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

马歇尔群岛的珊瑚礁是世界上最原始的珊瑚礁之一，由于人类污水污染和上一次厄尔尼诺现象引发的海水温度上升而导致藻类大量繁殖，这些珊瑚礁正处于危险之中。这些环境危害威胁到马绍尔群岛人民的福祉和珊瑚礁的健康。来自夏威夷大学希洛分校和马歇尔群岛学院的科学家们将绘制和分析藻华，并建立一个新的系统来监测海水温度及其对珊瑚礁漂白的影响。在该项目期间，将对马歇尔群岛学院的学生和教员进行环境科学现行方法的培训。这一增强的当地专门知识将缓解对珊瑚礁健康状况进行持续监测的迫切需要。恶劣的基础设施使人类污水泄漏到马歇尔群岛最大城市马朱罗封闭的泻湖中。这种污染助长了抑制珊瑚生长的藻华。在第一个目标中，研究小组将分析水中的营养物质，并使用微生物学技术调查和绘制相关细菌和藻类的分布图。除了这种人为的压力，珊瑚礁还受到有记录以来最长和最具破坏性的海水温度上升的威胁。在第二个目标中，科学家们将部署监测器来测量海水温度，并将其与珊瑚礁漂白相关联。迫切需要建立这一监测系统，以提供基线数据，据以评估今后的变化。该项目还将通过与夏威夷大学和马歇尔群岛学院的教师合作，对研究能力建设产生持续影响。全体教员将为来自马歇尔群岛学院的8名学生提供STEM培训。通过学生培训增加当地的专门知识对于马歇尔群岛的复原力至关重要，马绍尔群岛是处于环境变化前沿的太平洋岛屿集团之一。该奖项由生物基础设施司（生物科学局）和人力资源开发司（教育人力资源局）联合颁发。

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).