Previously Funded Projects

Coral Reef Water Quality

Co-PI: Dr. JJ Cruz Motta & Dr. Travis Courtney

Funded by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

We are monitored 42 coral reef sites around Puerto Rico for biogeochemistry, benthic communities, and fish communities to assess the potential drivers of coral reef condition as part of a project funded by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Please visit the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute webpage for further details on our Puerto Rico Coral Reef Water Quality Monitoring Project funded by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

Deep Sea Structural Complexity

PI: Dr. Travis Courtney

Funded by the Office of Naval Research

We collected imagery aboard the Nautilus Live Cruise NA156 Ocean Exploration through Advanced Imaging using next-generation cameras aboard the ROV Hercules and are are developing 3D digital elevation models using structure from motion technology to explore the structural complexity of deep sea coral beds in Hawai’i.

D-ENTERPRISE

Co-PI: Dr. Travis Courtney, Dr. Andre Amador, and Dr. Johana Rotterová

Funded by the Office of Naval Research

The broader D-ENTERPRISE initiative aimed to increase diversity and inclusion in the ocean sciences through establishing a collaborative network of regional hubs between leading research universities and minority serving institutions complete with direct support and mentoring of students and faculty. Within this D-ENTERPRISE network, the Inclusion and Belonging in Ocean Science (IBOS) Collaborative was established between the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, University of Massachusetts Boston, and University of Rhode Island. The IBOS Collaborative supported annual cohorts of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in the ocean sciences with assistantships, mentored research opportunities, and monthly professional development.

Seagrass Carbon Dynamics

coPIs: Travis Courtney, Catherine Hernández Rodrigez

Funded by EcoEléctrica Outreach Programs

We are quantifying seagrass productivity, biogeochemical variability, pH buffering, and blue carbon uptake at contrasting sites in La Parguera Natural Reserve as part of Hernández Rodriguez’s MS thesis. This project is also a part of the broader Caribbean Carbon Accounting in Seagrass project led by Florida International University and funded by The Nature Conservancy.