SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2016 Live and dead coral cover on three reefs and public perceptions of degradation around Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro Phoebe Thompson SIT Graduate Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Thompson, Phoebe, "Live and dead coral cover on three reefs and public perceptions of degradation around Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro" (2016). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2488. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2488 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Live and dead coral cover on three reefs and public perceptions of degradation around Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro Independent Study Project SIT Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation Fall 2016 Phoebe Thompson Bowdoin College, Class of 2018 i Abstract Almirante Bay is a lagoonal body of water off the western Caribbean coast of Panama. The islands within the bay are popular tourist destinations, drawing visitors from around the world to explore beaches and coral reefs. However, the reefs in Almirante Bay are continually exposed to both natural and anthropogenic stressors, such as temperature inversions, boat pollution, sedimentation from dredging, and chemical runoff from coastal banana plantations.