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Anastasios Stathakopoulos

Anastasios Stathakopoulos is a Physical Scientist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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...
By
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...
Learn More
link
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...
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

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...
Learn More

Radiometric Ages and Descriptive Data for Late Holocene Acropora spp. Corals From Dry Tortugas National Park

This data release compiles radiometric data, photographs, and descriptive collection information (location, elevation, etc.) for late Holocene sub-fossil Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis coral samples collected from the coral reefs of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (DRTO) from 2015 to 2023. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the U.S. National Park Service and
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

U-series Ages and Elevation Data of Late Pleistocene Corals From the Florida Keys

This data release compiles Uranium-series (U-series) data and descriptive collection information (such as sample/core identifier, location, elevation, etc.) for late Pleistocene coral subsamples from coral-reef cores previously collected throughout the Florida Keys by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the Florida Keys Natio
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental Coral-Physiology Data for Acropora palmata in Florida, USA

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) project provides science that helps Department of Interior and other resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral physiology of the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, grown at five sites along the Florida outer reef tract including in Biscayne National Park, the Florida Keys National Mar
By
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 and Pseudodiploria strigosa in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

The U.S. Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (CREST) provides science that helps Department of Interior and other 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, and the symmetrical brain coral, Pseudodiploria strigos
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Radiometric Ages and Descriptive Data for Holocene Corals From Southeast Florida

This data release compiles descriptive information (location, water depth, etc.) and radiometric ages from corals collected through the Southeast Florida Continental Reef Tract (SFCRT; fig. 1). The database includes data from studies published between 1977 and 2015 as well as previously unpublished data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling metho
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

South Florida Holocene Coral Sea-level Database

Holocene-aged coral samples from the south Florida region were extensively characterized to create a new database of verified sea-level data (Stathakopoulos and others, in review). The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods and were obtained by several different researchers from studies spanning the interval of 1977 to 2017. Many of these sampl
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The Absolute and Relative Composition of Holocene Reef Cores From the Florida Keys Reef Tract

This data release provides a summary of the absolute percent composition of all recovered material and relative percent composition of coral taxa in the Holocene-aged intervals of 61 coral-reef cores collected throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) housed in the USGS Core Archive in St. Petersburg, FL. Estimated ages for distinct depths within each core are also provided; those ages were ei
By
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),
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental data comparing two coral grow-out methods in nursery-raised Acropora cervicornis

Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef-restoration efforts to date. As part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/), we investigated skeletal characteristics of nursery-grown staghorn coral reared using two commonly used grow-out methods at Mote Tropical Research Laboratory?s offshor
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core
USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys
USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth and student volunteer Liz Whitcher drill a coral-reef core from a reef off Key West, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo taken under research permit FKNMS-2015-058. Credit: Anastasios Stathakopoulos, USGS.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and Publishing
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth and student volunteer Liz Whitcher drill a coral-reef core from a reef off Key West, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo taken under research permit FKNMS-2015-058. Credit: Anastasios Stathakopoulos, USGS.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and Publishing

Heterotrophy, microbiome, and location effects on restoration efficacy of the threatened coral Acropora palmata

The iconic and threatened Caribbean coral, Acropora palmata, is an essential reef-ecosystem engineer. Understanding the processes underpinning this coral’s survival and growth is essential to restoring this foundational species. Here, we compared replicate A. palmata colonies transplanted along 350 km of Florida’s offshore coral reef to determine holobiont and/or environmental variables that predi
Authors
Leila Chapron, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Dustin W. Kemp, Ann M. Hulver, Elise Keister, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lucy Bartlett, Erin O. Lyons, Andrea G. Grottoli
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise

The ability of reefs to protect coastlines from storm-driven flooding hinges on their capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise. Here, we show how and whether coral restoration could achieve the often-cited goal of reversing the impacts of coral-reef degradation to preserve this essential function. We combined coral-growth measurements and carbonate-budget assessments of reef-accretion potential a
Authors
Lauren Toth, Curt Storlazzi, Elizabeth M. Whitcher, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Ellen Quataert, Johan Reyns, Robert T. McCall, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Nathaniel H. Holloway, Kristin A. Ewen, Clayton G. Pollock, Tess Code, Richard B. Aronson
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Climate and the latitudinal limits of subtropical reef development

Climate plays a central role in coral-reef development, especially in marginal environments. The high-latitude reefs of southeast Florida are currently non-accreting, relict systems with low coral cover. This region also did not support the extensive Late Pleistocene reef development observed in many other locations around the world; however, there is evidence of significant reef building in south
Authors
Lauren Toth, William F. Precht, Alexander B. Modys, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Martha L. Robbart, J. Harold Hudson, Anton E. Olenik, Bernhard M Riegl, Eugene A. Shinn, Richard B. Aronson
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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
Authors
Elizabeth A. Lenz, Lucy Bartlett, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
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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
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lauren Toth, Lucy Bartlett
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

A revised Holocene coral sea-level database from the Florida reef tract, USA

The coral reefs and mangrove habitats of the south Florida region have long been used in sea-level studies for the western Atlantic because of their broad geographic extent and composition of sea-level tracking biota. The data from this region have been used to support several very different Holocene sea-level reconstructions (SLRs) over the years. However, many of these SLRs did not incorporate a
Authors
Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Bernhard M Riegl, Lauren Toth
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The unprecedented loss of Florida's reef-building corals and the emergence of a novel coral-reef assemblage

Over the last half century, climate change, coral disease, and other anthropogenic disturbances have restructured coral-reef ecosystems on a global scale. The disproportionate loss of once-dominant, reef-building taxa has facilitated relative increases in the abundance of “weedy” or stress-tolerant coral species. Although the recent transformation of coral-reef assemblages is unprecedented on ecol
Authors
Lauren Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Robert R. Ruzicka, Michael A. Colella, Eugene A. Shinn
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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
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Lauren Toth, J. Harold Hudson, William B. Goodwin, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lucy Bartlett, Elizabeth M. Whitcher
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources 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
Authors
Lauren Toth, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Eugene A. Shinn
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis

Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef restoration efforts to date. We compared linear extension, calcification rate, and skeletal density of nursery-raised A. cervicornis branches reared for 6 months either on blocks attached to substratum or hanging from PVC trees in the water column. We demonstrate that branches grown on the
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Erich Bartels, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ian C. Enochs, Graham Kolodziej, Lauren Toth, Derek P. Manzello
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys

The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) is the largest coral-reef ecosystem in the continental United States. The modern FKRT extends for 362 kilometers along the coast of South Florida from Dry Tortugas National Park in the southwest, through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), to Fowey Rocks reef in Biscayne National Park in the northeast. Most reefs along the FKRT are sheltered by th
Authors
Lauren T. Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The relationship between the ratio of strontium to calcium and sea-surface temperature in a modern Porites astreoides coral: Implications for using P. astreoides as a paleoclimate archive

An inverse relationship has been demonstrated between water temperature and the ratio of strontium to calcium (Sr/Ca) in coral aragonite for a number of Pacific species of the genus Porites. This empirically determined relationship has been used to reconstruct past sea-surface temperature (SST) from modern and Holocene age coral archives. A study was conducted to investigate this relationship for
Authors
Tess E. Busch, Jennifer A. Flannery, Julie N. Richey, Anastasios Stathakopoulos
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Protocols for improving sea-level reconstructions in the western Atlantic

Protocols for improving sea-level reconstructions in the western Atlantic

Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer) and Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer) published a new article titled “A revised Holocene coral sea-level...

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New USGS manuscript documents unprecedented shift in coral species composition of Florida’s reefs

New USGS manuscript documents unprecedented shift in coral species composition of Florida’s reefs

Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC), Ilsa Kuffner (Research Marine Biologist, SPCMSC), and Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer) led a...

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Coral-reef research featured in Science Magazine news article

Coral-reef research featured in Science Magazine news article

A news feature published last week in Science Magazine highlights research by SPCMSC scientists into the problem of reef erosion in the Florida Keys.

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New paper published on Florida Keys coral reef construction and erosion

New paper published on Florida Keys coral reef construction and erosion

A team of four scientists from St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and collaborators from NOAA and Florida Institute of Technology...

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Scientists to Attend "Reef Futures 2018" Symposium on Reef Restoration

Scientists to Attend "Reef Futures 2018" Symposium on Reef Restoration

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner, Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth, and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos will travel to Key Largo, FL...

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New coral reef study to begin at Buck Island National Park Service unit on St. Croix

New coral reef study to begin at Buck Island National Park Service unit on St. Croix

Scientists travel to Buck Island Reef National Monument to plan a new study and to assess hurricane impacts to the coral reefs surrounding Buck Island...

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USGS scientists investigate the millennial-scale history of the "Threatened" elkhorn coral in Dry Tortugas National Park

USGS scientists investigate the millennial-scale history of the "Threatened" elkhorn coral in Dry Tortugas National Park

Dr. Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC) and Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer, SPCMSC) will collaborate with the National Park Service...

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New Coral Reef Study to Begin at Buck Island National Monument

New Coral Reef Study to Begin at Buck Island National Monument

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner, Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth, and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos, will travel to Buck Island...

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Science and Products

link
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...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Coral Microbial Ecology Laboratory
link

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...
Learn More
link
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...
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

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...
Learn More

Radiometric Ages and Descriptive Data for Late Holocene Acropora spp. Corals From Dry Tortugas National Park

This data release compiles radiometric data, photographs, and descriptive collection information (location, elevation, etc.) for late Holocene sub-fossil Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis coral samples collected from the coral reefs of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (DRTO) from 2015 to 2023. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the U.S. National Park Service and
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

U-series Ages and Elevation Data of Late Pleistocene Corals From the Florida Keys

This data release compiles Uranium-series (U-series) data and descriptive collection information (such as sample/core identifier, location, elevation, etc.) for late Pleistocene coral subsamples from coral-reef cores previously collected throughout the Florida Keys by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the Florida Keys Natio
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental Coral-Physiology Data for Acropora palmata in Florida, USA

The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) project provides science that helps Department of Interior and other resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral physiology of the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, grown at five sites along the Florida outer reef tract including in Biscayne National Park, the Florida Keys National Mar
By
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 and Pseudodiploria strigosa in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

The U.S. Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (CREST) provides science that helps Department of Interior and other 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, and the symmetrical brain coral, Pseudodiploria strigos
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Radiometric Ages and Descriptive Data for Holocene Corals From Southeast Florida

This data release compiles descriptive information (location, water depth, etc.) and radiometric ages from corals collected through the Southeast Florida Continental Reef Tract (SFCRT; fig. 1). The database includes data from studies published between 1977 and 2015 as well as previously unpublished data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling metho
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

South Florida Holocene Coral Sea-level Database

Holocene-aged coral samples from the south Florida region were extensively characterized to create a new database of verified sea-level data (Stathakopoulos and others, in review). The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods and were obtained by several different researchers from studies spanning the interval of 1977 to 2017. Many of these sampl
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The Absolute and Relative Composition of Holocene Reef Cores From the Florida Keys Reef Tract

This data release provides a summary of the absolute percent composition of all recovered material and relative percent composition of coral taxa in the Holocene-aged intervals of 61 coral-reef cores collected throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) housed in the USGS Core Archive in St. Petersburg, FL. Estimated ages for distinct depths within each core are also provided; those ages were ei
By
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),
By
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
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experimental data comparing two coral grow-out methods in nursery-raised Acropora cervicornis

Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef-restoration efforts to date. As part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/), we investigated skeletal characteristics of nursery-grown staghorn coral reared using two commonly used grow-out methods at Mote Tropical Research Laboratory?s offshor
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core
USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys
USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth and student volunteer Liz Whitcher drill a coral-reef core from a reef off Key West, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo taken under research permit FKNMS-2015-058. Credit: Anastasios Stathakopoulos, USGS.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and Publishing
Two divers use a tripod and drill to take a coral core

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

USGS scientists drill a coral-reef core in the Florida Keys

Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth and student volunteer Liz Whitcher drill a coral-reef core from a reef off Key West, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo taken under research permit FKNMS-2015-058. Credit: Anastasios Stathakopoulos, USGS.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and Publishing

Heterotrophy, microbiome, and location effects on restoration efficacy of the threatened coral Acropora palmata

The iconic and threatened Caribbean coral, Acropora palmata, is an essential reef-ecosystem engineer. Understanding the processes underpinning this coral’s survival and growth is essential to restoring this foundational species. Here, we compared replicate A. palmata colonies transplanted along 350 km of Florida’s offshore coral reef to determine holobiont and/or environmental variables that predi
Authors
Leila Chapron, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Dustin W. Kemp, Ann M. Hulver, Elise Keister, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lucy Bartlett, Erin O. Lyons, Andrea G. Grottoli
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise

The ability of reefs to protect coastlines from storm-driven flooding hinges on their capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise. Here, we show how and whether coral restoration could achieve the often-cited goal of reversing the impacts of coral-reef degradation to preserve this essential function. We combined coral-growth measurements and carbonate-budget assessments of reef-accretion potential a
Authors
Lauren Toth, Curt Storlazzi, Elizabeth M. Whitcher, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Ellen Quataert, Johan Reyns, Robert T. McCall, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Nathaniel H. Holloway, Kristin A. Ewen, Clayton G. Pollock, Tess Code, Richard B. Aronson
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Climate and the latitudinal limits of subtropical reef development

Climate plays a central role in coral-reef development, especially in marginal environments. The high-latitude reefs of southeast Florida are currently non-accreting, relict systems with low coral cover. This region also did not support the extensive Late Pleistocene reef development observed in many other locations around the world; however, there is evidence of significant reef building in south
Authors
Lauren Toth, William F. Precht, Alexander B. Modys, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Martha L. Robbart, J. Harold Hudson, Anton E. Olenik, Bernhard M Riegl, Eugene A. Shinn, Richard B. Aronson
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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
Authors
Elizabeth A. Lenz, Lucy Bartlett, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
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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
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lauren Toth, Lucy Bartlett
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

A revised Holocene coral sea-level database from the Florida reef tract, USA

The coral reefs and mangrove habitats of the south Florida region have long been used in sea-level studies for the western Atlantic because of their broad geographic extent and composition of sea-level tracking biota. The data from this region have been used to support several very different Holocene sea-level reconstructions (SLRs) over the years. However, many of these SLRs did not incorporate a
Authors
Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Bernhard M Riegl, Lauren Toth
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The unprecedented loss of Florida's reef-building corals and the emergence of a novel coral-reef assemblage

Over the last half century, climate change, coral disease, and other anthropogenic disturbances have restructured coral-reef ecosystems on a global scale. The disproportionate loss of once-dominant, reef-building taxa has facilitated relative increases in the abundance of “weedy” or stress-tolerant coral species. Although the recent transformation of coral-reef assemblages is unprecedented on ecol
Authors
Lauren Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Robert R. Ruzicka, Michael A. Colella, Eugene A. Shinn
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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
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Lauren Toth, J. Harold Hudson, William B. Goodwin, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lucy Bartlett, Elizabeth M. Whitcher
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources 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
Authors
Lauren Toth, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Eugene A. Shinn
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis

Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef restoration efforts to date. We compared linear extension, calcification rate, and skeletal density of nursery-raised A. cervicornis branches reared for 6 months either on blocks attached to substratum or hanging from PVC trees in the water column. We demonstrate that branches grown on the
Authors
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Erich Bartels, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ian C. Enochs, Graham Kolodziej, Lauren Toth, Derek P. Manzello
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys

The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) is the largest coral-reef ecosystem in the continental United States. The modern FKRT extends for 362 kilometers along the coast of South Florida from Dry Tortugas National Park in the southwest, through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), to Fowey Rocks reef in Biscayne National Park in the northeast. Most reefs along the FKRT are sheltered by th
Authors
Lauren T. Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The relationship between the ratio of strontium to calcium and sea-surface temperature in a modern Porites astreoides coral: Implications for using P. astreoides as a paleoclimate archive

An inverse relationship has been demonstrated between water temperature and the ratio of strontium to calcium (Sr/Ca) in coral aragonite for a number of Pacific species of the genus Porites. This empirically determined relationship has been used to reconstruct past sea-surface temperature (SST) from modern and Holocene age coral archives. A study was conducted to investigate this relationship for
Authors
Tess E. Busch, Jennifer A. Flannery, Julie N. Richey, Anastasios Stathakopoulos
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Protocols for improving sea-level reconstructions in the western Atlantic

Protocols for improving sea-level reconstructions in the western Atlantic

Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer) and Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer) published a new article titled “A revised Holocene coral sea-level...

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New USGS manuscript documents unprecedented shift in coral species composition of Florida’s reefs

New USGS manuscript documents unprecedented shift in coral species composition of Florida’s reefs

Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC), Ilsa Kuffner (Research Marine Biologist, SPCMSC), and Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer) led a...

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Coral-reef research featured in Science Magazine news article

Coral-reef research featured in Science Magazine news article

A news feature published last week in Science Magazine highlights research by SPCMSC scientists into the problem of reef erosion in the Florida Keys.

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New paper published on Florida Keys coral reef construction and erosion

New paper published on Florida Keys coral reef construction and erosion

A team of four scientists from St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and collaborators from NOAA and Florida Institute of Technology...

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Scientists to Attend "Reef Futures 2018" Symposium on Reef Restoration

Scientists to Attend "Reef Futures 2018" Symposium on Reef Restoration

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner, Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth, and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos will travel to Key Largo, FL...

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New coral reef study to begin at Buck Island National Park Service unit on St. Croix

New coral reef study to begin at Buck Island National Park Service unit on St. Croix

Scientists travel to Buck Island Reef National Monument to plan a new study and to assess hurricane impacts to the coral reefs surrounding Buck Island...

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USGS scientists investigate the millennial-scale history of the "Threatened" elkhorn coral in Dry Tortugas National Park

USGS scientists investigate the millennial-scale history of the "Threatened" elkhorn coral in Dry Tortugas National Park

Dr. Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC) and Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer, SPCMSC) will collaborate with the National Park Service...

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New Coral Reef Study to Begin at Buck Island National Monument

New Coral Reef Study to Begin at Buck Island National Monument

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner, Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth, and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos, will travel to Buck Island...

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