corals - NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

New study demonstrates the impacts of multiple stressors on reef-building corals

Chris Malanuk — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 19:53:01 +0000

In a new study, scientists at AOML and the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (CIMAS) demonstrated how some genotypes of the reef-building coral Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn Coral), listed on the Endangered Species Act, proved resilient when exposed to high nutrient levels or disease, but not when the two stressors were […]

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Scientists at AOML monitor the impacts of ocean acidification on reefs with new series of buoys

Chris Malanuk — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:36:51 +0000

Diver’s 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 […]

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Coral Restoration: Using ‘Omics to Strategize and Manage Restoration Efforts

Chris Malanuk — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 20:42:19 +0000

A new study by scientists at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (CIMAS) provides new insights for effective restoration of the crucial reef-building coral species Acropora palmata, or Elkhorn coral. Applying ‘Omics techniques to investigate how habitat and coral microbiomes influence ongoing restoration efforts, this […]

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AOML Take Action Photography Competition

AOML Communications — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 15:29:38 +0000

Whether flying through hurricanes, diving in urban ports to study coral spawning, or sampling deep ocean currents on oceanographic cruises, summer at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is filled with scientific activity. To highlight the broad and impactful research conducted at the lab and the passionate scientists driving that work, AOML launched its […]

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BEAMS of Cheeca: shedding light on the resilience of a Florida Keys inshore patch reef

AOML Communications — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:52:45 +0000

The waves lap at the bow of the RV Cable while glimmers of Cheeca Rocks, a bustling inshore patch reef, ebb and flow into focus below the surface. For eleven consecutive weeks, the Coral Program at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) laid anchor at this long-term monitoring site to deploy and maintain Benthic […]

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Join a research mission from home: Unveiling AOML’s virtual reality experience

AOML Communications — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:48:51 +0000

VR technology represents a new frontier in science communication, and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is using it to invite everyone on a research mission alongside their scientists. This virtual reality research experience is a project for Masters student Devon Ledbetter, who works as a science communication intern at AOML. Devon’s project aims […]

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Investigating the impacts of climate change on reef-building corals using robotic arms

AOML Communications — Wed, 08 May 2024 21:12:53 +0000

Blue lights fill the room. The faint smell of salt emanates throughout the space as wires and tubes intricately suspended over robotic arms move along custom-built tracks over four rows of tanks filled with seawater - and fragments of critically-endangered corals. In the Experimental Reef Lab, scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) are investigating how crucial reef-building coral species are affected by the impacts of climate change using a suite of open-source robotic arms designed and built at AOML.

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NOAA Scientists Return to Cheeca Rocks, Find Reef Completely Bleached

AOML Communications — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:29:14 +0000

The growing concerns of coral bleaching due to the ongoing marine heatwave across South Florida, the Gulf of America, and the greater Caribbean led scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Lab (AOML) to return to Cheeca Rocks on July 31st and August 1st, 2023.

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What a Marine Heatwave Means for South Florida

AOML Communications — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:35:36 +0000

A marine heatwave has spread across the Gulf of America and the Caribbean with temperatures ranging between one and three degrees Celsius (~2-4.5˚F) above average. Ocean temperatures around south Florida are the warmest on record for the month of July (dating back to 1981). Marine heatwaves are not unprecedented, but their influence on tropical storm development and coral reef health, as well as the persistence of the current heatwave, are among the causes for concern.

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AOML Interns Dive into DNA Extraction and Processing Coral Samples for ‘Omics Analyses

AOML Communications — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 21:57:25 +0000

Only a few weeks into summer, Coral Program Interns Lorelei Ing, Taylor Gill, Zachary Zagon and Kenzie Cooke have been hard at work as they process coral samples and perform DNA extractions in preparation for ‘Omics analyses that will help to better understand how the genetic structure of corals influences their resilience to environmental stressors. The Coral Program falls within the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division (OCED) at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).

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