1 00:00:02,669 --> 00:00:07,641 >>NARRATOR: Six years, 22 countries, 2 00:00:07,641 --> 00:00:11,378 close to 200 scientists, 3 00:00:11,378 --> 00:00:15,682 and one exceptional research vessel. 4 00:00:15,682 --> 00:00:18,585 The global reef expedition is on a mission to stud 5 00:00:18,585 --> 00:00:21,488 coral reefs around the world. 6 00:00:21,488 --> 00:00:24,458 >>Coral reefs are undergoing a worldwide crisis, 7 00:00:24,458 --> 00:00:26,393 and we are trying to understand 8 00:00:26,393 --> 00:00:29,329 where the healthiest reefs remain, 9 00:00:29,329 --> 00:00:31,465 what sort of factors make those reefs healthy, 10 00:00:31,465 --> 00:00:33,500 and, reefs that have been degraded, 11 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:39,339 how we can help them recover and persist into the future. 12 00:00:39,339 --> 00:00:42,609 >>NARRATOR: To do so, expedition scientists conduct 13 00:00:42,609 --> 00:00:45,245 a number of studies in the field. 14 00:00:45,245 --> 00:00:48,382 >>We are applying a standard protocol 15 00:00:48,382 --> 00:00:52,085 that was developed through a consortium of scientists, 16 00:00:52,085 --> 00:00:56,256 and we think this will be incredibly beneficial 17 00:00:56,256 --> 00:01:00,994 to the world of science and management of resources, 18 00:01:00,994 --> 00:01:05,198 because now we can truly scientifically compare 19 00:01:05,198 --> 00:01:09,036 one reef to another, from one region to another. 20 00:01:11,271 --> 00:01:15,442 We operate under this banner of "science without borders." 21 00:01:15,442 --> 00:01:18,278 It is basically because there are no political boundaries 22 00:01:18,278 --> 00:01:20,380 between the oceans, it is all connected. 23 00:01:20,380 --> 00:01:23,684 And what you do in one location can affect another location. 24 00:01:23,684 --> 00:01:28,388 Every country we go to, we work with the government agencies 25 00:01:28,388 --> 00:01:31,224 and whatever universities are there to identif 26 00:01:31,224 --> 00:01:32,826 local participants. 27 00:01:32,826 --> 00:01:35,596 And we bring them out with us, first to get them to places 28 00:01:35,596 --> 00:01:37,531 that they can't normally get access to; 29 00:01:37,531 --> 00:01:39,733 second: to show them what we are doing. 30 00:01:39,733 --> 00:01:42,135 We try to provide training to them so that the 31 00:01:42,135 --> 00:01:45,205 pick up some of our methods and carry it on. 32 00:01:45,205 --> 00:01:48,575 >>It's a two-way street, because the local knowledge 33 00:01:48,575 --> 00:01:53,580 is immeasurably important to our research. 34 00:01:53,580 --> 00:01:58,018 And then the local scientists benefit by interacting 35 00:01:58,018 --> 00:02:02,522 with world-renowned scientists from very prominent universities 36 00:02:02,522 --> 00:02:04,591 and organizations. 37 00:02:04,591 --> 00:02:10,430 What every single country says is that their biggest limitation 38 00:02:10,430 --> 00:02:13,367 to really enacting sound conservation strategies 39 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:16,370 is lack of scientific information. 40 00:02:16,370 --> 00:02:20,641 So our ultimate hope is that the research will influence 41 00:02:20,641 --> 00:02:22,075 action on the ground. 42 00:02:22,075 --> 00:02:25,545 And so we are acting as a catalyst. 43 00:02:25,545 --> 00:02:28,215 We're an accelerant to change. 44 00:02:54,441 --> 00:02:56,677 >>Major funding for this program was provided 45 00:02:56,677 --> 00:02:58,779 by the Batchelor Foundation, 46 00:02:58,779 --> 00:03:02,182 encouraging people to preserve and protect 47 00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:07,254 America's underwater resources. 48 00:03:07,254 --> 00:03:11,358 And by Divers Direct, inspiring the pursuit 49 00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:14,361 of tropical adventure scuba diving. 50 00:03:16,596 --> 00:03:21,435 (beachy music playing) 51 00:03:32,679 --> 00:03:37,184 >>NARRATOR: Tahiti, Bora Bora, the islands of French Polynesia 52 00:03:37,184 --> 00:03:41,521 evoke visions of an exotic tropical paradise. 53 00:03:46,460 --> 00:03:49,730 Located in the South Pacific, about halfway between 54 00:03:49,730 --> 00:03:53,734 South America and Australia, the island nation is made up 55 00:03:53,734 --> 00:03:57,037 of five archipelagos. 56 00:03:57,037 --> 00:04:01,308 >>French Polynesia has hundreds and hundreds of islands. 57 00:04:01,308 --> 00:04:06,279 And it is spread out in a massive geographical range. 58 00:04:06,279 --> 00:04:10,117 >>It is the size of western Europe, basically. 59 00:04:10,117 --> 00:04:16,590 >>These islands-- some of which have been studied extensively-- 60 00:04:16,590 --> 00:04:20,427 others have never been surveyed by scientists. 61 00:04:20,427 --> 00:04:25,999 And it is really exciting to go research areas 62 00:04:25,999 --> 00:04:30,137 that you know for a fact no other human has visited, 63 00:04:30,137 --> 00:04:32,639 and certainly never conducted 64 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:37,677 any systematic scientific research. 65 00:04:37,677 --> 00:04:42,082 >>We're trying to compare reefs that are in a similar region 66 00:04:42,082 --> 00:04:44,718 across what I call gradients of human disturbance-- 67 00:04:44,718 --> 00:04:48,088 and what I mean by that is, going from very populated areas 68 00:04:48,088 --> 00:04:50,157 to very unpopulated areas. 69 00:04:50,157 --> 00:04:52,359 And it will help answer a lot of the questions that we have 70 00:04:52,359 --> 00:04:57,164 about resilience and how that is related to human impacts. 71 00:04:57,164 --> 00:05:00,167 >>NARRATOR: The global reef expedition is organized 72 00:05:00,167 --> 00:05:04,638 and funded by the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, 73 00:05:04,638 --> 00:05:07,307 a U.S.-based nonprofit established 74 00:05:07,307 --> 00:05:08,608 by his royal highness, 75 00:05:08,608 --> 00:05:12,546 Prince Khaled Bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia. 76 00:05:12,546 --> 00:05:16,349 >>Prince Khaled became a scuba diver, 77 00:05:16,349 --> 00:05:18,652 and really fell in love with the ocean 78 00:05:18,652 --> 00:05:22,155 and particularly coral reefs. 79 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:24,191 While he was diving in the Red Sea, 80 00:05:24,191 --> 00:05:28,061 and he had one reef that was his favorite dive, 81 00:05:28,061 --> 00:05:30,597 and so he went back there a couple years later, 82 00:05:30,597 --> 00:05:34,568 and he saw the deterioration of the coral reef firsthand. 83 00:05:34,568 --> 00:05:37,804 And so that really gave him the initiative to do 84 00:05:37,804 --> 00:05:40,207 what he could do as a single person 85 00:05:40,207 --> 00:05:46,446 to try to help preserve these beautiful coral reefs. 86 00:05:46,446 --> 00:05:50,350 >>NARRATOR: In 2011, the global reef expedition 87 00:05:50,350 --> 00:05:53,153 got under way in the Bahamas. 88 00:05:53,153 --> 00:05:56,389 Since then, a dedicated team of researchers has worked 89 00:05:56,389 --> 00:05:59,025 its way across the Caribbean, the Galapagos, 90 00:05:59,025 --> 00:06:01,595 and to the South Pacific. 91 00:06:01,595 --> 00:06:04,764 In each location, science divers conduct 92 00:06:04,764 --> 00:06:10,170 a rapid environmental assessment to collect baseline data. 93 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:12,038 >>We want to know what corals are there, 94 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:14,474 what fish are there, what the bottom looks like, 95 00:06:14,474 --> 00:06:19,646 what other types of organisms are found there. 96 00:06:19,646 --> 00:06:22,315 Right now we are on Rangiroa, which is the largest atoll 97 00:06:22,315 --> 00:06:24,217 in French Polynesia. 98 00:06:24,217 --> 00:06:27,554 There is about 450 different atolls around the world, 99 00:06:27,554 --> 00:06:29,623 and French Polynesia has more than any other country. 100 00:06:29,623 --> 00:06:32,259 They have about 85 of them. 101 00:06:32,259 --> 00:06:34,728 >>NARRATOR: Atolls are ring-shaped coral reef islands 102 00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:37,264 that surround a lagoon. 103 00:06:37,264 --> 00:06:39,699 >>On these atolls, we look inside the lagoon 104 00:06:39,699 --> 00:06:43,236 and we look outside the lagoon on the fore-reef. 105 00:06:54,648 --> 00:06:56,516 >>NARRATOR: At each site, the divers work 106 00:06:56,516 --> 00:06:59,319 in a 100-square-meter area. 107 00:06:59,319 --> 00:07:05,191 Dive buddy teams collect different types of data. 108 00:07:05,191 --> 00:07:10,163 One team collects information on fish. 109 00:07:10,163 --> 00:07:12,565 >>We lay a 30-meter transect line. 110 00:07:12,565 --> 00:07:15,268 This is attached to us as we swim along the reefs. 111 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:21,741 >>NARRATOR: As the divers work their wa 112 00:07:21,741 --> 00:07:24,778 along their transect lines, they identify and count 113 00:07:24,778 --> 00:07:29,049 all of the fish species they see within a four-meter radius. 114 00:07:29,049 --> 00:07:31,017 >>We try to do as many as we can. 115 00:07:31,017 --> 00:07:33,787 Typically, we would be able to cover maybe four transects 116 00:07:33,787 --> 00:07:35,522 during one dive. 117 00:07:35,522 --> 00:07:38,725 Around Rangiroa, we find a lot of sharks, 118 00:07:38,725 --> 00:07:40,660 which is typical for the area. 119 00:07:40,660 --> 00:07:43,263 At the same time, we also find a lot of herbivores, 120 00:07:43,263 --> 00:07:48,134 such as surgeonfishes and rabbitfishes or parrotfishes. 121 00:07:48,134 --> 00:07:50,036 These species occur in large schools 122 00:07:50,036 --> 00:07:51,738 that swim around the reef. 123 00:07:51,738 --> 00:07:53,373 And they are also very significant in that 124 00:07:53,373 --> 00:07:57,210 they have important roles on the reef. 125 00:07:57,210 --> 00:07:59,112 >>NARRATOR: Another team of divers is conducting 126 00:07:59,112 --> 00:08:02,382 benthic surveys, which means they are studying 127 00:08:02,382 --> 00:08:06,519 what lives on the sea floor. 128 00:08:06,519 --> 00:08:08,755 >>I lay out a ten-meter-long transect line, 129 00:08:08,755 --> 00:08:10,390 and every ten centimeters 130 00:08:10,390 --> 00:08:12,726 I record what is directly underneath that point. 131 00:08:12,726 --> 00:08:15,996 And I do this to accurately record 132 00:08:15,996 --> 00:08:17,564 what is on the bottom of the reef, 133 00:08:17,564 --> 00:08:19,666 and that helps us determine how much of it's coral, 134 00:08:19,666 --> 00:08:22,268 how much of it's sand, how much of it's algae. 135 00:08:22,268 --> 00:08:24,237 And then we do this at different depths, 136 00:08:24,237 --> 00:08:25,972 at every single reef, multiple times, 137 00:08:25,972 --> 00:08:27,440 and then that really helps us 138 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:32,512 to assess what each reef looks like. 139 00:08:32,512 --> 00:08:36,449 >>And then the third survey approach focuses specificall 140 00:08:36,449 --> 00:08:40,653 on the corals, and we again use a transect. 141 00:08:40,653 --> 00:08:43,356 We lay out a line that is ten meters long, 142 00:08:43,356 --> 00:08:46,292 and we assess every coral that's within one meter 143 00:08:46,292 --> 00:08:47,694 of that line. 144 00:08:47,694 --> 00:08:50,730 So we are looking at a ten-square-meter area. 145 00:08:50,730 --> 00:08:52,999 And for all these corals, we will identify what type 146 00:08:52,999 --> 00:08:54,701 of coral it is. 147 00:08:54,701 --> 00:08:57,937 We then measure its size, and then we record information 148 00:08:57,937 --> 00:08:59,339 on how healthy that coral is. 149 00:08:59,339 --> 00:09:01,741 By measuring size, it gives you information 150 00:09:01,741 --> 00:09:05,145 on the current status of that reef, 151 00:09:05,145 --> 00:09:07,614 the past history of the reef, and the direction 152 00:09:07,614 --> 00:09:09,549 it is likely to go in the future. 153 00:09:09,549 --> 00:09:12,385 And so an ideal reef would be one that 154 00:09:12,385 --> 00:09:15,955 has a lot of different species together, and it also has 155 00:09:15,955 --> 00:09:20,627 a wide range of sizes. 156 00:09:20,627 --> 00:09:21,961 >>NARRATOR: Other divers conduct 157 00:09:21,961 --> 00:09:24,164 what are called photo-transects. 158 00:09:24,164 --> 00:09:27,500 To do so, they use a one-square-meter quadrat 159 00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:32,272 made from PVC pipes. 160 00:09:32,272 --> 00:09:33,573 >>And we will put that quadrat down, 161 00:09:33,573 --> 00:09:35,075 and we just flip that over ten times 162 00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:38,578 and take ten pictures. 163 00:09:42,549 --> 00:09:45,051 Because we are limited on time, you can only do 164 00:09:45,051 --> 00:09:47,087 so many belt transects in there. 165 00:09:47,087 --> 00:09:49,522 We get the same information from these quadrats. 166 00:09:49,522 --> 00:09:53,593 We can get cover and we can get size of the corals. 167 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,008 >>The reason we collect all this data 168 00:10:09,008 --> 00:10:11,377 is because the more you know about the reef, 169 00:10:11,377 --> 00:10:13,446 the better you can manage the reef. 170 00:10:19,119 --> 00:10:20,720 >>We know that one of the major factors 171 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,124 responsible for the global coral reef crisis is climate change. 172 00:10:24,124 --> 00:10:27,193 Seawater is getting hotter than it has ever been before, 173 00:10:27,193 --> 00:10:29,462 and so it is causing corals to bleach and die. 174 00:10:29,462 --> 00:10:31,698 Storms are getting more intense. 175 00:10:31,698 --> 00:10:33,766 There is a growing threat from where the oceans 176 00:10:33,766 --> 00:10:35,702 are getting much more acidic. 177 00:10:35,702 --> 00:10:38,304 >>That is a global problem that is hard for reef managers 178 00:10:38,304 --> 00:10:40,073 to really tackle. 179 00:10:40,073 --> 00:10:42,675 But while that is a problem, what they can do is make sure 180 00:10:42,675 --> 00:10:46,146 that other factors aren't a problem to the reef. 181 00:10:46,146 --> 00:10:49,182 >>If we address a lot of those, if we improve water qualit 182 00:10:49,182 --> 00:10:50,683 in areas where a lot of people live, 183 00:10:50,683 --> 00:10:53,286 if we address some of the fishing pressure issues, 184 00:10:53,286 --> 00:10:54,754 if we do coastal development 185 00:10:54,754 --> 00:10:56,489 in a more environmentally friendly way, 186 00:10:56,489 --> 00:10:59,125 I think we could reduce those human impacts and make 187 00:10:59,125 --> 00:11:05,131 the reefs more likely to persist in light of climate change. 188 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:09,235 >>NARRATOR: Fortunately for French Polynesia, 189 00:11:09,235 --> 00:11:12,405 its coral reefs are doing fairly well compared to reefs 190 00:11:12,405 --> 00:11:14,707 in other parts of the world. 191 00:11:14,707 --> 00:11:18,278 While they have been impacted by coral bleaching, 192 00:11:18,278 --> 00:11:20,780 intense storms, and other natural factors, 193 00:11:20,780 --> 00:11:26,452 human impacts are very low. 194 00:11:26,452 --> 00:11:29,589 One of the biggest challenges to marine research is access 195 00:11:29,589 --> 00:11:32,058 to remote locations. 196 00:11:32,058 --> 00:11:35,028 Conducting research at sea is very expensive, 197 00:11:35,028 --> 00:11:39,666 which is why many areas are understudied. 198 00:11:39,666 --> 00:11:42,635 To make the global reef expedition possible, 199 00:11:42,635 --> 00:11:47,640 Prince Khaled Bin Sultan donated the use of one of his yachts... 200 00:11:53,713 --> 00:11:58,751 ...the 220-foot "M.Y. Golden Shadow." 201 00:11:58,751 --> 00:12:01,588 >>The "Golden Shadow" really has an amazing suite 202 00:12:01,588 --> 00:12:04,157 of capabilities. 203 00:12:04,157 --> 00:12:08,728 There is a large stern elevator that operates on hydraulics, 204 00:12:08,728 --> 00:12:13,299 and that stern elevator can lower right down in the water. 205 00:12:13,299 --> 00:12:17,170 And its purpose was to recover and launch 206 00:12:17,170 --> 00:12:19,305 a Cessna caravan seaplane, 207 00:12:19,305 --> 00:12:25,111 and that 12-ton stern elevator can also be used to launch 208 00:12:25,111 --> 00:12:29,215 some of the bigger tenders, the dive boats that we use. 209 00:12:33,553 --> 00:12:37,690 The principle dive boat is a 36-foot catamaran 210 00:12:37,690 --> 00:12:40,560 that we can put up to 18 scuba divers 211 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:47,400 to do our surveys on the coral reefs. 212 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:52,138 The ship has a very large dive locker where we can 213 00:12:52,138 --> 00:12:54,274 fill our dive tanks. 214 00:12:54,274 --> 00:12:57,043 And in the event of decompression sickness, 215 00:12:57,043 --> 00:13:02,315 we have a recompression chamber, which really is useful 216 00:13:02,315 --> 00:13:06,052 when we are in remote locations of the world and we don't have 217 00:13:06,052 --> 00:13:10,189 medical facilities readily available. 218 00:13:10,189 --> 00:13:13,192 Also, one of the assets of the ship 219 00:13:13,192 --> 00:13:17,664 is extremely long endurance, and so we can travel 220 00:13:17,664 --> 00:13:22,769 about 10,000 miles with one filling of fuel, 221 00:13:22,769 --> 00:13:29,642 which allows us to access remote areas of the world. 222 00:13:29,642 --> 00:13:31,377 >>NARRATOR: In recent years, 223 00:13:31,377 --> 00:13:35,148 many of the traditional funding sources for scientific research, 224 00:13:35,148 --> 00:13:39,786 such as large government grants, have declined. 225 00:13:39,786 --> 00:13:44,123 >>I'm seeing more and more private individuals 226 00:13:44,123 --> 00:13:48,094 start to engage in things like oceanographic research. 227 00:13:48,094 --> 00:13:52,532 So when you see these foundations stepping up 228 00:13:52,532 --> 00:13:56,369 and filling this void, it is very encouraging. 229 00:14:10,416 --> 00:14:12,085 >>NARRATOR: Another important aspect 230 00:14:12,085 --> 00:14:15,254 of the global reef expedition involves the creation 231 00:14:15,254 --> 00:14:19,058 of large-scale maps of the sea floor. 232 00:14:19,058 --> 00:14:22,095 >>And the way we do that is we start to acquire 233 00:14:22,095 --> 00:14:24,063 satellite imagery about a year before 234 00:14:24,063 --> 00:14:26,332 we come to the location with the ship. 235 00:14:26,332 --> 00:14:30,336 So that's a very long process to acquire pictures of the earth, 236 00:14:30,336 --> 00:14:33,206 which aren't confounded by clouds. 237 00:14:33,206 --> 00:14:35,742 It's a very high resolution and new satellite, 238 00:14:35,742 --> 00:14:37,710 and the imagery allows us to differentiate 239 00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:39,312 the character of the sea floor. 240 00:14:39,312 --> 00:14:42,515 So we can separate sea grass from coral from sand 241 00:14:42,515 --> 00:14:45,184 to all the typical benthic habitats you find 242 00:14:45,184 --> 00:14:47,687 in a coral reef environment. 243 00:14:47,687 --> 00:14:50,089 >>NARRATOR: The mapping project is spearheaded 244 00:14:50,089 --> 00:14:52,458 by Dr. Sam Purkis and his team 245 00:14:52,458 --> 00:14:54,594 from Nova Southeastern University's 246 00:14:54,594 --> 00:14:59,031 Oceanographic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 247 00:14:59,031 --> 00:15:01,100 Once they have all the high-resolution images 248 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:06,539 of an area in hand, they begin ground-truthing on location. 249 00:15:06,539 --> 00:15:10,143 >>We come in to the field on the ship to start to relate 250 00:15:10,143 --> 00:15:12,211 what the satellite is seeing from orbit 251 00:15:12,211 --> 00:15:14,981 to what is really happening on the coral reef itself, 252 00:15:14,981 --> 00:15:16,149 on the sea floor. 253 00:15:16,149 --> 00:15:17,350 We can then start to get 254 00:15:17,350 --> 00:15:19,218 even finer resolution differentiating 255 00:15:19,218 --> 00:15:22,188 between areas of coral, which are live and vibrant 256 00:15:22,188 --> 00:15:26,058 and healthy, versus those which are in not such good shape, 257 00:15:26,058 --> 00:15:28,027 or perhaps even completely dead. 258 00:15:28,027 --> 00:15:29,595 So we can make a snapshot, 259 00:15:29,595 --> 00:15:32,565 a large-scale, regional-scale audit 260 00:15:32,565 --> 00:15:36,068 of the state of the coral reef at this point of time. 261 00:15:36,068 --> 00:15:37,737 >>One of our primary instruments 262 00:15:37,737 --> 00:15:39,472 is an acoustic depth sounder, 263 00:15:39,472 --> 00:15:42,008 and that is this instrument here. 264 00:15:42,008 --> 00:15:45,311 And he is set up so that he can swing in to the water, 265 00:15:45,311 --> 00:15:46,712 as I am doing now. 266 00:15:46,712 --> 00:15:49,415 And this instrument pings a couple times a second, 267 00:15:49,415 --> 00:15:52,585 as we're moving along. 268 00:15:52,585 --> 00:15:55,621 And you see he is pinging quite quickly right now. 269 00:15:55,621 --> 00:15:57,356 And right now it's about 14 meters deep. 270 00:15:57,356 --> 00:15:59,559 And here you can see the surface. 271 00:15:59,559 --> 00:16:02,462 It is quite flat, so that tells us that we are over sand. 272 00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:06,299 Here you have the position, the latitude and longitude 273 00:16:06,299 --> 00:16:08,701 of each depth sounding as it is being recorded. 274 00:16:13,272 --> 00:16:16,542 >>So what I am getting ready to do is to drop this camera 275 00:16:16,542 --> 00:16:18,177 into the water. 276 00:16:18,177 --> 00:16:20,313 It is a high-resolution video camera with a weight 277 00:16:20,313 --> 00:16:24,450 on the bottom and a fin to keep it stable on 50 meters of cable. 278 00:16:24,450 --> 00:16:27,420 So what we can do is, we are going to lower 279 00:16:27,420 --> 00:16:29,188 this into the water down to just above the seafloor 280 00:16:29,188 --> 00:16:31,090 and fly it along. 281 00:16:31,090 --> 00:16:34,026 The camera is linked in to a very accurate GPS 282 00:16:34,026 --> 00:16:36,596 at the back of the boat so we know exactly where it is, 283 00:16:36,596 --> 00:16:39,198 and the bearing and the speed that it is flying. 284 00:16:39,198 --> 00:16:41,767 And that's the information that we're collecting 285 00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:44,103 to validate what we see from the satellite. 286 00:16:44,103 --> 00:16:45,738 >>Sam, when you're ready. 287 00:16:45,738 --> 00:16:47,473 >>All right then, neutral. 288 00:16:47,473 --> 00:16:48,674 >>That means neutral. 289 00:16:48,674 --> 00:16:50,176 >>Here we go. 290 00:16:58,518 --> 00:17:01,387 >>How's that, Jeremy? 291 00:17:01,387 --> 00:17:03,089 >>Hold there. 292 00:17:03,089 --> 00:17:07,727 >>Holding. 293 00:17:07,727 --> 00:17:10,062 >>We can see where we are on the satellite image live, 294 00:17:10,062 --> 00:17:12,331 and we can see the video feed coming from the tethered camera 295 00:17:12,331 --> 00:17:16,435 on the sea floor as well, so we know exactly what is going on. 296 00:17:16,435 --> 00:17:17,603 >>All right, done. 297 00:17:17,603 --> 00:17:19,472 >>Coming up. 298 00:17:26,779 --> 00:17:29,115 >>Okay, that's done. 299 00:17:29,115 --> 00:17:31,017 The last piece of the puzzle is we have 300 00:17:31,017 --> 00:17:33,286 a very low-frequency acoustic sounder, 301 00:17:33,286 --> 00:17:35,221 and we use that to examine what's going on 302 00:17:35,221 --> 00:17:38,724 beneath the sea floor itself, so we can see how thick 303 00:17:38,724 --> 00:17:40,393 a coral reef framework is. 304 00:17:40,393 --> 00:17:42,695 And that gives us some idea as to whether, 305 00:17:42,695 --> 00:17:45,565 if we see a reef today which is not very healthy, 306 00:17:45,565 --> 00:17:48,234 we can see how well that reef has been faring 307 00:17:48,234 --> 00:17:51,137 over the last 10,000 to 6,000 years of growth. 308 00:17:51,137 --> 00:17:53,105 And then we can see whether it is anomalous, 309 00:17:53,105 --> 00:17:55,241 whether the reef today is unhealthy or not, 310 00:17:55,241 --> 00:17:57,944 or really is it just not a very good area 311 00:17:57,944 --> 00:17:59,145 for a reef to be developing. 312 00:18:03,683 --> 00:18:06,152 The technique of mapping the ocean floor from satellites 313 00:18:06,152 --> 00:18:08,187 is routinely used but not at this scale. 314 00:18:08,187 --> 00:18:10,556 Typically we look at areas 315 00:18:10,556 --> 00:18:14,527 of 100 square kilometers or so per year. 316 00:18:14,527 --> 00:18:17,363 We are now covering 25,000 square kilometers. 317 00:18:17,363 --> 00:18:19,599 And so these are the largest applications 318 00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:21,634 of the technology to date, and that is very exciting 319 00:18:21,634 --> 00:18:27,540 to be involved with. 320 00:18:27,540 --> 00:18:29,175 >>NARRATOR: When all of the fieldwork is done, 321 00:18:29,175 --> 00:18:31,043 the scientists work up their data 322 00:18:31,043 --> 00:18:35,114 at the university's lab in Ft. Lauderdale. 323 00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:37,583 >>That is a fairly lengthy process involving 324 00:18:37,583 --> 00:18:40,319 computer programming, and so there is 325 00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:42,755 a mathematical manipulation of the data set. 326 00:18:42,755 --> 00:18:46,626 >>NARRATOR: Using a variety of different computer programs, 327 00:18:46,626 --> 00:18:49,662 the experts link the depth values collected 328 00:18:49,662 --> 00:18:52,131 in the field with the light values depicted 329 00:18:52,131 --> 00:18:55,735 in the satellite imagery to create accurate bathymetry, 330 00:18:55,735 --> 00:18:57,970 or depth maps. 331 00:18:57,970 --> 00:19:03,042 >>We use the bathymetry that we gathered in the field 332 00:19:03,042 --> 00:19:08,247 to train an algorithm that then says this amount of light 333 00:19:08,247 --> 00:19:11,117 is an estimate for this type of depth. 334 00:19:11,117 --> 00:19:12,752 The ground-truthing becomes our training set, 335 00:19:12,752 --> 00:19:14,520 is what we call it. 336 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:17,223 So this says, we know in these areas that this is what is here, 337 00:19:17,223 --> 00:19:20,693 this is the water depth, and from this... 338 00:19:20,693 --> 00:19:23,696 now I need to extrapolate to all of these other polygons 339 00:19:23,696 --> 00:19:26,766 and pixels in my area to make sure that 340 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:29,468 I am estimating things properly. 341 00:19:29,468 --> 00:19:31,704 Our field efforts tend to be intense, 342 00:19:31,704 --> 00:19:33,973 because we need to get as much information as possible 343 00:19:33,973 --> 00:19:36,308 out there, to make sure that when we come back 344 00:19:36,308 --> 00:19:39,111 and do the statistics and the math, 345 00:19:39,111 --> 00:19:41,280 we have a strong set coming out. 346 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,183 >>NARRATOR: The team also creates habitat maps 347 00:19:44,183 --> 00:19:47,053 by assigning groups of pixels in the image 348 00:19:47,053 --> 00:19:51,290 to different habitat classes, such as corals or sand. 349 00:19:51,290 --> 00:19:54,060 >>And in this program, I use the drop cam videos 350 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:58,130 and some of my own knowledge to assign classes in the image. 351 00:19:58,130 --> 00:20:03,469 So here I just select a bunch of sand, and then classify it, 352 00:20:03,469 --> 00:20:05,571 so now it is marking it so that I know 353 00:20:05,571 --> 00:20:08,007 that he has been called sand. 354 00:20:08,007 --> 00:20:10,443 And I do that over different depths so that 355 00:20:10,443 --> 00:20:15,614 we have quite a range. 356 00:20:15,614 --> 00:20:18,484 And here I will just assign some reef. 357 00:20:18,484 --> 00:20:22,588 >>NARRATOR: Using algorithms and a variety of software, 358 00:20:22,588 --> 00:20:25,524 the computer can then extrapolate habitat classes 359 00:20:25,524 --> 00:20:28,327 for the entire image. 360 00:20:28,327 --> 00:20:30,262 >>It uses spectral values or depth values 361 00:20:30,262 --> 00:20:32,631 to then group the pixels together, 362 00:20:32,631 --> 00:20:35,634 saying this should be a reef, this should be sand, 363 00:20:35,634 --> 00:20:38,137 this should be land. 364 00:20:38,137 --> 00:20:40,773 What this allows us to do is to use only a few examples 365 00:20:40,773 --> 00:20:44,076 from the image itself to classify the entire image. 366 00:20:44,076 --> 00:20:46,378 >>NARRATOR: Once the process is complete, 367 00:20:46,378 --> 00:20:49,749 the experts have created two kinds of maps 368 00:20:49,749 --> 00:20:53,219 that can be combined to make a three-dimensional map 369 00:20:53,219 --> 00:20:55,187 of the seafloor. 370 00:20:55,187 --> 00:20:56,489 >>The fantastic thing about the maps 371 00:20:56,489 --> 00:20:59,759 is they're digital, and they can be tendered 372 00:20:59,759 --> 00:21:02,228 to the public through the internet. 373 00:21:02,228 --> 00:21:05,598 They can be housed in government computer systems, 374 00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:09,235 or they could be printed into very large-format posters 375 00:21:09,235 --> 00:21:11,704 or atlases. 376 00:21:11,704 --> 00:21:14,039 >>You can see there is a bathymetric map on the left, 377 00:21:14,039 --> 00:21:16,142 a habitat map on the right. 378 00:21:16,142 --> 00:21:19,278 Here on the water depth, the red are the shallower areas, 379 00:21:19,278 --> 00:21:24,383 with blue being moderate depths, and blue being the deepest areas 380 00:21:24,383 --> 00:21:26,152 that we can see. 381 00:21:26,152 --> 00:21:29,421 And on the right, when the habitat yellow is sand, 382 00:21:29,421 --> 00:21:33,392 the reds and oranges are different coral frameworks. 383 00:21:33,392 --> 00:21:35,594 Green is algae or sea grass. 384 00:21:35,594 --> 00:21:39,031 >>The data is very powerful because the maps 385 00:21:39,031 --> 00:21:42,301 we are producing set a baseline which then can be revisited 386 00:21:42,301 --> 00:21:43,669 through time to look 387 00:21:43,669 --> 00:21:49,508 for regional-scale ecological change. 388 00:21:49,508 --> 00:21:51,243 >>NARRATOR: Another science component 389 00:21:51,243 --> 00:21:54,046 that will be incorporated into the mapping process 390 00:21:54,046 --> 00:21:58,350 is a study of the sediments found on the sea floor. 391 00:21:58,350 --> 00:22:03,989 What this is able to kind of show us is a spatial pattern. 392 00:22:03,989 --> 00:22:05,758 You can make sediment maps 393 00:22:05,758 --> 00:22:08,594 using the sediment composition dataset. 394 00:22:08,594 --> 00:22:11,530 So we are able to map the different gradients of sand 395 00:22:11,530 --> 00:22:15,367 and how they are correlated with the coral cover, 396 00:22:15,367 --> 00:22:18,771 algal cover, and any sort of storm disturbance. 397 00:22:18,771 --> 00:22:22,241 >>NARRATOR: Nova Southeastern University graduate student 398 00:22:22,241 --> 00:22:27,213 Alexandra Dempsey collects sediment samples on each dive. 399 00:22:27,213 --> 00:22:31,650 >>We try to sample around three to five vials of sand. 400 00:22:31,650 --> 00:22:33,552 >>Collecting sediment on the coral reef 401 00:22:33,552 --> 00:22:37,356 is a little bit like taking a blood sample for a human. 402 00:22:37,356 --> 00:22:39,191 With a blood sample, you can tell the condition 403 00:22:39,191 --> 00:22:42,161 of the body and the health and so on and so forth. 404 00:22:42,161 --> 00:22:46,198 A coral reef, by the way, it grows and decays. 405 00:22:46,198 --> 00:22:47,733 It produces sediment. 406 00:22:47,733 --> 00:22:50,436 And by collecting that sediment, we can start to understand 407 00:22:50,436 --> 00:22:53,339 the history of the reef. 408 00:22:53,339 --> 00:22:56,342 It may seem like a rather mundane thing to sample, 409 00:22:56,342 --> 00:22:58,711 but we can gather great insight about the coral reef 410 00:22:58,711 --> 00:23:03,249 and its history by examining it. 411 00:23:03,249 --> 00:23:04,617 >>When we return back from the field 412 00:23:04,617 --> 00:23:06,318 after collecting sediment samples, 413 00:23:06,318 --> 00:23:09,054 we go ahead and we wash them and dry them in this lab, 414 00:23:09,054 --> 00:23:11,123 and we run them through this machine called the camsizer. 415 00:23:11,123 --> 00:23:15,261 What a camsizer does is measure each individual grain 416 00:23:15,261 --> 00:23:20,432 to the shape of the grain, its actual dimensions and area. 417 00:23:20,432 --> 00:23:23,002 And it is able to tell us what percentage of the sample 418 00:23:23,002 --> 00:23:25,070 is a certain grain size. 419 00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:27,339 You can tell a lot by how large the grain sizes 420 00:23:27,339 --> 00:23:30,075 are in a sediment sample, where they come from, 421 00:23:30,075 --> 00:23:32,544 if they are from a specific type of coral, 422 00:23:32,544 --> 00:23:36,448 or from an algae, or from sponges. 423 00:23:36,448 --> 00:23:39,218 >>NARRATOR: Alexandra can also take a closer look 424 00:23:39,218 --> 00:23:41,420 at sediment samples under a microscope 425 00:23:41,420 --> 00:23:44,056 to better understand what may have happened 426 00:23:44,056 --> 00:23:47,059 in a certain area over time. 427 00:23:47,059 --> 00:23:50,796 >>If most of the reef is dead and we really don't have 428 00:23:50,796 --> 00:23:54,099 an explanation for it, we can go ahead and look 429 00:23:54,099 --> 00:23:58,037 into the sediment sample and you can see what factors 430 00:23:58,037 --> 00:24:02,174 have contributed to the downfall of that specific site. 431 00:24:04,143 --> 00:24:06,278 >>NARRATOR: One of the big threats to the reefs 432 00:24:06,278 --> 00:24:09,682 in French Polynesia is crown of thorns sea stars, 433 00:24:09,682 --> 00:24:14,053 which can eat large amounts of coral in a short amount of time. 434 00:24:14,053 --> 00:24:18,157 >>If we can see crown of thorns spines, we can sa 435 00:24:18,157 --> 00:24:21,193 that's one of the factors, or the main contributing factor 436 00:24:21,193 --> 00:24:27,132 to why a reef is no longer healthy. 437 00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:29,368 >>NARRATOR: All of the data collected on each mission 438 00:24:29,368 --> 00:24:33,005 is combined into a geographic information system 439 00:24:33,005 --> 00:24:36,175 that is available online. 440 00:24:38,510 --> 00:24:41,080 >>And that is also handed to the country itself. 441 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,416 So we are trying to provide them all these geospatial tools 442 00:24:44,416 --> 00:24:50,356 that they can then use to implement conservation. 443 00:24:50,356 --> 00:24:55,160 >>The global reef expedition is really only the start of things. 444 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,763 We are gaining great advanced knowledge 445 00:24:57,763 --> 00:24:59,765 of how these ecosystems function, 446 00:24:59,765 --> 00:25:01,600 and how healthy they are. 447 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,137 But people will be able to use these data, 448 00:25:05,137 --> 00:25:08,574 I say, hundreds of years in the future. 449 00:25:11,977 --> 00:25:13,545 >>I really hope this research that we do 450 00:25:13,545 --> 00:25:15,781 and all these resources that we are providing to the country, 451 00:25:15,781 --> 00:25:19,985 that they are going to be used; that these maps can help create 452 00:25:19,985 --> 00:25:22,421 better management for the reefs, and that the reports 453 00:25:22,421 --> 00:25:25,024 we give them helps the local stakeholders here 454 00:25:25,024 --> 00:25:29,428 know their reefs better, and therefore protect them better. 455 00:25:29,428 --> 00:25:32,331 >>We have had a few success stories already, 456 00:25:32,331 --> 00:25:34,266 where some of the science that we have collected, 457 00:25:34,266 --> 00:25:36,568 they needed the information in order to take 458 00:25:36,568 --> 00:25:38,270 some sort of conservation step. 459 00:25:38,270 --> 00:25:40,039 That's what's really rewarding. 460 00:25:40,039 --> 00:25:41,373 When I see that we have done this work, 461 00:25:41,373 --> 00:25:43,242 it's good information for them. 462 00:25:43,242 --> 00:25:44,810 But when they take the next step, 463 00:25:44,810 --> 00:25:47,046 and then do something that is really going to protect 464 00:25:47,046 --> 00:25:49,148 these reefs for the future. 465 00:25:53,118 --> 00:25:56,555 Captioning sponsored by WPBT. 466 00:25:56,555 --> 00:26:00,225 Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH. 467 00:26:00,225 --> 00:26:03,729 access.wgbh.org 468 00:26:11,470 --> 00:26:14,106 >>Major funding for this program was provided 469 00:26:14,106 --> 00:26:16,008 by the Batchelor Foundation, 470 00:26:16,008 --> 00:26:19,378 encouraging people to preserve and protect 471 00:26:19,378 --> 00:26:24,316 America's underwater resources. 472 00:26:24,316 --> 00:26:28,554 And by Divers Direct, inspiring the pursuit 473 00:26:28,554 --> 00:26:32,554 of tropical adventure scuba diving.