Welcome to the realm of CORAL REEFS.    They are beautiful, complex and dynamic, existing in a grand dance of life in an underwater habitat.  There is so much energy, celebration and drama to explore in this realm.  The purpose of this website is to provide information, views and a path to insight about coral reef ecosystems and the challenges facing them.  The connectivity down there is amazing, and we would like to provide some up here on the surface.   You can surf images, video, references, research and opinions through a number of links, and it would be great to have you blogging with us!

Specific Research Aims:

We must determine exactly what is and is not damaging and destructive to coral reef ecosystems and the fish populations inhabiting them.  Important steps in the research process toward this end:

• To establish reference baselines for unstressed conditions in order to assess stress impacts on coral reefs and their inhabitants
• Determining basal levels of cortisol for parrotfish populations inhabiting largely undisturbed coral reefs in a number of geographic locations (such as Caribbean, Hawaii, Bahamas)
• Experimental exposure of fish to environmental stressors, one at a time, in order to develop a priority list of detrimental factors.
• Finally, we must reduce and eventually eliminate these real threats in a manner prioritized by their impact