Reef habitat persistence in a changing world

The USF CMS Spring Seminar Series
Speaker: Dr. Ian Enochs
Discipline: Biological Oceanography
Affiliation: NOAA/AOML
Title: Reef habitat persistence in a changing world
Location: MSL Conference Room (MSL 134)
Time: 3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Host: Dr. Lauren Toth, USGS

Abstract:
Coral reef ecosystems support the highest concentration of biodiversity in the marine realm and provide critically important services to coastal communities. The ecological and anthropocentric functions of reefs are strongly dependent on their three-dimensional structure. This carbonate framework is formed when the constructive process of coral calcification exceeds that of erosion, primarily by a suite of organisms termed bioeroders. Ocean acidification, the decline in seawater pH driven by anthropogenic carbon dioxide, has strong implications for the balance of these processes, and ultimately the persistence of coral reef ecosystems. I use a combination of field and laboratory-based approaches to unravel the many influences of acidification on coral reef structure and function. I will discuss our work on marginal coral habitats that provide insights into the future of coral reefs worldwide. We will investigate ecosystem shifts and habitat alteration at high-CO2 volcanic vents in Papua New Guinea, the Marianas Islands, and the Grenadines; as well as upwelling regions in Panama and highly urbanized coral sites in the Port of Miami. We will cover technologies, such as three-dimensional scanning, computed tomography (CT), micro-CT, photogrammetry, and open-source engineering that we have applied to these unique environments. We will move from field to the lab and will discuss automated aquarium systems that we have built to precisely control acidification conditions in real time, and examine how natural fluctuations are key to understanding organismal responses. Finally, I will discuss what I see as the next steps in this field, including technology development, restoration, management, and amelioration.

Bio:
Ian Enochs is the head of AOML’s Coral Program. His research focuses on understanding the responses of corals and reef biota to global change. He is particularly interested in the impacts of warming and ocean acidification on the persistence of coral reef framework structures that provide essential habitat and support numerous ecosystem services. Enochs applies a multidisciplinary approach, conducting research in both the laboratory and the field, as well as developing new technologies to address pressing research questions. He is a PI of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, and leads several projects pertaining to the Coral Reef Conservation Program’s restoration pillar and NOAA’s Omics initiative. Enochs graduated cum laude from the University of Miami in 2006 and later earned his Ph.D. at RSMAS in 2010 for his research on the environmental determinants of coral reef cryptic metazoan biodiversity in Pacific Panama. Enochs is a research ecologist with the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami.