition, the Beagle Project-Tocorime Pilot Project, to name a few. And joining the list was the recent New England Aquarium-Woods Hole-Conservation International 3-week research expedition to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). This expedition, made up of an international team of scientists, divers, and photographers, surveyed what may be the most pristine, intact coral reef ecosystems on Earth.

"You may have been following the Aquarium's expedition blog that's kept an almost daily play-by-play of the mission ....



"MBSL&S: I'm fascinated by your interests and exploration of what you call "ecosystem engineers," or species that can significantly alter or manipulate their environments. What ecosystem engineer species are you hoping to study on this expedition? Can you describe some of the experiments (or observations) you plan to conduct?

"Dr Randi Rotjan: Ecosystem engineers abound on coral reefs, and include the corals themselves! Coral animals build the structure of reefs with their calcium carbonate deposition. In many ways, they are analogous to trees in a forest--both trees and corals create the physical structure on which so many other organisms depend, and thus dramatically alter the landscape with their presence. In temperate forests, beavers are often cited as ecosystem engineers because they cut down trees – thereby again altering the landscape by creating dams, which not only changes the distribution of trees, but also diverts waterways. Similarly, corallivores (organisms that eat live coral) are also ecosystem engineers because, like beavers, they can change the shape of the habitat."


Coral near Nikumaroro Island (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

Read more here...

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Labels: coral reef health, Phoenix Islands, Q+A, Randi Rotjan

Before we get to the PIPA 2009 Expedition Greatest Hits, the expedition needs to officially end. What's the official end? It's a tough call. The moment we left the Phoenix Islands? The moment we got off the boat? The moment we all left Fiji? The moment we all arrived home? The moment when all of the scientific publications, National Geographic stories, videos, blogs, and medical articles have been published? Where should we draw the line?


View from my airplane window of one of the Fijian Islands (Photo: R. Rotjan)

Well, I decided to draw the line when we all left Fiji. Though the responsibilities of the expedition members are far from over (and this blog will continue on for a while longer), the full team is no longer together. As I mentioned previously, David and Tukabu and Tuake are together in Tarawa presenting the initial findings of the expedition. The rest of us are preparing to leave Fiji to go home or onwards to other exciting locales. But before the next stage (whatever it may be), we must all encounter one final expedition-related excursion... the airport.

You've probably been through this--check in 2 hours before an international flight. Pack the bags yourself. Limit yourself to 1 carry-on and a small personal item. No liquids. Usually 2 bags per person. yadda yadda. It's a different experience in bulk, let me tell you! We all flew separately to Fiji in the beginning, but the bulk of us left together (9 in total) on the same plane. For those 9 members, check-in lasted almost 2 hours and included 67 bags worth of hassle. That's right, 67 bags for 9 people!


Airport shenanigans with 67 bags and 9 people--every bag visible is ours! (Photos by R. Rotjan)

Totaling it all up, that means an average of 7-8 bags per person. Given that there were 15 expedition members, we had over 100 bags total between us all... not counting the three giant crates that were shipped to and fro, containing the hyperbaric chamber (see Greg's earlier post for photos of the chamber, and an early post by Brian to see some of the bags in the gear room onboard). Larry put it best - when I mentioned that I would title this blog "Leaving on a jet plane," he suggested an alternative: "Filling up a jet plane!" Because I used the radio call letters WPIPA in my last post, I stayed true to the original title (Sorry, Larry).


1/6 of our luggage tags (Photos by R. Rotjan)

Bag trouble aside, we all managed to leave Fiji successfully, avoid any Tsunami issues (though we are all deeply saddened and concerned about Samoa and other relevant areas), and all of us have the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) on the brain.

I can't speak for my colleagues, but on the plane, I read a novel by J. Maarten Troost and I think he did an incredible job of describing Kiribati as a country (however, having never been to Tarawa, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the rest of the book). Nonetheless, his words are so apt that I feel compelled to share them with you; I have taken some liberties (in [ ], and some deletions represented by an ellipsis), which I hope Troost will forgive if he ever reads this:

"The word Kiribati, pronounced kir-ee-bas on account of the missionaries being stingy with the letters they used to transcribe the local language, is derived from the word Gilberts, which is the name of one of the three island groups that comprise this improbable nation. Located just a notch above the equator and 5000 miles from anywhere, Tarawa is the capital of this country of 33 atolls scattered over an ocean area as large as the continental United States.


Kiribati shown in relation to Australia (canterburypasifika.org)

"The total landmass of these islands is about 300 square miles, roughly the size of the greater Baltimore metropolitan area, though I believe it halves at high tide. Most of Kiribati's land mass is found on Kiritimati Island (Christmas Island), several thousand miles away from Tarawa. What remains is not much [but includes the Phoenix Islands].


Satellite image of the Gilbert Islands (NASA)

"To picture Kiribati, imagine that the continental United States were to conveniently disappear, leaving only Baltimore and a vast swath of very blue ocean in it's place. Now, chop up Baltimore into 33 pieces, place a neighborhood where Maine used to be, another where California once was, and so on, until you have 33 pieces of Baltimore, dispersed in such a way so as to ensure that [99%] of Baltimorians will never attend an Orioles game again [due to travel constraints]. Now, take away [most Western conveniences]. Replace [Northeastern U.S. shingled roofs] with thatch. Flatten all land into a uniform 2 feet above sea level. Toy with islands by melting polar ice caps. Add palm trees. Sprinkle with [remarkable musical talent and amazing dedication to PIPA]. Isolate and bake at a constant temperature of 100 degrees Farenheit. The result is the Republic of Kiribati."

View from airplane window of the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight (Photos: R. Rotjan)

These were the thoughts as I had in my mind as I flew over Fiji and looked at a tiny, tiny portion of the vast Central Pacific on my way to New Zealand (where I will be for the next week). As I looked down on the big blue from ~30,000 ft, I was again struck with the theme of the trip: there's a lot of ocean out there. It's giant and blue and amazing and fragile, and there is still so much to explore.

By the time I post this blog, every single one of the expedition members will have reached our next destination successfully. And so, I declare the expedition officially over. But, I also officially declare the next challenge: for all of us (including you!) to contemplate the sheer size, mass, area (pick a metric, any metric!) of the world's oceans, and think about what you can do to explore and protect them. In other words, live blue.


The 2009 PIPA Expedition Crew; officially signing off. (Photo: Cap'n Jonathan).

Stay tuned for the greatest hits and the scientific wrap-up (coming over the next several weeks).

But since I've now left Fiji on a very full jet plane, over and out from the PIPA 2009 Expedition.

-Randi-


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Labels: conservation, Fiji, Kiribati, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, Transport

We're here at WPIPA playing the expedition hits. Coming up soon, we'll play the "best of" expedition highlights (don't change that channel!), including the "top 10 greatest hits." But in the meantime, a word from our in-the-field news correspondent (me) during our Fijian interlude.

It's another bright and sunny day here in Nadi (pronounced Nandi) in Fiji. Expedition members are slowly adjusting to land--experiencing various levels of "dock rock" and trying to find their land legs again.


View from hotel window in Nadi; a glimpse at the hotel grounds (photo: R. Rotjan)

Immediately upon arrival at our hotel, meetings began with International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) representatives to discuss our candid impressions of the Phoenix Islands Protecte Area, which has been nominated as a World Heritage Site. After a day of productive meetings, we had a wrap-up dinner at The Corner Cafe for some Indian Food. That was the last time the team met as a whole, but the hits just keep on coming. Field correspondents David, Tuake, and Tukabu headed off to Tarawa (back in Kiribati) to present our 30-page field report to the Kiribati Fisheries department and other government officials. The rest of us have another day in Fiji to unwind, analyze more data, update our blogs and, dare I say it, relax (shhh!) for a few moments before our hectic inter-continental travels.

In other important news, expedition members got their first glimpse at this blog, and were shocked that a) our almost-equatorial Central Pacific ramblings were semi-coherent, and that b) so many different things happened on this trip. Experiencing it was a whirlwind; re-reading the events feels like a dream.


Les Kaufman gets his first glimpse at the this PIPA expedition blog (Photo: R. Rotjan)

A dream-like reminder of our trip--looking through previous expedition photos, we realize that we've had similar experiences, and seen most of the same critters. It's like seeing your own experience through someone else's eyes. Notice any photo similarities?




Bottom left: Fairy tern with sand lance in beak (Photo by R. Rotjan); other assorted photos from previous expeditions (by Cat Holloway).

As we review the blog, organize our photos and compile our science for publication, we'll publish the top 10 greatest hits right here on this blog--the world premiere of all things PIPA Expedition 2009. We'll also be updating previous blog posts with new photos, so be sure to check back!

Don't change that channel, the expedition "top 10" will be coming right up.

We'll be right back!

-Randi-

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Labels: Fiji, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, World Heritage

Bula! (Hello in Fijian) It seems like it was only yesterday that we said "Bula!" to the NAI'A. It's strange to think that today we said goodbye.

This has been an incredible expedition. We've written a lot about the science, but the people are also deserving of mention. Without a doubt, this was an unusually smooth mix of personalities. Everyone (team and crew alike) worked extremely hard, and developed deep mutual respect and admiration for each other. With so many different expedition missions, and so many boat-related details, it's a miracle that so much was accomplished, with so much harmony.


Let me paint a picture for you. We were on a pretty small boat, with very few (if any) opportunities to get a moment alone. We shared our lives with ~30 people (expedition members + crew), with little/no contact with friends and family. Truly, despite all of the blogging, email was a rarity and phone an impossibility in the remote Phoenix Islands. Contact was limited to short blog and photo uplinks (readers, I'm just letting you know how important you are!).

At any rate, we had to eat, sleep, and work together in a very small space for a pretty long time. We survived rough seas with respect (if not dignity), and learned to help each other with the intellectual and physical challenges of long field days. No yelling, no screaming, no drama. In fact, as if to celebrate our ship-zen, the seas became glassy calm and we were treated to a beautiful last sunset onboard with a Fijian mountain backdrop.



Let me introduce you to some of onboard characters and give you a glimpse into our last night. A warm vinaka vakelevu (thank you in Fijian) to the NAI'A staff for all of their help, support, music, and friendship. You helped to make this expedition extraordinary.





In Fiji and Kiribati (and elsewhere), it is customary to celebrate good times with Kava. Kava root is an ancient crop of the western Pacific, and the NAI'A crew treated us to a Kava sing-along party our last night. Kava drink is prepared in a bowl (shown below), and served in coconut shells.


Kava preparation (left); "fish guys" (right) celebrate their successful data collection with some Kava and some fish tales.

Nataune ni gunuyaqona? (Is it Kava time?)




Ni Sa Moce, NAI'A! we'll see you again soon!

However, our story is not yet done. Stay tuned for our brief Fijian adventures, our travels home, and our trip reflections. Because, it ain't over 'til it's over.

-Randi-

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Labels: Fiji, NAI'A, Randi Rotjan, Transport

It's official--we are sailing back to Fiji--another long 5.5 day voyage. It's interesting to have our time on/in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area bookended by long sea voyages. Though our trip out was extremely rough (20 ft seas at times!), this time I'm happy to report that the seas are relatively calm, the mood is cheerful, and seasickness is but a distant, 3-week old memory. With all of this good luck, what are we doing with our time?

Believe it or not, we're still working. In between a few moments of sunset-watching and toasting, we've all been busy entering and analyzing our data, writing first drafts of a report (to be submitted to the Kiribati government, among others), and talking about the details of our experience--just trying to absorb it all and figure out what our main findings were, and what we'd like to pursue next time. In other words, we're trying to wrap this trip up (hence the burrito).

(Photos: Randi Rotjan)

So, where are we so far? My colleagues and I have been discussing the remarkable fish density and biomass, the encouraging signs of new coral recruits and juveniles, and the importance of local versus global effects as we've been blogging about all along (David just posted his wrap-up). But here's an additional thought: the Phoenix Islands are a living laboratory, a place where we can study ecological, behavioral, and physiological processes on reefs and among reef organisms in their natural context. In other words, this is a place to study nature where nature still (mostly) calls the shots, instead of a place where humans (mostly) call the shots.

Here's some filling for that burrito: how many places are there left in the world where nature (mostly) calls the shots, and is it too late to save them? I remain optimistic that the fate of the world's coral reefs is not yet sealed. We've seen remarkable re-growth, both swift and systematic, that fuels my optimism.

A quick diversion: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Brian Skerry and Kate Madin!


As we approach Fiji (we'll be arriving in port tomorrow morning), this blog will take on a new dimension. Thus far, we've been posting in real-time, giving you our thoughts as we have them. However, thoughts improve with time. As our ideas simmer, sizzle, and grow, we'll be sure to give you our refined view of the trip. The trip has been bookended, but we are left with a lot of possible burrito fillings and toppings ... and we'll continue to think about how to wrap it all up... here on this blog.

-Randi-

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Labels: conservation, coral reef health, Fiji, NAI'A, Randi Rotjan, Transport

Note: Students from Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire posted questions for Aquarium researcher Dr. Randi Rotjan in the comments section of this post. Here is the question with Randi's answer in light blue:

What an amazing adventure you have been having--we feel so fortunate to join you virtually! Your posts have been excellent--yesterday we started class with a discussion regarding your "Points and Lines" entry. They had lots of questions about whether your "lines" actually existed in a quantitative form. I think they are having trouble conceptualizing what the data that you are collecting actually looks like. Maybe some examples of the types of things you record along your transect lines might be helpful for them.
-Souhegan Marine Lab, Souhegan High School

Hi Julianne and students -
Sorry for the delayed response--I did not get your message until now (we're working on multiple computers, and it gets confusing, even on a relatively small boat!). So, let's talk about points and lines.

By "lines," what I mean is a trend line through data points. On our transects, we are measuring lots of things. I'm an ecologist, which means that measuring the diversity (who) and abundance (how many) of organisms in an ecosystem is my bread and butter. It's the logical starting place to quantifying any ecosystem or habitat.


Dr. David Obura working on a transect (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

When we lay out a transect here in the Phoenix Islands, we lay out a 25 meter line, and count every coral colony within 1 meter of that line. So, we count diversity (what coral species or genera we see), and abundance (how many of each coral species we see), in a known area (25 x 1 meter belt). This allows us to determine how one site differs from another (spatial comparisons), and when we measure the same place year after year, this also allows us to determine how things change over time (temporal comparisons).


A coral recruit visible beside a transect line (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

There are other expedition members collecting other types of data (fish diversity, abundance, and biomass, for example). We put all of these data together to try to as sign a trajectory to the Phoenix Islands Reefs. Are they degrading? Recovering? Sick? Healthy? There are lots of other ways to collect data, of course, but I hope this gives some insight into how we measure the state of the reef, and how scientists turn numbers (points) into a story (lines) that helps us to understand where things are, and where they are going.

Thanks, as always, for the questions!
Best fishes,
Randi

This is the second time these students and Randi have been able to communicate during the expedition. Here's their first exchange.


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Labels: coral reef health, Q+A, Randi Rotjan, transects

We have just come from Phoenix Island (also known as Rawaki Island), which is a tiny, bird-filled island at the edge of existence. This is going to be a short post, since we were only there for 1 day and will soon be on our way to Orona--our last stop in the Phoenix Islands chain. Anyway, I got to spend some brief, precious time ashore this stark island in between the usual dive-eat-dive schedule. I was struck by the harshness of the island. With no freshwater, hundreds of thousands of birds (with quite a diversity!) manage to survive, and beyond that, roost!


(Photos: Randi Rotjan)

I walked most of the perimeter of the island, stepping over smoothed clam shells and coral rocks, all the while wondering: if I were marooned here, could I survive? The answer is undeniably "no"--the lack of shade and freshwater would be the two killers. But, I was surprised at the things that would come easily. First, food. Between bird eggs and sealife, there is plenty of protein to be had. Though guano-covered, there was also plenty of shrubbery--some of which was edible (the pickleweed, for example).


(Photo: Randi Rotjan)

Walking along the island, we also found a disturbing amount of trash--styrofoam, plastic bottles. With some rain and some forethought, one could easily bottle plenty of freshwater. Most surprising, however, were the flip flops. You might think that shoes would be hard to come by (and they are essential!) in these rocky places. The coral rock would chew your feet to bits without shoes. But flipflops, as it turns out, have remarkable ocean voyaging ability, and amazing staying power. They do not degrade, and they are abundant on these remote shorelines. Good luck finding a matched pair, however.


Trash seen by the team during the current expedition (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

All of this rambling (my apologies) is merely to make the point that it's hard to eek out a living on the edge of existence. Yet, thousands of organisms manage just fine. As for the humans... well, the NAI'A makes it possible (and easy! And enjoyable!) to be out here. With delicious meals, dive capabilities, and our every need attended to, it's sometimes easy to forget exactly how remote we are.


(Photo: Randi Rotjan)

But as this trip is winding down, I am reminded of the 5 plus day steam that we will have back to Fiji. In the meantime, it's nothing but blue ocean, isolated islands, and abandoned flip flops here at the edge of existence.

-Randi-

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Labels: NAI'A, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, Rawaki Island, seabird

We've have two brief days on Orona Island, and so far they have been action-packed. In our dives so far, I've managed to re-discover an old shipwreck, find salps on a blue water dive with the Madins, check out the "deep" sea with Greg using the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), complete 5 transects of coral cover, coral diversity, and corallivory and observe giant humphead parrotfish (Bolbometapon muricatum) take many bites of live coral. Bliss! (Read more about direct feeding in David Obura's post.)


Left to right: Randi Rotjan, David Obura, Greg Stone and Les Kaufman surveying the Phoenix Islands using a Remote Operating Vehicle (Photo: Larry Madin)

I am writing this post in between dives, and thought it might be fun to relay a few items that I've somehow neglected to write about. Please forgive the oversight, and allow this entry to be a collection of miscellaneous tidbits that I thought you might appreciate.


90% coral cover and fish (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

1) Statistics. It's been 11 days on-site, complete with 33 meals, 37 dives and 89 bruises. Just FYI.


(Photo: Randi Rotjan)

2) Another day, another moray: on every single dive, I've seen no less than 2 moray eels. This means (with 37 dives), that I've seen at least 74 moray eels this trip. Amore? A moray!?


Reef canyon (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

3) We've been close to the equator. But to my surprise, the Southern Cross has only been visible for a short while; it sets really early. We're been too far north at the wrong time of year. I actually haven't seen it while out here. Go figure.


Napoleon wrasse (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

4) Most people on the trip have seen an insane amount of big wildlife--manta rays, turtles, dolphins, sharks, etc. I've seen mostly coral.


Banded humbug on Pocillopora (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

5) On my one blue water dive, I had a "master of the obvious" moment. There's not much in blue water near oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) reefs. That's why they are considered nutrient-poor. Duh!


David and Randi joke about spilling coconut juice all over the boat (Photo: Les Kaufman)

6) They feed us too much on this ship. Have I mentioned that yet?


NAI'A near Orona Island (Photo: Tuake Teema)

7) Orona Island is lovely and tree-filled, with lots of coconut palms. Also, some old Polynesian ruins, and some more recent remnants from a 2003 settlement. The island is currently uninhabited.


Giant clams (Photos: Randi Rotjan)

8) The Orona Lagoon is filled with baby giant clams. They are brightly colored, and in a word: awesome.


Nai'a crew serenading, and helping us with our dive gear and boat transfers (Photos: Randi Rotjan)

9) The crew on this boat are spectacular. They are the most well-educated, thoughtful, strong, helpful and musical group of people that I've come across in a long time. They are definitely members of the team, so I would consider our expedition-group doubled because of the crew. Bula!


Whitetip reef shark (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

10) We've seen a lot of small sharks this trip (which has been fantastic!). We've also spent a lot of time quoting (and re-watching) Jaws. Brian Skerry and Greg Stone are particularly deft at this game--they know every line. Quoth Brian: "You'd like to prove that, wouldn't ya ... get your name into the National Geographic," originally spoken by JAWS character and oceanographer Matt Hooper (played by Richard Dryfus). [Note: Author of the novel Jaws, Peter Benchley, was a close friend of Greg Stone and a prominent supporter of ocean conservation. Wendy Benchley continues to be involved in the Aquarium's global research and conservation efforts.] Speaking of National Geographic, look for a story on this trip (coming soon). Featuring the photographic prowess of Brian Skerry, with Jeff Wildermuth on the assist and an essay by Greg Stone.


(Photo: Randi Rotjan)

11) Did I mention how many cuts and bruises I have so far? Battle scars! Ouch.


David Obura and Randi Rotjan doing coral transects (Left photo: Randi Rotjan; Right photo: Jim Stringer)

12) I've only briefly been on-shore on 2 of these islands. This means that I've decidedly spent more time IN the Phoenix Islands than ON the Phoenix Islands. Cool, huh?


(Photo: Randi Rotjan)

13) As we were completing our most recent dive, it rained for the first time while we were at sea. It was delightful, actually, and a fish jumped into our boat on our way back!


David Obura returning the rogue needlefish to sea (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

14) The NAI'A is 120 feet long, by 30 feet in beam, by 11 feet draft. 240 tons. She is a Dutch-built motor sailor, built in Amsterdam in 1979. She was re-built by Rob Barrel in Fiji in 1992. She's a terrific ship, and this is her 8th trip to the Phoenix Islands--4 scientific expeditions, and 4 trips looking for the remains of flyer Amelia Earhart (mentioned previously by Brian here and by Rob here). We're making more progress on the science. Amelia is still missing, and presumed dead. RIP.


Randi climbs to the crow's nest on the Nai'a (Photo: Captain Jonathan)

Sorry for the random assortment of thoughts, but a well-packaged essay is just not in the stars today. I promise a more thoughtful post following a long, well-deserved nap. But until then, dive on!

-Randi-

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Labels: NAI'A, Phoenix Islands, photos, Randi Rotjan

So, we've had a glorious few calm days and nights moored in the lagoon of Kanton Island, the only inhabited atoll in the Phoenix Islands. We've gathered a ton of data, taken zillions of photographs, collected critical samples for scientific analysis, and shared some really special moments with the Kanton residents. In short, we've had a taste of Phoenix Islands magic. We've had dolphins and manta rays, dozens of giant humphead parrotfish, thrilling drift dives, beautiful sunsets, Southern star-filled skies.


Manta ray seen during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

The crew and expedition members alike have had a few precious moments of relaxation, filled with song and kava. Most importantly, we've had a glimpse of a reef in recovery, with loads of promising signs. We've seen large tabletop Acroporas in the shallows, a thriving fish community, and dozens of coral recruits per square meter. We've even seen some large corals, and some areas have really high coral cover. There is a general sense of hope and contentment on the NAI'A tonight, and I think we're all sad to leave Kanton, though we're excited to see what the next island has in store.

As I've mentioned previously, I'm the most junior expedition member, having never really been to the South Pacific, and having never spent time on a live-aboard ship. So, with all of this Phoenix Islands magic, I started wondering what my somewhat saltier and more experienced shipmates were feeling: been there, done that? Par for the course? Just another day in Paradise? Never one to keep it in, I've asked my friends and colleagues onboard whether or not this trip (only half over!) has had any surprises in store. In other words, have they experienced any "Phoenix Islands First"? This is what they had to say:


Dive portrait, from left to right: Stuart Sandin, David Obura, Les Kaufman, Randi Rotjan (Photo: Jim Stringer)

Jeff Wildermuth: My "first" experience involved two coral groupers locking lips together, face to face, mouth to mouth, in a tug-of-war. This may be a behavior competing for territory on the reef.

Les: This is the first time I've ever seen grey-backed tern, but that's boring to most people. How about this: this is the first time I've felt, with full conviction, that the reduction of human coastal impacts could significantly help the ocean to heal itself (read Les' posts for more detail on this). If that's too heavy, this is the first time I've ever forgotten to take my memory stick out of my bathing suit before diving. Like burying data at sea!


Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) photographed in the Great Barrier Reef, republished here for illustrative purposes (Photo: Taro Taylor from Sydney, Australia)

Rob (NAI'A owner): This is the first time I've seen 15 Napolean Wrasse in my field of vision at the same time--and the visibility wasn't even that great!

Kate: It's all firsts! This is the first time I've been in the "South Seas"; the first time this near the equator; and the first time I've ever seen a cubomedusa (box jellyfish) swimming free on a dive. Also, it's the first time I've seen fairy terns in flight!


Schooling fish during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

Alan: This is the first time I've seen many massive schools of so many species of surgeonfish, snapper, parrotfish, jacks, emperorfish--often together on the same dive site, with 6,8,12 rare Napolean wrasses EVERY time--a great visual kick. The mental kick is knowing that no one else is diving here, and especially that the area is now preserved and protected for future generations.

Larry: several firsts for me--first kava-klatch, first high-speed drift dive through schools of barracuda, and first exploration of the strange juxtaposition of the tropical isolation of Kanton with the rusting remnants of its previous 1930-1940s population and activity.

Stuart: Today we dove in the channel entrance of Kanton, riding the incoming current to pass from the reef into the lagoon. This was the first time that I watched a reef pass so quickly below me… the current was running as fast as a river. Pretty impressive to watch schools of large fish flitting past at (seemingly) a mile a minute.

Jim: This is the first time I have joined a research dive trip. I'm impressed with the discipline and regimentation necessary so the scientists can accomplish their goals. Also, I've never been with a group that carries their own portable hyperbaric chamber.

Craig: Having dived these reefs on the first research trip in 2000, witnessing the continual evolution of a living coral reef is truly astonishing. Nothing remains constant, the reef exhibits a remarkable metamorphosis. I am now seeing a new reef for the first time.

Brian: During this Phoenix Islands expedition, I saw the smallest shark I have ever seen. I was walking along the shoreline in the lagoon on Nikumaroro Island and decided to walk into the water up to my ankles. As I did this, a tiny little blacktip shark swam up within a couple of meters of me. Clearly a newborn, this was the first time I have seen a baby shark this small. It's obvious that this lagoon is an important nursery habitat.


Greg Stone discusses a map with Kanton school children (Photo: Larry Madin)

Greg: This is the first time I have ever given a talk to a group of school children in a school housed inside of an old hanger at an old airport in the middle of the Pacific. This is also the first time I've seen 6 green turtles, 2 stingrays, and 7 Napolean wrasses--all on one dive! Finally, this is the first time I've been back to the Phoenix Islands since PIPA was declared the largest marine protected area in the world!

Tuake: I was a bit nervous to be photographed by the National Geographic People! I was finding it hard to breathe on my tank when Brian was taking pictures of me. Normally, I like to be underwater for the fun of diving. I felt relieved when Brian was telling me that he was done with me. I hoped that I had done what I was supposed to do as part of my Phoenix Islands mission. I count myself fortunate to be attached and learning from highly academic scientists who are on this marine expedition. This was indeed a first for me--to be photographed for a magazine story.


(Photo: Larry Madin)

Tukabu: This is my first time to visit the Phoenix Islands, and it is great. As PIPA's director, it is important for me to familiarize myself with the islands. The highlight for this trip to me is making contacts between the school on Kanton and with the New England Aquarium in Boston by presenting materials together with Dr. Greg Stone to the Kanton Primary school. This is an important trip for our young children to appreciate their national beauty of the islands and to keep it in good condition.

David: Firsts. It's hard, as I know these islands and reefs so well. As a coral reef climate change scientist, it's a first for us to see that reefs can heal so quickly if give a chance, so it's worth trying. It's my first time somewhat seasick for 5 days straights. First time perfectly understanding the value of such an iconic story to effect change. The Phoenix Islands reefs are rising from their ashes, and the world must understand what is happening here not just to reefs, but to all ecosystems and human systems.

As for me, all of the above and more are firsts. But I guess the most important "first" is that I've realized that I'll never have a last first. With all of the collective wisdom and experience on this trip, I find it comforting that firsts abound for everyone. It's good to know that the world will continue to surprise and amaze. I wonder what my next "first" will be?

-Randi

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Labels: firsts, NAI'A, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan

How many points does it take to make a line? If you ask a mathematician, they'd say two, at the very least. Practically however, we are sometimes asked to draw lines with only a single point. Here in the Phoenix Islands, we are trying to assign a trajectory to these reefs to determine whether they are recovering or declining. In other words, we are trying to draw a line, and the big question is which way the line is pointing--up or down?


Coral near Nikumaroro Island from the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

There are many scientists on this expedition, all assessing PIPA points in various ways--Tuwake is assessing fish diversity, Larry, Greg and Kate are examining planktonic blue water species, and everyone is contributing their thoughts and observations. Greg is the expedition leader and works on all aspects including the deeper parts with the ROV.

Some of us on the science team (David) have many points from the Phoenix Islands, and based on these points, David has qualitatively drawn a line in his head, and is quantitatively drawing a line from his carefully-collected data points. Others of us (Stuart) have only one point from the Phoenix Islands, but Stuart has other points from remote Pacific atolls (mainly the Northern and Southern Line Islands) that he's using to draw his line. Les works on a global network of reef systems with a focus on Brazil, Belize, the Eastern Pacific and Fiji, and he's using these data (along with his lifetime of reef experience) to qualitatively draw a line as he experiences the myriad reef habitats on the Phoenix Islands.

As for me, I'm trying to draw a line with (essentially) only a single point. This is my first time to the Phoenix Islands, and my first real experience on tropical Pacific atolls. I've had plenty of reef experience in the Caribbean, but the reefs have been very different (barrier reefs or patch reefs), and relatively close to human civilization. Still, I have the literature to draw from, so I guess I have multiple (but different) points as well.


Schooling fish near Nikumaroro Island during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

So, with all of these different sets of points and different perspectives, what does our collective line look like? Generally (and it's too soon to tell definitively), I think we all agree that the Phoenix Islands are showing some promising signs of recovery and re-growth. We have been observing lots of coral recruits and juvenile corals, and an extremely healthy fish population. Effectively, the fish are doing a thorough job of keeping the substrate closely cropped, and so we see a reef primed for recovery.

There is a lot of available substrate, lots of crustose coralline algae, and, except for some species, there are enough remaining corals to re-seed the population. Thus, I'd say our lines are all pointed upwards, but given each of our different line-drawing strategies, our lines may have different slopes. Part of the excitement and challenge of this trip is to debate and discuss the points on our lines, and to try to reconcile all of our qualitative observations with the quantitative data that we are gathering on every dive to agree on a line that we think tells the story of the Phoenix Islands at this current point in time.

However, beyond the scope of this trip, coral reef scientists are busy gathering data to plot lines to chart the progress or decline of reefs everywhere. Our scientific discipline is full of lines: this reef looks better, this reef looks worse, this reef has more coral, this one less. there is no shortage of lines, moving in all directions. This can be a bit confusing to interpret, especially when trying to implement policy based on the direction and slope of these lines. In the end, it seems that these lines all call for more reef management, more human action to stop overfishing, more creation marine reserves and to temper the effects (and stop!) climate change. Despite all of these data, however, the message hasn't quite yet been embraced globally.


Near McKean Island during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

Though these reefs are remote, they have been undeniably impacted by global change (noted in previous posts here, here, here and by David here). Yet, there are still many places in the world that do not protect their oceans. Ocean stewardship is still a relatively new concept with some. There has been important, recent advancement, though. After all, I'm writing this post from the world's largest marine reserve. Many other reserves are in various stages of completion, and, with hard work, it is still possible to achieve our goal of healthy reefs worldwide. But, we're not there yet. Despite all of these compelling lines, we're still left with the majority of reefs struggling for their very existence.

And so, I leave you with this. We're busy trying to gather data points in order to generate a line. But how many lines does it take to make the point?

-Randi

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Labels: conservation, coral reef health, Randi Rotjan

We're finally getting into our groove out here. We've gelled as an expedition team; the science team is comfortable working together quickly and efficiently; we've found our sea legs. Now, it's all about the work. We just spent about 8 hours at McKean Island--a tiny spit of land with no trees, at least one shipwreck, thousands of birds, and several tons of associated guano. Of course, we were busy documenting the state of the reef as our #1 priority.


Studying coral at McKean Island during the current Phoenix Islands expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

During our brief visit, we split forces among us to complete 3 dives, a shore expedition, and an ROV exploration beneath the NAI'A (our mothership). We've been busy!

It's a funny routine, and it goes something like this:
7:30 a.m. - dive
9:30 a.m. - eat breakfast
10:30 a.m. - dive
12:30 p.m. - eat lunch
1:30 p.m. - dive
3:30 p.m. - snack
4:30 p.m. - dive
6:30 p.m. - eat dinner
Evening - transit to next island, or dive, depending


Coral photo from Nikamuroro Island during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

In between- check species IDs, discuss thoughts with other expedition members, download photos (expedition photo album is here), upload blog posts, transcribe data to computers, discuss the next day's dive agenda, fix samples, set up data sheets. Today, we're spending most of our day in transit between McKean and Kanton (Kanton is the largest of the Phoenix Islands, and the only one with human inhabitants (Population: 40-ish). It's a 24-hour steam between islands (a huge distance!).


From Nikumaroro Island during the current expedition (Photo: Jim Stringer)

We'll be at Kanton for about 3 days, and the whole time we'll be mostly doing our dive-eat-dive daily grind. It's funny to think about a routine out here, but humans are creatures of habit, and we adjust to new routines very easily. After all, life out here, in a way, is just another day in the office. But I have to say, we certainly have an amazing view. Gotta go eat or dive--not sure which at the moment, but it's always either one or the other.

-Randi

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Labels: Kanton Island, McKean Island, NAI'A, Randi Rotjan, SCUBA

Note: Students from Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire posted some questions for Aquarium researcher Dr. Randi Rotjan in the comments section of this post. Due to Randi's busy dive schedule during the expedition and spotty satellite communications it took a couple days, but she has managed to respond here.

Here are the questions with Randi's answers in light blue:

Hi Randi-
My students have been checking the blog everyday--and they are really enjoying following your expedition! They had a couple of questions for you.

Labels: Q+A, Randi Rotjan

The ocean is an ancient place, the source of life itself on this planet. Skipping through the whole of Earth's history, the interaction between humans and the ocean is relatively recent. Yet, in that brief time, the ocean has changed dramatically. In fact, the oceans are now changing so quickly that from one human generation to the next, any given spot in the ocean can look like an entirely different place.


Manra Island, Phoenix Islands (Photo: David Obura)

Here in the Phoenix Islands, the reefs (in theory) should be changing less, or more slowly, than elsewhere in the world, given their distance from human settlements. Yet, the global reach of human impact is visible even here.

In 2002-03, there was a catastrophic bleaching event here caused by high temperatures, described earlier by David Obura on this blog. On this trip, we're documenting some of the recovery (or lack thereof) in different places on the reef, on different islands. Yesterday, we saw some rubble reefs with very little coral, and I was struggling to maintain optimism about the fate of the worlds oceans. Today, we saw stunning reefs--covered in live coral, teeming with fish, swimming with turtles and manta rays and sharks. What a difference!


Coral reef photos from this week in the Phoenix Islands -click to enlarge- (Photos: Randi Rotjan)

Although I'm on this trip in a professional context, I was unable to suppress my wonder and amazement and joy at seeing such beautiful reefs. I wish I could just stop here and let that be the end of the story, but when I came back to my senses, the scientist in me asked David the obvious question: "So, how do these reefs compare to their former, pre-bleached selves?" I was shocked at the answer. Qualitatively, David thought that they were only halfway restored to their former glory. Halfway?! How is it possible that such a beautiful reef could be TWICE as beautiful? I was stunned--and I realized that I had almost been a victim of shifting baselines.


Left- Current expedition to the Phoenix Islands (Photo: Randi Rotjan)
Right- 2002 expedition to the Phoenix Islands (Photo: David Obura)

The concept of shifting baselines is simple. As each new generation experiences the ocean, we imprint our view of what is healthy based on what we've seen with our own eyes. Thus, when we think about ocean conservation, we aim to maintain or restore the oceans to that baseline state. But, what if our baseline is skewed? What if "healthy" to us isn't "healthy" overall because we haven't seen it with our own eyes? How do we recalibrate our baseline to the true baseline, and what is the true baseline? Herein lies the problem, and you can read more about it at www.shiftingbaselines.org.


Coral reef photos taken during previous expeditions to the Phoenix Islands (Photo: David Obura)

Without David to help me re-calibrate my idea of a healthy Phoenix Island reef, I might have been fooled into thinking that these reefs are fully recovered from the bleaching event, and currently stand at the peak of their glory. But because of the careful observations of scientists who have been here before (David and others), my view of this reef is more tempered. Based on the limited observations we've had so far, I'll cautiously state that these reefs are on their way to recovery, which is very encouraging. But, recovery is not yet complete. Will they one day be restored to their former glory? I hope so! But, only time and data will tell.

In the meantime, I'm off to go collect some of those data. At 4-5 dives per day, we're gathering data at breakneck speed, and I'll keep you posted on our preliminary findings. Until then, I'll leave you with this thought. Picture the most beautiful natural place you have ever been. Now, imagine it twice as beautiful. Amazing, isn't it?

-Randi

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Labels: conservation, coral bleaching, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, Shifting Baselines

Well, Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Or, more to the point, we're no longer on our lonely, rough, 1000-mile Pacific crossing anymore. We've arrived at the Phoenix Islands (and in full Technicolor!). We're currently moored at Nikumaroro at the Western edge of the islands, and it's amazing how different today is from yesterday. Yesterday, we were all still battling rough seas (with up to 20-ft waves) and weak stomachs, and were fighting just to maintain sanity on our long voyage. Today, we're all fresh and excited to be here… and to be doing science, taking photos, and exploring PIPA together. We knew we were getting close when we passed through a full rainbow, and the seas calmed down to a gentle roll.


Rainbow over the Phoenix Islands (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

Soon after, bottlenose dolphins graced our bow. When we finally arrived at Nikamaroro, we were again greeted by dolphins, who stayed with us all afternoon until the sun set.


Bottlenose dolphin swimming beside the NAI'A (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

Wasting time is not an option here, so we jumped right into a 3-dive day. We saw an astounding amount of fish--both high diversity and high abundance.


Redband parrotfish (Photo: Stuart Sandin)

Les and Stuart have already documented a species of parrotfish (red parrotfish) never before reported in the Phoenix Islands. Other sightings included a manta ray, 3 shark species, 2 moray eels, and large schools of barracuda and other fish species.


Schools of barracuda and other fish (Photo: Randi Rotjan)


Manta ray (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

On the coral side of things, David and I had a somewhat different experience. We documented around a dozen genera, but saw more rubble than live coral. Perhaps not surprising, since this area has high wave energy, and is still recovering from a catastrophic bleaching event (described a few posts ago by David).


Coral transect (Photo: Randi Rotjan)

Still, it's too soon to tell the current state of affairs--we only dove one side of the island, and we have much more to explore before making any conclusions. It's encouraging, however, that there are so many herbivores. The substrate is tightly cropped and dominated by crustose coralline algae (CCA), which facilitates coral recruitment. You can see the pink CCA in the redband parrotfish photo above (photo credit to Stuart Sandin for that shot). Of course, it's also interesting to observe the corallivores (organisms that consume live coral). Grazing scars on live coral abound, and we'll be investigating the impacts of corallivory further as the trip progresses.


Nikumaroro island coral (Photos: Randi Rotjan)

In the meantime, we're just thrilled to be here. Tonight was a welcome break from the norm. Everyone ate dinner! Better yet, we all ate together and excitedly discussed the discoveries of the day. The crew serenaded us with an old classic: "Happy Birthday," to Craig Cook (our MD). Happy Birthday, Craig! And now, we're all geeked out with our computers and field guides, double checking species identifications, entering data from the day, making data sheets for tomorrow, and just trying to process all of today's little treasures. After 6 long days, we've finally found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.


The NAI'A at sunset off Nikamuroro Island.

-Randi

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Labels: barracuda, coral bleaching, corallivory, direct feeding, manta ray, NAI'A, Nikumaroro, photos, Randi Rotjan

First, let me thank Greg Stone, Alan Dynner, Brian Skerry, and David Obura for their recent contributions (you can read them by clicking the links next to each author's name at right). We are so lucky to be able to hear directly from them (as well as some other expedition members) as the trip progresses.


Shorebirds in the Phoenix Islands during the 2002 Phoenix Islands expedition (Photo: Greg Stone)

Personally, I have also been plagued with a fairly phenomenal case of seasickness, but I think that the worst is over. After days of fighting the seas, the winds calmed enough for most of us to head onto the deck to look around. What can we see? BLUE. Nothing but blue and white. Blue skies with white clouds, blue seas with white waves. No land visible in any direction. No other boats. And 2 or 3 small terns, making their way to or from the Phoenix Islands, or so we think.


Sunset with the Phoenix Islands on the horizon in 2002 (Photo: Greg Stone)

Never one to resist a pun, I love the idea that the tide is terning if the seas are calm enough for terns, then they are calm enough for us. On this lonely stretch of ocean between Fiji and the Phoenix Islands (~1000 nautical miles!), it's nice to see some life out here. Surprisingly, we have not observed much marine life yet on this long voyage, save for the hundreds of flying fish that leap from our wake. But, it's only a matter of time until there is so much marine life that we'll be struggling to keep up with it.


For reference: A pink-wing flying fish (Photo: NOAA)

And we're terning the corner! Shortly, we'll be reporting back about waters teeming with fishes, invertebrates, and plant life. Today, we'll be assembling our dive gear and prepping to arrive. Then we dive!

-Randi

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Labels: flying fish, NAI'A, Randi Rotjan, tern, Transport

We have four and a half days of steaming from Fiji to the Phoenix Islands. During this "down time," we've been busy having science meetings, planning the details of each dive, getting to know each other. And of course, adjusting to the 12 to 15 ft. waves that have been playing with our stomachs for the past 24 hours.


The NAI'A at sea

Sickness aside, we're a third of the way to PIPA, which means we're making great time! As the waves have been rolling, I've had plenty of time to think about what we're doing here, what our goals are, and what to share with you in this blog. Hours of thinking later, I've come to this: it's all about floors and ceilings. Let me explain.

In New England, we're seafaring people. We live in Coastal states, and many of us relate to the ocean in a very personal way. The ocean dictates much of our weather, and many of our activities. Yet, when we engage with the ocean, we use it as a "floor." We surf on it. We sail on it. We fish from the surface. We go to the beach to look at it. At best, we sometimes (brrr!) swim in it, but unless you are a SCUBA diver, your most likely encounter with the Eastern Atlantic is as a "floor." When you SCUBA dive, a mentality shift happens and you start thinking of the sea as a "ceiling." More specifically, the sea surface is a ceiling.


The Ocean as a floor (left) and as a ceiling (right).
Photos taken by Keith Ellenbogen diving from the NAI'A in Fiji. That expedition blog is here.

There is just so much below the surface! Now, this may seem obvious and intuitive--and it is, especially if you're reading this blog, you already know of some of the wonders that lie beneath. But have you experienced it? Have you flown between the surface and the seafloor? It's truly like flying. That ability to move, almost weightlessly, between the ceiling and floor is hard to convey to anyone who only thinks of the ocean as a "floor."

Yet, that shift in mentality from "floor" to "ceiling" is critical for ocean conservation. After all, throwing trash into the ocean is easy if you're in a "floor" mentality--after all, you can't see the trash. It just disappears. But shift your thought to the sea as a "ceiling," and you'll realize that there are massive amounts of trash piling up amidst the ocean denizens that amaze and wonder us all. So, as I continue the stomach acrobatics at sea, I encourage you to engage in some mental acrobatics at home. Picture yourself flying beneath the surface of the ocean, and re-orient yourself so that the floor (surface) becomes the ceiling. As this trip continues to unfold, you'll better be able to envision what we see, and how we engage with the ocean with SCUBA gear.

Until then ... wishing you calm seas and sunny skies.

Randi

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Labels: NAI'A, Randi Rotjan, SCUBA

What do you get when you combine 15 expedition members, 12 crew members, over 50 bags of luggage and one boat? Surprisingly enough, you get an instant family: a group of people and things alike that will be traveling with you for the next 21 days. No additions, and (knock on wood), no subtractions. It's a pretty special feeling, which is appropriate given that we are going to one of the most special places in the ocean. We left Fiji with sunny skies, calm seas and good spirits at around 4 p.m. this afternoon.



Amidst the piles of luggage, we all settled into our bunks and into our new home. This is an interesting trip, with strong scientific representation, but also representation from the media (National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry and videographer Jeff Wildermuth; science writer Kate Madin), from ocean conservationists and stewards (Alan Dynner and Jim Stringer), medical experts (Craig Cook, M.D.), NAI'A owner and operator Rob Barrel, and, perhaps, most importantly, representation from the Republic of Kiribati (Tubaku Teroroko and Tuwake Tema).



This unique blend of representation, interest, and personality is no accident. Every expedition member was hand-picked by Dr. Gregory Stone, who put this trip together in order to further our scientific understanding, our ability to communicate the magic of this marine reserve to you (dear readers), and to solidify the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) as a primary marine conservation player on the global stage. Lofty goals, but I must say: this trip has all the right elements for success.

Our crew on the Nai'a is as colorful as we are, and full of surprises. Tonight, they welcomed us with a traditional Fiji'ian song followed by the obligatory safety speech and boat orientation, ending again with a song. Everyone is wonderful--accommodating, thoughtful, and eager to be a part of the team.



The cast of characters is star-studded across the board, and the stories will develop over the next few days as we all learn to live and work together. We're thrilled to have you on board with us, to help us promote one of the most remote reefs on the planet, and to help us achieve our goal of getting your support for PIPA.

All I can say from the first night is that, contrary to the classic Jaws reference, we surprisingly don't need a bigger boat. The NAI'A fits just right.

Randi

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Labels: NAI'A, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, Transport

It's official, we're all en route to Fiji. We're gathering from across the globe--Kenya, California, Hawai'i, Fiji ... and New England. There is a strong Massachusetts presence on this trip, with expedition members from Boston University, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and of course the New England Aquarium. Such a strong MA contingent means that we will undoubtedly be cheering the Red Sox from afar as they approach the end of the regular season.

It's a relief to be on the plane, after so much preparation. Far from traveling light, many of us have far exceeded the 2-bag, 50-lb. limit. Some of us have up to 13 bags! Personally, I've packed 6, totaling over 400 lbs. So, what on earth are we bringing with us, and why?

Here's a glimpse of what TSA staff experienced when they opened our bags. In the last post by Greg Stone, there was a photograph of the camera gear packing process. In addition to camera and video equipment, we are carrying an ROV, many computers, temperature loggers, GPS units, radios, epirbs, SCUBA diving gear and lots of sampling supplies.

Nothing featured here is for personal use. A waterpik is a great tool for personal hygiene, but on this trip, it will serve as a coral tissue removal device. Basically, coral tissue is embedded within a calcium carbonate skeleton (aragonite, to be specific), which forms the backbone of tropical reefs. To examine the soft tissue and the symbionts within (see Greg's last post briefly explaining the symbiosis between coral animal hosts and their photosynthetic algal symbionts), we need to strip off small portions of the tissue to isolate it from the skeleton. A waterpik provides a high pressure water source that does the job.

We have packed several pairs of pruning shears. In this case, the perfect tool for clipping off samples of macroalgae, sponges, coral branch tips, etc. to preserve for genetic analysis.

Flagging tape is universally useful underwater! We use it to flag sites that we're actively working on to make them easier to find from dive-to-dive, we can use it to label individual coral heads, or to flag a line to help us find our way back to the boat.

Specimen cups and tubes are the perfect vessels (light, strong, water-tight, and inexpensive) for collecting marine specimens on site for later analysis or transport. Other items may seem ordinary, but scientists often re-purpose everyday tools. In fact, your kitchen, hardware, and gardening tools are terrific ad-hoc field instruments. Basically, you already own the tools to collect, store, stir, heat, dry or mix just about anything at home. However, I don't recommend it. do you really want to use your wooden mixing spoon for both spaghetti and science?

The entire expedition team will rendezvous in Fiji within the next 24 hours to gather our tons (literally!) of gear, and to pack the ship and head off. Stay tuned, and we'll tell you what we're doing with our TSA-approved luggage, and how we're using waterpiks, pantyhose, milk frothers, clothespins and pruning shears (among other things) to learn more about coral reefs.

Happy trails,

Randi

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Labels: aragonite, packing, pruning shears, Randi Rotjan, transect tape, waterpik

As I mentioned in my last post, this trip is not a vacation (otherwise, a mere towel might be sufficient). The Phoenix Islands Expedition is an exciting scientific opportunity for 15-team-members to document, explore, and measure underwater life in a place without local anthropogenic impacts.


Since most of the islands are uninhabited, and the PIPA Marine Reserve is now the largest in the world, there is very little (if any) local impact by humans. In other words, there is no tourism, only artisinal fishing (if any). There is no local or point-source pollution, no dynamite fishing, etc. While these islands probably experienced major human impact in the 1930s and 1940s when the Phoenix Islands were a strategically important military base, the Phoenix Islands have been mostly left alone for the past 50+ years. Thus, they are now one of the most remote (and among the healthiest) coral reefs on the planet.

However, no reef is immune to global change (after all, global change is ... global!). Thus, studying the Phoenix Islands is an opportunity to isolate local versus global human impacts on reefs. Almost anywhere else on earth, global and local impacts are mixed together, and scientists can't separate one from the other! But here, we will be able to look at global impacts with very little (if any) local influence.


Thus, our goal for the trip is to examine a reef exempt from local human impact. To do this, we will do lots of sampling (to look at proteomics, transcriptomics, population genetics, disease, reproductive success, bacterial communities, etc). But we will also run lots of transects, and examine lots of quadrats (see a photo example from Hawaii below), where we count the number and status of fishes and corals along a given distance. Finally, we will set up some field experiments to determine how fishes and corals behave with no direct human influence. There are some other projects too--some team members will be sampling for plankton. Others will be sampling for worms, mollusks or sea cucumbers ... coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, so there are lots of animals to study!


The Phoenix Islands are a special kind of coral reef formation: they are atolls. Basically, atolls are sunken islands (initially formed as volcanoes) where only the perimeter remains--so that an island of coral persists surrounding a lagoon (a sheltered, shallow area). Because of this special formation, there are also completely submerged seamounts that are similar to atolls, only no corals "crest" above the surface. One of the other missions of this trip is to explore these seamounts shallowly, and using an ROV to examine the sea life at depth.


As you can see, we have a lot to do! We only have 12 days on-site (the rest of the time will be spent traveling to and from Fiji), so we'll be busy working and diving to accomplish these goals. Yes, working 24/7 on remote tropical islands is our crazy idea of "fun."

I'm really excited to post our discoveries and our daily adventures on this blog; these sorts of trips are the perfect mix of intense work and intense fun. Every day will bring new surprises, I'm sure. Fortunately, we also have some amazing team members who are professional photographers and videographers who can help us document what we see so that we can share our findings with all of you.

So, my mission is clear: learn as much as I can (along with my colleagues) in 12 days about a coral reef in the absence of local human influence. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to virtually join us. Post your thoughts, comments, and questions! Live blue! Be curious and critical! And check out the Phoenix Islands on our Live Blue Initiative to see where we're going!

-Randi-


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Labels: anthropogenic, atolls, Phoenix Islands, population genetics, proteomics, quadrats, Randi Rotjan, seamounts, transcriptomics, transects

8 islands, 7 uninhabited
Population: 41 humans
120+ species of corals
500+ species of fish
158,495 square miles (410,500 square km) of marine reserve (the world's largest)
20 days on a boat
All starting in less than 3 weeks

Where's my towel?

I disagree with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams about towels. You need more than a towel when headed off on a grand adventure. So, what to pack?

Welcome to my world. For the next 2+ weeks, I will be preparing for the trip of a lifetime. I am a tropical marine biologist, and I'm no stranger to long trips in isolated, small spaces. But, I've never spent time living on a boat before, and, like most people, I've never been to the Phoenix Islands (in Kiribati). Check out the Phoenix Islands marker on the Live Blue Initiative to see where we're going!

Back to packing. I have the obvious ... Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), video and camera equipment, transect lines, temperature loggers, liquid nitrogen, sample vials, clipboards and dive computers. I've also got:
SCUBA gear - check
Towel - check
MP3 player - check
Bathing suit - check

But this isn't a vacation; I have a lot of work to do! And, if I forget something, too bad! No stores. No concession stands. No nearby inhabited islands. Nope--all we'll have with us is what we bring, and whatever we can think to create using our MacGyver-like skills to hack whatever we need. What am I missing? Post your best packing advice in the comments section of this blog.

Even crazier, I'll be basically out of touch! Though I'll have limited satellite link access in order to upload blog posts, I'll basically be "offline" for 3 weeks. No facebook, no twitter. No phone. Just the 15 expedition members and the seas. And the 1000+ coral reef denizens surrounding us.



So please join us on our adventures as we explore one of the most remote places on the planet. I'll blog about the science, the adventures, the mundane, the awe-inspiring ... I'll even have some special guests post here about their adventures in one of the most isolated, remote places on the globe. It will be a great comfort to know that I'm not really alone. So, with that, see you on the flip...

-Randi

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Labels: Kiribati, Phoenix Islands, Randi Rotjan, ROV