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
USGS research on Atlantic coral reef ecosystems
Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico
Understanding ocean acidification impacts on organismal to ecological scales
A century of ocean warming on Florida Keys coral reefs: historic in situ observations
Methods for monitoring corals and crustose coralline algae to quantify in-situ calcification rates
Calcification rates of the massive coral Siderastrea siderea and crustose coralline algae along the Florida Keys (USA) outer-reef tract
Complexity of nearshore strontium-to-calcium ratio variability in a core sample of the massive coral Siderastrea siderea obtained in Coral Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
An apparent "vital effect" of calcification rate on the Sr/Ca temperature proxy in the reef coral Montipora capitata
Baseline surveys to detect trophic changes in shallow hard-bottom communities induced by the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area
Chemically-mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides
Chemically mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides
Half-dead colonies of Montastraea annularis release viable gametes on a degraded reef in the US Virgin Islands
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Science and Products
USGS research on Atlantic coral reef ecosystems
Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico
Understanding ocean acidification impacts on organismal to ecological scales
A century of ocean warming on Florida Keys coral reefs: historic in situ observations
Methods for monitoring corals and crustose coralline algae to quantify in-situ calcification rates
Calcification rates of the massive coral Siderastrea siderea and crustose coralline algae along the Florida Keys (USA) outer-reef tract
Complexity of nearshore strontium-to-calcium ratio variability in a core sample of the massive coral Siderastrea siderea obtained in Coral Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
An apparent "vital effect" of calcification rate on the Sr/Ca temperature proxy in the reef coral Montipora capitata
Baseline surveys to detect trophic changes in shallow hard-bottom communities induced by the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area
Chemically-mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides
Chemically mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides
Half-dead colonies of Montastraea annularis release viable gametes on a degraded reef in the US Virgin Islands
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.