Cruise Report Windward Caribbean Dec 3 – 20, 2018
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Cruise Report Windward Caribbean Dec 3 – 20, 2018 Contributing Authors Dr. Stuart Sandin Dr. Brian Zgliczynski Lindsay Bonito Scripps Institution of Oceanography www.100islandchallenge.org Report prepared on 7 March 2019 Expedition Team Scripps Institution of Oceanography Lindsay Bonito, Staff Researcher Sho Kodera, Staff Researcher Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute (CNSI) Dr. Kimani Kitson-Walters, Data Monitoring Officer Anna Maitz, Research Staff Nature Foundation St. Maarten Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern, Project Officer Tadzio Bervoets, Researcher Saba Bank National Park Ayumi Kuramae Izioka, Officer and Science Coordinator Joe Oliver, Boat Driver Dive Support Golden Rock Dive Center Sea Saba Dive Center Executive Summary In December 2018, the 100 Island Challenge team completed the second visit to the Windward Caribbean islands of Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Saba. These Dutch islands were first visited in 2016 during a ship-based expedition in collaboration with the Waitt Institute and local agencies including the Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Sint Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA), and Saba Bank National Park. Permanent monitoring sites were established at all islands, which were recovered and resurveyed in 2018. Again, the 100IC partnered with each island’s local agencies with the addition of partners from Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute (CNSI) on St. Eustatius to resurvey 26 sites across the forereef of St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. Over the course of the 17-day expedition, the team recovered 18 of the 26 monitoring sites and re-established new sites where 2016 markers could not be found. Between the visits of 2016 and 2018, the islands were heavily impacted by the Hurricane Irma, Jose and Maria, particularly Sint Maarten, causing much damage to the islands and nearshore reef areas. Large boulders had been displaced, making site recovery and relocation very difficult. No permanent site markers were found at Sint Maarten, whereas nearly all sites were re-surveyed at Sint Eustatius and Saba. Fish and benthic surveys were conducted at all sites following GCRMN protocols to assess temporal change in communities over the course of two years. Three of nine temperature loggers were recovered, all of which showed a sharp decline in sea temperature immediately before Hurricane Irma, a commonly observed trend. Through a visual comparison of the large-area images from Saba and Sint Eustatius, the reefs seemed to fair well despite the large hurricane disturbance in 2017. Controversially, reefs around Sint Maarten suffered greater hurricane damage, with a reduction in overall coral cover. Furthermore, divers found evidence of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in Sint Maarten, a previously unknown coral disease originally identified in Florida and rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean. The cause is unknown, but the disease affects many coral species including the slowest-growing and longest-lived reef-building corals. Fortunately, the disease had not yet been reported in Saba or Sint Eustatius. 100 Island Challenge Description: This research initiative employs novel approaches for studying coral reef community dynamics through the application of underwater photomosaic technology. Working with colleagues from the University of Miami, we have built a camera system that allows us to capture images of large swaths of the reef surface. Further, by re- visiting exact locations multiple times and replicating photography, we have an unprecedented opportunity to track the dynamics of corals and algae. In particular, with advanced image analysis, we can track how a reef community changes, addressing questions of coral growth, death, and competition that are currently unresolved. We have field-trialed this photomosaic equipment and are developing a reliable image analysis protocol. We are now poised to apply this tool to generate the large-scale data of reef community dynamics that have to date been unavailable. Further, by combining these image-based data with reliable information about the composition of the fish community, the general oceanography, and the human situation of each location, we can begin to elucidate the conditions that are more (or less) conducive to the maintenance of growing and so-called ‘healthy’ coral reefs. Application to the Caribbean: By linking the fates of these reefs to the oceanographic conditions and to the local activities of people, we will be able to start understanding cause-and- effect pathways for reef change. Given that local-scale marine managers consistently seek information on the ‘state’ of their coral reef, looking for comparisons to help guide local management. Further, by making the data that describe each reef readily available and easy to visualize, there is a terrific opportunity to increase the dialogue between the science and management communities, as well as independently among the managers looking for tangible information to improve their self-management. By working side-by- side with regional managers and partners in local NGOs (e.g., the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International), we will expand the scientific insights into the state and future of their reef areas. For more information, visit www.100islandchallenge.org Windward Caribbean Geography Figure 1. Map of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Survey Metadata Table 1. Sites surveyed to assess fish and benthic communities during the Windward Caribbean 2018 expedition. Area GCRMN Date Island Station ID Latitude Longitude Habitat Mosaic Divers1 Data2 Notes (m2) Divers1 2018-12-05 St. Eustatius STE_11 17.47057 -62.94862 100 Forereef SK, LTB, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-05 St. Eustatius STE_13 17.46240 -62.96883 100 Forereef SK, LTB, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-05 St. Eustatius STE_15 17.46778 -62.98346 100 Forereef LTB, SK, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M, T HOBO 10950547 2018-12-06 St. Eustatius STE_05B 17.50734 -62.97472 100 Forereef LTB, SK, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-06 St. Eustatius STE_07 17.50107 -62.96205 100 Forereef LTB, SK, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-06 St. Eustatius STE_100B 17.47956 -62.99461 100 Wreck SK, LTB, KKW - M 2018-12-07 St. Eustatius STE_01B 17.52648 -62.99709 100 Forereef SK, LTB, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-07 St. Eustatius STE_102 17.52553 -62.99962 100 Forereef LTB, SK, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-07 St. Eustatius STE_19 17.52122 -63.00087 100 Forereef SK, LTB, KKW MZS, AM B, F, M 2018-12-10 St. Maarten STM_107B 17.98897 -63.05897 100 Forereef SK, LTB, TB KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-10 St. Maarten STM_105B 17.99133 -63.05630 100 Forereef LTB, SK, TB KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-10 St. Maarten STM_110 18.01.280 -63.06.776 100 Backreef SK, LTB - M 2018-12-11 St. Maarten STM_16 18.00501 -63.04050 100 Forereef LTB, SK, MZS KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-11 St. Maarten STM_109 17.98815 -63.05157 100 Forereef SK, LTB, TB KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-12 St. Maarten STM_100 18.02297 -63.01254 100 Forereef SK, LTB KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-12 St. Maarten STM_101B 18.01023 -63.00787 100 Forereef LTB, SK KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-12 St. Maarten STM_104B 17.98824 -63.05149 100 Forereef SK, LTB KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-13 St. Maarten STM_19B 18.02310 -63.02615 100 Forereef SK, LTB, MZS KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-15 Saba SAB_02B 17.63698 -63.25600 100 Forereef SK, LTB, AI KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-15 Saba SAB_8B 17.64671 -63.25513 100 Forereef LTB, SK KKW, AM B, F, M 2018-12-15 Saba SAB_07 17.63116 -63.25766 100 Forereef SK, LTB KKW, AM B, F, M, T HOBO 10944802 2018-12-16 Saba SAB_08 17.64610 -63.25283 100 Forereef LTB, SK KKW, JO B, F, M, T HOBO 10944802 2018-12-16 Saba SAB_6B 17.61773 -63.25913 100 Forereef SK, LTB KKW, JO B, F, M 2018-12-16 Saba SAB_05 17.61252 -63.23670 100 Forereef LTB, SK KKW, JO B, F, M 2018-12-17 Saba SAB_04B 17.62862 -63.23007 100 Forereef SK, LTB KKW, JO B, F, M 2018-12-17 Saba SAB_01 17.65021 -63.23857 100 Forereef LTB, SK KKW, JO B, F, M 1 AI- Ayumi Izioka, AM- Anna Maitz, JO- Jens Odinga, KKW- Kimani Kitson-Walters, LTB – Lindsay Bonito, MZS- Melanie zu Meijer Schlochtern, SK – Sho Kodera, TB- Tadzio Bervoets 2 B- GCRMN benthic survey & photoquadrats, F- GCRMN fish survey, M-Mosaic, T-Temperature logger retrieved Benthic Survey Methods Large-Area Image Surveys Benthic photomosaics were completed to collect a permanent record of reef habitat on a larger scale (100m2). The benthic photomosaic system consists of a diver operating a camera system including dual SLR cameras and video camera mounted to a custom frame. The first still camera is setup to use a wide-angle 18mm focal length lens to sure high overlap among adjacent images while the second still camera uses a 55mm focal length lens to capture images with sub-cm resolution. The high-resolution wide-angle video camera serves as a backup in the event that images from the still cameras are compromised. To obtain the large image covering 10m x10m the diver operating the camera system swims a gridded pattern approximately 1.5 m above the benthos recording images at 1 sec intervals throughout the plot. A pair of lasers is mounted within the frame of the 55mm camera to provide scale in the high-resolution imagery. Images are later stitched together analytically using custom algorithms to create a single image file representative of the 100m2 plot. Figure 2. Photomosaic Data Collection Method. Each mosaic is stitched together from ~2000 photos acquired by swimming back and forth over the reef in the pattern on the left.