LEAD:

The Nighttime Journey of Coral Larvae: For four nights starting one day after each new moon during a period of about 4 months - this year, from May through August, coral larvae are on the move off Maui. Corals are small colonial animals that secrete hard outer skeletons. One of the principal corals for building reefs in Hawaii, "rice coral" (Montipora capitata), releases packets of eggs and sperm at about 9 p.m. each evening during these months. The packets rise to the ocean's surface and float along-by the millions-in surface currents until the fertilized eggs, or larvae, sink and start to grow on rocky areas. Scientists can predict to the hour when the reef-building coral off Maui will spawn, but no one knows where the floating coral larvae go. So from June 29 to July 5, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington, the University of Hawai'i, the Hawai'ian Division of Aquatic Resources, and the Maui Ocean Center conducted an unprecedented experiment to track the elusive coral to find out why certain reefs off West Maui are doing well and why others are doing poorly. The scientists used underwater tripods, much like lunar landers, to monitor temperature, water clarity, waves, and currents. At the same time, satellite-tracked drifters were released at night to float along with the larvae, and the scientists monitored the drifters' positions on radio frequencies. Reproducible photos are available at http://coralreefs.wr.usgs.gov/press.html (Carolyn Bell, 703-648-4463, cbell@usgs.gov )

Frogs, Fish and Fire: In order to fully understand fires and the effects on
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Contact: Carolyn Bell
cbell@usgs.gov
703-648-4463
United States Geological Survey
10-Jul-2003