Not a diver? Here is a chance to watch coral spawning "live" from the Cayman Islands... This year’s predicted spawning event will be viewable via live streaming video from a permanent Wild Goose Imaging Clean Sweep™ underwater self-cleaning camera system and a newly installed and calibrated LED lighting system directed at a large Orbicella (Montastrea) annularis colony off the East End of Grand Cayman Island. Two of the lights were installed to make viewing of the coral spawning possible, as well as to provide a once a week nightly viewing year round. Two additional lights were installed to conduct coral fluorescence health monitoring research at 405nm and 450nm excitation. This research will focus on comparing fluorescence of the coral in relation to water temperature, pH, and salinity, and other factors such as major weather events. Due to the later-than-usual timing of the 9th full (Harvest) moon in 2013’s lunar cycle, the coral spawning event is predicted to occur either after the most recent full moon on August 21st (spawning possibly beginning TONIGHT, Aug. 26th-28th) or September 19th (spawning Sept. 24th-26th). Each full moon is outside the range of spawning occurrences that have happened in the past decade during Mustard & Broadbelt’s research. Due to this uncertainty, the lighting system has been installed in time to capture the August spawning event if the corals spawn early. Live streaming HD video feeds of the Grand Cayman reef site as well as others maintained by Teens4Oceans are accessible at Teens4Oceans’ website: teens4oceans.org/index.php/gallery/webcams/
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:53:08 +0000
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