 by Clayton B. Cook, Ph.D. Division of Marine Science, HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION |
In collaboration with Dr. Cook, Dr. Erich Mueller of Mote Marine Laboratory
constructed stainless steel "coral maintenance structures" (right),
at both sites. Cores were taken from live coral and were mounted on these
structures, allowing for easy removal whenever testing was needed. The
experiment was run for a year, with some of the coral cores being taken
for analysis every three months.
Reef corals grow by building massive calcium carbonate skeletons that form the "backbone" of coral reefs. Drs. Cook and Mueller measured two aspects of this growth process: the total amount of calcium carbonate deposited by these corals, and the linear extension (radial growth) of the skeletons. They found that the corals exposed to Florida Bay waters on the west side of Hawk Channel only deposited half as much calcium carbonate as those on the inner edge of the reef tract throughout the year. Interestingly, there were no differences in the linear extension rates between the two sites, suggesting that the corals exposed to Florida Bay waters were making less dense and possibly more fragile skeletons. (Below) A "coral maintenance structure" in situ, between Hawk Channel and Florida Bay (Photo by Dr. Erich Mueller) |
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