This is a blog post by Andi Haas, a PhD student in our lab, following the other side of field research. While the majority of the lab is on a field cruise, generating data for future scientific publications, others are still working in the lab, processing samples collected on the last field trip and preparing for the next. Working in … Read More
Notes from the field: Line Islands
This is a blog post by Levi Lewis, a PhD student in our lab, that follows his diving experience at Kingman Reef in the Line Islands. “Getting it at Kingman Reef” By Levi Lewis “Okay, I get it.” Dr. Sandin (fish team) was wondering what I thought of my first dive on Kingman Reef, one of the most remote and … Read More
Notes from the Field: Hawaii
This is a blog post from Emily Kelly, a PhD student in our lab, following her current research in Hawaii. —————————————————— I’ve just returned from three months of diving and running experiments in Maui (what a great job!) and as I sit in my San Diego office pouring over datasheets, I miss the daily tropical diving and stolen underwater moments … Read More
Battle Zones
by Katie Barott, member of the Microbe Team Life on the reef is a constant battle for survival. For corals, the struggle begins as soon as the coral larva attaches itself to something on the bottom and starts to establish some space for itself. No space on the bottom is unoccupied. Every location is colonized by some kind of organism, … Read More
Check out the research in the Northern Line Island Expedition!
The Tent Brigade by Jen Smith, head researcher on the Benthic Team Prior to setting out on this expedition, I really had no idea how the Benthic Team was going to accomplish the goal we had set: performing three separate experiments at each island given no more than four days each. It seemed impossible. Now, after our fourth island, we … Read More
The Underappreciated Reef Algae
The Underappreciated Reef Algae by Jennifer Smith, head researcher on the Benthic Team The green alga Dictyosphaeria cavernosa, commonly known as green bubble algae. Photograph by Jen Smith. Coral reefs are known for their spectacular diversity and striking beauty. When most people think of coral reefs they think of the colorful coral animals themselves—the organisms that build the reef structure and … Read More
The Past, Present, and Future of the Reefs at Fanning Atoll
To a Paleo-Benthic, today’s coral reefs are rich in clues about their past and offer hints as to their future. Atolls such as those that make up the Line Islands are built of the dead skeletons of corals, foraminifera, and calcifying algae. Beneath the deep layers of marine skeletal debris is the old, extinct volcano that gave rise to the … Read More
A Most Useful Useless Reef
Learn about Kingman Reef as we follow the Northern Line Islands Expedition with the latest posts from the field.