Currents Fall 2012 Newsletter - Volume XXVII, Number 2

10 REMOTE SENSING AND GIS LABORATORY Researcher: Sam Purkis, Ph.D. “Mapping the extent and status of coral reefs is a necessary precursor to planning for their protection. In the remotest reaches of the ocean, as on our doorstep, we must know the location of our resources if we are to conserve them. A global framework for conservation is critical and can be obtained using current earth observation technology.” Research Focus: The lab undertakes projects based around the theme of using remote sensing to monitor coral reef systems. The group has worked extensively in the Middle East and the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans and endeavors to fuse observations made from space, with ecological observations made on the ground, in order to unravel the dynamics of coral habitats at reef-scale. Research Activities: • regional-scale assessment of coral reefs • marine spatial planning • ocean conservation • space and airborne remote sensing • comparative sedimentology (the present is key to the past) • numerical simulation • geophysics • marine and petroleum geology CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND GENETICS LABORATORY Researcher: Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D. “The proper function of oceans is based on a network of intricate interactions among its species and their environments. Understanding these interactions and conserving these species, especially top predators, is essential for maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems” Research Focus: Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary science that applies field and genetic research methods to the understanding, conservation, and management of marine species. Bathymetry and habitat maps for Hogsty Reef, southern Bahamas. In collaboration with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation Sam Purkis, Ph.D., associate professor, principal investigator in the Remote Sensing and GIS Lab Research Activities: • shark, billfish, and coral reef fish conservation biology and ecology • shark and billfish migration patterns • coral reef ecosystem connectivity and biodiversity • DNA forensics for fish identification and fisheries law enforcement Professor Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., performing surgery on a tiger shark to insert an acoustic tag M.S. student Teagan Gray conducting DNA analysis of shark fin samples for law enforcement