The world’s coral reefs have long been threatened by destructive fishing practices, coral mining, coastal development, reckless tourism, sediment runoff, and most recently, by global warming. Scientists all over the world are working overtime to create solutions for protecting at-risk corals. Now, Florida’s Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research has opened at Nova Southeastern University, in hopes of protecting and sustaining reefs.
Coral’s Role in Economies
The state of Florida is home to an astounding 84 percent of U.S. reef ecosystems, and while these reefs are vital to a healthy ecosystem, they’re also vital to a healthy economy. Florida’s reefs contribute more than $6 billion each year to the state’s economy, sustaining more than 71,000 jobs in public and private sectors alike. Small businesses like dive shops, restaurants, and retail shops rely heavily on tourism to thrive, as do larger businesses like hotels, cruise lines, and major tour operators.
When you stop to consider how reefs impact just this small microcosm, it’s easy to understand how healthy coral reefs impact economies all over the world. While some may not understand the global implications of healthy ecosystems, nearly everyone understands how important it is for people to remain gainfully employed. In turn, once people everywhere come to realize how vital reefs are to economic success, they stand up and take notice, and are more likely to take steps toward positive change. The Center of Excellence is working toward promoting this type of understanding, and is also working to research methods for improving reef health.
Center of Excellence Research Focus
Nova Southeastern University’s coral reef research center focuses on a number of factors that are relevant to coral reef ecosystems, including:
- Assessing coral reef health
- Determining how coral recovers from damage and injury
- Cultivating corals in nursery settings for re-introduction to reef environments
- Mapping the planet’s coral refs
- Studying coral growth rings in order to reconstruct reef history and understand how environmental conditions have affected coral over time
- Studying reef animals with a focus on connectivity
- Determining how various pollutants impinge on reef life
In order to reach its goals, the center is utilizing a special seawater filtration system that purifies and treats Atlantic sea water, which is then used in controlled laboratory environments and in a land-based coral nursery. Coral larvae are collected from the ocean each August, so that they may be cultured in tanks; once they reach a certain size, they are transplanted back into the wild. This gives the newly formed corals a better chance at survival.
The Center of Excellence is not only focusing on Florida’s reef systems, instead, it is focusing on reefs across the planet. It is estimated that between 25 and 30 percent of coral reefs worldwide have already been severely damaged or killed, and most others are in danger. Some scientists predict that coral reefs could be wiped out completely within the span of a single human generation, which is why the center is taking such urgent action now. In laboratories that focus on coral histology, deep sea biology, ichthyology, microbiology, and other areas of oceanography, scientists and students are hard at work. By unraveling the mysteries of interconnectedness that form the ocean’s web of life, they hope to find ways for people to continue to thrive, while putting a stop to coral reef degradation.
NSU’s oceanographic center is proving itself to be a world leader in coral reef science, shark conservation, and marine biological research. By providing education to students and the public, and by implementing many conservation programs, the Center for Excellence is paving the way for positive change.