RAPID: Pacific Island Reefs Under Siege--An Undergraduate Training Partnership

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The coral reefs of the Marshall Islands, some of the most pristine in the world, are endangered by algal blooms caused by contamination from human sewage and a rise in seawater temperature triggered by the last El Nino. These environmental hazards threaten the wellbeing of the Marshallese people and the health of the coral reefs. Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the College of the Marshall Islands will map and analyze the algal blooms and establish a new system to monitor seawater temperature and its effect on coral reef bleaching. During the project, students and faculty from the College of the Marshall Islands will be trained in current methods for environmental science. This enhanced local expertise will mitigate the urgent need for ongoing monitoring of reef health. Poor infrastructure allows human sewage to leak into the lagoon enclosed by Majuro, the largest city on the Marshall Islands. This pollution fuels algal blooms that suppress the corals. In objective one, the team will analyze nutrients in water and use microbiological techniques to investigate and map the distribution of bacteria and algae involved. In addition to this anthropogenic stress, the reefs are endangered by one of the longest and most damaging seawater temperature rises on record. In objective two, the scientists will deploy monitors to measure seawater temperatures and correlate these with coral reef bleaching. There is a critical need to establish this monitoring system to provide baseline data against which future change can be assessed. The project will also have a sustained impact on building research capacity through the collaboration of faculty from the University of Hawaii and the College of the Marshall Islands. Collectively the faculty will provide STEM training for eight students from the College of the Marshall Islands. Increasing the local expertise through student training will be critical for resilience on the Marshall Islands, one of the Pacific Island groups at the forefront of environmental change. This award is being made jointly by The Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences), and The Division of Human Resource Development (Directorate for Education & Human Resources).