Maug Research Cruise

Photos from two recent cruises to the Pacific Island of Maug to study the effect of ocean acidification on coral ecosystems. Photo credit: NOAA


  • Research vessel deploying to the island of Maug. Image credit: NOAA


  • Research vessel ready to deploy to the island of Maug. Image credit: NOAA


  • Approaching the Maug caldera. Image credit: NOAA


  • View from a small dive boat inside Maug caldera. Image credit: NOAA


  • Diver examines a coral reef structure (Porites rus) off the coast of Maug. Image credit: NOAA


  • Data loggers collect observations of light and pH at Maug. Image credit: NOAA


  • Coral plates left on-site for three months to measure bioerosion rates. Image credit: NOAA


  • A funnel is used to collect carbon dioxide gas bubbles from the seeps near the coral reefs at Maug. Image credit: NOAA


  • AOML/CIMAS researcher Dr. Ian Enochs uses a drill to take a coral core sample to measure changes in growth. Image credit: NOAA


  • A rainbow forms inside the Maug caldera. Image credit: NOAA


  • Coral ecologist Ian Enochs dives in the carbon dioxide bubbles of Maug’s coral reefs
    (Photo Credit: Stephani Gordon/Open Boat Films/NOAA)