UHH Team Launches Websites Focusing on Coral Health

Faculty and students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo have launched a pair of websites showing the health of some of the coral reefs around the Big Island.

The websites are the product of seven years of research by a team led by marine science associate professor Misaki Takabayashi, according to a statement issued today by the university.

One interactive website displays time-series photographs tracking monthly changes in 48 coral colonies at the Waiopae Tidepools Marine Life Conservation District in Kapoho.

The other website provides basic information about coral health and diseases along with researchers’ data on the status of coral disease at several sites around the island.

The researchers said coral health is fundamental to Hawaii’s ocean life with direct cultural, environmental and economic ramifications.  They hope that the websites will help increase understanding of the importance of a healthy coral community and the state of its health at various reefs around the island.

Takabayashi’s team included Ph.D. student John Burns, master’s students Makani Gregg and Monika Frazier, and undergraduates Niegel Rozet, Eva Farah, Lauren Kapono and Danielle Claar.