Impacts of Desalination Brine on Phytoplankton and Coral Growth and Health
Funding: NSF, International Research Experience for Students in Coastal Zone Research (IRES)
Investigators: Karen Lykkebo Peterson; Collaborator: Miguel Frada, Eyal Rahav, Nurit Kress & Edo Bar-Zeev In this study, we investigate the effects of desalination brine on three common reef building corals Stylophora pistillata, Acropora tenuis, and Pocillopora verrucosa in the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel. In a 4-week long incubation, the corals were exposed to increased brine treatments and were monitored for their health in both physiology and biology. Analyses were taken for: Protein concentration, zooxanthellae abundance, production and calcification rates, bacterial abundance and production and pigment concentrations. |