In 1960, before he became a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Gene Shinn 
began chronicling conditions at seven coral reef sites in the Florida Keys.  What 
began as a hobby, he continues today, having established an unprecedented 50-year 
photographic record of changes in coral reef conditions throughout the Caribbean.

Shinn started exploring a new way of measuring coral growth at Carysfort Reef 
without removing corals from the water.  It involved inserting stainless steel rods 
into the coral as a reference point, so that he could measure how fast the coral grew 
up around it.

"I started this work, putting stainless rods in coral heads, in 1960 and I thought it 
might be a good idea to take photographs.  I didn't realize what a good idea that was 
at the time."

This passion for coral turned into 50 years of photographic documentation.

His images show 5 decades of changes that have taken place in both the size and the 
types of corals that were present at Carysfort Reef from the early 1960s to 2010.  
ShinnŐs images capture the appearance of coral disease that began in the late 1970s.  
Unfortunately, coral reef growth and structure continues to deteriorate today.

Shinn has similar photographic records at other sites throughout the Florida Keys.  
At a site known as Grecian Rocks, he documented the die off of staghorn corals that 
were prolific until the early 1980s.

"It started to die in the late 1970s but most died between 1980 and 1988.  
Historically throughout the Caribbean, coral deaths started in the mid 80s and from 
then on, there is practically no more staghorn.  Soft corals like Gorgonians and sea 
fans have taken over."

ShinnŐs images create a visual record that documents changes that have been 
observed throughout corals in the Florida Keys as well as the greater Caribbean.  
Today, researchers continue to monitor the health of coral ecosystems and study 
likely causes of changing environmental conditions.

You can learn more about coral reef research and see the individual underwater 
photos at usgs.gov.  Thanks for watching.  The Coastal and Marine Geology Podcast 
is produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in St. Petersburg, Florida, Department of 
the Interior.