The University of Guam’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (Guam EPSCoR), in collaboration with researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa-PacIOOS (UH Mānoa), were recently featured in the September 2019 edition of the Regional Studies in Marine Science Journal for their assessment of the oceanographic processes and patterns of Pago Bay.
The study, “Physical Dynamics of the reef flat, channel, and fore reef areas of a fringing reef embayment: An oceanographic study of Pago Bay, Guam,” examined circulation, thermal environment, and rainstorm impacts on the coral reef system in the bay. Observations were conducted for one year, with an array of sensors deployed to measure ocean temperature, wave height, and wind speed and direction, among other variables.
“Long-term observations of oceanographic patterns and processes provide necessary context for integrative ecological studies and for assessing and mitigating anthropogenic impacts to coastal ecosystems,” according to the study.
The collaborative project between the two universities was funded primarily by Guam EPSCoR, which is supported by the National Science Foundation. Researchers in the study include Guam EPSCoR’s Dr. Terry Donaldson, principal investigator, and Dr. Atsushi Fujimura, assistant professor of oceanography and researcher, as well as Dr. Margaret McManus, Christina Comfort, Gordon Walker, and Chris Ostrander from UH Mānoa.
The full article of the study can be read at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2019.100740.
