Title: Key issues for the protection and sustainable use of the coral reefs of Cuba and the Wider Caribbean
1Key issues for the protection and sustainable
use of the coral reefs of Cuba andthe Wider
Caribbean
Pedro M. Alcolado Instituto de Oceanología, Ave.
1ª No. 18406, Playa, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba.
E-mail alcolado_at_oceano.inf.cu
alcolado_at_unepnet.inf.cu
2A complete assessment of coral reef status and
maintain monitoring at key sites is urgently
needed Woodley
et al. (2000)
3Coral reefs... are governed by physical and
biological processes which covary over a wide
range of spatial and temporal scales (Mumby,
2000 Murdoch et al., 2000)For that reason,
coral reefs demand a multiscale aproach to
physical and biological environmental processes
to understand their structure and dynamics
4Balance between corals and algae
Diseases
5Joint action of stressors related with
temperature and human activity
?
?
Temperature seasonal variation
Warming events
Human activity
Global ocean warming
Time
Time
6Coral diseases
- Stony corals
- Coral bleaching
- Black band
- Red band
- White band
- White plague
- White pox
- Dark spot
- Yellow blotch
- Etc.
- Gorgonians
- Aspegillosis
- Bacterial infections
J. Espinosa
L. Benvenuti
L. Benvenuti
7Sahelian dust?(hundreds of millions of tons on
the Wider Caribbean, mainly in June-August)
- Iron (micronutrient in the sea ? enhanced growth
and virulence of microbes) - Phosphorus
- Pathogens (e.g. Aspergillus sydowii)
- and...
- Gamma radiactivity (Be7 and Pb210)
- Pesticides
- Mercury
- (Garrison et al., 2000 Shinn y Holmes, 2000
Hayes et al., 2000 Weir et al., 2000)
8Nutrient thresholds for Wider Caribbean coral
reefs
PNUMA, 1994 Total Phophorus 1 mg/l
Total Nitrogen 10 mg/l
PNUMA experts, 1998 Total Phophorus 0.097
µmol/l Total Nitrogen 1.07 µmol/l
Neis y Blume, 1998 Caribbean Environmental Health
Institute
9Overfishing in fishing grounds and fishing in
touristic areas
Over-fishing in fishing grounds
- Shy fishes
- Small fishes
- Scarcity of fishes
- Proliferation of algae and of coral predators
- Reef decline
- Small fishes
- Scarcity of fishes
- Proliferation of algae and of
- coral predators
- Reef decline
Fisheries
10Main impacts on coral reefsGray color scaling
(scores from 1 to 5) is weighed for both sets of
data
40 sites from the Caribbean and 9 sites from Cuba
very underestimated
71 of sites in decline 29 relatively OK
11Information from a REGIONAL OBSERVING SYSTEM that
would help protection and sustainable use of
coral reefs
12Coral diseasesSedimentation-turbidityDiadema
issueNutrificationOverfishingBenthic algae
proliferation
Main Issues - Observation Facilities links
Field assessments and surveys
Remote sensing
In situ automated sensors
13Most necessary information from Ecological
Assessment and Monitoring Facilities
14Decline of coral cover in the Sabana-Camagüey
Archipelago
Year 1994 (N 18 stations)
Year 2000 (N 13 stations)
Source Grisel Menéndez (PNUD/GEF CUB/92/G31),
Claro et al. (2000 PNCT Cambio climático) and
CARICOMP
15Finfish abundance and diversity decline
140
1988-89
120
100
2000
80
60
Species number
40
20
0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Cumulative sampled area
Claro et al., 2000 (PNCT Cambio Climático)
16Pollution and nutrification in Cuban coral reefs
Legend
Strong mixed pollution
Nutrification
Possibly polluted
17Coral reefs exposed to local and land based
sedimentation
Leyenda
Land based sedimentation
20 aprox.
Local sedimentation
18Coral diseasesSedimentation-turbidityDiadema
issueNutrificationOverfishingBenthic algae
proliferation
Main Issues - Observation Facilities links
Field assessments and surveys
Remote sensing
In situ automated sensors
19Spectral Sensing and Rapid Ecological Assessments
have become increasingly important approaches for
broad scale and quick surveys of shallow tropical
ecosystems Brumbaugh et
al. (2000)
20Necessary information from Remote Sensing
Facilities(spectral, photographic and radar)
- Sea surface temperature and anomaly
(NOAA/NESDIS/AVHRRs Hotspots and Degree Heating
Weeks charts, NASAs SeaWiFS Hotspot, ATSR2/ESA) - Sea color (NASAs SeaWiFS, CZCS/NIMBUS for
historical data), upcoming MODIS Ocean Color
Sensor, - Coral bleaching (High Resolution Aerial
Photograph, Landsat -TM, NOAA/NESDIS Hotspot
cards of Coral Reef Watch program CREWS
buoys limited to shallow areas) - Current mapping (HF radar)
- Upwellings (SeaWiFS satellite imagery)
- River and sediment plumes (HF radar, satellite
airborne photograph) - Afican dust (NASAs SeaWiFS satellite images,
AVHRR, TOMS ozone mapping sensor, MODIS Ocean
Color Sensor, observation from space stations) - Reef habitat chartography and benthic cover
(Landsat-ETM, IKONOS, NASAs SeaWiFS, LIDAR, HR
Aerial data limited to shallow areas) - Reef topography/bathymetry (LIDAR, NASAs
SeaWiFS, Landsat-ETM, ETOPOS/NOOA/////) - Sea level (NASAs TOPEX/Poseidon)
21Sea surface temperature anomalies
North of Cuba (Cayo Coco) and
South of Cuba (Punta del Este) 1981-2000
1998
1983
1997
Sea surface temperature anomaly (Celsius
degrees)
mar-86
mar-87
mar-88
mar-89
mar-90
mar-91
mar-92
mar-93
mar-94
mar-95
mar-96
mar-97
mar-98
mar-99
mar-00
jun-85
dic-85
jun-86
dic-86
jun-87
dic-87
jun-88
dic-88
jun-89
dic-89
jun-90
dic-90
jun-91
dic-91
jun-92
dic-92
jun-93
dic-93
jun-94
dic-94
jun-95
dic-95
jun-96
dic-96
jun-97
dic-97
jun-98
dic-98
jun-99
dic-99
jun-00
sep-85
sep-86
sep-87
sep-88
sep-89
sep-90
sep-91
sep-92
sep-93
sep-94
sep-95
sep-96
sep-97
sep-98
sep-99
Months (November 1981 August 2000)
Cayo Coco 22.5N 78.5W
Punta del Este 21.5N 82.5W
Linear trend (Punta del Este 21.5N 82.5W)
Linear trend (Cayo Coco 22.5N 78.5W)
12 per. Mobile average (Punta del Este 21.5N
82.5W)
12 per. Mobile average (Cayo Coco 22.5N 78.5W)
S. Cerdeira (2000), Instituto de
Oceanología, Satellite data from IGOSS.
22Sea surface temperature North of Cuba (Cayo
Coco) and south of Cuba (Punta del Este)
1981-2000
1998
1997
1995
1999
1990
30.2ºC
1983
1987
1993
29.8ºC
S. Cerdeira (2000), Instituto de Oceanología,
Satellite data from IGOSS.
23Coral bleaching in Cuba and the Tropical Western
Atlantic B intense B- weak B not
specified
24Satellite Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies
(ºCelsius)
September 1984
September 1998
25NOAA/NESDIS hot spots La Niña 1998
26Chlorophyll (g/Cm2)
Enero. Años 1978-1986
Septiermbre. Años 1978-1986
Promedio anual. Años 1978-1986
0.5 2.0 3.0 5.0 6.0 7.5
10.0 12.0 18.0 20.0 30.0 150.0 300.0
gC/ m-2
Source Antoine, D. J.-M., André and A. Morel.
1996. Oceanic primary production. Estimation at
global scale from satellite (coastal zone color
scanner) chlorophyll. Global, Biogeochemical
Cycles. 10(1) 57-69.
27Photosynthetic pigments in oceanic waters near
coral reefs of Cuba
Arrows indicate relatively high concentrations
Average Jan - Mar 1978 - 1986 USF - IDO
Average Jul - Sept 1978 - 1986 USF - IDO
Average Oct - Dec 1978 - 1986 USF -IDO
28Coral diseasesSedimentation-turbidityDiadema
issueNutrificationOverfishingBenthic algae
proliferation
Main Issues - Observation Facilities links
Field assessments and surveys
Remote sensing
In situ automated sensors
29Information from automated monitoring stations
(for calibrating and validating remote sensing
data)
- Automathed sensors and instrument packages for
registering meteorological and oceanographic
variables - (e.g. Integrated remote meteorological/oceanograp
hic monitoring stations for real-time access) -
- Carriers
- Fixed and drifting buoys
- Profiling drifters
- Fixed platforms
- Voluntary ships
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)
30Science is the vehicle by which value is added to
data, and also is a GOOS user
31Some information needed from scientific research
supporting the goals of Regional Observing System
in the interpretation of results and decision
making
- Climate and sea level trends
- Carbonate system trends in sea water
- Etiology and ultimate causes of coral reef
diseases (Sahel dusts?) - Pattern and dynamics of focal physical and
chemical variables and processes - Relevant biological aspects of focal species
- Improvement of remote sensing technologies and
methodologies - Refining environmental standards for coral reef
biota - Propagule transportation patterns
- Biogeography
- Software and hardware improvement
- Population recovery activities
- Data architecture and access, etc.
32Many thanks!
33(No Transcript)
34Coral reefs...
may be interconnected at quite large spatial
scales (Sale, 2000) - Transport of
nutrients,
pollutants,
propagules and
pathogen microbes. - Migration
(turtles, cetaceans, sharks, etc.). For that
reason, management and research of
metapopulations, as well as no-take area sysrtem
design should take into account this fact.
35Joint action of ocean warming, warming events and
the seasonal temperature variation
Warming events
0.16-0.37ºC/decade
Williams Jr. (1998), modified
36Main problems in Cuban coral reefsData form
research and surveys conducted from 1994 to 2000
37CUBAN CORAL REEFS
3966 km of fore reefs around Cuba
54 of reefs are separated from the mainland
Reef crests and shallow patch reefs
Fore reefs