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Research Projects -
Caribbean
The objectives are to identify chemical and microbial contaminants associated with African dust air masses in source and downwind sites and determine the effects of dust particles and the chemical contaminants on downwind coral reefs and human health. One of the goals of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program is a national assessment of coastal change hazards. One such hazard is extreme storms and hurricanes as they provide a powerful force that generates dangerous waves and currents capable of moving large amounts of sand, destroying buildings and infrastructure, and reshaping our nation's coastline. Our research focuses on understanding the magnitude and variability of the impacts of hurricanes and extreme storms on the sandy beaches of the United States. The overall objective is to improve the capability to predict coastal change that results from severe storms. Such a capability will facilitate locating buildings, infrastructure, and evacuation routes away from severe coastal change hazards. This project has created new capabilities for the baseline inventorying and monitoring of natural and cultural resources within National Seashores. Methods for monitoring barrier island change, land cover distributions, benthic ecosystems, and man-made structures have been devised. These algorithms are being combined with standardized data reduction and documentation procedures to create software packages that generate GIS-ready digital information products relevant to Park needs. The LaserMap system has been developed for the processing of NASA ATM surveys and is in use to fulfill the needs of the NPS Vital Signs Program. Also, a separate software module within the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS) supports the interactive browsing of GPS-referenced digital aerial photography data sets that are acquired concurrent with NASA ATM and EAARL lidar surveys. Information on these capabilities is provided through USGS Open File Reports, conference proceedings papers, and scientific journals. A stream of experimental GIS-ready spatial information products is being distributed to resource managers at several NPS coastal Parks Archaea (formerly called archaebacteria) are the third domain of life and are typically described from extreme environments. This project was the first to discover archaea are part of the complex microbial community associated with tropical corals. The Integrated Remote Sensing and Modeling Group (IRSMG) is primarily supported by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program's Decision Support for Coastal Parks, Sanctuaries, and Preserves Project. The primary objectives of the project are to: 1) Advance remote-sensing technology for coastal science and management by developing new methods and capabilities for airborne lidar-topography and multi-spectral data. 2) Utilize recently developed remote-sensing technology within the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) in response to coastal impacts in order to assess, document, and evaluate the condition of affected resources. 3) Generate and publish map products for coastal topographic data acquired in support of the projects within the CMG program. 4) Work collaboratively with the National Park Service and other federal and state agencies to generate, analyze, and publish map products using various remote sensors including, but not limited to the Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL). The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards is a multi-year undertaking to identify and quantify the vulnerability of U.S. shorelines to coastal change hazards such as the effects of severe storms, sea-level rise, and shoreline erosion and retreat. It will continue to improve our understanding of processes that control these hazards, and will allow researchers to determine the probability of coastal change locally, regionally, and nationally. The National Assessment will deliver these data and assessment findings about coastal vulnerability to coastal managers, other researchers, and the general public. Navassa is an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea between Haiti and Jamaica administered by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS participated in two science expeditions to Navassa organized by the Center for Marine Conservation. The first team of 8 scientists spent July 24 to August 5, 1998 on Navassa. The second expedition occurred between April 29 and May 12, 1999 and was supported by a vessel, film crew and explorers from the Quest, an Australian adventure group and film production enterprise. This research was conducted in the nearshore waters of Virgin Islands National Park, St. John, US Virgin Islands. Storm-produced fragments of the three fastest growing species of Caribbean coral (elkhorn, staghorn and finger corals) were collected from habitats inhospitable to survival and transplanted to other reefs (Trunk and Whistling Cay). Inert nylon cable ties were used to secure the fragments to the sea bottom (dead coral). At the beginning of the project, little was known about survival and growth of small coral colonies. Sixty transplanted and 75 control colonies were monitored for survival and growth for 5 years (1999-2004). Over 70 volunteers from Friends of Virgin Islands National Park and 5th and 6th grade classes from Pine Peace School monitored the colonies monthly (1999-2001). Virgin Islands Fishes, a book currently being written by USGS coral reef ecologist Ginger Garrison and William Smith-Vaniz, is a synthesis of scientific information about the biogeography and diversity of fishes of the Virgin Islands. The book includes descriptions and color photographs of many of the 500 fish species known from the Virgin Islands.
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
African Dust, Ecosystems, and Human Health
Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms
Decision Support for Coastal Parks, Sanctuaries, and Preserves
Discovering Archaea Associated With Corals
Integrated Remote Sensing and Modeling Group
National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
Navassa Island: A Photographic Tour
Transplanting Coral Fragments to Damaged Coral Reefs in a National Park - Planting the Seeds to Recovery?
Virgin Islands Fishes