Our team is in the midst of a monthlong research cruise in the Line Islands, an archipelago in the remote central Pacific. According to many metrics, these islands are among the most isolated on the planet, and they depend on the already-remote islands of Hawaii as nearest port of refuge. (Mind you that Honolulu is more than 1,200 miles to the north of us.) We are here to study the ecology of coral reefs, taking a holistic perspective of each of the major biological players on the reef —the fish, corals, algae, and even the bacteria and viruses — and estimating how fast each of these groups grows.
Why, you may ask, did we travel so far to study growth rates on coral reefs? There are certainly simpler ways to reach coral reefs than by chartering a 158-foot yacht and spending the greater part of a year arranging the logistics. The answer lies specifically in the location’s remoteness. The Line Islands have been difficult to reach for all of human history, and as such have remained largely outside the influence of people. It is here in the Line Islands that we have a chance to study the basics of coral reef ecology, not simply the remains of coral reef ecology. The reefs here have not collapsed, and the hand of humans is somewhere between light and nil. It is surprising how rare it is to study coral reefs without lamenting solely what has been lost.
If you read reports about coral reefs, the news is typically bad. Reef fisheries are collapsing due to overexploitation. Seaweeds are growing out of control when too much pollution is dumped, often leading to the spread of invasive species. And when the seawater gets too warm (as happens during intensive El Nino events), the corals can go into a form of heat shock and die. Fishing, pollution, and climate change are the main stories on coral reefs, and we are trying to prevent these culprits from killing all reefs before our children or grandchildren get to enjoy them. But in order to manage coral reefs in the presence of people, we have to understand how coral reefs work in the absence of people. The Line Islands give us a rare
A research diver collecting data on fish populations. Today we started our work on Tabuaeran, finding an abundance of corals and countless dinner-plate-sized fish sprinting around the reef. A dive like this would sell for a lot of money in many popular destinations, and many of my fishing friends would love a day spent with hook and line in these waters. Happily, these coral reefs are thriving, not collapsing.
We arrived to Tabuaeran by way of Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef. Unlike Tabuaeran, these islands are uninhabited and support some of the biggest and healthiest coral reefs on the planet. The fish on the reefs are huge, and sharks and large snappers dominate. The corals on the reefs are also spectacular, with table corals that look like underwater satellite dishes and dome corals the size of the satellites they are trying to reach. A dive at these islands would also sell for much more money.
A variety of fish call the coral reefs of Palmyra Atoll home.A critical question remains: what does it mean ecologically for a reef to be “heavy” — by which I mean some ineffable quality of being impressive and even a bit daunting? But even more importantly, what does it mean for humans trying to live off of the services provided by their reef if the heaviness is lost? Because the reefs of Tabuaeran are changed relative to Kingman and Palmyra, has some critical service been lost to the local humanity? The answer is not simply academic. Millions of people depend on the productivity of coral reefs. The fires onshore are a demonstration of the importance of understanding productivity of the sea. The reefs below us are feeding the residents of this island.
By comparing the reefs of inhabited and uninhabited islands in this remote part of the Pacific, we are looking for the sweet spot of human activity. We cannot feed humanity by not fishing, and we cannot feed humanity by fishing too much. Somewhere in between is the solution, and the people of Tabuaeran may just have found this perfect balance. Floating here in the true middle of the Pacific Ocean, we are taking steps to provide new answers.
Great Homes and Destinations
Near Madrid, a House of Concrete I-Beams and Steel Girders
Antón García Abril, a Madrid architect, has designed a house that is built out of infrastructure pieces -- three giant concrete I-beams, two concrete segments from an irrigation canal and two steel girders -- anchored on top by a 20-ton piece of granite.
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