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Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.

Ilsa Kuffner is a Research Marine Biologist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

As a research marine biologist for the Coastal and Marine Geology Program, I investigate the causes and effects of coral reef degradation. I explore local- to global-scale stressors on reefs, and experimentally determine how environmental variables such as sea-surface temperature, water quality, seawater chemistry, nuisance macroalgae, and ocean acidification affect coral growth, the community structure of reefs, and the process of reef building. My work informs resource managers about the mechanisms causing reef degradation and how management efforts may be improved to protect and restore degraded reefs. Please visit the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) website for more information (see link below).

Professional Experience

  • Research Marine Biologist, US Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Geology Science Center, 2002 to present

  • Faculty, School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos Islands, 2001 to 2002
     

  • Director, Forfar Field Station, Andros Island, Bahamas, 2000 to 2001

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Post-doc advisor: Valerie J. Paul, 1999 to 2000

Education and Certifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Ph.D. Chair: Paul L. Jokiel, 1999

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of New Hampshire, Department of Zoology, Minor: Marine Biology, 1993

Science and Products

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Image: Flat Cays, U.S. Virgin Islands Coral Reef

Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)

The specific objectives of this project are to identify and describe the processes that are important in determining rates of coral-reef construction. How quickly the skeletons of calcifying organisms accumulate to form massive barrier-reef structure is determined by processes of both construction (how fast organisms grow and reproduce) and destruction (how fast reefs break down by mechanical...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Coral Microbial Ecology Laboratory
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Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)

The specific objectives of this project are to identify and describe the processes that are important in determining rates of coral-reef construction. How quickly the skeletons of calcifying organisms accumulate to form massive barrier-reef structure is determined by processes of both construction (how fast organisms grow and reproduce) and destruction (how fast reefs break down by mechanical...
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Calcification monitoring station with a colony of the massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea, fastened in place.

Measuring Coral Growth to Help Restore Reefs

It is critical to start measuring calcification rates in a systematic way now, particularly at subtropical latitudes where conditions fluctuate seasonally, so that we can understand how dynamic ocean conditions affect calcifying organisms today and predict possible changes in the future. We established a calcification monitoring network in the Florida Keys and have been measuring calcification...
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Measuring Coral Growth to Help Restore Reefs

It is critical to start measuring calcification rates in a systematic way now, particularly at subtropical latitudes where conditions fluctuate seasonally, so that we can understand how dynamic ocean conditions affect calcifying organisms today and predict possible changes in the future. We established a calcification monitoring network in the Florida Keys and have been measuring calcification...
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USGS science for a changing world logo

Local-scale ecosystem resilience amid global-scale ocean change: the coral reef example

Coral reefs are massive, wave resistant structures found throughout the tropics, where they have long attracted attention for their beauty, ecological importance, and rich biological diversity. However, in recent years attention to these systems has focused on their downturn in health and the potential that they effectively could disappear within a century. Yet while many coral reefs have deterio
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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Local-scale ecosystem resilience amid global-scale ocean change: the coral reef example

Coral reefs are massive, wave resistant structures found throughout the tropics, where they have long attracted attention for their beauty, ecological importance, and rich biological diversity. However, in recent years attention to these systems has focused on their downturn in health and the potential that they effectively could disappear within a century. Yet while many coral reefs have deterio
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Image: Flat Cays, U.S. Virgin Islands Coral Reef

Impact of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Growth of Reef-Building Corals

Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems in the world. They provide food, fishing, and recreation opportunities for millions of people, protect coastlines from storms, and shelter thousands of plant and animal species. However, climate change is contributing to the degradation of coral reefs in two significant ways: warming temperature and increasing
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Impact of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Growth of Reef-Building Corals

Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems in the world. They provide food, fishing, and recreation opportunities for millions of people, protect coastlines from storms, and shelter thousands of plant and animal species. However, climate change is contributing to the degradation of coral reefs in two significant ways: warming temperature and increasing
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Reef-census Data from Buck Island Reef National Monument

In July of 2016, Florida Institute of Technology researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), conducted reef-census surveys at 54 sites around Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The sites are divided across two reef sectors (North and South) and three reef habitats (fore reef, reef crest, and back reef) (Figure 1). These data were used to e
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Underwater temperature on off-shore coral reefs of the Florida Keys, U.S.A.

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. Coral reef organisms are very sensitive to high and low water-temperature extremes. It is critical to precisely know water temperatures experienced by corals and associated plants and animals that live in the dynamic, nearshore environment to document th
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental coral-growth and physiological data and time-series imagery for Porites astreoides in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral-growth rates and time-series photographs taken of colonies of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, grown at four sites on the Florida Keys reef tract from spring 2015 to spring 2017. The data will be used t
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

DNA Microsatellite Markers for Mustard Hill Coral (Porites astreoides) from the Florida Keys Reef Tract

This data release includes allele sizes of 11 previously published microsatellites for 39 individuals of Porites astreoides (mustard hill coral) collected in the spring of 2017 from four locations in the Florida Keys: Fowey Rocks, Crocker Reef, Sombrero Reef, and Pulaski Shoal. Additionally, this data release also contains the DNA concentration of the extracted DNA prior to PCR reactions for the s
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental coral-growth data and time-series imagery for Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/) provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral-growth rates and time-series photographs taken of colonies of the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, grown at five sites on the Florida Keys reef tract from spring 2018 to autumn
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental Data on Construction and Erosion of Orbicella Coral Reefs in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral-growth rates for Orbicella sp. coral colonies grown at five sites on the Florida Keys reef tract from 2013 to 2015, survey data for census-based carbonate budgeting at Hen and Chickens Reef (Islamorada, Florida),
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Sr/Ca and Linear Extension Data for Five Modern O. faveolata Colonies from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA

Strontium/Calcium (Sr/Ca) ratios act as a proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) in the skeletons of aragonite producing organisms, such as massive corals. The Sr/Ca-SST proxy shows promise when applied to single Orbicella faveolata colonies in the Atlantic/Caribbean regions, but it is currently unknown how well the Sr/Ca-SST proxy performs between colonies of this species. It is necessary to und
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Descriptive Core Logs, Core Photographs, Radiocarbon Ages, and Accretion Data from Holocene Reef Cores Collected Throughout the Florida Keys Reef Tract

The USGS core archive (Reich and others, 2009; USGS Core Archive) houses an extensive collection of coral-reef cores that USGS researchers have collected from throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT; fig. 1). USGS scientists have compiled all available data on the 71 core records that recovered Holocene reef framework, including radiometric ages (radiocarbon and U-series), data on reef develo
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Time-series Coral-cover Data from Hawaii, Florida, Mo'orea, and the Virgin Islands

Coral reefs around the world have degraded over the last half-century as evidenced by loss of live coral cover. This ubiquitous observation led to the establishment of long-term, ecological monitoring programs in several regions with sizable coral-reef resources. As part of the of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis working group "Local-scale
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

USGS Coral Photo ArchiveFlorida Keys Corals: A Photographic Record of Changes from 1959 to 2015

This data release contains time-series photographs taken of corals and coral habitats in the Florida Keys between 1959 and 2015 at Carysfort Reef and Grecian Rocks (a total of six sites). The original intent was to show coral reef recovery after Hurricane Donna devastated the area in 1960. Corals, especially elkhorn and staghorn coral, grew prolifically after the storm until the late 1970s, then b
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Coral cores collected in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.: Photographs and X-rays

Cores from living coral colonies were collected from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, to obtain skeletal records of past coral growth and allow geochemical reconstruction of environmental variables during the corals' centuries-long lifespans. The samples were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project that provides science to assist resource ma
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
small orange branching coral on the seafloor in the foreground with a large, algae-covered branching coral skeleton behind it
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Three coral colonies in a row across a reef - two bright orange elkhorn and one branching staghorn in the center
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A bright orange elkhorn coral branching up and growing over a cinderblock on a reef
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A bright orange elkhorn coral planted on a cinderblock on a reef in front of a thicket of staghorn coral
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a scuba diver swims above a colorful coral reef in bright blue water
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a square cinderblock on the ocean floor with two small round plates with small corals on top. Diver in background
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Scuba diver on a coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park
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Photo of a small concrete block; a disk attached to the top holds a small growing coral.
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A thick metal pin covered in brown growth extends from the top of an eroded coral base
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Photo of healthy Elkhorn Coral
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Photo of a small concrete block; a disk attached to the top holds a small growing coral.
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Image: USGS Coral Reef Researcher
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Image: Coral Calcification Monitoring Stations
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Five images of a coral with differing amounts of shading over the quadrants of the coral, shown at progressive dates.
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Image: Flat Cays, U.S. Virgin Islands Coral Reef
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Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration

Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplin
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates

Identifying relatively intact areas within ecosystems and determining the conditions favoring their existence is necessary for effective management in the context of widespread environmental degradation. In this study, we used 3766 surveys of randomly selected sites in the United States and U.S. Territories to identify the correlates of sites categorized as “oases” (defined as sites with relativel
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Genetic structure and diversity of the mustard hill coral Porites astreoides along the Florida Keys reef tract

Increases in local and global stressors have led to major declines in coral populations throughout the western Atlantic. While abundances of other species have declined, however, the relative abundance of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, has increased. Porites astreoides is relatively resilient to some stressors, and because of its mixed reproductive strategies, its populations often re
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Physiological differences in bleaching response of the coral Porites astreoides along the Florida Keys reef tract during high-temperature stress

The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) has a unique geological history wherein Holocene sea-level rise and bathymetry interacted, resulting in a reef-building system with notable spatial differences in reef development. Overprinted on this geologic history, recent global and local stressors have led to degraded reefs dominated by fleshy algae, soft corals, and sponges. Here, we assessed how coral phys
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Making restoration meaningful: A vision for working at multiple scales to help secure a future for coral reefs

No abstract available.
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery

Recovery of the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata is critical to reversing coral reef ecosystem collapse in the western Atlantic, but the species is severely threatened. To gauge potential for the species’ restoration in Florida, USA, we conducted an assisted migration experiment where 50 coral fragments of 5 nursery-raised genetic strains (genets) from the upper Florida Keys were moved to 5 sites ac
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Increasing comparability among coral bleaching experiments

Coral bleaching is the single largest global threat to coral reefs worldwide. Integrating the diverse body of work on coral bleaching is critical to understanding and combating this global problem. Yet investigating the drivers, patterns, and processes of coral bleaching poses a major challenge. A recent review of published experiments revealed a wide range of experimental variables used across st
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Disturbances drive changes in coral community assemblages and coral calcification capacity

Anthropogenic environmental change has increased coral reef disturbance regimes in recent decades, altering the structure and function of many coral reefs globally. In this study, we used coral community survey data collected from 1996 to 2015 to evaluate coral calcification capacity (CCC) dynamics with respect to recorded pulse disturbances for 121 reef sites in the Main Hawaiian Islands and Mo'o
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Ecosystems, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic

Active coral restoration typically involves two interventions: crossing gametes to facilitate sexual larval propagation; and fragmenting, growing, and outplanting adult colonies to enhance asexual propagation. From an evolutionary perspective, the goal of these efforts is to establish self‐sustaining, sexually reproducing coral populations that have sufficient genetic and phenotypic variation to a
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Improving estimates of coral reef construction and erosion with in-situ measurements

The decline in living coral since the 1970s has conspicuously slowed reef construction on a global scale, but the related process of reef erosion is less visible and not often quantified. Here we present new data on the constructional and deconstructional side of the carbonate-budget equation in the Florida Keys, U.S.A. We documented Orbicella spp. calcification rates at four offshore reefs and qu
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Quantifying uncertainty in Sr/Ca-based estimates of SST from the coral Orbicella faveolata

The strontium to calcium ratio (Sr/Ca) in aragonitic skeletons of massive corals provides a proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) that can be used to reconstruct paleoclimates across decades, centuries, and, potentially, millennia. Determining the reproducibility of Sr/Ca records among contemporaneous coral colonies from the same region is critical to quantifying uncertainties associated with th
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Climate Research and Development Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

A 3,000‐year lag between the geological and ecological shutdown of Florida's coral reefs

The global‐scale degradation of coral reefs has reached a critical threshold wherein further declines threaten both ecological functionality and the persistence of reef structure. Geological records can provide valuable insights into the long‐term controls on reef development that may be key to solving the modern coral‐reef crisis. Our analyses of new and existing coral‐reef cores from throughout
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Kuffner, I. B. and V. J. Paul, 2004, Effects of the cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula on the larval settlement of the reef corals Acropora serculosa and Pocillopora damicornis: Coral Reefs23:455-458.
Kuffner, I.B., 2002, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral, Porites compressa: A transplantation experiment: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology270(2):147-169.
Kuffner, I.B. and V. J. Paul, 2001, Effects of nitrate, phosphate and iron on the growth of macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria from Cocos Lagoon, Guam: Marine Ecology Progress Series222:63-72.
Kuffner, I. B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral Porites compressa Dana: a flume experiment: Marine Biology 138:467-476.
Kuffner, I.B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation on larval recruitment of the reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis: Marine Ecology Progress Series 217:251-261.
Kuffner, I.B., 1999, The effects of ultraviolet radiation on reef corals and the sun-screening role of mycosporine-like amino acids: Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 164 pp.
Banaszak, A. T., M. P. Lesser, I. B. Kuffner and M. Ondrusek, 1998, Relationship between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the concentration of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in marine organisms: Bulletin of Marine Science 63(3):617-628.
Kuffner, I. B., M. Ondrusek and M. P. Lesser, 1995, The distribution of mycosporine-like amino acids in the tissues of Hawaiian scleractinia; a depth profile: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 77-85.
Grottoli-Everett, A., I. B. Kuffner, 1995, Individual polyp response to UV radiation in Montipora verrucosa: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 115-120.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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Ilsa Kuffner and team finishing coral calcification study funded by the National Park Service in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

A team of scientists from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center will be wrapping up an experiment this week on coral calcification...

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SPCMSC and PCMSC scientists participating in 14th International Coral Reef Symposium

USGS research will be presented by several USGS scientists during the virtual 14th International Coral Reef Symposium taking place 19-23 July 2021.

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New SPCMSC publication provides evidence of exceptional coral performance in Dry Tortugas National Park

USGS research published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science reveals differences in coral tolerance to heat stress across Florida Keys reef...

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Providing Guidance and Hope for Coral Restoration Efforts

Coral reefs are suffering due to multiple stressors in our changing world, but there is hope for recovery. New USGS science can help guide the way to...

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CMHRP coral-reef researcher featured in National Parks Traveler podcast

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner was interviewed by Lynn Riddick, reporter for National Parks Traveler

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SPCMSC coral team and Ohio State researchers travel to the Florida Keys to complete coral growth study

Ilsa Kuffner, Marine Biologist with the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, will lead a team along with collaborators from Ohio State...

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SPCMSC coral team and Ohio State researchers travel to the Florida Keys to complete coral growth study

Ilsa Kuffner, Marine Biologist with the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, will lead a team along with collaborators from Ohio State...

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SPCMSC researcher to participate in 2nd National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-RCN) workshop on coral bleaching

Ilsa Kuffner, and 27 other experts in coral reef science, will participate in the National Science Foundation’s 2nd Research Coordination Network on...

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New video abstract highlighting published results on Florida Keys coral-reef erosion

A video abstract summarizing USGS work published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography was released on the journal’s YouTube channel. The work was...

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USGS scientists participate and accept leadership roles during Coral Disease Technical Workshop

During the annual multi-agency Coral Disease Technical Workshop, which convened to review the status of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD)...

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SPCMSC scientist co-authors article helping to guide coral-reef restoration

Ilsa B. Kuffner, research marine biologist, is one of 12 authors of a journal article written by a consortium of experts proposing new guidelines to...

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Scientists commencing field experiment at Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix, USVI

Ilsa Kuffner, Anesti Stathakopoulos, BJ Reynolds, and Nate Smiley will travel to St. Croix, USVI, to install a coral-growth experiment at Buck Island...

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