Objectives:

In order to understand how land use and anthropogenic activities are currently impacting coral reef communities in American Samoa, I led research teams to the island of Tutuila during July of 2015 and August 2016. Using a diverse set of interdisciplinary methods, we gathered a wide range of samples including ground and coastal surface water samples, the tissues common marine algae and coral, and microbial communities from biofilm and water samples from over 100 sites in four study locations. In addition, all study locations were surveyed for groundwater discharge flux (Rn gas measurements) and the physical properties of the water column (salinity, temperature, and depth) were measured. We are particularly interested in how human density and other nutrient sources are related to water quality, microbial communities, and reef health.

Current Status:

This study was published in the Open Access Journal – Hydrology in February 2019 as part of a special issue Submarine Groundwater Discharge and its Effects  – https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology6010018  

 

CLICK HERE for a Poster with preliminary data (2015) from this project