Scientists have observed that the areas the subtropical “gyres” cover experience chemistry changes periodically, especially levels of phosphorus and iron, ultimately affecting its biological productivity.
Patricia Fryer, a professor in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, was invited to participate for her expertise in the Mariana Trench.
The buoy will measure carbon dioxide and other important seawater characteristics within American Samoa Fagatele Bay’s vibrant tropical coral reef ecosystem.
They are surviving under ocean conditions that many predicted would decimate all coral reefs on the planet, according to doctoral researcher Christopher Jury.
A study, co-led by graduate student Chris Wall at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, revealed soft tissues that cover the rocky coral skeleton promotes the recovery of corals following a bleaching event.
The Marine Mammal Research Program collaborated with several groups to quantify the bioenergetic demands of humpback whales migrating between Alaskan foraging grounds and Hawaiian breeding grounds.