Speaker Series: Unlocking the Mysteries of Biodiversity on Hawaiian Coral Reefs
/Join us on February 5 as Dr. John Burns of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo shares how the Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis (MEGA) Lab is using cutting-edge 3D technology to map and study reefs as the organization pursues its goal of mapping 1 million of the world’s best reefs by 2030.
“Less than 20 percent of our oceans have ever been seen and in order to better prepare for a rapidly changing future, we need to know what we have so that we can understand where we need to go,” said Dr. Burns.
MEGA Lab layers their 3D reef reconstructions with an array of environmental data to improve understanding of the biology and ecology of the underwater habitats. This has helped show how coral reefs are changing over time, and how these changes impact associated reef organisms and the services communities depend on.
Map2Adapt aims to map 1 million of the world’s best reefs by 2030 while also training more than 10,000 citizen scientists to better support their communities. “Through Map2Adapt we are able to rapidly identify the state of our reefs, inform conservation restoration efforts, and integrate better management methods across the planet,” said Dr Burns. “Ultimately, our goal is to use innovative technologies to improve our understanding of reef biodiversity and develop techniques to help protect and preserve these ecosystems for future generations.”
MEGA lab also hosts a live streaming camera and a smart buoy to monitor ocean temperatures and coral reef health through a collaboration with UH Hilo and Aqualink off the coast of Kona, Hawaiʻi. The site utilizes infrastructure at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) and the Fathom Octopus camera to provide 360 panning ability to optimize reef monitoring.
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Meet the Speaker: Dr. John Burns, Associate Professor in Marine Science and Data Science, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Dr. Burns is a research scientist who studies coral health and disease. His work has investigated the physiological impacts of disease on affected corals and how coral mortality affects the ecology and biology of coral reef ecosystems. John has been continuously searching for both global and localized drivers of coral diseases in order to promote healthy coral ecosystems in the face of global stressors such as climate change. His expertise led to his inclusion in the award-winning documentaries, Chasing Coral, Reefs at Risk, and Island Earth. John has recently developed innovative techniques to create three-dimensional maps of coral reefs to accurately measure how natural and human-induced disturbances impact ecosystem function. John’s research has been presented at scientific conferences around the globe and he has authored multiple publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
You’ll meet Tiara Stark, who, growing up on Maui within a Polynesian family, developed a profound admiration for the natural ecosystems of Hawaiʻi, which inspired her to pursue a career in marine conservation. After completing her postgraduate degree, Tiara returned to her island home of Maui to actively contribute to community conservation endeavors. These included part-time positions as a Research Coordinator with MNMRC and as Senior Team Lead with MNMRC’s partnership program Hui O Ka Wai Ola. Tiara is currently Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s Maui Marine Program where she leads and supports a range of research and monitoring projects, as well as community-led conservation initiatives all aimed at the shared objective of safeguarding, managing, and revitalizing marine ecosystems for future generations. Tiara’s dedication to marine conservation is also evident in her personal interests, which include snorkeling, scuba diving, and sustainable fishing.
You’ll meet Dr Brett Kettle of Flying Fish Technologies, who has pioneered coral reef protection for over three decades, both on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and internationally. Brett began to prototype his long-term vision for a high-speed, broad-scale underwater visual survey tool in 2017. His vision was to document more of the Great Barrier Reef than had ever been documented before and to use emerging technologies like AI/ML to accelerate the analysis of collected data. The result is the Vertigo3 glider, a towed ROV that can survey 10ha (25 acres) an hour while recording over 50,000 high-resolution images.
For over 40 years Dr. Holland’s research has focused on the biology and movement patterns of large marine fishes such as tuna, billfishes and sharks. He has been a pioneer in helping to develop and deploy cutting edge tracking technologies that allow unprecedented insight into the movement patterns of marine fishes.
