Water Temperatures Vary with Latitude as Do Corals and Scuba Divers

Latitudes

May 5, 2013

Written by Brian Beck, PhD

During this mission in the Austral and Cook Islands, we have covered more miles than any other Global Reef Expedition mission. During this month we will have surveyed 8 different islands in two countries and the Golden Shadow will cover 1650 nautical miles (1900 miles, 3056 km).

*The Golden Shadow at the harbor in Rarotonga*

During this mission we will have started just outside of the tropics in Raivavae and moved slowly north the entire mission. Many will know that it gets colder the further away from the equator you get, and water temperatures are the same. So as we move from one place to the next the divers are happy to be further north and in warmer waters. The coldest we have recorded was 25.05 degrees (77.09 F) and the warmest so far has been 28.63 (83.53 F). That may not seem like a huge change in water temperatures, but it makes a big difference to the divers, and it also makes a big difference to the coral reefs! While there are cold water corals, the majority of hard corals like warm water temperatures and that is why you find them in the tropics.

*This graph shows that the water temperatures around each island have gotten warmer the further we move north*

(Photo 1 Erwan Delrieu-Trottin)

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Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.

Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.

Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…

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Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…

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