NOAA, Partners Complete First Coral Sampling Mission

Last month, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary staff and research partners completed the first coral sampling mission under the five-year NOAA RESTORE-funded project "Long-Term Coral Reef Trends and Climate Resilience Strategies in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary." This project looks to gain insights into the physiological, molecular, and reproductive responses of corals in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and their tolerances to environmental stressors.

Research partners from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Harte Research Institute/Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies/NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, University of Texas at Arlington, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation all assembled on the M/V Fling for three days of operations. On this mission, divers collected coral and water samples, conducted coral and fish surveys, and photographed photomosaic plots at East and West Flower Garden Banks.

The mission was a stellar example of teamwork and cross-collaboration that involved both open-circuit and closed-circuit rebreather dive operations. With both dive operations happening on the same vessel, the team was able to maximize time underwater and meet the mission's objectives. This is the first of many missions, with more work to come over this five-year project to assess coral resilience in the sanctuary.

Learn more about this NOAA RESTORE-funded project: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/projects/fgbnms-coral-resilience