Another year, another Maui trip!

Aloha! Our lab just got back from our annual field work trip to Maui, and we have a lot to report! We’ve been visiting Maui for over a decade to monitor coral reefs along the island’s leeward (sheltered from the wind) coast. We return to the same sites year after year and take thousands of pictures of each reef. When … Read More

Herbivore management may be the key to balancing the energetic budget on coral reefs

A new paper published by Emily Kelly and colleagues explains how we can balance the energetic budget on Hawaiian coral reefs through herbivore management and protection. Herbivores on coral reefs play an important role in controlling algal growth, but in systems where density of herbivores is low, algae can grow at a faster rate than they are consumed, resulting in a … Read More

My first summer in the field – by Gideon Butler

My first summer in the field   When I tell people that I spent six weeks on Maui this summer, nobody seems to believe that it wasn’t a vacation. I tell them that I was working from dawn to dark every day and that my body was covered in scrapes and bruises by the end, but all they hear is, … Read More

Envisioning Maui’s Reefs: Photomosaics as a conservation and analysis tool

The Smith and Sandin Labs in the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation have been using new diver-operated technology to capture hundreds of reef images that will become a 200m² photomosaic. Coral reefs are global hotspots of species diversity and productivity that we value in the billions of dollars annually for fisheries, tourism, recreation, business, and coastal protection yet they … Read More

It’s Not a Sprint….

2013 has been a crazy year for PhD student Levi Lewis, and it’s not over yet! Levi gives a brief glimpse of what he’s been up to these past 9 months, and reflecting about how sweet the experience continues to be.

Smith Lab is in Full Swing for Summer

Master’s student Samantha Clements summarizes the ongoing summer activities of the Smith Lab. From research travels around the world to data processing right here at home, there’s no such thing as summer break from science… and it’s awesome!

Na Hoku

Flame Angel Fish

Levi Lewis shares his luck by showing us some rare species he managed to capture on film from the reefs in Maui, Hawaii. For some of us, this may be the only glimpse we’ll ever get of these cute creatures!

[de] Construction at Ukumehame

Niko scopes the sediment plume at Ukumehame

Levi Lewis, a PhD student in the Smith Lab, does a lot of research on the beautiful island of Maui. But as the years go by he’s seen a lot of changes that have significantly affected the beautiful and thriving coral reefs.

Disgustingly… Awesome – A Look at Coral Spawning

PhD student Levi Lewis isn’t the only one getting busy in Maui, Hawaii. While working on Kapalua, a county located on the island of Maui, he witnessed a perhaps slightly disturbing but totally awesome site – nature at its finest.