Divers drop over the gunnel. Tanks, weights, divers, and a mesh bag full of tools all descend in emerald waters beneath grey skies. Off the vessel’s bow, a yellow beacon blinks with a red flashing light and a thin data cable stretching to the seafloor, all connected to a suite of sensors twenty feet below […]
Scientists at AOML and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) are employing advanced ‘Omics techniques to holistically examine the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to restore coral reefs throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) under the ambitious Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary consists of 350 miles […]
Alkalinity enrichment in the lab may be the key to more effective reef restoration. An innovative Ph.D. student puts this hypothesis to the test using cutting-edge technology. In a tank filled with glass jars, stir bars, and coral babies settled onto ceramic tiles, a robotic arm glides with precision, dosing each jar with various levels […]
In a new study, scientists at AOML and the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) demonstrate how photogrammetry-based techniques enable their team to monitor the persistence and structural complexity of coral reef habitats at an unprecedented scale. Led by John Morris, Ph.D., a CIMAS Postdoctoral Associate with AOML’s Coral Program, […]
The National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) led by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program is the largest monitoring effort globally to support the conservation of reefs. Scientists with NOAA’s AOML Coral Program and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) lead the monitoring efforts in the Gulf of America, Caribbean and the Atlantic […]
Scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) have successfully overseen the first-ever crossbreeding between grooved brain corals (Diploria labyrinthiformis) collected from a highly urbanized site in PortMiami and a nearby reef – a breakthrough that could revolutionize efforts to restore local coral reefs.
In celebration of National Intern Day, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is proud to recognize its FY 2025 class of interns. Ranging from high school to graduate students, these talented individuals are gaining hands-on experience across a wide array of research areas—including coral reefs, microbial ecology, hurricanes, ocean acidification, physical oceanography, science communication, […]
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is the deadliest known coral disease to species with a hard skeleton (i.e., Scleractinians), causing rapidly-expanding, bare lesions to form across a coral’s skeleton until there is no more living tissue. The pathogen or microbes leading to the spread of this disease have yet to be identified. Yet scientists […]
Water masses move over reefs, seagrass beds, and sandbanks – and as they do, the seawater chemistry changes. In the Florida Keys, changes in coral reef carbonate chemistry are driven by benthic metabolism, the origin of the water mass, and the connectivity of habitats. A new study from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) […]
For the past three years, scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Science have been uncovering the secrets behind the extraordinary resilience of corals in PortMiami. Now, you can dive into their groundbreaking research like never before with a new virtual reality experience, Unlocking the […]
